Great insights. Personally, I think there are multiple reasons followers don’t necessarily translate to reads. One is almost certainly the one you pointed out — some people are following other writers strategically, hoping they’ll be followed back and aren’t bothering to read the writers they follow.

There is also a “polite follow.” This isn’t strategic, but sometimes if someone has clapped or commented enthusiastically on one of my articles I’ll follow them back because I am caught up in the etiquette of the situation and I feel it’s the polite thing to do.

But a third reason I don’t think followers necessarily translate to reads is that if you are an avid reader of stories on the platform you will naturally begin to follow more and more people. This means it’s harder and harder to keep up with your feed and the notifications that a writer you admire has published a new story. Sometimes you want to read their work but you just miss it.

But when it gets down to it, you hit the nail on the head. When someone takes the time to read your article and maybe even let you know they found it helpful or enjoyable somehow, it’s the best. And far more rewarding than having a large number of followers.