I think the "Promoted" page will draw people to it who are looking for posts that the authors believe are good posts and deserve attention. And I think that's how the authors need to be treating that page. It shouldn't be expected that any post that is boosted will earn more money simply by being on that page. If treated as a marketing strategy for valuable content, then I believe authors will likely see a good ROI when using it.

For example: If I use the "Promote" option to boost my 5000-word essay on conflict resolution in a voluntary society, and I know that there is a large market for the content, I truly believe that my essay is very well-written, and that the argument is strong, interesting, and persuasive, I could reasonably expect that my investment in the promotion has a good chance of being rewarded. And if I truly believe in the power of the message and writing, I might put a considerable amount of money into promoting it - with the hope that readers will in fact appreciate the thought and even enjoy the read.

If I'm simply throwing a dollar or two on a post that's just a short paragraph about giving my dog a bath today, I wouldn't expect there to be a large crowd of people interested in that. I also shouldn't expect that my $2 investment will do a lot of good when competing with other writers who are putting $5, $10, $20 or more into their essay or entertainment posts.

It's really just basic marketing. If you have a good product and want it to be seen and upvoted, then you'll have to put in a little bit of work to attract followers or put in a little money for marketing - maybe a mix of both. As a user who appreciates good content, I'll look for it, especially on the Promoted page. I want to see authors who value their work.

We'll see some of this get worked out over the next few days and weeks. There are a lot of people testing the function and they'll learn whether it works for them or not and at what prices. There's a lot of content on there that I have absolutely no interest in (and that I don't think is good), but that's just my preference. If others feel the same way, then their ROI will be poor. If the same people continually promote their posts and continually receive no attention and no rewards over the course of several weeks, then it would be safe to say that their particular content or style is not in demand by the users on the platform.

Not everyone will be a successful creator. If it was easy, we'd all be rich and happy. This platform offers an opportunity, but it doesn't guarantee success. There's still a lot of work to be done, but the potential is enormous.

Anyway... </essay comment>

Thanks for the info! I like seeing stats like this. Good job!