5 Reasons Why No One Reads Your Medium Stories (And How To Fix It)
I’ve been there! Don’t worry
It’s so painful when you spend HOURS creating a story just to get “Crickets.”
Don’t worry, I’ve been there. And maybe you’re making the mistakes I was making back then — that are causing you to get “No read.”
But here is the good news…
With some smart moves and strategies, you can avoid this “Cricket game” and join the “Engagement flood” group. Seriously!
So without further ado let me walk you through the changes you should make to get reads on your Medium stories.
Let’s dive in!
1. Random-ness
Either you should be niche-less or one-niche.
I can’t stand with you if you say “I want to write about 12 different topics” to grow on Medium. Listen, they’ve brainwashed you. There are literally zero benefits to writing about 12 different topics.
You become the next “Random account” when you try to write about multiple topics.
And this is why your audience doesn’t engage with you. What’s more, Neither they care about your stories nor read them.
Let me give you a perfect example.
So let’s assume, I come across one of your stories on the topic “Writing.” You write it so well that I can’t help but follow you. Reason? I enjoy reading stories about writing.
Now, here things get interesting.
But unfortunately, I don’t know that you also write about 5 other topics. So you post another story about cryptocurrency. I see it — but I don’t give a damn. Because I have zero interest in crypto.
So you lose my attention (your follower) thus your story loses its engagement. Now it signals the algorithm that your story isn’t good. You lack engagement, so you struggle to grow.
That’s a TLDR. I can stretch it to a 1,200-word article explaining everything in detail. But let’s just stop there.
I teach this concept on my Assets, Medium MasterClass.
Here’s How To Fix It
Write to one person.
If you want to get reads on your Medium stories you should write only to one person. You should write to one audience, one group of people — meaning in one niche.
This is how you grow exponentially.
Although you can also grow writing about different topics. But trust me, you’ll have a tough time getting enough engagement on your stories unless you’re not commenting 100 times a day.
The only way to get engagement without commenting 100 times a day is to write in one niche. Don’t believe it? Just check my previous stories and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Believe me, it works.
2. USP Absent
This component is a must in your writing.
If you don’t know what USP is, let me explain. It stands for “Unique Selling Proposition” which means how you sell your offer or idea.
And when I say “Sell” I mean by how you deliver your ideas. (let’s forget about the offer here) As a wise man once said:
“It’s not the idea that matters, but how you deliver it.”
You can completely be robotic and write a 1,200-word article on “How to improve your writing.” while adding zero stories to it.
Or you can write an 800-word article on “How to improve your writing” by telling your own personal stories or experiences.
Tell me which one would perform better? Of course the second one.
That is USP.
Here Is How To Fix It
You don’t get read because you sound robotic or your stories seem AI-generated. And you need to fix it.
You need to add your own personality to your writing. You need to add your stories to your writing. You need to pick a writing style that naturally comes to you.
And then, the reader will know you because of the personality you have, who you are, where you’re from, what you do, etc. And your unique stories that your readers will remember.
This is how you make a difference.
3. Google Syndrome
You may be trying to please Google instead of your audience.
I’ve seen a lot of Medium writer just focus on ranking their every story on Google search. They write to rank on Google.
They do keyword research. They write stories that would rank on Google. They write about various topics. And then wonder why their followers don’t engage.
But what these writers don’t realize is that ranking your Medium stories on Google is a completely different game that you’re playing. And worst? You’re playing on the wrong platform — Medium.
Here’s How To Fix It
In one sentence: if you want to rank your articles on Google, don’t write on Medium. So simple.
If your goal is to rank your articles on Google then buy a domain, buy a hosting, build a website, and start publishing your articles there.
You can’t do this on Medium.
Medium has a different test. You need to write for your followers and audience to grow on Medium. You can’t expect any growth or reads if you don’t focus on the audience's interests and problems.
So yeah, if you’re making this mistake, this might be a reason your readers aren’t engaging with your stories.
4. No personalization
Hey guys.
So we just arrived at the 4th point. Thank you everyone for reading this story so far. It means a lot to me.
Understand what I just did there? This is a terrible way to write.
You shouldn’t use words like:
- Guys
- Folks
- Friends
- Writers
Remove all the “S” and just say in the singular form. Do not try to sound like you’re talking to a crowd. If you do so, no one feels personal and this causes you massive drops in your engagement.
Here’s How to fix it
Use only two words when addressing your reader:
- You
- Your
That’s it.
When you say “You” and “Your” they instantly make your writing personal. The reader feels like you’re directly talking to him/her. And this is what they want. Don’t they?
Your reader feels jealous when you say “Hey folks, friends, guys, writers, etc.” They don’t read your stories with their family. They read alone, they’re one.
And you should remember this.
5. Unworthy Headlines
This month I probably have written 5 -10 stories about headlines.
It’s something I strongly believe that makes or breaks your story. However, your story has to be valuable to get the views you want.
If you write “Killer Headlines” but do a terrible job writing the story — no matter how hard you try your story won’t go viral.
There is a deep connection between your story and the headline.
You can’t lose one side and expect growth. You have to work on both sides. And the best way to do this is to start from the headline side.
Here’s How To Fix It
Write headlines that are attention-grabbing and benefit-driven.
Show the readers what benefits they’ll get if they click on the headline. And make it so irresistible that they’d be a darned fool to not click on it.
To make your headline click-worthly you can use numbers, power words, emotional words, etc.
Want to create irresistible headlines? Read this story:
