Umair Haque uses quite complicated sentence structures and often takes several paragraphs to make a point. He is popular on Medium and is not anywhere near the Denning formula. He posts almost every day.
Jessica Wildfire is somewhere between these two in terms of simplicity vs. complexity. She writes something every day, often repeating herself.
Shannon Ashley writes about her affair with a married man over and over again. Now she is writing about her surgery over and over again. She shows up on my feed, but I dare not click lest I get more of her drivel.
Lauren Elizabeth writes about the failure of Biden administration and Democrat Party, somehow believing her words are going to bend the will of the left-leaning decision makers. Complex ideas with complex sentences and paragraphs. Still a good writer, even though she is driving Democrat voters not to bother voting.
Benjamin Sledge has some really nifty ideas. He has better writing skills than the above four writers. He could/should move forward with a writing career. He makes a weekly post on Medium.
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I don't think there is any formula for a successful writer on Medium.
I think the Matthew Effect is more likely culprit. There are many writers that are just as good as the first four (you included). Somehow they get a little break that makes them a little popular. Once they are a little popular, then other readers start flocking to them because of the popularity. It becomes a self-fulfilling circle of popularity.
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I also believe the Medium psychologists are altering the algorithms to enhance the Matthew Effect. They are playing to the psyche of the many aspiring writers who want to earn a living writing: "You too can be like Denning, Haque, Ashly, Elizabeth, and Sledge. You just need to put a little more time." That keeps quite a few people paying their fee, posting articles, reading other articles, and putting some comments down to encourage other writers that someone else is reading their work.
I call it the Medium Lottery. Yes, it is possible for mediocre writers to win, but . . . . . . .
I believe I have succumbed to this psychological trick to some degree.
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BTW, I clapped twice. That is how I honor the better writers.
