Great Job!
I want to congratulate my friend 
It really shows when you take time and create original content and well thought out posts.
From my observations of his success
- Don't post solely looking for whales, post what you like. If you post what you like you can write better content because its something you are knowledgeable about.
- If you had any prior projects such as music, drawings, photography, this is a great platform to expose your work and get feedback. Your hobbies are other people hobbies too. They'll find you!
- Being active and responding to others posts and comments, it gives you more exposure and shows you are engaged. When people see this, it draws attention and there for, if you were whale searching , it increases your chances.
With all that said, Congrats again
Steem Life!