I Just Reached 300 Followers: Here is What I Have Learned

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empire as it were. Then, starting yesterday, I decided to really kick it up a notch.</p><p id="ee7f">As you can see in the most I made about attempting to gain 5,000 new followers in 2024, I had just 251 followers at the moment I hit publish on that piece. However, I have now jumped up to 301 as of the time of this writing, a mere ~27 hours since I published that piece. So, what accounts for this steady success?</p><h1 id="89e7">It Wasn’t Magic, It Was Diligence</h1><figure id="518e"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*jaRL5k24loLuTWcH"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@sharonmccutcheon?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Alexander Grey</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="25c3">I’m sorry if I am the first one to tell you this, but you can’t expect anyone to care much at all about what you have to say when you first start out. People will care about what you have to say if you accomplish some combination of the following:</p><ul><li><b>You Have Something Incredibly Unique or Interesting to Say</b> — This could be based on your personal experiences or a unique take on something that many people are talking about. Either way, you need to provide a unique angle on it.</li><li><b>You Contribute Back to the Community —</b> No one wants to interact with someone who only takes but never gives back. Yes, you probably find your own stories to be some of the most interesting on the platform, but that is not a view that will be shared by all. You can and should work to view other member’s stories and see what they have to say. Leave <i>THOUGHTFUL</i> comments that contribute something back, and make sure you check in with them often. The best news is that you can search for the topics that interest you the most to find the kind of stories that you want to read.</li><li><b>You Have Built A Following and a Reputation on the Platform —</b>

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This is the final objective that we are all (or virtually all) of us are ultimately aiming for. When you have established yourself as a top name on the platform, you can surely expect your following and viewership to increase far more easily than when you are first getting started out. That said, this final goal will take far longer than the others.</li></ul><p id="db88">All of this is to say that I have been working hard on the first two objectives, particularly contributing back to the community. That is what I can offer at the stage that I am at now. I know that 300 followers is nowhere near the stopping point for me, it is just another milestone on the journey.</p><h1 id="d1fd">Try Not to Obsess About Your Follower Count</h1><p id="45c9">Interestingly, one of the lessons that I have learned from people with more time, experience, and yes followers than I do is that I shouldn’t obsess too much on my total follower count. In a sense, yes this seems true.</p><p id="33bf">Follower count is an easy metric to look at because it appears right there on your profile and because you get a notification each time someone new joins the fold. However, genuine connections, interactions, and even e-mail subscribers are better metrics to keep tabs on say many of the more experienced souls on here.</p><p id="2b69">While I do agree with their advice, I also understand that it will be a challenge for me not to focus on follower count too much. The best additional advice that I can offer on this point is to perhaps limit yourself to only checking on your follower count a certain number of times each day.</p><h1 id="7ffb">There Is So Much More To Learn</h1><p id="49ba">The final thing that I can say about hitting this milestone number is that I still have so much more to learn. Each day I am finding new ways to look at things around here, and I am working hard to become a better contributor to the Medium community. I hope that you follow me along this journey!</p></article></body>

I Just Reached 300 Followers: Here is What I Have Learned

300 followers. This is hardly a milestone for some, but it is a nice round number that I was pleased to see today. Truthfully, it has less to do with the grand total as it has to do with the pace at which new followers have been joining the club (welcome!) that got me excited. In fact, even as I was writing this first paragraph the number climbed to 301, and another member decided to subscribe to my stories via e-mail (bless you!).

If you have been checking in with me even since just yesterday you will know that my goal for 2024 is to add 5,000 followers to my count. This piece explains how I am going to do it and what the mathematical breakdown looks like: I Will Add 5,000 Followers in 2024, and You Can Follow the Journey | by Ryan Canady | Dec, 2023 | Medium

Now, what I am truly excited about is just how much hard work pays off. Approximately a week ago I decided that I would dust off my virtually abandoned Medium account and give it another shot. I had 175 followers, but I hadn’t published anything in over a year. With January 1st rapidly approaching, I wanted to give myself a challenge for 2024, and that is how I ended up here.

So, I dabbled for a little bit and got my feet wet on the platform yet again. However, it was all around Christmas time and a bout of illness also kept me from truly dedicating a significant portion of time and effort to building my Medium empire as it were. Then, starting yesterday, I decided to really kick it up a notch.

As you can see in the most I made about attempting to gain 5,000 new followers in 2024, I had just 251 followers at the moment I hit publish on that piece. However, I have now jumped up to 301 as of the time of this writing, a mere ~27 hours since I published that piece. So, what accounts for this steady success?

It Wasn’t Magic, It Was Diligence

I’m sorry if I am the first one to tell you this, but you can’t expect anyone to care much at all about what you have to say when you first start out. People will care about what you have to say if you accomplish some combination of the following:

You Have Something Incredibly Unique or Interesting to Say — This could be based on your personal experiences or a unique take on something that many people are talking about. Either way, you need to provide a unique angle on it.

You Contribute Back to the Community — No one wants to interact with someone who only takes but never gives back. Yes, you probably find your own stories to be some of the most interesting on the platform, but that is not a view that will be shared by all. You can and should work to view other member’s stories and see what they have to say. Leave THOUGHTFUL comments that contribute something back, and make sure you check in with them often. The best news is that you can search for the topics that interest you the most to find the kind of stories that you want to read.

You Have Built A Following and a Reputation on the Platform — This is the final objective that we are all (or virtually all) of us are ultimately aiming for. When you have established yourself as a top name on the platform, you can surely expect your following and viewership to increase far more easily than when you are first getting started out. That said, this final goal will take far longer than the others.

All of this is to say that I have been working hard on the first two objectives, particularly contributing back to the community. That is what I can offer at the stage that I am at now. I know that 300 followers is nowhere near the stopping point for me, it is just another milestone on the journey.

Try Not to Obsess About Your Follower Count

Interestingly, one of the lessons that I have learned from people with more time, experience, and yes followers than I do is that I shouldn’t obsess too much on my total follower count. In a sense, yes this seems true.

Follower count is an easy metric to look at because it appears right there on your profile and because you get a notification each time someone new joins the fold. However, genuine connections, interactions, and even e-mail subscribers are better metrics to keep tabs on say many of the more experienced souls on here.

While I do agree with their advice, I also understand that it will be a challenge for me not to focus on follower count too much. The best additional advice that I can offer on this point is to perhaps limit yourself to only checking on your follower count a certain number of times each day.