It Looked Like A Successful Viral Article

Summary

An article on Medium about Clarence Thomas received a significant spike in views, primarily from Android devices, but resulted in minimal earnings due to the reads not being from Medium partner program members.

Abstract

The article in question experienced an unexpected surge in popularity, garnering 16,867 views in a single day and eventually reaching 22K views. Despite this impressive number of views and 12.5K reads, the financial return was disproportionately low at $1.79. This discrepancy was due to the fact that 98% of the views came from external sources, specifically Android devices, which do not contribute to earnings as they are not Medium partner program members. The author reflects on the nature of success in content creation, noting that it can be unpredictable and sometimes misleading, as high engagement does not always equate to financial success. The piece concludes with a contemplative note on the elusive nature of success and the importance of perseverance in the face of uncertainty.

Opinions

The author initially felt hopeful about the potential earnings from the viral article, speculating about the possibility of significant financial gain and recognition on Medium.
There is a sense of disappointment and confusion regarding the low earnings despite the high view and read counts, particularly since the article was not curated.
The author implies that success on Medium, or perhaps in any content platform, is not solely determined by viewership numbers but also by the source and quality of engagement.
There is an underlying optimism that encourages continued effort in content creation, suggesting that success may come unexpectedly and should not be the sole motivator for writing or creating content.

It was NOT

(Image is author’s)

It brought some hope until the facts were known

Although it was not the first time that an article had gotten over 16K views, it was the first time that many views had shown up in one day. After a month of views which were mostly between 1,000 and 3,000 on most days with the highest being 3,425, there was a big spike in the stats. The total views for the day were up to 16,867.

What happened? Could it be that my luck had finally changed? Was I having a viral article that would pay a thousand dollars or more? Could I become like those people who are finding some measurable success on Medium? I needed to check the stats to get more information.

Yes, it was one article that was getting most of those views. Within a few days, it had reached 22K views and 12.5K reads. It looked good as if it could earn some substantial money, but it earned next to nothing. The article was about Clarence Thomas, and it was not chosen for further distribution (curated).

(Image is author’s)

How could that be that 22K views with 12.5K reads would only earn $1.79? It was understandable as a prior article with 22K views had only earned $3.03.

All those views must be external. In checking the stats, that was the case. Of course, everyone on Medium knows that reading time only pays when the reads are from fellow Medium partner program members.

The internal reads were only 2% with the external reads at 98%. Well, that explains it. In checking to see where the readers were coming from, it was discovered that 17.3K of the views were from Android device (not Medium app). Google.com views were 3.7K, with email, IM, and direct at 1K.

It was puzzling how those views came from Android devices. It is not known how the article was shared.

An Android device is a device that runs on the Android operating system. Android is an array of software intended for mobile devices that features an operating system, core applications and middleware . An Android device may be a smartphone, tablet PC, e-book reader or any type of mobile device that requires an OS

Whatever the Android device is, it caused a lot of views and reads. Unfortunately, they did not translate into earnings because they were not Medium partner program members.

Success may appear when you least expect it. Success may be fleeting or long-lasting. It may not be there when we think it is. We possibly should keep working with the hope that success will come.

Thank you for reading and GOOD LUCK!