Summary

Sally, a writer on Medium, shares her two-month journey on the platform, detailing her transition from a reader to a writer, her successful strategy for gaining followers and joining the Partner Program, and her appreciation for the supportive writing community and the therapeutic nature of writing on Medium.

Abstract

Sally began reading on Medium in 2018 and became a paid subscriber in the summer of 2022. She initially aimed to write regularly but quickly became passionate about daily writing. Sally missed the automatic entry into Medium's Partner Program and had to gain 100 followers to qualify, which she achieved by genuinely engaging with the community and publishing stories. She values Medium's focus on content over aesthetics compared to other social media platforms that prioritize video content. Sally finds writing on Medium to be therapeutic and believes that the platform's rule of mutual support fosters deep connections and a community with aligned values. After two months, she feels she has found a home on Medium and looks forward to her continued growth as a writer.

Opinions

Medium is a valuable platform for genuine engagement and expression, unlike other social media platforms that focus on short, attention-grabbing videos.
The requirement to gain 100 followers for the Partner Program led to a meaningful engagement strategy that included following authors she appreciated, offering thoughtful comments, and publishing her work.
Sally critiques the superficial nature of Facebook, which she feels is stuck in a cycle of "carrot-dangling" content that lacks depth and value.
She praises the Medium community for their support, vulnerability, and the quality of interactions, which she believes leads to faster and more meaningful connections.
Sally emphasizes the therapeutic benefits of writing, advocating for more platforms that encourage such free and available "therapy."
She is grateful for the connections and feedback she has received on Medium and is excited about her future as a writer on the platform.
Sally encourages readers to subscribe to Medium to support writers and enjoy unlimited reading.

The Reason I Love Writing on Medium So Much

I am a little over 2 months into my writing journey and I feel like I have found a home

I first started reading articles on Medium in 2018 when I was told that it was a great place to learn about blockchain technology.

At that time you could read 5 free articles per month and so I opened 2 accounts (sorry Ev 🙈) and read 10!

I didn’t pay for a subscription until the summer just gone, when I decided that it was time that I wrote.

I had this idea that I would publish regularly, but this idea of writing and publishing daily was a bit crazy, to say the least!

Oh how wrong I was!

My Medium journey has ended up being way different that I could have imagined. Here’s a little of what unfolded…

The battle for followers

I got in just too late to be able to join the Partner Program automatically.

This meant that if I wanted to get paid by Medium, I needed to get my 100 followers before I applied.

First off, I did the ‘follow lots of people’ thing. But that felt cheap and self-serving, and I know better than that. Having taught genuine engagement on other social media platforms, I knew that I needed to be a valuable member of the platform. In order to do this I needed to be out there giving value.

So…while I continued to follow people, I only followed those whose work I genuinely wanted to read, clapped lots, gave considered and encouraging responses, and my followers grew.

I also wrote and published several articles.

3 weeks in, I had my 100 followers and 13 published stories. I got accepted into the Partner Program.

I also had the beginnings of a lovely new community.

Why it feels like home

I had used other social media platforms for years, to network and share what I have to offer the world.

I watched all the platforms, familiar to me, turn more and more towards videos. Not only that but polished, edited, attention-grabbing videos. And ones that didn’t last too long. Like, 15–60 seconds kind of long.

When I go on Instagram, I am not longer especially interested in the still images because I have now been conditioned, like the majority of Insta’s users, to scroll for the videos. The Reels in Insta-lingo.

But Medium has this beauty of allowing people to express themselves without all of that bling.

I became tired of Facebook a while back, simply because I wanted to engage with, and write, real value. Facebook seems to remain in a time-warp of carrot-dangling.

Here’s a taster of what my lifestyle is like. Hit me up to learn what I did to achieve this lifestyle (and pay me a load of money for the privilege)

That pretty much sums up a lot of Facebook. For me, at least.

But Medium is about words that express. Sure, some people are driving their stories through hype and clickability. But most aren’t.

Writing is cathartic. Writing is therapy.

We need more free and available therapy such as this to be encouraged in the world.

There is a community with an aligned mission

The underlying rule of Medium is that you have to read and support to be read and supported.

But it surpasses the shallow tit-for-tat of many other social media platforms, because there is so much genuine value, deep thinking, and vulnerability in the Medium space.

It opens doorways of deep and meaningful connections that grow much faster than I have seen anywhere else.

I have, in the limited time I have been here, connected with so many beautiful and smart people, and received heartfelt feedback on my own work.

Community is what creates the homestead, and that’s what Medium has.

In closing

In the two-and-a-bit months I have been writing on Medium, I have produced work faster and faster, because it is so worth the time and effort.

I have been encouraged to continue to learn and grow as a writer, and I will not stop.

I can’t believe it’s only been 2 months. I am excited to see what the months ahead bring!

Sally XOX

Here’s a fun story from Robert Ralph about how he won £1,000. Enjoy!

I Won £1,000 From A Lie

I spent all the money in just one shop

medium.com

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