Photo by Jon Gomes on Jonmgomes

The more you complicate the situation, the less it’s simple, obviously.

I am a top writer on Medium in six categories. Simply put, I’ve started writing on Medium in November 2021. The whole month of November was me exploring the platform, understanding it, and eventually, applying to the partner’s program. During that month, I’ve published 10 articles.

December was my first “actual” month on Medium. I’ve written 12 articles with one goal in mind. Provide the reader with value. I’m a business consultant who’s been freelancing for over 8 years. Thereby, there are a few things I’m experienced in that I’m capable of sharing out there.

1. Entrepreneurship – In specific investment documents like a business plan, pitch deck, financial model, etc.
2. Freelancing – I’ve been doing that for as long as I remember. I’ve never had a full time job. Hence, I know my way around the platforms.
3. Productivity – I always aim to improve year over year. In all aspects, and that’s why I constantly try different strategies that help me in becoming a more productive person.

Hence, I kept focusing my writing on these categories and observed.

Then I started having the first “trending” article in November.

https://alanany.medium.com/i-made-100-000-on-upwork-and-so-can-you-50e5e5a9f118

I observed its development quite well, and as a starter, I was glad. Here’s my analysis:-

1. It was definitely providing value to the reader. It indicates how she/he could become a successful freelancer. There’s a tone of inspiration in the article which proved to be quite important.
2. It was short, which made it not very profitable.

Therefore, I decided to create another article that details how you can succeed in freelancing in specific steps as a guide. It took me a couple of days to create. I was only thinking of providing value in this article, and that’s why the article ended up being a 19-minute read.

https://alanany.medium.com/100k-upwork-guide-75d00b53c016

Then I observed,

It made almost the same amount with 1/3 of the views, but the effort done during the process is disregarded. So, that was a little disappointing.

Then I developed a theory. The perfect article would provide value but is as well inspirational to the reader.

Then came my second trending article.

https://alanany.medium.com/i-did-3-everyday-things-my-income-quadrupled-and-my-life-upgraded-9a28186ad547

1. Provided value to the user.
2. Inspirational as it was derived from a personal experience.
3. Was a 5 minute read.

This article was the most successful as it tackled those three aspects. Then I started thinking about it.

Readers on Medium are people from all over the world. If you’re reading online, then your mind is getting a huge amount of information. What happened at Miley Cyrus’s concert, will be on your mind only for a few days. The ones that stay are the ones that provide value that you might implement and learn from in your daily life. Inspiration, added to that mix, is the perfect recipe.

At the end of the day, everyone appreciates inspiration. If you’re reading a story about how a person became successful selling cups, your mind will keep pushing you to seek the answer to the question, “How was that person successful selling cups? & Can I do it myself to have further financial security?”

Recall that security/shelter is a basic human need. The same applies to you reading an article about a fantastic pizza recipe. In that case, food is your triggered need.

Eventually, I wrote about Freelancing, Productivity, and Entrepreneurship. I used relevant tags accordingly. Because I have a huge interest in these topics, I’ve become a Medium top writer in almost all of them.

Almost all my trending articles trended in December and were written in November, and that’s the last piece of the puzzle – Patience.

It’s quite obvious that this writing industry requires patience and consistency. They are the building foundation of this industry.

My intention for the upcoming few months are simply:

1. Stay consistent in posting as a writer on Medium, if I could, 3 times per week.
2. Provide value to the reader. I’m a consultant. I deal with tens of companies each month and learn from them. It’s only fair if I transfer some of this knowledge to the world.

Hence, I added a new section to my website – Learn. Simply put, I aim to place the articles that are highly providing value there so that people wouldn’t be lost in the world of guides and blogs.

Leaving you with a simple message, Never stop constantly providing value for as long as it takes.