A Nobody’s Unlikely Journey to Becoming a Boosted Writer on Medium!
From Zero to Boosted: A Newbie’s Unlikely Path to Medium Curation.
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
Back in 2020, when the pandemic forced us all into lockdown mode, I discovered some intriguing new hobbies to pass the time. One of them was creating resin jewelry - a craft that initially led to more than a few disastrous attempts before I could produce anything remotely sellable.
It took me a solid three months of deliberate practice just to handcraft my first halfway decent four-leaf clover necklace. Overcoming that learning curve was its own challenge, but I eventually hacked it.
So then what?
Fast forward to June 2022 when I finally joined LinkedIn on a whim - or more accurately, due to a friendly wager. A hustler bro CEO buddy of mine dared me to get visible on the platform and amass 5,000 followers. Naturally, with a juicy bet sweetening the deal, my competitive spirit couldn't resist taking on that hack.
(What can I say? I have a tendency to get bored easily and constantly seek out new creative outlets.)
Sure enough, I managed to hit that 5K follower milestone and claim my winnings. But somewhere along that journey, I stumbled upon an unexpected realization - I absolutely loved writing.
To be clear, my initial posts were still heavily filtered as I tried to maintain a polished, professional persona befitting the platform.
However, the more I opened up and poured my unfiltered voice into my writing, the more I became hooked on the craft itself.
And that's when the real epiphany hit me - you can never truly "hack" writing in the way I had previously approached creative challenges.
To become a skilled writer, you have to accept an endless evolutionary process of constantly honing your voice and pushing your abilities. It's not really about finding shortcuts to an end destination, but about falling in love with the journey of evolutionary growth itself.
And so the journey began!
It was November 2023 when I received a note from
Dinah Davis (She/Her) Editor for Code Like A Girl. She asked me to submit an article I wrote about Diwali for boosting.
For boosting?
What on earth is that?
I was new to Medium just a few months before that, simply getting my feet wet, and hadn’t heard about this “boost” program.
(Thank you to
for inspiring me to write on Medium).Truthfully, Dinah changed everything for me on that platform, and she probably doesn’t even know it.
(She knows it now!)
You see, I’ve been struggling with my career recently. You know that feeling when you finally decide this is not where you want to be anymore but you don’t have a choice because of rent?
Plus, I’m really good at what I do, but I don’t love what I do.
Not anymore!
Dinah gave me the confidence boost I needed to keep going on Medium.
Success is never a solo effort.
At first, I couldn’t fathom that this could turn into something more significant — I simply wanted to become a better writer. However, as I continued to pour my heart into my articles, sharing personal experiences and insights with the hope of helping others, a greater purpose emerged.
I realized that once you have a following, no matter how small, your mission should be to make their lives better and to let them know they are never alone.
What is Medium Boost?
For writers on the platform, getting boosted by Medium’s curators is a huge deal. When one of your stories gets that coveted boost, it’s distributed to a massive audience of readers through topics, digests, and more promotion by Medium.
The Medium Boost program is a way for the platform to highlight and promote high-quality stories to a wider audience. Here are the key points about how it works:
Community nominators (publication editors on Medium) can nominate stories they think deserve more exposure for a “Boost.”
Medium’s internal editorial team then vets the nominated stories based on criteria like being well-written, original, constructive, and memorable.
If a story passes the internal review, Medium’s algorithm widely distributes the “Boosted” story to more readers.
Getting a story Boosted can result in significantly more views (500 to over 100,000), increased earnings (5–10x more than a non-Boosted story), and an extended lifespan on the platform.
The Boost program aims to find and highlight quality writing from established and undiscovered writers, not just promote popular creators.
Personal essays and niche topics can get Boosted if the writing quality is exceptional.
So in essence, the Medium Boost is a way to give deserving stories enhanced visibility and promotion through human curation by community nominators/editors and algorithmic distribution by Medium.
For a newish writer like me who has limited time or following, getting boosted is the holy grail. It can expose your work to thousands or even millions of new readers.
