Just write for yourself, and not to try to gain popularity. With platforms like these, it's difficult to stand out. Just keep posting things you enjoy posting about, and don't stress about getting followers or making money. Plus I don't think anyone is just gonna magically get 10,000 subscribers overnight.

As for having to sift through a lot of content to find posts you deem valuable, that's just how all these platforms go. Sort of a grind, but you do find some great stuff if you're willing to browse and sift. I'm new to steemit, but speaking from experience with reddit.