“More Followers Doesn’t Equate to Higher Earnings” — Medium Myth Busted!

I recently stumbled upon a post from one of my earliest supporters here on Medium. To be frank, he was probably one of the first 10 followers I gained.

He made sure to engage with a couple of my initial posts, and the feeling of encouragement was priceless.

Thanks for that, buddy.

I’m avoiding mentioning his name because I’m using him as a case study, and I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable in any way.

Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

So, when I first found his profile, he had about 7,000 followers, which is a huge number, close to celebrity status. Now, as I write this, he has around 10,000 followers.

That’s an incredible exponential growth from 7,000 to 10,000 in just three months. One would assume he’s making around $500 a month easily, even with just one article per day.

But guess what? That’s not the case.

Last month, he only made $200.

Now, don’t get me wrong. $200 is significant money, but the point I’m trying to make is that not everyone with 10,000 followers automatically makes $500.

No matter how large your following, you still need to consistently deliver quality content.

Photo by lilartsy on Unsplash

My friend admitted in his article that last month, he got super busy and only posted around 15 articles, among other factors that caused his earnings to drop from $400 three months ago to $300 two months ago, and then to $200 last month.

In contrast, I managed to make $160 in January with just 300 followers.

[embed]My Medium Earnings for Jan’2024 — MindBlowing Results 😲 ( Not a Friend Of Medium Yet) ↑↑↑….. Sky-Rocketed 1250 %medium.com

This isn’t to compare him and me. I’m nowhere near his growth or experience.

It’s just to highlight the fact that you don’t necessarily need 5,000 to 10,000 followers to succeed on Medium. Your articles need to resonate. If a couple of articles strike a chord with the audience, there’s no stopping you from earning big numbers.

Photo by Melanie Deziel on Unsplash

I’m not completely dismissing the value of having a large follower count. It does have its perks.

• You don’t have to post every day; you can post on alternate days or when you have time and still earn good money.
• More followers mean more subscribers. Your articles reach at least 1,000 subscribers individually, notifying them, as opposed to someone like me who only has 20. That’s a significant advantage.
• You’ve built a loyal community that genuinely appreciates your work and supports you even when your articles aren’t your best.

And then there’s much more.

The bottom line is:

Having more followers doesn’t automatically mean more earnings. You still have to put in the effort.

Photo by Martin Wilner on Unsplash

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Cheers — KS !!