My Medium Views Hit Rock Bottom Here’s What NOT to Do
A reflection on crashing and learning
I started on Medium on 15th October 2023.
After years of overthinking, I finally decided to share my words with the world. My primary motivation was not to monetize my writing (still isn’t) but to cultivate writing as a regular habit. The fact that Medium was a reservoir of hoards of interesting stories from across the world turned out to be a bonus.
I was excited in the beginning rejoicing every clap, highlight, and response. But over nearly 4 months sadly such moments of validation have become a rarity for me.
Here’s how it all unfolded.
October 2023
A beginner’s enthusiasm is unlike any other. The novelty of Medium was captivating to me.
I churned out 14 stories.
Attracted 176 views.
And drew in 54 reads.
I even started my own publication!
I was pleasantly satisfied with my progress. It wasn’t huge but it was a start.
November 2023
Driving the October high, I went on to,
Publish 8 stories
Reach out to writers to join my publication Desi Diaries
And most importantly, I engaged with fellow Medium authors by responding to their stories
As a result, despite the decrease in my published stories, my monthly views and reads increased. I thought I had cracked the code.
December 2023
I became callous.
I wasn’t regular on Medium.
I got caught up in life and writing took a back seat.
With only two stories to show for in the month.
Both my views and reads nearly halved.
But that is not even the worst part. The worst part is I didn’t realize this until much later.
January 2024
My laid-back attitude towards writing spilled over onto January.
So far I’ve only published a single story.
And as a result, my views and reads have halved again as I finally realise my shortcomings.
3 Important Lessons From My Misadventure
# Consistency is key
Just because you think you may have done well does not ensure you will automatically do well. Consistency is the currency for growth on Medium.
# User Engagement
There will be days when inspiration will elude you or when writer’s block will haunt you. Instead of avoiding Medium altogether, try reading and engaging with authors. There are two benefits to this approach. 1. It will direct some traffic to your existing content and drive up your viewership, reads, and followers. 2. You may stumble upon inspiration to get the ball rolling for you again.
# Prioritisation
Life is always going to come in the way. It is up to you to carve out time for things that matter to you. Your story need not be a literary masterpiece crafted to perfection. As long as it is honest and written with love, people will resonate with your sentiments.
So stop justifying paucity of time as an excuse for your irregular writing.
As I pen this story, we are nearing the end of January.
I’d like to treat this story as my wake-up call.
And hope I can start afresh to build an audience on Medium in the forthcoming months.
Not only to spike up my statistical graphs but to ensure my words travel far and beyond.