Achieving My 21st Boost: Insights and Reflections
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Chapter 1: A Milestone Achievement
I recently celebrated a significant milestone by receiving my 21st boost—though I initially titled this piece to highlight the 20th for visual consistency. In June, I had an impressive four out of six articles boosted, surpassing my previous record of three boosts in one month. This achievement is particularly remarkable considering my background; I grew up in a multilingual household where English was often a secondary language.
My journey serves as a testament that talent isn’t confined to those with traditional Anglo-Saxon names or polished online personas. While these factors may indeed help garner attention, they aren’t prerequisites for success.
The phenomenon of boosts and their unpredictable popularity continues to astonish me.
Section 1.1: Unexpected Success
My 18th boost was a political article titled, "Guess Who Dems Fear More—Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders?" I had heard that political pieces seldom receive boosts, a notion confirmed by a nominator from a publication. Thus, I was taken aback when my article gained traction just two days post-submission, quickly becoming one of my most viewed articles since I began writing on Medium in May 2023.
Here’s the summary of that article:
Screenshot by author.
Ironically, those who criticized my work inadvertently contributed to my earnings, a situation I jokingly refer to as capitalizing on “Bernie Derangement Syndrome.”
Subsection 1.1.1: The Power of Historical Context
Following that boost, I received another for my article, "Here's to Tom Paine—The Forgotten Founding Father." The likelihood of this boost was higher due to its historical focus and the publication’s supportive nominator. What surprised me, however, was its popularity. It discussed Thomas Paine’s "Rights of Man," a significant political text from 1792, and was 16 minutes long. I often wondered how many readers would invest their time in such a lengthy, historical work.
Nevertheless, I found joy in exploring Paine’s relevance, and the reception was encouraging, as reflected in my statistics.
Chapter 2: Personal Reflections
A week later, I received a boost for a deeply personal piece commemorating my mother's cancer diagnosis ten years prior. Titled "Reflections on My Mother's Cancer Diagnosis, June 17, 2014," I poured my emotions into this article, shedding tears during the writing process. However, it appears that readers prefer lighter topics, as it has only garnered modest views since its publication.
In contrast, my most recent boost, focusing on Thomas Paine's perspective on slavery for Juneteenth, is progressing well, though it doesn't quite match the success of my earlier historical piece.
Here’s a summary of my recent boosts, showcasing the unexpected nature of my articles’ performance and a noticeable increase in followers—over 200 in just one month, despite having published only six articles.
Never underestimate the power of perseverance.
To conclude, here’s a list of my recent boosts along with valuable tips for writing articles that are more likely to receive boosts, insights I shared a few months ago and remain relevant today.
Frances A. Chiu is the editor of three award-winning nonfiction works and serves as a writing coach for Wilde(st) Dreams Editing and Proofreading. For inquiries, reach her at [email protected].