Is It True We Have To Spend Money To Earn Money On Steemit?

I read a post today by Hive account@yallapapi that left a sour taste in my mouth. Not because of him personally, but the sad realisation of what he was writing about. In summary:

That in order to succeed on Steemit, you've got to spend money on your on posts

Honestly, that just seems so depressing to me. Isn't this platform supposed to be about rewarding those who commit to providing quality content? When I first joined Steemit I was in it for the long haul, knowing full well that success doesn't just happen over night - it usually takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build your reputation.

And I was down for that.

In my naivety, I assumed that over time, if my content proved to be interesting and valuable, I'd see some kind of compensation. In fact, I picked Steemit over Medium initially for the very reason that creators could make money on the platform in a decentralised way.

Indeed, I'm a big proponent for blockchain technology and see huge potential in cryptocurrencies. Heck, I even work for a Clean Tech startup in the crypto space and hold various alt coins in my wallet.

Unfortunately, I just don't have the financial resources to be dropping 200-500 $ on each post I create to gain visibility and grow my following in order to make serious money.

But even if I did, there's no way I'd be into that. It seems like cheating. I mean, I understand it's kind of a catch-22 and perhaps some may rationalise it as a necessary evil, but surely there's another way?

It makes me so despondent to realise that even if I work my ass off, I'll never succeed on the platform if it stays the way it is. I'm honestly such a huge fan of the whole concept of a decentralised blogging platform and I'd hate to jump ship when it has so much potential, but I'm not sure if I could continue to support a system that is so biased and unjust.

Maybe I'm overreacting and Hive account@yallapapi's post just got under my skin, but reading what he had to say was, to me the first time I'd come across something so open and honest. Usually, all you read about is how Steemit is the ideal and easiest place to earn money through writing.

I think I might have better success on Medium's Partner Program, because at least over there quality content reins supreme and shitty, half-arsed articles disappear without even a single clap back into the blackhole from which they came from.

Ugh, I don't know.

I just hate to think of the hundreds of talented people out there who have been drowned out in the sea of crap (don't even get me started on the "Trending" or "Promoted" pages). I mean, there is so much more interesting stuff out there than just crypto analyses and #foodporn!

Anyway, rant over. What I'd like to know now though is there anyone who can tell me that what I've read is wrong? And if it isn't, then what's the solution? Because it seems like unless I become a millionaire over night, I'm probably never going to gain traction on this platform.

PS - I don't want this post to seem like I'm bashing Steemit, because I'm not. I love Steemit. I would just like to find a way for quality content to get more recognition and be rewarded.

Cheers for reading. If this article somehow manages to hit your radar (which it probably won't), I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the topic in the comments below.

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