Well, I think it's time, for me, to write an useful guide (not a technical guide, just some tips) on how to engage the community and to make the post an interesting (and upvoted) contents.
Looking around some new users activities, I decided to offer my simple help talking about the small arrangements that can be use to make the own Steemit blog a followed blog.
At first: only original contents! Steemit is a cozy community, people here will appreciate your original content (even if the text is short and the pics are just good but not excellent) more than a copy/past from other sources.
Your first post (or second, if you have just wrote the first post on Steemit) have to be an "introduce my self post". Write about you honestly, people will appreciate. If it's possible, post a pic of you with a sheet where people can read your nickname on Steemit and the date (this is to fight the fake accounts, people will appreciate). Alert: one introdution post is good, 4 introdution posts are bad!
If you need to use some images from the net, you have to add the link to the source. The same for the text: if you need to insert a text from the net, you have to link the source.
Write about your interest, your passions, your skills and have fun! If you write about these and if you have fun to write them, people learn a bit about you step by step and they will follow you.
Read the posts written by other authors and, if you like them, use the comments to engage a conversation or simply to say that you're interesting in the contents.
Reply to the comments below your posts. People who follow you will appreciate your reply.
At first: don't copy/past pics or text from sources of other owners without the permission/mention of the owner, this can be plagiarism and this community is against plagiarism. The plagiarist don't earn so much money here, so don't do it!.
If all your posta are simple links from others sources, they will not work well. It's better (= more upvotes) if you write some of your toughts before/after the links .
"I follow you if you follow me" don't work if you do this randomly. If you want to have loyal followers, let them free to choose you.
I hope this simple tips can help the community to grow up and the newbies to improve their activities and earnings ^_^
See ya soon
Silvia