I Analyzed the Follower Growth of 10 Viral Medium Writers — Here’s What I Found

The surprising similarities and differences

In this TikTok age, follower counts have become mere vanity numbers.

But one follower means a living fellow human who spent valuable time consuming your stuff — and liked it enough to smash that follow button.

My 12k following seemed small until I visualized it in person — a mini football stadium of people.

I don’t know about you, but that’s huge.

Floating in gratitude for my writing success, a sudden idea piqued my curiosity — how has the growth trajectory of other successful writers been?

So I reached out to 10 writers killing it on Medium — both veterans and rising stars alike.

All of them were kind enough to share screenshots — and wave me the green flag for writing this article.

Without further ado, let’s dive in:

• We’ll first see the follower growth stats of them all — with a bit about each writer.
• In the end, I’ll present my observations and conclusions.

Ayodeji Awosika (93K+ Followers)

The man. The myth. The legend.

Ayo’s been around for almost as long as Medium has — writing long before monetization was even a thing.

From no b.s. writing tips to brutally honest self-help, Ayo’s set multiple niches on fire.

Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi (12.6K+ Followers)

From a novice writer when we first met online to a solopreneur queen now, Niharikaa’s rise has been meteoric.

A breezy writing style + refreshing honesty makes her stand out amongst the sea of snake oil “hacks”.

Anangsha Alammyan (85K+ Followers)

As a Medium novice, Anangsha was the first big Indian writer I had come across.

Back then, she had 1k followers — 85 times lesser than what she does now.

Books. Feminism. Self-improvement. Fitness. Creator economy. Freelancing. Life lessons. Productivity.

Anangsha’s written in them all — with a prolificity + quality combo that’s nigh impossible.

Moreno Zugaro

Moreno’s a king at weaving sharp wit and coffee-spittingly humorous analogies into his articles.

That it takes away nothing from the sheer seriousness of the message is commendable.

In today’s world of fake alphas, his writing is a fresh gust of authentic masculinity.

Shivendra Misra

Shivendra is the textbook definition of perseverance.

Despite losing his first account of 53k+ hard-earned followers and 30 top writer tags, he started anew.

With a unique mix of deep spirituality and pragmatic realism, he shares valuable best-of-both-worlds ideas and perspectives.

Akshad Singi

Whenever I think I’m writing well enough, Akshad’s articles smack me in the face.

With a maniacal drive, insatiable curiosity, and incredible discipline, Akshad’s on a steroidal growth trajectory.

Juggling med school, fitness, writing, reading, and other endeavors — while doing well in all of them is no simple task.

Darshak Rana

I don’t stalk any Medium writer’s profile as much as I sniff around Darshak’s.

Because the man’s cracked the code — with masterful headlines, incredible prolificity, and hyper-valuable content.

His growth so far is only the linear part — I strongly predict the exponential part is yet to kick in.

Jari Roomer

This man has been my unofficial mentor for quite a while now — patiently answering even the most trivial of questions.

As an entrepreneur at heart with a knack for impactful writing, Jari’s rising to the top of the productivity niche.

Despite having written only half the number of articles I have, he can boast double the stats — and more than double the followers!

Matt Lillywhite

Matt is one of the most helpful and humble Medium successes I’ve had the chance to get acquainted with.

I first reached out to him when he offered to review articles for free — and his one utterance of “It’s the headlines” changed everything.

As a Medium veteran, Matt has mostly written in the self-help niche — with a brief (and successful) interlude of humor.

Neeramitra Reddy — Yours Truly

Not going to toot my horn — as my profile article already does that.

The 3 Observations I Could Draw that Will Benefit Aspiring Writers

Done with a tour or three through all the screenshots? Checked their profiles out? Notice anything?

There’s No “One-Size-Fits-All” Growth Pattern

While some like Shivendra and Anangsha have had slow growth followed by explosive, others like Niharikaa, Darshak Rana, Ayodeji, and yours truly have grown like steadily simmering coffee.

While yet others like Matt Lillywhite and Jari Roomer have had bumpy non-linear growth patterns.

And my boys Akshad and Moreno? Their growth trajectory has been erratic with no discernible pattern.

So, focusing on or over-analyzing your own follower growth won’t do jack.

But the Common Denominator?

They have all been prolific and consistent — except for Akshad who took a few months off to focus on med school.

Quantity + Decent quality + Long Period of time = Success

It. Is. That. Simple.

Because we have zero control over the Medium gods or the algorithm. We can only control our writing.

As Mr.Beast says, his only goal with YouTube videos is to keep making better and better videos.

Focus on writing better, better, and better articles. Period.

If You Don’t Love Writing, You Won’t Make It

Having personally known almost all the writers on this list for quite some time, I can vouch that they all enjoy writing.

Be it devouring books as a kid, journaling their thoughts, or dreaming of writing the next Mistborn, they have all had an internal itch to write — and share their story with the world.

If your reason for writing is the lure of quick money, clout, or pure romanticism, better quit.

You won’t survive against those who live, breathe, and eat writing — joyously jotting 1000s of words as play.

Let Me Know Your Thoughts

How has your growth on Medium been?

Does seeing all these writers’ humble beginnings and growth screenshots fill you with hope?

What are your writing goals? Have you noticed any patterns I’ve missed? Or any insights that popped up?

I’d love to know.

Bonus: Drop any writing-related doubt/question/dilemma in the comments and I’ll answer it to the best of my knowledge.