Thank you for sharing your experience. This happens a lot on Illumination as some great stories are identified by the algorithm after a while. Therefore, I keep highlighting the importance of consistent publishing on Medium. SEO also plays a role. Based on my observations some valuable stories are distributed after 90 days. I shared my thoughts in an interview to editors a few months ago. https://medium.com/illumination/why-do-you-need-to-write-at-least-three-months-to-reap-benefits-of-medium-e3df070ce50b