My assumption is that if you write for larger publications then your work is buried under the other 26842812 pieces they published that day. I aim for the medium sized publications so that I at least stand a chance.

With self publishing, I do that with short forms (although some have been published in pubs) personal opinions, things that are out right silly, etc. I'm at about 325 followers at the moment. But medium sized pubs have tens if not hundreds of thousands of subscribers.