Is it all effort that makes the big bucks on steemit ? Or do I need to invest ? How do i get my post to be noticed ? What the secret ? I don't mind doing the leg work , furthermore ; how long does it take

So I have been on steemit for little over a month now and I used to struggle to get over 10 quality up votes for my posts. However things are changing slowly, my number of up votes haven't changed much

I noticed quite a few paid vote options popping up from individuals on steemit and wonder what other users on the platform think about this. Would you be willing to pay for a vote from a whale or with