Chapter 1 The Current State of Reading Engagement

There's a lot of chatter lately about declining reading statistics. Several authors have voiced their concerns in various articles.

Some speculate that Medium's spam filter may have instilled a sense of caution among readers, potentially discouraging them from engaging fully. Additionally, with Catholic Easter approaching, many individuals might find themselves preoccupied or unavailable, further contributing to this decline in stats.

While the site does show a decrease in activity, some writers are still reporting satisfactory earnings based on their personal benchmarks. This suggests that sometimes, less really can mean more. If our schedules are packed, we may not need to produce as much content. In my view, publishing more than one or two articles daily is often counterproductive.

We shouldn't fret over dwindling readership; it's frustrating, but it’s a natural ebb and flow. Some days are simply busier than others, and there's little we can do to change that.

On a positive note, I've found my own situation to be stable. Even though yesterday was a slower day in terms of reads, I typically average between 150 and 200 reads per day. Anything below the 140 mark feels like a dip.

The two pieces I shared on March 28 didn’t garner extraordinary stats, yet they performed reasonably well given the circumstances.

For instance, my article on cheat meals earned me $4.63 from just fifteen reads—quite surprising! I understand the general factors behind this, but replicating that success intentionally is complex and often out of my hands.

Interestingly, my daily articles brought in $8.47, while my total earnings for that day were approximately $27. There have been instances where I received far more reads yet earned significantly less overall.

Observing these statistics has led me to adopt a more relaxed mindset. Since nothing is guaranteed, I refuse to stress over low daily reads.

As I pen this, I have about four hours left in the earning cycle for March 29, and I’m currently looking at my lowest reads for the month at this time.

I suspect I might hit 110 or 115 reads in these last hours, but hoping for anything higher feels unrealistic. However, I'm content with whatever happens. It would be amusing if my earnings remained healthy despite the lower reads, but if not, that’s fine too. This month has overall been quite rewarding.

[Update 1] The day has wrapped up, and the final stats are in: Surprisingly, it exceeded my expectations. I’ll provide an update tomorrow morning regarding the value of 121 reads.

[Edit 2] I ended up making around $14 in total. While that's on the lower side, it still met my expectations for the day.

How about you all? Have you noticed a drop in your reading stats? Did your earnings follow suit, or did they remain stable?

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