Summary

The article outlines strategies for achieving over 5,000 views on Medium in the first month, emphasizing the importance of compelling headlines, delivering on content promises, engaging with the community, and continuous improvement.

Abstract

The author shares personal insights on how to successfully garner significant readership on Medium, a platform where they previously struggled. The key tactics include crafting specific and intriguing headlines to attract readers, ensuring that the content fulfills the expectations set by the headline, actively engaging with other writers and readers to foster relationships and increase visibility, and maintaining a commitment to ongoing learning and development as a writer. The article suggests that by following these practices, new Medium writers can achieve substantial viewership within their first month.

Opinions

The author believes that a specific and intriguing headline is crucial for attracting readers, quoting Nicolas Cole's advice to "be specific" rather than clever.
There is a strong emphasis on the importance of delivering content that matches the promise of the headline, showing respect for the reader's time and maintaining credibility.
The author advocates for active engagement on the platform, suggesting that Medium is not just a publishing site but a community where relationships can lead to increased reach and learning opportunities.
The article expresses the idea that underpromising and overdelivering can be detrimental to a writer's growth, as it may prevent them from challenging themselves to improve.
A writer should remain curious and continuously seek to learn and evolve in their craft to maintain a fresh perspective and create compelling content.
The author advises against simply copying others' work, instead encouraging writers to develop their unique voice and style, and to improve upon it iteratively.
Patience is highlighted as an essential virtue for writers on Medium, suggesting that success is not immediate and requires consistent effort and refinement.

How I Got More Than 5K Views In My First Month on Medium

It’s easier than you think.

Confession time: it’s not my first time here on Medium. I’ve been here before, a couple of years back, and left frustrated because I couldn’t move the needle.

Back then, I had no idea what I was doing. But now, I know better, and that’s why I could crack the 5k views mark in my first month here.

Do you want to achieve the same or even more? Let me tell you, you can.

Here’s how you can get 5k or even more views in your next month on Medium.

Get your headlines right

Headlines are the first impression readers get of your writing.

Make it shine. No one wants to click boring headlines, no matter how much they matter to you or how inspiring they should be perceived.

Nicolas Cole has one simple solution for good headlines:

“Don’t be clever, be specific.”

Don’t write something like:

A Storm is Coming
The Waves of Life
When Life Outgrows Itself

Instead, write something more precise, like:

Sounds more interesting, right?

People have a limited amount of time. That’s why you need to give them reasons to click your headline. Make it short and sweet.

A good headline balances a promise with curiosity. It makes people click because they believe they can become better by reading it. That’s why you’re reading this article, too.

Write headlines, that people can’t resist clicking.

Deliver on your promise

Getting the reader hooked is great.

It’s already one step ahead of most people. But it’s still not enough.

Because what’s the point of promising things you can’t (or won’t) deliver? That’s my biggest fear.

As a writer, you aren’t privileged because readers will read your stuff anyway. Most people get that wrong.

Readers spend their time reading, what you’ve written.

They sacrifice small bits of their life for YOU. Please be more grateful and respect their time by delivering on your promise.

It’s a question of courtesy.

Meaning, that the next time you promise big, you deliver big.

But be aware of the opposite, too.

I’ve always been guilty of understating things. I’d rather promise too little and overdeliver than promise too much and underdeliver. That’s dangerous as a writer. Why?

First, because it’s up to your readers to judge that.

Second, because you’ll never stretch yourself and become better if you don’t promise more.

Deliver, or even better: overdeliver on your promise.

Engage to increase your reach

I’ve mentioned the importance of engagement before.

Medium isn’t an online newspaper with writers on one side and readers on the other. It’s a platform that fosters engagement.

Treat it like that.

Don’t simply post into the void. Instead, use it to find like-minded people, connect to them, and build relationships.

Spread love.

Because if you don’t, you won’t receive any. It’s that simple.

Don’t know where to start?

Set a timer of 20 minutes, read articles that spark your interest, and comment on them.

Be a decent human being.

Give constructive feedback, share your opinion/experience, and follow the person, if you like the content.

Daily engagement will go a long way.

Besides increasing your views, it’ll help you to learn what other people are doing, create friendships, and have an overall better time.

Don’t stop improving

Be forever curious.

Excite yourself for learning and trying new things. This will make your fountain of creativity overflow.

I’ve fallen short of that, before.

At some point, my inner child thought it was grown up. I became less curious about myself, but also others.

I felt like I knew enough.

Instead of trying to push myself to learn new things, I’d rather take the easy route, doing what I know.

Because I was scared. Scared of leaving my comfort zone. The comfort zone I’ve supplied with so many warm and comfy pillows to fall soft.

Now, I know: that was stupid.

There’s no knowing enough. And there will never be.

And whenever you think you got your comfort zone right, life will teach you better. Why? Because life means constant change.

Especially as a writer, fostering your inner child is key.

This enables you to see the world from a perspective others can’t. And that’s what great stories are made of.

For Medium, this means that you keep learning. See what others are doing, and how it performs, twist it, and then check how it’s working for you.

Don’t just copy or even worse: steal.

Make it your unique thing. Then, improve on it.

Over and over again.

Never stop improving.

Getting 5k views in a month is no rocket science. Instead, it’s applying the following to your writing:

write headlines people want to click
deliver on your promise
engage to increase your reach
don’t stop improving and
be patient with all of that.