3 Things to Boost Post Payouts (Part 2)
This is the Second Post in a series teaching you about "Getting Paid to Post"
Step 1: POST
Step 2: Network
Make Friends
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Networking
Unless you're a whale who can self-vote all day and rake in the rewards, you need to be in community. You need other people who will spend their precious upvotes to reward your content. If they have a relationship with you, they're more likely to engage. If they know you and like you, they're more likely to want to help you out.
One could argue that even before posting, you should be networking. That's true, you should always be networking, but if you've already got the post out, there's no time like the present to start.
For some people, it can be scary to introduce yourself in real life. On Steemit, it should be easy. They're practically begging you to come to their article and hear what they have to say. In turn, they're hoping for your upvote and that you engage in conversation with them.
Meet people where they're at and hear what they have to say. Make it about them. People like to talk about themselves, so ask sincere questions about them and see what they say.
I've Got My Ears Open
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Part of the way you get them to know you and like you is to "do unto others as you would have them to unto you." In other words, if you want upvotes, give upvotes! Most people don't want to give votes to someone who only self-upvotes. Help build the community, don't just take from it.
Comment
One of the main ways you connect with others is through commenting. It's a good way to meet people and to give them a taste of who you are.
Let me be clear, I'm NOT saying that you should advertise your article on other people's blogs. Pasting a link to your post in the comments of someone else's post is rude and it can get you flagged if the person is upset enough. Be polite and keep your comments relevant to the content they presented.
What I AM saying is that you should be getting your name out there. Comment on other people's articles in meaningful ways so they have a chance to know you a bit. Even if you don't use your real name (or don't have a name), they can still get to know the mind behind the comments.
I was talking with @davemccoy and he said he instructs the Steemians he mentors to post 30 comments per day when starting out! That's a great way to get your name out there, get exposure, and make new connections. When people see you consistently showing up on their feed and contributing to their discussions, they're going to be more interested in your discussions.
Note: Do NOT, NOT, NOT spam people. You heard me, right?! Posting spam and garbage will accomplish the opposite of what you're trying to do. Instead of getting a new connection, you'll probably get muted and/or flagged. Do yourself and everyone else a favor, No Spam!
Good Comments
- Related to the topic presented
- Respectful
- Adds to the discussion
- Show you read the article
Bad Comments
- Unrelated to discussion
- Links to your articles
- "Follow for follow" or "Upvote for Upvote"
- Only a 'thank you' and nothing else
- Asking for an upvote/donation/favor
Selfless
I will add a last note, "Have a desire to help people." If the only reason you're networking, commenting, and upvoting is to selfishly get people to help you, they're going to see through it eventually. Be a kind, helpful, genuine person who is willing to give more than you receive. Eventually the rewards will come. Remember, we're all in this together. And the more you feed your friends, the bigger your friends will be.
You've Got My Back, Right?
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Go For It
You're ready. Get out there and make some meaningful comments. Give upvotes generously. Make new friends. You might not see the payoff today, but you (and we) will be better off for it.
Want to be friends with me? Comment below! If I haven't met you, I'd like to get to know you.
Come back soon for Part 3
Early on, the value of commenting on other people's posts is an essential way to make connections on here.
Your comments don't need to be smart, but they do need to stand out from the trash comments.
I started following you because you struck up conversation on my post. It's incredibly easy to do just that, but few do.
Keep up the good posts.
Great advice! Thanks for your comments. My followers (and I) can learn a lot from you.
If you're reading the comments and aren't following @protegeaa, you should!
Stawp!
But seriously, there are a lot of ways this blockchain can bring value. Upvotes are one obvious way. But relationship building and networking are extremely important too, and not just "for the $teem".
Without the relationships it's all pretty pointless. Thanks for the affirmation. :)
thank you - follow for follow.
JUST KIDDING!! seriously thought - good article and makes a lot of sense..I've learned here that just like in real estate investing - having a network is absolutely key to success here -it took me a while to find my peeps because I wasn't doing enough to reach out to others - when I did reach out , I still didn't get a lot of traction - it wasn't until I started helping others and connecting with the right people that I I started to see more activity on my posts... I still feel like the numbers views comments and upvotes are lower than I would like to see - but as many others her have said many times... stay consistent.. so I am trying to consistently put out content. This week has been hard because we are moving to a new house so my mind hasn't really been here as much as I wish to be.
Ha ha, exactly! You're a little ahead of me so we can't arrange an upvote trade. ;) Also, I have so many people to upvote that I've been hovering around 30%. At least I have enough vote that I'm still giving $0.01!