To put things into perspective, here is my boosting history per month.
November 2023
February 2024
March 2024
April 2024
May 2024
June 2024
How Unlimited Vacation Policies Benefit Employers More Than Employees!
Most Companies Suck At Onboarding: Here’s What You Can Do to Improve!
Can We Please Stop Saying This In Job Descriptions: “A 24/7 Mentality”
The Teen Job Revival: Gen Z Leads The Way — Celebrate or Worry?
Women, It’s Time To Say “No” To Being The Meeting Notetaker.
July 2024
The Great Productivity Lie: From Hustle Culture to Smart Culture.
The Death Of The Job Description: How Corporate America Lost Touch With Reality!
The Leadership Tightrope: Navigating Emotions And Data In The Modern Workplace.
A Woman’s Guide To Thriving In Corporate America (Shedding The Masks)
The Leadership Trap: Why Your Boss Might Be Your Biggest Career Obstacle!
The Hidden Secret to Career Growth: Why Unfinished Business Matters!
One major key to leveling up my writing game was zeroing in on topics that actually get people jazzed to read. I got down in the trenches, researching trendy topics and buzzy issues. That way, I could really tap into what fires people up.
My most unique move and what makes me really proud is honing my storytelling skills (thanks to my grandma’s influence). I nerded out, studying how to weave narratives using my personal experiences while keeping personal and confidential details hidden.
Remember, we are not writing to arrive at some final destination. We write to continually evolve.
The Joys of a Small Audience and the Thrill of Wider Reach
Sometimes, writing for an audience of 5 is nice, but a little more visibility helps.
I truly appreciate having a small but devoted audience. Those five people who like and comment on everything I put out there? It’s an incredible feeling — a warm, fuzzy sense of having a little writing family that truly gets me and values my authentic voice.
However, while I love my core readers dearly, there comes a time when I feel the need to expand my reach. As rewarding as it is to cater to a niche audience of 5 people, I aspire to share my creativity with a broader audience.
Don’t get me wrong — having die-hard fans is fantastic, and I’ll always cherish them. But creatively, I’m eager to connect with even more people and continue to grow.
When you’ve been writing primarily for that tiny cluster—you know that feeling—and then one of your posts somehow breaks out and gets way more eyeballs? It’s electrifying—suddenly, you're getting all those new comments, follows, and perspectives from total strangers who stumbled across your work.
Because here’s the thing—no one ever really changed any minds or moved conversations forward by appealing to the same five people repeatedly. If you want your writing to make an impact and spread messages that matter, you need to strategize ways to welcome new readers into your world.
How to Get Boosted!
As a relative nobody in writing circles, I’ve had to get scrappy to earn those valuable boosts from Medium’s editorial team. Through much trial and error, I’ve picked up some unique tips for angling to get that visibility as a smaller writer. Even though I don’t have years of experience to draw on, my writing was good enough for two editors of different publications to ask me to write for them. I am so grateful to have their support.
Publish In Reputable Publications
Editors often surface stories from their publications, so submitting to respected publications can increase your visibility.
A respected publication is one that has established a strong reputation for accuracy, objectivity, and adherence to ethical writing standards. They uphold clear policies against plagiarism, and other ethical breaches.
Respected publications cite credible sources and strive to present nuanced, well-researched perspectives on issues rather than spreading misinformation or pushing agendas. The editors also care about the development of their writers, providing mentorship and guidance where needed.
I would like to thank Code Like a Girl and Women in Technology for supporting my journey here.
Find out What the Boost Programs Want
Before reading other boosted content to get an idea of the likes and dislikes of the Medium Boost program, I grabbed -
- ‘Get Boosted on Medium” in addition to reviewing “Updated Guidelines for Boost” from The Medium Blog.Mandatory reading!
Write Exceptional Content
This should be the top priority. Focus on delivering value, insights, and engaging storytelling. Curators are looking for well-written, thought-provoking pieces. — Check out Dinah Davis's Rubric.
