How I Tricked the Algorithm (and Myself) into 13,500 Views (and What I Learned Along the Way)

Sometimes the solution is so simple and right in front of your eyes.

I like the idea of sitting around a campfire when stories are told. I wish there was some kind of virtual campfire we could use here. Because I want to tell a story. And it’s not your typical ‘5 Hacks to Get Rich Quick’ kind of story.

I want to tell a story about the messy, sometimes embarrassing truth about how I managed to crack the 13,500 view count on Medium in my second month.

I’m not some marketing mastermind. And I’m not a professional writer either. I’m more like the clumsy kid who accidentally stumbles upon a goldmine while chasing butterflies.

The truth is, I started off like everyone else. I was writing well-researched pieces that got views and the occasional clap, highlight and maybe some comments.

But something inside me (call it the mischievous gremlin that thrives on chaos) wasn’t satisfied. I wanted more connection, more engagement. I wanted to see a sign that my words resonated with someone, anyone.

So, I rebelled. I threw the ‘safe’ topics out the window. And I replaced them with the kind of stuff that made me raise an eyebrow, bite my lip, and think, ‘Should I really be saying this?’ And I did.

And guess what? It worked.

Not always, not universally, but it worked. People clicked. They commented. Highlighted. Clapped. My little corner of the internet became a busy crossroad.

Sure, I might have used a few attention-grabbing headlines (okay, maybe more than a few). But underneath those headlines are stories that matter to me. Stories about doubt. About fear. About the messy, unfiltered thoughts that go around in my head.

So I want to share the three simple habits I adopted that, along with a healthy dose of luck, led to 13,5K views.

1. Free the Thought Monster. I stopped filtering my ideas. I just grabbed a pen and paper. Dumped every thought. Dumped every opinion. Every half-baked theory onto the page. No matter how strange or controversial. I wasn’t trying to write a masterpiece. I just wanted to write all my thoughts down, even the ones I’m not aware of.

2. Search for your Inner Contrarian. I challenged the status quo. I questioned popular narratives. I wrote about uncomfortable truths. And I wrote about things no one else seemed to write about. I didn’t want to be disrespectful though. I wanted to bring about dialogue. I wanted to invite people to see things from a different perspective.

3. Share the Messy Truth. I stopped sugarcoating my experiences. I shared the doubts. The fears. The moments when I felt lost and confused. This vulnerability connected with readers. It made me feel a sense of shared humanity in the comment section.

I know that it’s not easy to put your unfiltered self out there. To write about controversy. And to risk criticism. But maybe you can see it as a little experiment in which you try to write about the mess and to challenge the norm. Just see what happens next.

Views are just a number though. The real treasure lies in the connections you make. The conversations. And the impact you have on someone’s day. Even if it’s just making them think, ‘Wow, that person is weird…but I kinda like it!’