The key to success on Steemit is not what you think it is. Many people come to Steemit assuming that writing blog posts is the key to success...but in my opinion, that's not entirely true. Read on to learn more...
Welcome to Steemit fellow noob! Yes, that's right, I am new too! I started on Steemit a little over 5 weeks ago, while I am not a Steemit millionaire (yet, haha) I have learned a couple things so far and with the influx of new members on here I thought I would share some things with you! It doesn't matter how long I have been here. What matters is I know what its going to take to be successful in the months and years that lie ahead. Still with me? Read on...
If you have come to Steemit thinking that the key to success is creating awesome blog posts, you won't make it past the first couple weeks. The key to success on Steemit is not blogging, its connecting with other people.
By connecting, I mean commenting. Commenting should be your number 1 priority for the foreseeable future. For every blog post you work on, you should be doing 10 times the amount of commenting. Why? Because no one is going to see anything you post. Your posts may pay out a couple of cents and will be lost in the feed within the first couple hours in the beginning.
Honestly, I don't even like calling it commenting, that's why I call it "connecting." When someone tells you that you need to comment a lot, what does that make you think? That you should be commenting as much as possible. But that is also the wrong way of thinking about this.
You need to find people that are writing about what YOU like to read about. If you like gardening, its time to look through the gardening tag. If you are interested in crypto, look through the cryptocurrency tag. You will be spending at least half of your time on here reading other people's posts, its time find your people!
I have spent over 40 hours a week on Steemit since I started here 5 weeks ago, and for every 3 posts I read, I might only comment on 1. Why? Because I don't have anything to add to the conversation. Which brings me to my next point.
The Quality of Your Comment Matters!
Yes, the quality of your comment matters. When you go on to someone else's post to make a comment, only do so if you have something to say. Commenting is a way of engaging with the author, and hoping that they will want to connect with you. While Steemit might be in its infancy, the days of "follow for follow" or "good post" passing for engagement are over! People can see right through you when you do this.
Long time users of Steemit refer to these posts as "low effort" or "spam" comments. Here are some examples of "low effort comments"
- Nice post.
- Amazing photography!
- I like your post, upvoted!
- I followed you, please follow me back.
Let me give you another tip. If you go through the effort of making a thoughtful comment, do not end it with "I followed you, please return the favor." Why? Because it invalidates the whole comment. You went through the effort of writing something thoughtful, but ended it in an insincere way. Chances of actually gaining a follower? Slim to none.
Long Time Users of Steemit are Getting Sick of the Spam...
I am new here, i'll be the first to admit that. When I started here 5 weeks ago I was thrilled that anyone was seeing my posts regardless if they left spam comments. But as I spend more and more time on here, I am starting to see veteran users flagging and confronting these low effort commenters. They are sick of the spam. They have invested a lot of time and money into Steemit and Steem and they get offended when they have to sift through dozens of low effort comments to find true engagement. So they will flag them.
When you get flagged by someone that has a higher reputation that you, it lowers yours. It will take time to gain it back, so the best thing to do is to not give them a reason to flag you.
There's More To Gain From Commenting Than Just Upvotes
Sure it's nice to receive an upvote from someone after you have made a nice comment, but that is not the only thing you should be focusing on! By sharing your point of view, other posters might be interested in checking out your content. You gain in every way when you prove yourself a productive member of the community with a point of view.
The only way to be successful on Steemit in the long run is being committed to the community here. That means taking part in it. Find your people, engage with them organically, and hope that they will engage back. Don't be discouraged if someone chooses not to reply to you, simply move on to the next person.
Things You Should Always Do/Never Do
- Always read the entire post before you comment. Never quickly scan the post to get a gist of what the author is trying to say and try to form a comment out of it. You might be completely missing the point of the post and the author will know.
- Always up-vote the article you are commenting on, it's just good manners!
- Never start a comment with "Sir, Dear, or other titles" I understand that this might be a cultural difference, but I have seen people calling out newbies who use these to reference the author, if you want to call them something, call them by their username or display name.
- NEVER ask for a follow back or an up-vote. Like I mentioned earlier, anyone who has been on Steemit for more than a couple weeks will see right through this, even if you took the effort to make a well thought out comment.
- Only in rare circumstances should you leave a link directing the author (or anyone else) somewhere else. This the internet and everyone is wary of clicking on links. Only include a link if the author asks for one.
- Remember that everything is in the Blockchain. Someone can look back at your prior comments and see if you are spamming the same comment all over the place.
While the main enticement of Steemit is to monetize your engagement, that should not be the only reason why you are here! Focus on finding like minded individuals or people you find interesting.
Find People With Similar Interests! Look for:
- Regional communities (Cities, States, Countries)
- Hobby communities (Gardening, Crypto, Beer, Cooking)
- Lifestyle communities (Health, Fitness, Parenting, Childfree, etc)
- Religious communities
- Political communities
Sit down and think about all your interests and look for like minded people, and follow them. After all these are the posts that will show up in your feed and you should be excited to read them! When you read something that interests you commenting will become so much easier, as you already have a point of view!
I wish you success on Steemit! I hope you enjoyed and learned something from my post. If you have a question please feel free to leave a comment below. I am looking forward to connecting with you! Steem on!