How Not To Approach an Editor

In March, Medium invited me to participate in the Boost Beta Program. I take the responsibility to nominate stories for boosting very seriously. Throughout my participation in the program, I've been able to nominate some amazing stories and, in turn, see them boosted throughout the entire Medium network.

Unfortunately, whenever Medium releases a new feature, a particular element of people will immediately try to game the system. Since joining the beta, I've received a few emails requesting that I boost their stories or enter into some kind of boosting relationship. These requests insult my integrity and mark you as a scammer.

As an online writer, you want to expand your audience. I get it. However, sending an unsolicited email telling an editor that your story (not even published in the editor's publication) is impressive and deserves a boost is the exact opposite way of going about it. Don't do it.

I can't speak for Medium or any other editor, but this kind of behavior directly contrasts with the intent of the boost program. Everyone wants a magic bullet to build their audience, but there's only one way: consistently write well.

Next month I'll surpass 100,000 followers on this platform. It's an amazing feat and one I'm proud of for two reasons: 1) 100,000 of you are interested in what I have to say, which is insanely humbling, and 2) it came organically; I didn't growth-hack my experience, write for SEO, or chase fads. Instead, I began writing here in early 2014, built a publication and audience from scratch, and wrote about what interested me for over nine years.

Building an audience takes time, but it's worth it. I enjoy the conversations arising from my articles and the emails I receive. Just not the ones begging for boosts.