Persist And Be Patient
Consistently producing high-quality content and following best practices will increase your odds of getting Boosted over time. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen immediately. Just remember these three things:
Boosts are fleeting; focus on evolving
Don’t chase boosts; prioritize value
Write for impact, not just visibility
Be Prolific
I aim to publish new stories 3–4 times per week. I write only for publications. I write for ‘non-boosted’ publications too. Consistency and volume help. I also hate niching, so I don’t do it. I treat writing as a passion hobby, and it will stay that way.
Find out what truly inspires you and let that be the foundation of your work.
Study Data Obsessively
I analyze my story stats daily to see what’s performing well regarding read ratios, read times, fans gained, etc. If a story is getting good traction organically, I’ll double down on promoting it across social media to maybe push it over the edge for a boost.
If It’s Pissing Me Off, You Can Bet I’ll Write About It
Instead of trying to shout into crowded spaces, I look for underserved niches and novel angles to cover topics from a fresh perspective—my own. That differentiation gives me a better shot at getting curators’ attention in a sea of similar stories.
One of the critiques I sporadically get from readers is, ‘Why are you writing about this? Why don’t you quit whining and change it?’
You see, over my 21 years as an immigrant woman in predominantly male environments in America, I’ve accumulated a wealth of stories. While not everyone may accept my narratives, they are my truths, my lived realities — so if they unsettle you, well, that’s just how it goes.
Write For The Trolls too!
The saying “don’t feed the trolls” suggests ignoring provocative online commenters. However, sometimes, engaging with contrarians can lead to productive discussions. Not all inflammatory comments come from bad-faith trolls whose only aim is disruption.
Occasionally, exaggerated or misguided statements contain an underlying perspective worth exploring further. If you dismiss every one as a troll, you may miss out on uncovering interesting viewpoints and ideas for future articles. So, once in a while, it can be worthwhile to respond to contrarian voices—just be ready to reel them in if they start thrashing around unproductively.
Write to Evolve and Not to Arrive
Let’s get one thing straight—if you think you’ve “arrived” as a writer just because you’ve got a modest following or a single viral piece, you’re kidding yourself. The moment you start acting like you’ve peaked, your writing starts going stale.
No, we can’t get complacent like that. True writers, the ones who leave a lasting impact, never stop evolving and levelling themselves up. It’s an endless journey of honing your craft, refining your voice, and pushing your creative boundaries.
That’s how you stay fresh and relevant: by always writing from a mindset of becoming, not just basking in your previous achievements. Use each piece as a stepping stone to the next lyrical level. Don’t let yourself become a one-trick pony because that’s when the writing game gets boring for you and your readers.
Don’t Aim For The Boost ONLY! Write For Other Publications Without The Boost Capability!
One of the best ways to keep evolving is to write for publications outside of your own little turf. I’m talking about taking advantage of all those other platforms, magazines, columns, and the like that’ll let you flex your skills for entirely new audiences.
Why should you bother when you’ve got your own thing going on already? Writing for external publications is like doing drafting drills or cross-training as an athlete. It introduces new creative challenges, prompts, and parameters to work within. When you can’t freely riff in your usual style for your dedicated fam, you’re forced to code-switch and adapt.
That’s how you add new tools and flavors to your authorial utility belt, test out novel writing muscles and patterns you may not organically gravitate towards, and keep yourself sharp, bold, and playing at the top of your game rather than resting on a single lane or cadence.
Mark my words — the writers who only stick to their sandboxes are the ones whose work begins to feel repetitive and stale over time.
At the end of the day, there’s no surefire system to “hack” your way into a Medium boost—a lot comes down to timing and curators’ subjective tastes. But these tactics have gradually allowed a total nobody like me to get lucky once in a while.
I'm hoping for ten boosts this month! “wink wink.”
Thank you so much for sharing Kristina.
I appreciate you!
"I realized that once you have a following, no matter how small, your mission should be to make their lives better and to let them know they are never alone."
That's the single most insightful quote I've ever read on Substack. Thank you Neela, I am learning something valuable from you every single day.