Readers read content that provides them with new information. Most really aren't interested in humour. I know that I am not. i just scrolled through your stuff. I didn't find anything that held my attention.

Yes, previously, it was easy to game the system. People earned money for claps and everybody clapped for articles they didn't even bother to read.

There is no big secret to earning money on Medium.

If you study the people who don't have a large readership gained in earlier days or brought from somewhere else, it boils down to the following.

1. Luck.

2. An ability to write well

3. An ability to write the kind of content that people want to read and that isn't available elsewhere - consistently. It takes time to build a readership.