What Makes My Articles Unique? Part 2: Not Striving to be a Techfluencer

Being a Techfluencer simply does not suit me.

Part 1: Originally for my daughter and myself.
Part 2: Not striving to be a Techfluencer.
Part 3: Not to Earn a Living from Writing ($$$) (TBA)
Part 4: From rare combinations of Experience, Hands-on Experience (TBA)
Part 5: Direct and unafraid to say what others won’t, and most of my predictions are later proven correct (TBA)

Here are three common wishful reasons why a software professional might blog seriously:

• Become a techfluencer, then promote commercial products or sell Ads

• Hope to build up a good profile for finding a better job

• Earn some passive income from the writing platform

• Hope to promote his/her training and consulting

The later two apply to me in a small way (detailed in later articles). In this article, I will explain the first two.

Table of Contents:
· I don’t pursue growing followers
∘ 1. Nearly all my articles are behind the Medium Paywall
∘ 2. My topics cater to a niche market
∘ 3. I don’t follow hypes, in fact, often warn people against it
· I have never promoted commercial products for money in my articles and never will.
· I work for myself and have no interest in finding a job.
· Writing, to me, is just a hoppy
· Myth: My sudden big increase in followers on Medium

I don’t pursue growing followers

The primary goal for an influencer is to grow their followers or subscribers. More followers mean greater marketing value, which translates to higher payments from advertisers for promotions.

Of course, I would like to see more followers on my blog, but given the reasons below, I barely did anything in that regard since starting on Medium (in January 2021).

Some readers might think, “Zhimin, your title image includes 5K followers which contradicts what you just said”. Please read the section towards the end about my sudden, significant increase in followers. I will provide a month-by-month list of the new follower counts to demonstrate my integrity. For readers looking to grow their followers on Medium, my experience might be helpful.

1. Nearly all my articles are behind the Medium Paywall

Only paid Medium Members (~$4/month) can read them. This means, my audience is significantly smaller.

Not long ago, one reader, after clapping at one article, left a message, “You should make your articles available publicly”. I understand what he meant. Because the money received from Medium (especially after Medium’s change to its partner program last year) is minimal, selling ads would be more bring me more income. I will discuss the money (showing the figures) in a separate article.

2. My topics cater to a niche market

The topics of my articles cover three main fields:

• End-to-End Test Automation

• Continuous Testing

• Software Side Hustle/Becoming Independent Software Vendor

Each of these areas caters to a niche market among software professionals, who usually (and sadly) don’t take them seriously.

3. I don’t follow hypes, in fact, often warn people against it