Unlocking Medium: My Journey to 500 Followers in 14 Days
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Chapter 1: The Beginning of My Medium Journey
I embarked on my journey as a writer on Medium on March 7th. Astonishingly, by March 17th, I had attracted nearly 300 followers, and just a few days later, I crossed the 500-follower milestone. It’s quite remarkable, isn’t it?
My introduction to Medium is a bit unconventional, but I suspect many can relate. I recently penned an article titled "5 Reasons Why People Are Broke in 2024." While writing, it struck me that this is precisely why I turned to writing: we are living in extraordinary times, and many of us are facing financial hardships.
Section 1.1: How I Discovered Medium
My journey began with a YouTube video titled "How to Make $300 a Day with Google Affiliate Marketing." Like many, I was intrigued, and that led to a significant change in my life.
After watching that video, I delved into trending topics on Pinterest and used AI tools to help format my blog posts, which I then shared on Medium. I integrated affiliate links within my articles, directing readers to online retailers and earning commissions on their purchases.
My first article, published on March 9th, was titled "Must-Have Spring & Summer Outfits Every Woman Needs in Her Wardrobe This March 2024."
Section 1.2: Transitioning from Affiliate Marketing
I soon recognized that to take my writing seriously on Medium, I needed to view it from a reader's perspective. This meant evaluating my articles to see if I would want to read them and understanding the audience on Medium. I realized that the audience on Pinterest is quite different from that on Medium.
Consequently, I decided to shift my focus from affiliate marketing to part-time blogging as a way to supplement my income during these challenging times and to connect with fellow literature lovers.
Chapter 2: Building My Follower Base
Now, let’s discuss the exciting part: how I managed to amass over 500 followers in under two weeks. If a writer maintains consistency and averages around 200 to 250 new followers weekly, that's a substantial increase in visibility.
In just ten days, I gained almost 300 followers, which is incredible!
I quickly learned that Medium operates like any social media platform: to grow, you need to build a community.
Reflecting on the early days of Instagram, there was a trend of using "#like4like" to boost engagement by liking others’ posts in exchange for likes on your own. Although it sounds a bit silly, I adopted a similar approach. I dedicated about 45 minutes daily to clapping for, reading, following authors, and commenting on engaging articles.
This strategy was crucial in helping me gain over 500 followers in less than two weeks. My goal is to reach 1,000, then 5,000, and ultimately 10,000 followers.