Hi !

If you've been part of the Savvy Corner community for a while, you know that I dedicate a fair bit of time to publishing articles on Medium. Although I have my own publication on the platform, it is still small.

A strategy I've been applying to attract more followers is to publish in bigger publications. There is one that I tried getting into and kept getting rejected. Not because my articles were not good, but because they were not a great fit for them.

After trying a few times with no positive results, I took a different approach. I connected with one of the editors of the publication on LinkedIn and started building a professional relationship with them.

I told them about my work, offered to help them with something they were working on, etc. Not long after we connected they asked me if I'd like to submit an article to their publication and offered to have a look at any drafts.

Two weeks later I sent them a draft which they have published with almost no editing. And that is the power of human connection! Before, there was a screen separating me and the editor. An online interface that didn't allow us to connect as human beings - the submissions to publications are anonymous and the editors cannot see your name.

Now, we were two people talking about a common goal - putting quality articles in front of readers. And so we did!

Please don't get me wrong. I did not connect with them with an agenda in mind! I am reaching out to many Medium writers and editors because I genuinely want to have a community of writers around me. And that is what I think made the difference. We're all human and we all need connection.

Don't underestimate the power of building relationships and being genuinely interested in other people. Your efforts will pay off in ways you don't expect! I got my article in front of 43,000 people because of it!

Until next time, be curious, be human, stay savvy.

Alisa