Summary

The article discusses the challenges and strategies for a new Medium writer to reach 100 followers, emphasizing the importance of consistency, quality content, and organic engagement within the platform's community.

Abstract

The author of the article celebrates reaching 100 followers on Medium, a milestone achieved through consistent writing, despite the challenges of being a full-time medical student and the emotional toll of personal health issues. The journey, which began in mid-February, involved publishing articles on topics of personal significance and financial independence. The author advises that while achieving 100 followers may take varying lengths of time for different writers, consistency in publishing is crucial for success. Quality is prioritized over quantity, with the author suggesting that planning and goal-setting are key to managing writing commitments. The article also explores the concept of growing followers organically by engaging genuinely with the community, commenting on articles, and contributing to publications. Although the "follow for follow" method is acknowledged as a tactic to gain followers quickly, the author encourages authentic support and mutual growth within the Medium community.

Opinions

The author values writing quality over the frequency of publication, especially when juggling other life commitments.
Engaging with the Medium community through comments and responses is seen as a meaningful way to build a following.
Writing for publications is recommended as a strategy to increase article exposure and attract more followers.
The "follow for follow" method is recognized as a quick way to increase follower count, but the author prefers organic growth for a more authentic community experience.
The author expresses gratitude to readers and followers, fostering a sense of mutual support and encouragement within the Medium platform.
Monetization on Medium is mentioned, with the author providing a referral link for membership, indicating a desire to be financially compensated for their writing efforts.

The Struggle of Reaching 100 Followers on Medium

Why it is so difficult for beginners and some tips to get there quickly

Reaching 100 Followers at Your Own Speed

Just recently, I finally reached the goal of 100 followers!!

Thank you to everyone, who contributed to this journey!

Starting from having absolutely no audience, it was a slow but steady climb. However, it was not at all an easy journey. I’ve read many articles on people reaching 100 followers super quickly, such as “in under 36 hours”, but also others, who took much longer to reach that goal.

I started writing on Medium in mid-February, so it’s been a bit more than two weeks now. Because I’m also a full-time medical student and just started my semester abroad, I was only able to publish two articles in this time. (Don’t worry, there are more to come!)

The reason I started writing on Medium was that for one, I love writing. I’ve always been passionate about writing down things. In school, I was much better at writing essays than doing presentations. When I was in the hospital a few weeks ago (click here to read that story), it was a very difficult time for me. I was emotionally unstable and what helped me process my feelings at that time, was to write about what I was going through.

In addition to that, I’ve been wanting to be more financially independent for a long while. I have tried lots of different things, but they all didn’t work out. So here I am, giving it a try on Medium. I know that most writers really don’t earn a lot, but I’m willing to give it a try.

Everyone takes a different time to reach a certain goal. Don’t be discouraged by others quickly reaching their goal in a few hours, whilst you’ve been working on it for much longer.

Consistency is Key

The most important aspect of writing on Medium is consistency. You can’t expect to be successful relying on a single story. And probably your first story (unfortunately) isn’t even going to get a whole lot of views (who knows, maybe you’re lucky and it will). But for most people, writing consistently, whether it’s every few days or once a week, not only improves your writing skills, but also increases your exposure to potential readers, simply by writing more articles.

However, keep in mind that “quality over quantity” is still very important. At times when you’ve got a lot on your schedule, it is better to write one good article than to quickly scrabble up three.

A good way to manage writing on Medium is to set a goal — do you want to write once a week? Or even once a day? Plan what you want to write about and when you want to publish.

Gaining Followers “Organically”

The “organic way” of getting more followers is by writing articles without using methods such as “follow for follow”. This way, you can build a community and have followers that are genuinely interested in the topics that you write about.

Medium is a platform for exchange, a community. That makes it important to interact with the people — comment on articles that you genuinely enjoy, reply to people that comment on your articles, and clap for others too!

Another way to increase followers “organically” is through writing in Publications. For example, the article you’re reading now is published in the Publication “How to increase your followers” by Oscar Soto. Publications have a certain number of followers, which can increase the number of people that see your article.

Follow for Follow

Another tactic that many people on Medium use, is the “follow for follow” method. Ever since the 100 followers goal to monetize Medium was set, there has been an uncountable number of articles on the topic of “100 followers” and following to be followed.

Although it’s maybe not as authentic as growing “organically ”, Medium is a community, so let’s support each other!

I would be grateful if you read some of my articles:

My experience with an ectopic pregnancy and IUS

How to make a long-distance relationship work — tips from one year of experience

Follow me for more interesting articles (yes, I will follow you back :)

And feel free to clap (you can clap up to 50 times!) & comment!

So let’s support each other in this community!

If you’re not yet able to read all articles on Medium and would like to become a member (for $5 a month), you can sign up with this link. It’s a referral link and won’t cost you any more than the $5 a month, plus, you would support me directly and I would be infinitely grateful to you! :)