Summary

The article discusses strategies for increasing reader retention and engagement on Medium, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with readers and leveraging comments to scale views.

Abstract

The article titled "How to Get Recurring Reads From Your Audience on Medium. Yet, an Addon for Scaling Your Views." delves into the concept of reader retention as a crucial phase that content creators often overlook. It draws parallels between selling products or services and retaining readers, suggesting that nurturing existing readers is more efficient than constantly seeking new ones. The author advocates for setting realistic read goals and combining the act of responding to comments with engaging with the commenter's content. This approach not only shows respect for the reader's time but also encourages a reciprocal relationship that can lead to increased views and a more dedicated audience. The author provides a personal example of this practice by engaging with a fellow Medium user's content before replying to their comment, demonstrating a method for fostering a genuine connection with readers.

Opinions

The author believes that retaining readers is similar to retaining customers in sales, with the former being more cost and effort-efficient.
There is an emphasis on the importance of not just accumulating reads for the sake of it but setting achievable goals to maintain mental and physical well-being.
The article suggests that combining the task of replying to comments with reading and commenting on the commenter's work can build stronger relationships and enhance the creator's credibility.
The author acknowledges the impracticality of this approach for every comment but recommends focusing on those that resonate deeply.
There is a critique of Medium's user interface, particularly the ambiguity of the 'subscribe' button, which the author suggests may lead to confusion among new members.
The author shares personal insights into their most successful posts on Medium, highlighting the importance of engagement and adaptation to platform changes for growth and success.

How to Get Recurring Reads From Your Audience on Medium. Yet, an Addon for Scaling Your Views.

The Power of Reader Retention, the phase you should be overlooking.

I was asking myself, what is a more cost/effort efficient way to have your article being read? And how can you make a reader become a recurring reader.

The answer is the same for products or services, even more so for contents.

For example in sales it will always be easier to sell to the same customer rather to find a new one. And the cost/effort would be dramatically lower as well.

Therefore, we should have a way to make our reader feel comfortable of remembering us and coming back to read our latest post, as if you would follow any content creator, i.e. a YouTube channel that you always check daily or weekly. (it is harder in writing but we have a commenting tool that we can use)

How can we find equilibrium? or if there is one?

Set a goal for how many reads you want per day. (remember human desire is unlimited, do not fall into the trap of wanting more just to want more dopamine without even you realizing, which can easily hurt you the same way, once your mental and physical self cannot withhold the growth exposure)

Once you see the result that you want. i.e. x amount of reads.

It is time to combine 2 task into 1. (Over deliver the unexpected charm as a good gesture of relation)(sometimes relation are built before both of you admit it)

How to combine 2 task into 1:

Read one post from the commenter and read/comment on their recent post before replying to the comment on your post that they left. (if an community is run under this model, there will be less act to ask instead you’ll be giving and receiving) If their post is good enough or you can relate very well, you should feature their post on your reply back to the comment.

This activity, shows that you are as equally respecting other’s comment and time they spend on reading and commenting on your post. (which scales your views)

We all understand that at certain point we may not be able to do that for every single comments, however, you can do it for the one you felt that give you the most resonation on their respond to your post. (remember to mention that on your reply to their comment on your post, simply doing that will give the public impression that you are willing to do that if you see fits, which brings a lot more genuine credit to your work and how you are as a person.)

Here is an example,

Before I reply to this comment, I go ahead and went to Dr Paul Anderson profile and choose the article: How not to Drive! and provide a comment on their post, before I go back and reply to the comment on my post.

Image of comments I left on Dr Paul Anderson’s post before and after

Hope the point were clear on this post, let me know your thoughts or comments on this.

Thanks for reading. (I’m still reviewing my comments, will get back to you soon, thanks for your patience)

Foot notes: One thing I realize while writing this piece is below.

Does anyone have the same questions about subscription button on Medium?

One thing I need to ask Medium team to help put the subscribed button in spell out format instead of having a mail icon. (I assume this has made new Medium member thinking that they are subscribed after they click on follow) (since no one would even bother to talk about a small but critical thing) I’m just asking why I have nearly 300 follower but only 14 subscribed?

Some of my best performing post about My Progress and Growth on Medium.

Lastly, for those who like to Scroll to the bottom first. (My progress), now you can read from the top or choose one from the list above.