Very useful piece. I had a similar strategy to the one suggested here, and I can confirm that it works. I know some writers are slightly sniffy about ‘prostituting’ yourself for followers. I don’t see it that way. It seems a bit precious to me. And if Medium make up these rules and you want to stay on the MPP, you have to be pragmatic and go with what works. I guess, nobody is on here just to make money, there are far easier ways. You have to have a love of writing, I think. But still, earning some money while doing the thing you love is not a bad combination. And it’s something to aspire to. As soon as I gathered more followers and passed the 100 mark, my earnings went up. It’s nowhere near to paying the bills, but there is a definite correlation between the number of followers and your earning capacity. Not all followers will read you if you build them in this way, but enough will to make a difference.