avatarRichard Armstrong

Summary

The article provides strategies for building a following on Medium by consistently writing, developing a unique voice, and promoting past stories within current ones.

Abstract

The author, Richard, shares his experience of recovering from a follower drop due to Medium's bot purge. Despite losing followers, he persisted and eventually exceeded his previous count by focusing on consistent content production, finding his authentic writing voice, and leveraging his archive of past stories to engage readers. Richard emphasizes the importance of perseverance and self-improvement, suggesting that writers should not be discouraged by setbacks or compare themselves to others. He advocates for the continuous development of one's writing style and the strategic promotion of older content to attract and retain a genuine audience on Medium.

Opinions

  • The author believes in the value of consistent writing, regardless of the quantity, to maintain and grow a readership.
  • He stresses the importance of authenticity in writing, suggesting that a writer's unique voice is key to attracting followers.
  • Richard suggests that older stories should not be forgotten but can be repurposed and promoted within new content to increase reach and engagement.
  • He quotes biblical scripture to reinforce his points about personal growth and the renewal of past work.
  • The author encourages writers to focus on their own journey and improvement rather than comparing themselves to others.
  • Richard sees the act of revisiting and revitalizing past stories as an opportunity to improve and create new content, drawing inspiration from the concept of renewal mentioned in the Bible.

Three Short but Powerful Tips to Build a Thousand Followers on Medium

Never, never give in, and never give up

Photo by Samantha Garrote from Pexels

I’m an old-timer but still curious about how to improve. I’m sure you too want to climb and achieve better results.

In June 2021, the bottom dropped out of my followers.

I had 1,017 followers the day before, but then only 864 total followers. What happened. As you know, Medium did a swipe of all our accounts to cut the ‘bots.’ These are better known as the no-bodies, following us writers on June 19.

I was glad since you and I only want genuine people reading our Medium posts.

I did something about my loss. You can increase your followers too.

Here is what I did to regain and even increase my followers.

1. Simple, keep writing

It would be best if you kept putting your good stuff out there for the readers.

Today I have 1,047 followers, Hooray! I know, I know, all followers are not readers, but it’s good to know you have a following, right? When you find yourself in a hole, grab a ladder and keep climbing. Please, do not give up. I write and publish six to twelve stories a month. Most would say, not enough, but I’m okay with my output. Don’t let people shove you into their mold.

You do you.

The Apostle Paul said it best.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. (Galatians 6:4, NLT)

2. Find your writing voice

I attribute this increase to my recent posts. Look, they’re at the end of my story. I’m encouraged since I have found my voice on Medium.

I like how @Leona Brits describe the Writers’ Voice.

I’ve been writing on Medium since March of 2018. So I’m not a newbie by any stretch of the imagination.

My advice to you struggling to reach the magic one thousand followers is to put your head down and keep writing. In time your voice will shine through in each story you write.

3. Dig into your reservoir of past stories and promote each on your current story

I’m closing in on having two hundred posts on Medium to point my readers to read. I have realized having a bag full of previous Medium posts helps increase my reach quite a bit. Always include one or two of your earlier stories into the current story you’re writing.

There is a second component to having a storehouse of your past stories. In taking time to read your writing, you’ll discover ways to update and improve, publishing a new story.

Making old things new is God’s idea. Let’s take a page from His book and make our old stories new.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (II Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

In How to make one of your old stories new by Brian Ellis, you’ll discover several keys to make the old unique.

Okay, I’m sure you want to read the two posts I mentioned

Here they are. I am sure you will enjoy reading them.

Thank you for reading my stories,

Richard

Writing
Creativity
Inspiration
Self Improvement
Writing Tips
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