How I Got Over 100 Followers in a Month

A three step process to getting enough followers to join the Medium Partner’s Program.

I have seen numerous posts from new writers on Medium are concerned because they don’t have 100 followers. If they are unable to get 100 followers in a certain time frame, they won’t remain part of the Partners Program.

I am here to try to help you out. I started writing and gained over 100 followers in less than four weeks. I am not a celebrity, therefore, if I can do it, using my methods, you should be able to do it as well.

Step One: Write

First, write several good articles, and I mean good articles that people want to read. Let’s face it, no one wants to read a story where the writer can’t string two sentences together that are riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Grammarly has a free version. Hemmingway has a free version, and you can get free versions of anti-plagiarism online software. Take a few minutes and use them!

Quantity can equal quality. For two weeks at the end of May, I wrote 3 articles per day for both weeks and self-published all of them. By the end of May, I had 116 followers.

Not only should you write a few good articles, but you’ll also need to write regularly as well. I have noticed that I get more followers right after I post than I do when I don’t. That is why during June I did a 30-Day Challenge and wrote 27 articles in those 30 days and posted them in 27 different publications. Even with just 27 posts that month, I gained 146 new followers in that month alone!

One of the stories that I wrote during the challenge was an About Me Story. If you haven’t written one of these, be sure to follow about me and ask to become a writer and then write your About Me Story in About Me Stories and submit it. Take the time to write one and then pin it to the top of your home page. The best part is that new writers are welcome!

Step Two: Follow Your Competition

Though writing stories was a huge part of the “getting followers” equation, I think my biggest success came from connecting with other writers. I got to know other writers and they got to know me. I currently get at least two new followers every twenty-four hours. Often, I get more than that.

To be followed, I first had to follow, and this is how I found who to follow initially. First, I looked up a subject that I wanted to write about and follow (at least a few) writers who wrote about that same topic. (I used the search magnifying glass feature at the top of my home page) and I started following publications about those topics as well.

What I did but shouldn’t have done (and it didn’t add anything to the numbers) was to follow as many people as possible simply by clicking “follow”. That was a newbie mistake. I would have done just as well, perhaps even used my time better by following maybe ten individuals and a couple of publications.

I then read, clapped for, commented, highlighted, and shared on Twitter what I read. Clapping doesn’t do anything for you monetarily, but it does let other writers know that you did see their post and supposedly liked it. When making comments, I didn’t just write “Great post” or anything like that. Instead, I showed that I had read the story. I wrote something about what I thought about the story, added a point, or answered a question that the author of the story brought up. Not only did this help me build a following, but this process helps me pick up story ideas along the way. This story, for instance, came from a comment I made of someone who wrote that they were concerned about getting 100 followers.

Also, it helped when I read other comments that other writers left. I will often go and visit the home pages of writers that leave excellent comments. These are writers that read articles and think about what they read. I still currently get at least two new followers every twenty-four hours. Often, I get more than that and I get them primarily by commenting on others’ stories.

Develop Friendships with Other Writers

Become friends with these other writers that you meet on Medium. Get to know them by reading their work and commenting on their stories like you would a friend.

If you see a mistake that the writer made, make it a point to let them know. However, if you’re going to do this, do this in a private note by highlighting and clicking on the comment box with the lock in it. Never correct someone in a response.

What goes around does come around. You don’t have to ask for followers. Write good stories that others want to read. Read other writers, clap for, comment on, highlight, and share stories on Twitter every day.

I hope this helps you gain followers. Let me know by responding to this story if this information was beneficial to you.