So, for the past year or so I've really only made blog posts. I've mostly skipped comments. They haven't seen all that lucrative to me. Though I should say a lot of post authors will maniacally go through their own comments section. It's a vanity thing. It's good for PR to help your page grow. It might get you some extra upvotes.
Anyway, I have a pretty simple strategy that's netted me $14.64 in rewards over the past week, has taken very little time, and might have even gotten me a few new followers.
I read through the article quickly. I look for an appropriate phrase to search for on Giphy and I link the gif in the comments. I find this fun. Often times I'm looking to make a joke that I think is funny that's tangential to the point the author is making.
Half of the money I've made came from one post. The other half has been spread about while interacting with people online. But that's what steemit is like. A million misses and one big hit.