I Gained 240+ Medium Subscribers In 1 Month and I Did 1 Thing For That

I had no idea THIS is how you grow on Medium

I’m not a new writer on Medium. I started my account in 2014 but I neglected it for years until 2019.

Since then, I’ve been “playing” on Medium. I wrote to build my brand in my niche as a writer. Then I wrote for other content writers. Then I wrote to make money on Medium.

Now, I’m trying something different, and it’s finally paying off.

I recently checked my monthly growth and was shocked to see I gained almost 250 followers!

That’s the most EVER. The only other time I gained more than usual was in June of 2021 when I went from 85 followers to 152 followers.

Don’t get me wrong. Growing by ONE follower is amazing and I started that way too.

But, something else happened.

My Monthly Income Grew Also

I’m not one of those popular Medium writers that makes thousands per month.

I have a highly successful business, several blogs, email lists, two Youtube channels and Facebook groups to concentrate on (that make good money too).

So, once I tried to make money on Medium — and failed — I told my self Medium is my playground. Go have fun on it!

And, slowly my income grew.

Typically, I earn between $40–50 per month. Some months I earn over $100, but generally, it’s low.

But for April, I generated over $200 so far!

The first time ever!

And, I figured out how. I figured out how to grow my followers and income, and it takes just one thing.

The One Thing I Figured Out

In March, I decided I would devote my Friday night and Saturday day to writing two to three Medium posts. I would do this each week.

I had the time and well, I’m a mom to twins so my weekend life is pretty low key at this time (in the spring there will be gymnastics and soccer…oh boy!).

I found I could craft 900–1200 words in about an hour or less during that time. On Sunday, I would submit my pieces to publications like The Startup, Better Marketing and some new ones I belong to like Illumination and the Entrepreneur’s Handbook.

I had to bank that they would publish my piece that week (Monday-Friday).

I usually had 2 out of the 3 or all three approved and published (and ultimately curated for the most part) for that week.

So, in a span of one to two days, Monday and Tuesday, I would drop 2–3 new posts on my profile. Sometimes I would post on my profile (if that story wasn’t getting picked up or the submission process was taking too long).

Suddenly, I was getting 40, 50, 60+ notifications per day of people liking my content, following me or adding my story.

This was new to me. I could go days or weeks without a notification.

And, that’s what did it. I’ve been doing this consistently since March and it’s paying off. I don’t know if this will level off or not. I suspect it will, unless I create a viral piece of content to get me to the next level.

But Wait…

You’re probably saying right now,

Elna, I’m writing three times a week and I’m still not growing. What gives?

Here are some ideas that might help you out:

1. You’re focussing too much on SEO

If you’re writing SEO content on Medium, stop!

I found that my most “viral” Medium post is getting mostly external traffic. Because of this, that post barely made me income when compared to my less viral posts (you can check out the analytics in the card above).

Focus on your Medium audience and don’t optimize it for SEO.

2. Don’t share your Medium posts!

I know, this sounds counterintuitive but for me, at least, I try not to share my posts with my email list or on social.

What I do instead, is share my Medium profile (with my referral link) and that has helped in growing my followers and income.

3. Concentrate on your headlines

For the longest time I was in the SEO mindset and created SEO headlines for my Medium posts.

These were headlines directed to everyone else.

I learned the hard way that people on Medium like to read personal success stories, failures, strategies, tips and advice.

This meant I had to use a lot of “I” in my headlines. Once I did that, I noticed more engagement on my posts.

4. Get on Smaller Publications

I found with smaller publications like New Writers Welcome, I received more engagement and more income.

So, make it a point to join smaller pubs on Medium.

5. Be Consistent

I think this is what is helping me grow the most. I get my posts published Monday-Tuesday, so for the rest of the week and weekend I’m getting followers, claps and more engagement overall from my recent and older posts.

It’s almost a snowball effect and I hope it continues!

I hope these tips helped you! Let me know.

I’ve helped over 20,000 writers find their first client and many of them to go on to make a living as a writer! Enroll in my free course and let me know how you’re doing!

And, make sure to start your Medium profile!