My take:

Medium's algorithm feels the "heartbeat" of your activity and the engagement of your piece.

In general, writers reading other writers brings traffic to your article: always has been that way and I feel it continues to be that way.

It helps from my perspective, because as the algorithm senses that it's being read and engaged perhaps it keep it flowing a bit more...

No matter what --your stories are always sent to your followers - the problem is that followers in Medium means nothing. It's a mental boost metric, but do we really read everyone we follow?

It's impossible!

So what takes time to build are "organic fans" - people who genuinely want to read you. There's no substitute for the time to build an audience and taking the time to read others for them to come find you.

Back in the day there's was "further distribution" and nowadays there is "the boost" -- this is one easy way to get fresh new eyes beyond your regular readers and Medium pays you generously for those articles.

Plenty of editors have written what they seek and what they boost - I think it's well worth anyone's time to read what they are saying. Pick four editors and find what's common among them -- so you can see the underlying theme that many talk about.

The description "quality writing" is too broad - so reading what they recommend for a boost is helpful. Go see the boosts in those publications and see the variety of topics and writing style and it encourages us all to realize, size, shape, genre - is vast! No one should feel boxed.

Find the publications that are boosting and pick 2-3 that you feel over time can be a home for your articles and share your heart. Engage with the writers of the publication and the support from one another is so important.

It is only writers who have written well and I would say for over 3-5 years with a steady audience who begin to write and feel less of on an "obligation" to read and find supporters. However when we all start - we all start that way. And the community feel and feedback is important emotionally...no one feels good writing into an open space of no readers. But I've noticed new strong writers who really just want to write and don't want to read much on Medium - they struggle to stay on board. It will come...but it takes time. Some just couldn't be bothered and don't want to spend that much time on Medium.

Now on the other hand for those who can write and consistently get boosted - well, then there's certainly no need to help the algorithm. You will be seen - and seen well!

I've seen boosted articles that don't do well as others - perhaps it's due to poor titles

or

just a topic that perhaps is not too engaging --

I don't know...

but at the end of the day, the human element to choose to read what is boosted belongs to human readers.

Nobody forces anyone to read - and the payment for boosted articles depends on several factors: read ratio and do they engage?

So that's why it matters that the title let readers know what it's about and that readers stay engaged with the piece. If they don't - it won't make a difference just because it's "boosted" - this is what I wish most understood.

Boosted does not equate with success.

Okay much longer comment than I planned...but my .02

All the best!!!!