It is not always about what you write or how you write in order to pay you more. It may be his luck or something.
According to me, newcomers are actually facing a very hard time gaining followers and getting upvotes on steemit. Here's my article that you might like: https://steemit.com/steemit/@nikita.adroit/why-steemit-cannot-take-place-of-the-biggest-social-media-networking-sites-or-about-steemit-or