Medium Help

The Medium Buddy System

It's not new

Introduction

When you join Medium, it can be daunting; if you were like me, I took a few days to read over some articles and then took the plunge into becoming a full member on this beautiful platform.

I found it challenging to navigate, understand what a publication was, how to write for one if I was adding the correct tags etc. Once I had written the first article, I then had a fear of posting it.

Would I make a fool of myself?

Was it a relevant topic?

Would people want to read it?

I needed a buddy to help reassure me that my article was good enough to publish. They would also help me navigate the dashboard and help to answer all of the silly questions I was too scared to ask established writers.

What Is a Buddy System?

A buddy is someone you can rely on, someone to confide in and someone who will work with you in your early days on the platform to show you the ropes.

New Writers Welcome are here to help the newbies; however, with so many writers, we are limited in the support we can give.

We did create a help section, and I know this has been very helpful not just to new writers but also to more established ones; the topics grow each month. However, it is not the same as talking to a buddy.

I recently created a YouTube video on this topic. If you want to take a look, I have linked it below. Let me know your thoughts once you have watched it.

We suggest that a buddy could be someone who started around a month before you did; this way, you gain from their experience, but they are not so established that they don't want to be bothered by a newbie.

What Are the Advantages?

You can learn from their mistakes rather than creating your own, and in turn, you should give them plenty of shoutouts as a thank you for the support that they are offering to you.

The shoutouts will help to raise their profile and expose you to their following; this may also help build yours in the hunt for the magic 100 followers to help in your drive to join the Medium Partner Program.

Making sure your buddy has similar interests can also work in your favour; it means you can genuinely support each other's articles with claps and comments.

What You Should Avoid

What you should avoid is what many new writers fall into the habit of doing, which is a "follow for follow" process; what this means is I will follow you to help your numbers if, in return, you follow me.

It is a bad idea because you share no genuine interest in each other's content, so you are unlikely to support each other; I promise this is a flawed strategy to follow.

Reaching 100 followers is not difficult, so organic growth is always the best route, even if it takes you a few extra weeks to achieve. However, Medium is not a get-rich-quick scheme; you should be here for the long haul if success is what you desire.

Another scheme that I have recently seen popping up is a "Read for Read", but again unless there is a genuine interest in the articles, this method will also be short-lived.

Conclusion

If you can find a buddy, I highly recommend it; a great way to do this is by speaking to people on forums such as our Facebook page or speaking to people via their comments section on any article they write.

Tell me if you have tried the "follow for follow" or "read for read" methods and how it went for you after six months.

Do you think the buddy system could work? Have you ever tried it, and if so, what have your results been? Let me know in the comments section.