It's not a bad attempt and even if it didn't work out well, the original idea is good.
I think that one option would be to participate in quality airdrops and promote them. For example, in the last Grass one I got about $100 and I didn't make much either. It was an airdrop that I found out about through someone from Hive, now I don't remember who, and I became their referral.
RE: An interesting but slightly disappointing experience