Hi! Welcome to Steemit. I'll address your questions. First steemit is similar to other platforms in a lot of ways. It takes time to find, create and nurture relationships. Don't give up. Provide value. Create posts that offer something to the audience you hope to reach. When one post "fails" (fails to give you the $ you expect) just move on and create another. Make lots of comments on other peoples post. Let them know that you are interested. Many will follow you because of that. Once you have followers you will find that you start getting a bit more engagement on your posts.... keep creating, keep interacting, keep being sincere. It will happen for you.