Joshua Mason's Newsletter

This is part reality-check, and part call to action.

Here are some quick numbers you need to know if you write on Medium.

In February alone:

• There were 2.4 million stories published

• Only 2,374 stories were nominated to be Boosted

• Of those, only 1,633 stories were actually Boosted

• There are 102 people (editors) on Medium who can nominate your story for the Boost.

Of those 1,633 Boosts awarded, I was fortunate to have two of them.

Boosts are not necessary for Medium success, but they are very helpful when you're new. My Boost a few days ago resulted in 300 new followers and my first-ever $1000 month on the platform.

Here are two stories from this month. The top one was Boosted and made more money. Interestingly the second one wasn’t Boosted but still had more views and reads.

Here are three ways I increase my odds of achieving the Boost:

1. Research who has Boost authority. A quick search on Medium will give you a bunch of names. I read much of their work and comment on their stories. Not only do most of them write well, but if they have to choose between two stories to Boost, human nature says they will go with the name they have seen before. Make sure that the name is yours.

2. When your story is about to post, read, comment, and engage with other stories in the same niche as yours. By the time they see your comments, many of them will read your new story. If your article just posted, this early engagement will help the algorithm pick it up and promote it.

3. Leave the first comment on your own article. I thank the person who published my article. I am trying to understand why this helps, but my data shows it does.

Bonus tip - avoid writing about Medium if you want to be Boosted. Medium calls this “Meta” and will bot Boost Meta.

What I'm Working on This Week

I'm entirely focused on writing this week. I want to write two more articles before April 1st.

I'm also ensuring I respond to every comment on my past articles. It means a lot when people share their thoughts; ignoring them will never be part of my process.

Any leftover time will be spent writing a book to publish late 2024.

One Tool I'm Loving

I'm experimenting with Senja, the platform for requesting testimonials. It seems fantastic at first glance. I plan to write a book, possibly a how-to guide, and I plan to use Senja to get honest feedback.

Talk Soon,

Josh