Steemit is one the best platforms i have used and i have been using it for the past 5 months and i'm so glad to have found this platform. I would like to share some key tips and tricks which i have learnt so far. Before getting into details, i would like to start off with basics so that it will be easier for a beginner to understand. But do not worry, i would keep it simple and promise not to drag.

Rewards mechanism available in Steemit

If you are in Steemit, then most probably you would be knowing about the rewarding mechanisms available in Steemit Platform which are:

(1) Author rewards

Creating good content will earn you more upvotes and the upvotes gets you Steem Power and Steem Dollars based on the curator's account value and voting power.

(2) Curation rewards

Identify good posts and upvote them and it will get your Steem Power.
Eg. If you upvote at 15 mins after the article is posted then 50% share goes to author and 50% goes to the curator.

What is SMARTSTEEM

SMARTSTEEM is a service which provides the ability to buy upvotes and also to sell them. But one needs to be whitelisted before you can use these services. In the process of Whitelist, one's profile will be reviewed by their moderators and a rating will be assigned based on the quality content they have provided in the past. Once you get whitelisted, you can either buy upvote to give your post a boost or you can sell your upvotes for profit.

How to register and get whitelisted for SMARTSTEEM?

Please follow the below step to get whitelisted:

(1) Go to link https://smartsteem.com/

(2) Click the login icon in the top right corner

(3) Next step is to authorize SMARTSTEEM to verify your steemit account using steemconnect.
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(4) It is safe to provide your posting key or password so don't worry. Anyways this authorization is also need by SMARTSTEEM in order to vote on your behalf (ie., which is required to earn money from selling your vote)
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(5) Once you login you will see a button 'Get whitelisted'. Click 'Get Whitelisted'. (i dont have a screenshot of it since i'm already whitelisted)

(6) You will be asked two questions. Answer needs to be true and convincing, else your request could be rejected. So fill out the box for Why do you want to join? with a reasonable response and also choose the category which describes you the best. (eg: Blogger)

Once your application is submitted it may take up to one week so please be patient. And you can check the status in their webpage by clicking on the pending list.

Once you are whitelisted you will be able to buy or sell your upvote.

How to buy Upvote?

Once you written a post, copy the url link of your post and do the following:

(1) Go to Wallet and click transfer on your SBD dropdown

(2) Mention smartsteem in To section and enter the SBD you want to transfer and paste the URL in the memo section. Below is a sample of how it should look.
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You will receive vote between 2x to 2.5x the amount you send. And if suitable voters are not found then your money will be returned like below.

How to sell your Upvote?

Many days we do get busy and it is very much possible that our votes get wasted. This feature of SMARTSTEEM provides the ability to upvote a post on your behalf and you will be earn 85% of the profit. This is a really cool feature and i like it better than delegating steem power to someone. Here is how you can sell your upvote and earn from it.

(1) Click on Sell upvote in the top section of SMARTSTEEM

(2) It will open up a page like the one below and adjust the options based on your preference.

Additional Tips and Tricks

SMARTSTEEM is more rewarding than other bit based bots since SMARTSTEEM provides immediate votes compared to the delays in Bid-Bots.
Use SMARTSTEEM to buy your votes within the first 15 mins of the post to gain more author rewards
Use Bid-Bots ( https://steembottracker.com/ ) for additional profits