Summary

The author, a Medium writer with poor eyesight, adopts the 20/20 rule for consistent growth on the platform, involving publishing at least 20 articles and engaging with 20 articles daily.

Abstract

The author of the article, who has long struggled with poor vision and relies on glasses, draws a parallel between the clarity of 20/20 vision and the growth strategy they've adopted on Medium. After noticing a dip in their Medium stats, they decided to implement the 20/20 rule as an engagement experiment. This rule entails publishing a minimum of 20 articles each month and engaging with at least 20 articles every day by reading, clapping, and leaving meaningful comments. The author has found that maintaining this consistent publishing and engagement rhythm has led to more stable stats and expects this routine to result in a gradual increase in followers and email subscribers over time. They emphasize that the key to long-term success on Medium is not necessarily quantity but the consistent delivery of quality content.

Opinions

The author believes that the 20/20 rule is a manageable and effective way to achieve sustainable growth on Medium.
They value quality engagement over sheer quantity, advocating for meaningful comments rather than generic praise.
The author is open to increasing their engagement and publishing targets but maintains that consistency in delivering quality content is paramount.
They are optimistic about the potential for a gradual increase in views and reads as a result of their disciplined approach.
The author suggests that their Medium strategy could be a model for others, inviting readers to share their own strategies and consider adopting similar rules for success.

Medium Writers Struggling with Growth Should Use The 20/20 Rule

It’s the most manageable way to grow.

My eyesight absolutely sucks.

I started wearing glasses when I was eight years old. They’ve been part of my face ever since.

I haven’t had 20/20 vision since I was a young child (if I ever had it at all). I’m too squeamish to wear contact lenses, and I can’t afford laser eye surgery. I’ll never know what it’s like to see anything other than a hazy blur without my specs.

Fortunately, I can enjoy 20/20 clarity somewhere else: right here on Medium.

Back in February, I decided to experiment with engagement. My stats had dipped after a break from Medium at the end of January and I wanted to get my numbers up again.

You can read more about it here:

Here’s How I Plan to Test My Medium Reach For The Next 10 Days With a Comments Experiment

“It’s alive! It’s ALIVE!”

medium.com

I was keen to carry my new Medium routine into March, but I also didn’t want to add any extra burden to my weekly schedule. It’s a little too full as it is.

So I decided to stick with the 20/20 rule for the rest of the month, and evaluate the results afterwards.

20 steps to sustainability

The 20/20 rule is super simple.

Throughout the month, I’ll publish at least 20 articles on Medium. That equates to about 5 each week, or publishing every weekday.

If I can publish more, I will (I’ve already exceeded that target this month).

Secondly, I’ll aim to engage with at least 20 articles each day, every day.

For me, engagement means reading an article, clapping for it, and leaving a comment. The comment has to be of higher value than just “great story!”, or something.

My stats in March have been far steadier than all of my previous months on the platform, largely because I’ve maintained a consistent publishing/engagement rhythm.

20 articles a month. 20 engagements a day.

What do I hope to see?

If I keep applying the 20/20 rule for the whole month (and beyond), I expect to see a steady stream of views and reads on my dashboard.

I don’t know if those blue and green lines will trend upwards anytime soon, but I suspect I’ll see a gradual increase over time as I gain more followers and email subs.

For me, it’s just about finding a routine that fits my schedule and sticking with it consistently, until it becomes an ingrained habit.

I could always increase to the 25/25 rule, or even the 30/30 rule, but as I pointed out here, I don’t think quantity is what wins the day on Medium.

Quality delivered consistently is the key to long-term success.

I’ll keep you all updated on how the 20/20 rule pans out for me.

What’s your Medium strategy? Do you stick by any rules?

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