I found a comment on HN adding more evidence to this phenomenon:
I recall reading (I’d point to the book with a link if I could remember in what book I read this) that mathematicians who occasionally write expository articles on mathematics for the general public are often told by their professional colleagues, fellow research mathematicians, “Hey, I really liked your article [name of popular article] and I got a lot out of reading it.” The book claimed that if mathematicians made a conscious effort to write understandably to members of the general public, their mathematics research would have more influence on other research mathematicians. That sounds like an important experiment to try for an early-career mathematician.
I found a comment on HN adding more evidence to this phenomenon: