Yoooo, 1 month later, it finally happened. It started as a fun thing to do in my free time 30 days ago, without a plan or a clear direction.

But while doing this, I realized how engaging writing can be. The dopamine started to kick in with every single article that I wrote, and it felt amazing to see that people were actually reading and enjoying them.

It was tough to get my first 100 followers, and it’s important to remember that it’s not all about the numbers.

Today, I’m gonna tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of building a following and give you some tips on how to attract the right kind of audience so you don’t need to make the mistakes I did.

From completing your profile to writing about what you’re passionate about, I'll cover everything you need to know to build an engaging, loyal community that will help you succeed on Medium.

1. Hi, my name is […]

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This one is a no-brainer, but as you begin to grow your following here on Medium, it’s important to make sure that your profile is complete and accurately reflects who you are and what you’re passionate about.

This might seem like a small detail, but it’s actually incredibly important for attracting the right kind of people.

Think about it: If someone comes across your profile and it’s incomplete or doesn’t accurately reflect your interests and values, they might not be as interested in following you.

On the other hand, if your profile is complete and clearly communicates who you are and what you’re passionate about, you’ll be more likely to attract like-minded people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say.

Also, don’t forget to add that super-fly photo of you smiling!

2. Do for love

As Pac said, “I believe that if you’re doing something that you’re passionate about, it’s not work. It’s not work at all. It’s something that you love to do.”

This is why it’s important to remember that your audience (spoiler alert: those are real humans) will be able to tell if you’re just posting for the sake of it.

In other words, if you’re not truly passionate about the topics you’re writing about or if you only do affiliate marketing posts, it’s going to show in your content, and you will be frustrated about why your audience doesn’t grow.

Your followers will be able to tell if you’re not fully engaged with the topic or if you only try to sell products that you don’t believe in, and that can make it tough for you to build a loyal following of people who are truly engaged with your content.

3. Pride is the devil

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While it may seem like having a high follower count is the key to success on Medium, it’s important to remember that quality is more important than quantity.

It’s better to have a smaller group of loyal followers who are genuinely interested in your content and engage with it than a large number of followers who are not interested in your niche or what you have to say.

You can try this, but from my recent experience following random people so they will also follow me back, I can say it will only affect your statistics, like reading time, so be patient and do the right thing from the beginning.

If you still want to do this, I wrote this post about how to use this strategy in a more targeted way to gain only followers who are interested in what you have to say.

4. This is the part that the thugs skip

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However, consistency is often the part that everyone skips. When it comes to building a following, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and try to take shortcuts to success.

This can lead to a lack of consistency as you focus on trying to get as many followers as possible rather than building a loyal, engaged community.

It’s important to remember that building a following on Medium is a marathon, not a sprint.

By always giving your readers something of value and staying active on the platform, you'll have a better chance of getting and keeping a loyal following.

5. It’s a million mf*kers stressin’ just like me

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To conclude with some more Pac quotes of wisdom, “Please try to see that it’s a million mf*kers stressin’ just like me."

Don’t forget you are not alone in this, and according to Medium’s own data, the platform has over 100 million monthly readers and hundreds of thousands of writers who contribute content on a wide range of topics.

So, when you stress about it, just be active on the platform, search for new people that you like and follow them, comment on their posts, and show some love. I guarantee you will receive it back.

Yes, I'm repeating Lesson 4 on purpose because I want to stress how important it is to be consistent.

I think it counts for more than 80% of your chance to succeed on Medium.

Conclusion — Make my momma’ proud

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So there you have it, my top lessons learned from my first 100 followers on Medium.

Just remember to present yourself first, do it for love, avoid the pride, and be a consistent thug because there are plenty of other mf*kers out here stressin’ just like you.

By following these tips and putting in the work, you can build an engaged, loyal community that will help you succeed on Medium.

Now go out there and make yo’ momma’ proud!