1. Write a few stories and then complain that nobody read them.
From what I've seen, most folks who complain about not getting many readers right away are the same ones who refuse to take the time to get acquainted with how Medium really works.
It helps to look at Medium as more than just a writing platform. View it as a tool for writers.
Like any tool, you need to know how it works before you can use it to its full potential. Luckily, nobody needs to go in blind. There are countless writers who have found success on Medium and they are more than happy to share their wisdom and experiences.
Rather than complaining you aren't getting the views you deserve, it helps to learn what you can do better. And, it pays to accept that success on Medium takes time.
2. Sell a course on how to excel at Medium while you're still new yourself.
No, it's not shady to offer courses or programs based on your experiences or expertise. But yes, people are going to cringe if you set yourself up as an expert when you're actually still a newbie.
Write about your experiences, sure. Do it right out of the gate. But also give yourself some time to understand what happens here. Go through some of the changes.
Once you've learned how to succeed on Medium, at least a few steps ahead of the crowd, do share your wisdom however you see fit. But, be prepared to not know everything. It's better for everyone if you accept that you don't have all the answers.
None of us do.
3. Spew constant negativity and wonder why your brilliance is being overlooked.
People tend to suffer from a negativity bias, so it's not uncommon to find support for negative rants about Medium. But all of that negativity can feel exhausting and even oppressive.
Everyone whom I have known to consistently rail against Medium eventually burns themselves out. They get frustrated and angry that they aren't getting the recognition they think they deserve.
It's not that they aren't brilliant writers, because they usually are. But they're far too busy wallowing in their negativity. And they haven't learned that negativity doesn't serve anyone.
Now, I'm not saying don't be honest about your frustrations. But for your own sake, don't fall for the narrative that says you're not getting yours and that a pity party is in order every day.
People want to be inspired. And you can't inspire people when you're tearing down the success you actually want.
4. Leave nasty comments for other writers and call it constructive criticism.
If you're on Medium for long enough, you'll likely get at least a few "well-meaning" comments that come across like pretty nasty digs. The author will assure you that they only have your best interest in mind.
But, their disdain will be practically dripping from the screen.
Whatever happens, please don't be one of these people.
We all know that writing is a tough gig, right? Then must we really make such digs at each other? Cattiness doesn't make anyone a better writer. Not us nor them.
Don't give yourself a bad reputation with snarky comments to fellow writers. That nastiness can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.
5. Write often about "real" writing versus "fake" writing.
It's not your job to decide what makes a "real" writer. And it's not your job to shit on writers whom you think aren't putting out "real" writing.
Every time you call out "phony" writing based on your personal opinion, you wind up shaming real writers. And you look like a jerk.
There are so many different styles of good writing, and so many different types of readers. Don't ruin your Medium experience by focusing on bringing other people down.
Focus on your writing instead.
6. Tag an enormous amount of fellow writers for no good reason except to get them to clap for you.
I like to give credit where credit is due. If another writer inspires me, I want to talk about it, so I'll tag them. There are other times where I tag writers to invite them to participate in a specific writing prompt. That one's rare, but it's happened.
For the most part, I don't think anyone minds when you tag them with a real purpose.
The problem is when you tag a bunch of names for no good reason. When you end your stories with a block of names and zero explanation, it looks like you're just looking for a clap grab.
Stay classy and you'll have much more fun here. As will the rest of us.
7. Reject every tried and true feature of aesthetic formatting.
Other Medium writers want to help you. They create plenty of gorgeous stories and tutorials to help you do well here, but some of you keep rejecting their advice.
Huge text blocks, walls of capital letters, stories without proper images... why? Are you reading any other stories on Medium? Wondering why your reading ratio remains low?
Simply cleaning up your work on an aesthetic level can do a world of good.
8. Fixate on claps as a single measure of success.
Here's a common scenario I've run into: a person vents about Medium being "unfair" because their best story didn't even get 1K claps. In their frustration, they point out other writers who used to get lots of claps but now "only" get 400 or so claps on each story.
They feel bad and want to make others feel bad too. So they'll analyze claps and say things like, "You're days on Medium are numbered."
Here's a hard truth: successful Medium writers don't obsess about their claps. They just don't. I wish I could get more folks to believe this because they'd be a helluva lot happier on Medium.
Obviously, claps matter because we don't get paid without them. But claps are certainly not the measure of quality writing, Medium success, or anything else.
I don't care how long somebody has been on Medium, nothing screams amateur like a writer who can't accept that great stories don't always get the claps they deserve.
And by the way, I've noticed that reception to my work often cycles up and down. That's just life.
9. Take everything personally.
Nobody benefits from taking things too personally in any aspect of their lives. It certainly doesn't improve your experience on Medium.
You can take other people's success personally. Or get pissed off when you disagree with their stories. It's easy to take offense when you assume somebody is talking about you. Easy to get indignant when someone seems to keep one-upping you.
The best thing you can do is stop and reflect on you and your own work instead of worrying about what everybody else is doing.
Hint: they're not talking about you.
10. Expecting your road to be just like so-and-so's.
Every single journey on Medium is different. Some folks hear this and think, oh sure, but then they literally expect to follow in the exact footsteps of another writer here.
Sometimes, we forget that writing itself is a life-long journey, and typically without a final destination until the day we die. We write because we love to do it. But none of us know where the road will take us.
Have the courage to write with wild abandon even though you don't know exactly how it will all pan out. Let yourself be open to success that wanders around and surprises you.
Your path doesn't need to look like anybody else's.