Chapter 1: The Engagement Paradox

Let me share a thought-provoking theory that I believe requires further investigation.

A few weeks back, I released an article and, like many writers, I found myself obsessively checking its performance. Truth be told, I was refreshing the stats every couple of minutes to gauge its impact.

Initially, the article performed reasonably well, garnering a fair amount of engagement—claps, highlights, and comments. To my astonishment, it racked up around 30 views in those early hours. While this figure may not seem remarkable, it felt like a victory given that other pieces had floundered.

What truly amazed me was the earnings: a staggering 7 dollars from just 30 views! I couldn't help but think, "Could I be onto something significant here?" This unexpected success led me to daydream about upgrading my car.

I began to believe I had deciphered the Medium algorithm. If one article could generate 7 dollars from 30 views, imagine the potential earnings from writing 10, 50, or even 100 articles!

Fueled by enthusiasm, I quickly composed another article, hit 'publish', and once again monitored the stats closely. However, this time, the response was underwhelming—only about 5 views in the first few hours.

To boost its visibility, I engaged with the community, but this article turned out to be a slow burner. Eventually, it also reached 30 views, but only after a couple of days.

So, how much did I earn from those same 30 views this time? A mere 2 dollars.

This discrepancy led me to ponder: Why did the first article earn 7 dollars with 30 views while the second only made 2 dollars, despite both achieving similar engagement? The only notable difference was the speed at which they garnered views.

My hypothesis is that not all engagement holds equal value. Could it be that views and engagement gained within the first few minutes, hours, or even days carry more weight than those accumulated over time?

I'm keen to explore this theory further through various experiments on the platform.

The video title is Self Worth Theory: The Key to Understanding & Overcoming Procrastination | Nic Voge | TEDxPrincetonU - YouTube. It delves into how our self-worth influences our productivity and engagement levels, much like my exploration of engagement value in writing.

I'm interested to hear your insights. Have you noticed similar patterns in your own work? Do you earn more from engagement that comes quickly?

Interestingly, I've attempted to publish this post three times, and it seems to have "disappeared" from the Medium platform each time. Is it possible that I’m onto something significant?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. You might also find these articles engaging: