I am sure you have noticed that some posts seem to do very well, and others with seemingly better content end up with little value for their posts.
Part of this is because Steemit is in its absolute infancy, and a vast amount of voting power is held by a relatively small crowd. As time goes on, this will change, as higher prices get some of the larger holdings to let go of some of their coins.
As more people adapt to Steemit and their influences grow, more content will be accurately rewarded.
However, that does not mean there are not opportunities on this crazy blockchain opensource playground to add value to the content we create.
BRING IN THE BOTS!
Many people know by this point that 50/50 payouts are more profitable. This is because Steemit's internal system values $SBD at $1 USD, which was the idea for creating $SBD to begin with, to have a stable crypto within the system. However, in reality, it seems that $SBD stays more closely pegged to $STEEM.
When payouts happen, 1/2 is paid in $STEEM and the other 1/2 in $SBD. Since Steemit assumes 1 $SBD = $1 USD, this generates a payout of greater than 3x of what is shown.
Here is an example. Say you have a post that shows $2 in upvotes. At payout, you will get $1 worth of $STEEM and $1 worth of $SBD. Since the system assumes 1 $SBD = $1 USD, the other half of your payout will be 1 full $SBD. With 1 $SBD being worth over $5, that makes the total payout for that post over $6.
It is with this in mind that bots have become a tool to help people grow their influence on the site.
There are many voting bots, as can be found on http://www.steembottracker.com/ that you can send $SBD to their Steemit account, and paste a link to the post you want upvoted. The bot then upvotes your post(ideally making you a decent amount more than you spent when you are paid out in 7 days). The upvotes from the bots also help build your reputation.
It is important to use this as a tool for supporting quality content, as just posting junk and upvoting it will not work, your account will be flagged and you will lose social standing.
I will be having a few bots upvote this post to show you guys what I am talking about. Not all bots are the same, trust is key.
Jerry Banfield created a bot that not only has great returns but generates money to fund growth projects for steem, so it actually helps the blockchain. I personally can only recommend 
Bots are a great way to utilize the Steemit playground and boost your $STEEM within the rules.
Follow if this helps, more insight coming!
