Counting followers is a natural gauge of foundational stability. There is a relationship that develops in time.
Returning to an old analogy of feeding birds... You must be consistent in your approach. Your readers must learn to have confidence in your ability to deliver value (the birdseed). The value keeps them coming back.
Readers however are dynamic. Each day spent on Steemit nourishes them. Improved understanding and experience causes changes to the reader. They may enjoy your humor, but repeating the same joke over and over is not a good plan. You must inject variety into your contributions. Call it your surprise factor. It is a sip of fresh water making room for another bite.
But there is more! You should always try to offer one golden nugget at the end. One bit that is worth the time spent. It is this sweet burst of flavor that pays them. It also earns your reward.
Your ability to deliver birdseed, fresh water, and a pleasant finishing burst of flavor will provide you with a stable foundation.
Here is today's beauty (sweet burst of flavor).