Stop Begging! Why Asking For Views Will Never Work

Grow your audience the right way through quality writing and engagement

A clap for a clap.

A follow for a follow.

Please sir, can I have some more?

Medium is tough. It’s super competitive with so many writers. And with more and more writers joining daily, it will only get tougher.

This has led to the rise of the Medium Beggar. The new writer that lurks on Facebook and other Socials with their hand out asking for your attention.

Clap. Follow. Spam. It’s a formula followed by many of these new Medium beggars.

Why This Doesn't Work

Clap

Clapping used to be the measure by which Medium writers could earn money. In October, 2019 this was changed.

Clapping does not affect earnings now. It is a tool to show the author you appreciated their article. Asking for your story to be clapped is false praise. It’s like a parent commenting on their child’s rudimentary crayon drawing “that’s fantastic Keegan, it’s going on the fridge.”

They are saying it is good because they have to.

Praise — or claps — should be earned.

If I write something and you like it. Clap. If you don’t like it. Don’t clap. Simple. Asking me to clap achieves nothing.

Follow

A follow for a follow.

Medium can be a numbers game. It is good to have a large follower base. But again this needs to be earned. Look at the top writers. They all have big followings.

Why? Because they earned it. They didn’t prostitute themselves in return for being followed. They worked hard for months and months to build a base.

You want followers that like your work. Followers that enjoy what you write and get something beneficial from your writing.

How many of these “trade for trade” followers stay with you? Do they unfollow you soon after? Are they an active follower, and do they read your work?

Or are they just a number? Do they follow everyone and anyone so that following has no meaning?

It’s important to have readers of your work. Not to just to build numbers on your followers page. Medium doesn't pay based on how many followers you have. If they did I’m sure we would see more influencers on here. And no one wants that!

It may feel impressive to have X number of followers, but if they don't read and value your work they are worth nothing.

Spam

There are many Medium Facebook groups. I’ve joined several. They are great places to connect with other Medium writers, share tips, celebrate success and build a community. But in every group is the dreaded spammer.

The one who drops a link to their article on every single post. With no comment, no interaction. It’s like a smoke bomb. They drop the link and disappear.

My God, this FRUSTRATES me. They don’t read the authors post. They don’t comment. There is absolutely no context to what they have done. And they “smoke bomb” every post on the page.

They don't get views this way — they just build a bad reputation. I vow never to read any of their work. Unfortunately, it has become so constant, I’ve had to leave a few groups. It’s a shame as these groups can be a great resource until the spammer infiltrates them.

Spamming doesn't work in business and it doesn't work on Medium.

Ways to Grow Your Audience

So what can a new writer do to grow their audience?

Read. Write. Engage.

Read

Research what topics do well. Read publications. Have a look at great writers and see what they produce. Search on topics you wish to write about and see what other writers say on the subject. Learn what publications will publish. Find out what best suits your style.

“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.” William Faulkner

This is excellent advice and applies to Medium. Read as many writers as you can. See what gets comments and claps. Learn from the ones you like.

I like Sean Kernan. Niklas Göke and Kelly Eden and read all their articles and learn from what they do. I will look who comments on their articles and also read their work. Liked minded people interested in similar topics that I can learn from.

Write

Post good content. Seems obvious but it’s critical. If you post rubbish, you will lose followers. If you write interesting articles that readers will enjoy, you will build your brand. If you follow curation guidelines, your article will get more views.

Look to publish in publications. It doesn’t have to be a big one. Start small and work up to bigger ones. Publications like Illumination are very supportive of new writers and have added additional tools to help them.

Here is some information on more publications to try when you first join Medium.

In general, great content will get results.

And if you have done your reading — you will have a better idea on what and how to write.

Engage

Medium is an excellent community. Writers are supportive. They like to help others. Engage with fellow writers and build your network.

On Facebook, comment on peoples posts. Celebrate their successes. Add advice if you have some. Only post a link to your story on someone’s else post if asked. Ask questions. Be a part of the community. Don’t be a smoke bomb spammer.

Likewise — engage on Medium. Comment on any stories that you enjoyed. Highlight any passages that stand out to you. This is a way to show appreciation — but it also may gain you followers. People will see your comments. If they are insightful, they may check out your work. Authors will also see your name. They may CHOOSE to follow you.

Again — Illumination has set up Slack channels where writers can discuss and this is yet another way to actively engage with the writing community here.

You may not get as many followers as via the begging method, but the big difference is they will have genuinely followed you. They will become more loyal followers that are interested in your content.

You may be able to build some friendships this way. Or find a mentor who will help you on your Medium journey. Become part of the writing community.

So can we all agree to stop the Medium begging mentality? And focus on writing good material and engaging in a more appropriate manner. It will be more beneficial for you in the long run.

I’m begging you- stop begging for views!