avatarKristina God

Summary

Kristina God shares insights on achieving a 100% read ratio on Medium by focusing on authentic storytelling, overcoming vulnerability, and persisting through challenges.

Abstract

Kristina God, a seasoned Medium writer with 250+ articles, reflects on her journey to achieving a 100% read ratio, emphasizing the importance of engaging content that resonates with readers. She distinguishes between 'vanity metrics' like claps and comments and more significant backend metrics such as views and read ratio. God attributes her success to writing pieces that reveal personal struggles and vulnerabilities, as seen in her essays for the Medium Writers Challenge. She encourages writers to push through self-doubt and anxiety, highlighting the transformative power of writing and its potential to change lives. The article serves as a motivational guide for writers seeking to create impactful content and achieve high engagement rates.

Opinions

  • The author believes that a 100% read ratio is a significant achievement, indicating that every reader finishes the article.
  • She suggests that writers should focus on the emotional depth and authenticity of their stories rather than just the surface-level engagement metrics.
  • The article conveys the opinion that vulnerability in writing can lead to a deeper connection with the audience and higher read ratios.
  • Kristina God emphasizes the challenging nature of writing, equating it to 'work' that requires mental and emotional effort.
  • She shares her personal experience with self-doubt and the fear of publishing vulnerable content, offering advice on overcoming these obstacles.
  • The author views the Medium Writers Challenge as a valuable opportunity for growth and a catalyst for producing some of her best work.
  • She encourages writers to take risks, be vulnerable, and not let anxiety prevent them from achieving their goals.
  • The article implies that persistence and consistent effort are key to success in writing, as evidenced by the author's own experience and the success of her essays.

The Secret To a 100% Read Ratio

You’re only flesh and blood, like anyone else

Woman photo created by drobotdean

It’s my 10th month on Medium. I’ve published around 250+ articles.

Most of them are short form posts. One-third are long form articles.

Yesterday I noticed I have 15 pieces with a 100% read ratio. 4 of them are long form articles.

Immediately, I remembered Anne Bonfert and Yana Bostongirl’s recent posts about this metric and realized:

Yeah! 100% read ratio is a rare achievement!

Today I want to share with you the secret to reaching a 100% read ratio in order to experience this achievement for yourself.

Are you checking the wrong metrics?

Sometimes claps, likes, and comments are vanity metrics ‘in the frontend’.

More important is what’s going on ‘in the backend’ in regard to views and more importantly in regard to ‘read ratio’.

Read ratio = ratio between views and reads.

100% = is an indication that everyone finishes reading your piece.

This is my latest 100% Read ratio piece:

👉 In the frontend, it has 682 claps and 8 comments.

👉 In the backend, it has around 100 views and a 100% read ratio.

This piece is one of the 4 long form articles that gained a 100% read ratio.

What made the difference?

In this latest piece with a 100% read ratio, I’m drawing back the curtain to let my readers in on some of my hardest days as a writer.

I’m sharing the thought patterns that kept me moving forward and what I’ve discovered about entering the Medium Writers Challenge.

I tell you. I literally went back and forth about publishing this story. I hesitated hard before hitting publish.

Similar as I went back and forth with sharing my two very personal essays for the Writers Challenge beforehand.

Here are my entries for the Medium Writers Challenge:

#space — It’s about SPACE to breathe again! This doesn't mean a big and fancy apartment.

#death — A beautiful tribute to my granddad. It’s about fulfilling your dreams and truly living your life.

Way more vulnerable than usual

The last past five months have been some of the most challenging months I’ve ever had in my entire life.

I found myself in a hyper-emotional phase and I had the feeling my (old) life was about to crumble into 1,000 pieces.

Writing my thoughts down showed me I’m only flesh and blood — like anyone else.

Therefore, these 3 essays are way more vulnerable than I’m used to being in my writing.

Writing isn’t all rainbows and butterflies.

Oftentimes the process of writing articles (when I put my baby to bed and write until my eyes droop) isn't all rainbows and butterflies.

It’s damned hard ‘work’.

By ‘work’ I mean your mindset as well as your writing karma.

It’s all about your ability to get over mindset roadblocks and push through challenges that arise, for instance, the Medium Writers Challenge.

Oftentimes…

  • I doubt myself.
  • I avoid my laptop.
  • I want to delete my draft.

But then I remind myself it’s all about showing up and doing the ‘work’.

Entering the Medium Writers Challenge taught me a big lesson:

Writing an essay for a writer’s challenge is a big growth opportunity. It can lead to the best stories.

Final Takeaways

Besides the Medium Writers Challenge, as a writer, you always have the potential to reach thousands of readers — from your couch or kitchen table — and get a 100% read ratio with your inspiring words.

Your words can change lives forever.

Isn’t this incredible?

  • Don’t be afraid of taking risks in writing.
  • Dare to get at least a little vulnerable and even share stories you’re nervous about.
  • Take the leap to get your words into the online world.
  • Don’t let your anxiety hold you back from the big goals you have.
  • Try over and over again to push yourself through self-doubt and anxiety… and press publish.

© Kristina God

PS: Hint — If you’re going to check your read ratios now, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s likely that your read ratio will increase over time as more members read your text. The metric is only updated periodically. So for newly published essays, your read ratio might appear very low at first (for instance, 10%), but over time it will go up. Trust me!

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