A lot of new users get disappointed by low payouts and the difficulty of building a following that actually reads their work. The fact is, we are all content creators here, for better or worse. It's not like a publication where people come just to read your work. It's not like Reddit either because there is more incentive to share.
So if you want people to pay attention to you, you have to pay attention to them. This can be a rough ride for someone like me who came here, not simply to make money, but to share their art with others. But if we think about the future, AI is likely to reduce the need for human employees, leaving many of us with a lot of free time. That means more artists, more writers, more bloggers and vloggers.
Rather than just competing for the top spot, why not build some mutual support.
Leaving great comments is the quickest way to grow at steemit.
Now that Steem is at $6, it means a lot of minnows have upvotes which are actually worth something. 1 month ago I had a $0.07 upvote at 100%. Through powering up 200SP during the SBD spike and the current high Steem rate, I now have $0.50 upvotes at 100%. I'm not the only one. Many of my friends here were in the same boat as me. A collective upvote from around 10 friends was worth $1 and now it's worth $4-5.
image link cause I know you love pexels
1 month ago I recieved lots of upvotes on comments worth $0.02, a few worth $0.10. Now it's more like $0.08 and $0.22. Sometimes a write a comment that people really love and gets some attention. Last week on 
So even with some posts above a $20 payout, I'm still making almost half of my SBD through commenting.
It's not just about upvotes. You can gain a real following by leaving good comments around steemit. And you make people happy when you show them that someone actually bothered to read their work and leave a well thought reply ("Great post" is spam, not a real comment). Don't just do it for the upvotes. Do it to make friends and show support for posts that you read.
This is how minnows grow on the platform.
Comment on hot or trending posts if you'd like but make sure to check your feed and check in with your favorite writers and friends as well. I always put a priority on the steemians who I speak to the most in the chat rooms, both new and old.
If you think people don't notice your comments, think again. I have gone out of my way to check posts and get to know 
So commenting might make you SBD, but it's not just about making money and gaining followers, you will make great friends through commenting here.
Get to it!
Join the "Be Awesome" community
The Be Awesome discord chat, was created with the intention of making deeper connections with fellow steemians. Come talk about "deep shit" and make friends.
