Ha ! I just wrote a post about this exact subject and then found your post that pretty much answered my questions !
I fully agree with what you say, but it is hard to post reasonable quality stuff when nobody even reads it. Maybe starting off it's best not to go full-gas and ease your way in. Writing tons and tons of content will probably do nothing but burn you out and make you frustrated at the total lack of response and rewards.
RE: When To Put In Time & Extra Effort On Steemit?