Sorry to hear it's been a busy week, but that's cool you're getting to move. Hopefully the new place is better?
Networking is what makes it all happen, and what makes it all worth it. Honestly, I'd rather get small upvotes from friends than a bigger one from someone I don't know. If someone has been building a relationship with me for a while and has something to say, I'm more interested in that than just random people.
At some point I'd like to get into real estate, so I'm excited to watch your video. I've got it opened in a tab and once I get caught up, I'm watching it!
thanks! the new place were moving to is soooooooooooooo much nicer than our other place- it located at the edge of the city and has a 1/3 of acre size yard. On valentines day , my wife and I had a bonfire in our backyard and cooked ribs over an open flame - it felt like we were camping.... there is lots of room for our dogs to run around and when the dust settles we will be planting a garden, put our trees into the ground , and getting some small livestock - this move is something we've been wanting to do for a while - we are moving out of a small apartment that has no yard
That's awesome! Congratulations! I hope that it allows you to have more peace at home. I have lived in places where you don't feel at home there and it sucks. May you have many happy, peaceful years at this new place!
Again good info, thanks! I feel kinda bad now though for adding a link to my blog in the comment I made in part 1 :P.
Regarding getting exposure, I tried to first get 50 followers before starting to post on my own blog. In retrospect, I wish I would have waited until I got more followers. It feels like a waste of time to wait with posting your stuff. But in the end it pays out. I mean, you would not want to end up with articles without anybody reading it! And that is exactly what happens without a following :)
On a side note, how many parts are you planning to write? I like learning through such articles!
Again, thanks!
Don't worry about it. It took me a second to remember what you were talking about, but it wasn't a big deal. You did it in-line with the comment and only linked the one word. It wasn't obnoxious. :)
It can feel like a waste, but it also gives you time to practice if you write with no audience. I wasn't used to this style of posting when I started and it took me a while to get used to it. I'm glad that people didn't see some of my earlier posts. Ha ha.
I set it up as a 3 part series. You never know, I could do bonus posts!
Cool, looking forward to the next one! Yeah as I said in my post on pt1, I write offline first. Some things I started never became anything useful. It was practice indeed :)
I agree that it's ok to write to an audience of no one - the practice is good for you and it also gives readers more content to look at when they do show up to your blog. But to expect a lot of votes and comments when you have no followers will only lead to to a let down. When I jumped in - it never occurred to me to build a following before writing anything......but it does make sense in retrospect...i have more followers here in 4 months than I do 7 years on facebook...
You’re good at following your own advice! Solid advice at that ;)
I'm glad you noticed and glad that you're following the advice to come visit. Happy to have you!
I feel like we’re enjoying a cup of tea while having this conversation- and I like it!
I do like a nice cup of tea!
Following this great series and am happy i have been doing some of the things you mentioned.
To be very frank with you, since i joined steemit about 27days ago. My comments has given me more pay out than my posts itself.
I nearly wanted shouting when i got some dollar upvote on my comment by @surpassinggoogle (the cool dude)
That was my first highest pay out. I have also made friends who have listed me on their voting trail and told me to try and post once a day. This has risen my writing morals that am planing to schedule my posts on steemauto.
Indeed without communication there can't be any success.
@themanwithnoname i guess i will get to know your name someday because everyone has a name for identification 😀
That's great you're already doing some of these things. Most people probably are, but it's a series to help newbies make sure they're doing the right things to move forward. Don't want people to get discouraged and quit just because no one helped them.
Yes, when you're first starting out, comments normally make up the bulk of your rewards. That's ok. Eventually the posts will get more of a following.
The Ugly one calls me "Blondie." You can too.
The Bad one, well he's dead, so he doesn't call me anything.
:)
I think it should be themanwithaname
Ha ha
This is really a good post...the importance of genuine commenting I think is often overlooked, especially when just starting out. People spend hours writing what could very well be an amazing post, just to have it sit there unnoticed.
It's a bit like moving to a new town and throwing a wonderful, well planned party, and no one shows up. Why would they? No one knows you. You have to get out in your new community and make friends, put yourself out there, and show people you're the real deal, and worthwhile to hang out with. It's a pretty simple concept really, but one that gets ignored.
So thank you again for this. Cheers!
So sweet pic my friend!!
Which one did you like?
That is a good one. It's just a stock photo though. I got it from https://images.pexels.com
Me parece excelente, muy buena publicación gracias por sus consejos @themanwithnoname. :-)
De nada. Espero que ayude. De donde eres?