I haven’t become a member (and won’t unless things change). That means I can’t read the vast majority of member only stories. (3 member stories unlocked each month. That’s all I can read.) As more writers lock stuff, I think the readership on locked stories will go down.

Think about it: The vast majority of people who find a piece find it in one of the following ways:

• From links within Medium
• From daily digests
• From items shared via Twitter and FB

The first two will have links to locked items, but there is a lower chance of them finding any of us regular writers (i.e., individuals — not corporations). Medium isn’t likely to highlight individuals nearly as strongly as regular writers.

The real killer is the third point. If you story is locked, anyone finding you via Twitter or FB won’t be able to read it UNLESS they are a member. And any of us who aren’t members won’t be able to share them at all. That in itself greatly lowers out any chance of locked stories being found organically.

That is the big hit on your stats for locked stories.