I am still fairly new myself, but here is what i am learning. Posting quality posts often is important. This is difficult for me because of my schedule but i do what i can. More importantly, get into the community. Leave sincere replies and get into conversations with people. Also, join the chats, especially the minnowsupport on discord. Get to know people and this will gain followers. Gaining followers gets upvotes. Don't focus on money, focus on people and community. Success will follow. Follow Hive account@aggroed and Hive account@gmuxx. They will lead you to a great steemit experience.