Gaining exposure is always an uphill battle. I’m not sure claps are a great metric, really, and Medium seems to agree, since it has changed its payment formula to rely primarily on reading time rather than claps. It is true that there is a lot of competition here, and Medium probably has an interest in promoting the most successful writers over others. If you rely on writing for income, then sure, you have to make a determination as to whether it’s worth spending time here rather than somewhere else. As I mentioned in my story, I don’t have that issue. I’m hoping people will find, read, and enjoy my stories. Long term that may play into generating more writing income, but even if not, I think it’s worth it.