Thousnads of posts are posted on steemit on a daily basis. Once you write a post and it enters the new segment. In less than an hour it disappears because new contents are entering the system. This makes it hard to get attention and views. Sometimes your posts are not even given a chance due to the high traffic on Steemit.
My Thoughts on how and what makes a Steemit post successful and how far it has taken me
1. Quality Writing: Most people on their first post would likely use the famous technique "copy and paste". This causes an alert by cheetah a bot informing you about the source you got it from. The best content is always the quality content. What makes a writing a qualiy piece?? An in depth writing, original thoughts, trying your best to make your posts longer and your point clearer. Trying your best to follow the rules of writing like commas, starting your sentence with a capital letter etc. English is not everyone's first language (including me). But it's always better to improve on this aspect so the readers understand what you write and it becomes easier to read.
2. TOPIC! TOPIC!! TOPIC!!! : Almost everyone when starting have a hard time figuring out what they want to write about. They have a hard time sharing their ideas. I know of some people who never started Steemit for that reason. Some people have a hard time with writing and expresisng themselves. And ask questions like what should I write about?? The easiest thing to write about are your hobbies. What you do and love. You're bound to see people on Steemit who have the same hobbies and appreciate your posts. And from there you can slowly increase your ideas and have more things to write about.
INTRODUCTION POST COUNTS ALOT. This falls under topic and if you haven't done your introduction post, I advice that you do that ASAP. It's the tradition of Steemit. And it helps you feel welcomed by the community. It also sets you on your way to become a full fledged Steemian!
ALSO HAVE A CATHCY TOPIC, SOMETHING UNIQUE THAT CATCHES THE EYE. SOME MIGHT HAVE THE SAME CONTENT AS YOU, BUT THE FLASHIER TOPIC ALWAYS HAS MORE VIEWS.
3. Design and Logos: I have never tried this. But whenever I open a post and see that the author has beautified his/her post, it makes me want to read it completely.And I appreciate the post more. If you have the talent then go for it!
4. Pictures: Always try your best to post appropriate and eye catching pictures. If you're lacking in writing, your photography would supplement that. Always attach a picture to your posts, people hate it when they see a post without a picture. It literally turns them off. Only use pictures that relate to your topic. I have seen posts without words get a good number of upvotes.
5. Tags: Tags are basically the arrows directing viewers to your post. Tags are very neccessary that you can't even post without it. Choose your tags wisely so you have a bigger amount of views and you can share your writing to your intended viewers. It also creates awareness. You can also check the amount of payout a tag has and from there judge it's popularity.
6. Peak Time: I recently discovered that there are hours in every day in which there is a lot of traffic on social medias like Steemit. This leads to a chance to generate more views and attention to your post. But be careful, because some Whales and Dolphins might be posting at that same time resulting on your posts to be swept under the carpet and go unnoticed.
7. Luck: No matter how hard you work, you alwasys need a little bit of luck to be successful. Steemit is no different. Newbies get a lot of views and money from their first post. It's all about being there at the right time. Out of nowhere a Whale upvotes you, then you start to pick up steam fast and see results early.
You might be doing all these but haven't seen outstanding results. I know, it's frustrating. But keep Steeming and working hard. Not too far from now, you'll bloom and be delighted that you never gave up.