My Plan For Gaining 1000+ REAL Followers on Medium This Month.

Summary

Nikolai Shukhov outlines a strategy for gaining genuine followers on Medium by engaging authentically with other writers' content, rather than relying on the follow/unfollow method.

Abstract

Nikolai Shukhov shares his plan to increase his real follower count on Medium by abandoning the follow/unfollow strategy, which he finds yields mostly superficial connections. Instead, he intends to seek out and engage with authors who write on topics of interest to him, offering genuine interaction such as reading, commenting, and following. He emphasizes that his engagement is not transactional but based on a genuine appreciation for quality writing. Shukhov commits to reciprocating any comments left on his articles by engaging with the commenter's work, hoping to foster a community of engaged readers and writers on the platform.

Opinions

The follow/unfollow strategy is deemed ineffective for creating meaningful connections, as it leads to followers who do not engage with the content.
Vanity metrics like follows and claps are considered fleeting and unsatisfying in the long term.
A genuine comment on an article is valued highly, indicating that the reader has truly connected with the content.
Engaging with authors by reading, commenting, and following is seen as the key to building a community of readers who are genuinely interested in each other's work.
The author promises to reciprocate engagement on his own articles by interacting with the commenter's content, fostering mutual support among Medium writers.

My Plan For Gaining 1000+ REAL Followers on Medium This Month.

Hello, and welcome to today’s Aha moment!

I have enjoyed my short journey here on the Medium platform so far. Yet, just like most of you, I would prefer not to publish into the void.

Pay attention to me! I think in some variation, as I check my stats once again…

A classic strategy when seeking followers on a new social media platform is:

The follow/unfollow strategy.

You simply find a recently published article, check to see who clapped, and start tapping follow until Medium’s daily 125 limit runs out. It works, too… well, sort of.

People follow back. In my experience, around 20%. However, the majority of your new followers gained this way are also playing the game. They may even jump on your profiles and clap for your articles. But they don’t actually read them.

Mon Dieu! These false followers belong to what we in the biz call Vanity Metrics. Oui, the claps and follows buzzing in my pocket, hit me with a dopamine spark. Yet, it fades, and I never hear from them again. Most of these followers will unfollow you in a few days.

So what to do?

I found that when I gain new followers that do not interact with my articles, I take no further action. If I get a new comment, however, a genuine thought-out comment that shows this person has read a post of mine and has something to say about it. Then, I go to their profile, read every post with a title that resonates with me, comment back, leave claps, and usually follow them as well.

So, my plan is simple. Throw the follow/unfollow game away. I will genuinely seek out others who write about topics that interest me and engage with the authors. I will put out into the medium-sphere what I hope to receive in return.

I will read through your articles and clap when I think they are well-written. Comment when I have an opinion, and follow when I want to hear more from you.

I hope you will return the favor. But I am not following you for that reason. I follow you because I genuinely enjoy your writing.

Worst case scenario, I get to enjoy a lot of incredible work by all of you lovely writers.

I promise, if you leave me a comment on any of my articles, I will read a piece you wrote and engage with your writing honestly in return.

Nikolai Shukhov