If you're new on Steemit there are some things you should know about this platform. The growing influx of new users joining have some doing things unknowingly that only shoot themselves in the foot.
Here are some tips to help you do well on Steemit.
Don't Ask Anyone To Follow You
It's understandable that when a new user gets on Steemit and sees all the trending posts making the big rewards and having so many followers they get excited and want to get as many followers as they can as fast as they can so they can make big rewards too.
So, what do they do? They start commenting on every post they see with big rewards and beg the people to follow them in exchange for a follow back. There's just one problem with that strategy. It doesn't work on Steemit at all.
In fact, it just annoys the hell our of whales or anyone that has been here for a while and labels you as f4f, or a follow for follow. You may have heard that a minnow is a new person on Steemit, right? Well, an f4f'er is like pond scum. Something you scrape off your shoe and forget about.
So, don't beg or even ask people to follow you. I never do it. If I see a post I really like and want to follow them I'll sometimes, not always, let them know that I'm following them when I leave a comment, but I will never ask anyone to follow me.
And I don't leave a comment just to say I am following them like this for example;
Hi, I'm following you.
If I do mention that I have started following them it will not be the bulk of my comment. It will be mentioned casually and not part of the main reason I left them a comment. For example;
Hi, I really like the way you wrote this post and can relate to the ideas you shared about, blah, blah, blah...
What do you think about, blah, blah, blah?
Anyways, thanks for sharing. I upvoted, and you now have a new follower. Look forward to reading your next post.
See the difference? Not once do I ask them to do anything for me.
Why not? Because I don't want them to follow me unless they are really interested in the content I'm creating. Any other reason for them to follow me is not going to benefit either of us no matter how many people follow me.
The only time I ask someone to follow me is if I signed them up to Steemit personally and know them in real life. Even when someone I signed up, like @mithrilweed, signs up someone we both mutually know in person, like @donnaincancun, I still didn't ask @donnaincsncun to ever follow me or upvote my content.
Why? Because I only want her to follow me if she really wants to because anything less than a real, voluntary follower is a waste of time for both of us.
It is much better to make your writing make them want to follow you.
How do you know if the followers you have are really reading your content? Scroll down to the bottom of this post to where the number of votes are displayed. "See the number next to the little eyeball?" If that number is around the dame as the number of votes you have (it should be a little higher than your vote count) then you have real followers.
Still not convinced that your number of followers you have nothing to do with the number of upvotes you get unless they choose to follow you because they like your content?
Then read this post titled, Ladies And Gentlemen I Present To You The King Of Follow For Follow Failure --- by @trevorlyman
In it, he shows a guy on Steemit with 2358 followers and he's still making pennies per post. The guy has followed over 12,000 people asking them to follow back and 2358 did follow him back. They just don't read or upvote his content and the people that would have made a difference if they started following him never did. Follow for follow does not work on Steemit!
What counts is people following you because they genuinely want to follow you. That means you have to work for it and create good content and grow your following one person at a time. There are no shortcuts.
Give It Away Give It Away Give It Away Now
Do you have a talent, a wit with words, a passionate hobby or interest, or a great idea for a contest? Share it with the community. Can you garden, play an instrument, paint, or like to travel? Write about it.
Do you build websites or develop programs? Develop something useful to the community. That's how you get followers interested in following you.
It's very simple really. The more you give of yourself and to this community, the better you will do on Steemit.
It doesn't matter if you're bat shit crazy on Steemit as long as you can write about it in an engaging and informative way like this post you should read titled, How To Earn Money On Steemit Even If You Re Mildly Insane --- by @stellabelle
The most important thing is to get down with your funky self and express yourself without holding back. Do that and not only will you become a better person but the followers that matter to you will follow, read, and upvote your stuff.
Be A Steemweaver
What is a Steemweaver you may ask? This is a word I would like to introduce into the Steemit lexicon.
weav·er
ˈwēvər/nouna person who weaves fabric
Think of this Steemit social network as a fabric and the threads are the people in it and the content they spin. You are a master spinster who weaves these threads together into a beautiful piece of cloth. So, a Steemweaver is;
steem-weav·er
ˈstēm-wēvər/nouna person who weaves the fabric of social connections on Steemit
steem-weav·ing
ˈstēm-wēving/verbthe act of weaving the fabric of social connections on Steemit
How do you become a Steemweaver? Instead of adding links to your content in your post, add links to other Steemians content that is relevant to your posts content.
If you leave a comment on someone's post and feel compelled to add a link to it, instead of adding a link to your post leave a link to someone else's post instead and only if it adds to the post you're leaving the comment on.
I knew a guy who was a great dog trainer. Really top notch, but he couldn't market his skills for shit. Not even for dog shit! He had great marketing materials but he approached people in a way that turned them off. It was a shame because he really was good at training dogs.
