Chapter 1: My Medium Experience Begins

My adventure on Medium commenced in a manner familiar to many writers, perhaps even to you—slowly. Initially, I wasn't focused on cultivating a large following; however, if a community developed organically, I wouldn’t mind.

At first, my articles garnered minimal interest. While that wasn’t the primary motivation behind my writing, a part of me desired some interaction—after all, conversing into an empty space can feel disheartening.

Provided by author

The turning point came with the narrative of adopting our beloved tiger, which significantly impacted my engagement metrics. I submitted this story to the Catness publication (thanks, Louise Peacock).

** When we decided to welcome a cat, Tigs entered our lives.

While I don’t obsessively analyze Medium statistics, I do receive periodic updates, and suddenly, I noticed a remarkable increase.

An astounding 95% of the 12.8k views for that one article in March originated from external sources. Medium defines External Views as: “The number of times your story has been viewed from outside Medium platforms in the specified timeframe, including social media, search results, email, and more. Sharing your story can enhance your external views.”

This is intriguing because I haven't actively shared this story anywhere aside from with friends—unless, of course, others on Medium have shared it (thank you if you did), which would contribute to the impressive figures.

Provided by author

This unexpected success may even lead to a Netflix documentary featuring Tigs someday. Have others experienced a similar surge in engagement?

Thank you for taking the time to read this—if you enjoyed the story, please follow me on Medium, show your appreciation if you feel it deserves it, and feel free to leave a comment below regarding Medium, stats, or even about Tigs.