He would accost people on the street with flyers offering his dog training services and at every social gathering, he would hand his business cards to everyone there whether they were dog owners or not, constantly butting into conversations at the wrong moment and handing out business cards. No one ever called him or gave him business.
One day he asked me for my opinion on why he wasn't getting any response and I offered a few suggestions.
He made some posters and put them up around the trails in a park where dog owners daily walked their dogs and in a few veterinary offices. Soon the calls were flooding in.
Showing your value to the community in the right context has far better results than blasting people's posts with queries to follow you or upvote you. The former brings value to the community and creates a lasting impression and valuable connections, while the latter is like a fly in your face you just want to swat away.
A Word About Links
How many times have you seen a new user leave a link in the comment of your post that has nothing to do with the post you wrote?
This is a mistake that will cost you if you keep doing it. If it's very relevant to the content the post is about and you already have a relationship with the person that made the post, then it's alright to add a link. Even then, I do try to add a link to someone else's post because it's just the cool thing to do.
There's one exception. I run the Steemit Open Mic contest and sometimes I see a new user that plays guitar or sings on a post and I know that if they join Steemit Open Mic they will get more exposure, upvotes, and a following. So, I will leave a link inviting them to join us there.
It's going to help them stay on Steemit and some new users have made great rewards on their beginning posts who have joined. I do it because I know it is going to help them, not because I want them to follow me. It is going to bring them value. That is the key to succeeding on Steemit. Help others.
I know that sounds Utopian but that's the way it works here on Steemit. The more you help others the better you will do.
Are you starting to see a pattern here?
Save Your Bitching For Your Bartender
I love my bartenders and tip them well but I would never want to be one. Basically they are shrinks with drinks.
When you first join Steemit no one knows who you are and it will take a while for you to get followers and rewards. Write every day with all the passion you can muster about whatever turns you on.
Didn't make jack shit on that post you spent so much time on? So what? Write another one and another, and another, and another.
In case you didn't get the memo, there are no free lunches. You got to work at this and if you do then something really cool will begin to happen. Magically and literally, you'll get some free lunches.
My first 4 posts made exactly zero rewards. So, did I bitch about it? No. I just kept writing as did all those people you're envying on the trending pages making the big rewards. They earned it bee-och!
Complaining that you are not making anything on Steemit is a sure way to ensure you never will.
Pretend you're at a party. How do people react to people at a party that are bitching and moaning about their job, life, spouse, or money? They go mingle with someone else as fast and as politely as possible.
Don't be a downer or a frowner and if you're naturally pessimistic than put it in your writing in a humorous and engaging way but don't bitch about your lack of success on Steemit.
This is what we call Steemicide and you can read more about that at How To Commit Steemicide Suicide On Steemit And How Not To If You Prefer To Avoid It --- by @papa-pepper
Be The Real Deal
It doesn't matter if you're a hot bimbo with big tits, a white toast nerd with monitors for eyeballs, an intellectual scholar with a master in theology, or a surfer bum with an ounce a day weed habit. As long as you are genuine and can write about who you really are and share the insights you have that are unique then you'll do well on Steemit.
Be the real deal. Be yourself and express yourself.
Nothing In This World Can Take The Place Of Persistence
Calvin Coolidge said it best:
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. credit
If you want to succeed on Steemit you have to work at it, especially in the beginning as a noobie. So pick something you really like to talk about and post something every day.
Keep doing it and interact with everyone who leaves a comment on your post. Try to keep the dialog going with your responses and keep adding value to the conversations you get involved in.
Connect with people and follow people who write things that really interest you. People always say that there is really good content on Steemit but this is truer if you only follow authors that write about things you really like.
Make a habit of posting and commenting on Steemit and keep learning from every post you can and you'll soon have a real loyal following that will reward your posts. I would rather have a few 100 loyal followers that 1000 followers that do not read my posts.
Forget about the money and concentrate on bringing something cool to the table and socializing in a genuine way and before you know it you'll be rocking it.
People Everyone Should Follow
Here is a list of people that everyone should follow on Steemit.
@ned - The cofounder of Steemit
@sykochica - She writes a lot of helpful posts about how to kill it on Steemit and is a great resource for current tips and on how to get the best from the platform
@papa-pepper - Writes about a lot of different topics and really like to help new users find their way around the site.
@steemitblog - Keeps you informed about upcoming changes to the platform
Conclusions
Remember to have fun and connect with people. Forget about the money and concentrate on bringing something cool to the table and socializing in a genuine way and before you know it you'll be rocking it. The most important takeaway you should get from this post is to have fun, give -- don't take, and express yourself. On that note, I'll leave you with this song to inspire you. The lyrics say it all.
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