Steemit Strategies - My 4 Month Review
4 Months has Passed - What Can I Tell You About Steemit?
I've been getting quite a few requests on strategies to improve Steemit accounts and while I'm not the authority on the matter, I seem to be one of the few that will speak about strategies openly. Good, solid information is harder to come by on Steemit than I would prefer.
Therefore, this week and next few after that I'm going to talk about some of the things I'm doing and what I would suggest others to do in order to make their Steemit journey more profitable. These are my suggestions based on my own successes and failures on the Steemit platform. Although I've done extensive reading and research on all the topics I will discuss, I strongly suggest you do your own due diligence before you make any significant financial decisions. For most of you that won't be a problem because you're dead ass broke anyway.
The other caveat to Steemit is that things move quickly. When I first bought Steem and joined Steemit, the price of SBD was significantly higher than Steem. Now it is actually cheaper than Steem. Bots didn't have caps or minimums, gaining a bunch of "followers" still seemed to matter and the Trending Page was worth reading. Like I said, things move and change quickly and your strategies need to be flexible enough to change with them.
4 Month Anniversary
Yesterday, I hit my 4 month anniversary on Steemit. It seems like a long, long time ago, but I'm now over 1200 posts/comments into it with over 1000 followers and I will break 1600 actual SP in the next couple of days. I'm hitting my goals and targets regularly now on growing my account and growing my network of friends and communities. Am I making fantastic money? NO This week I will have my best week ever and make about $250 USD profit of which $125 will be liquid and the other will go to Steem Power.
I can live with these numbers because that is what I targeted to make and I understand that my expertise and my content don't appeal to the majority of people on Steemit. Understanding your limitations is important. I don't do charts like Haejin, I'm not as colorful as @yallapapi, and I don't have the following of a Jerry Banfield, yet. Even so, I am making money and Steem is growing in value so my investment in the platform looks pretty good right now.
What I've learned in 4 Months
Here is a quick breakdown of some of the things that I've learned on Steemit in 4 months.
- There are genuinely wonderful people on Steemit that are friendly, intelligent, and wise. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of fucking blithering idiots. liars, and scumbags here too. Just like anywhere else in the world.
- You can make money on this platform. Making money is hard work on this platform just like anywhere else and lazy people don't manage to do it. However, the lazy people will blame the non-lazy people for their success. Just like anywhere else in the world.
- Writing good content matters. People don't like or trust you nearly as much when you don't do quality work. Just like anywhere else in the world.
- People will try to help you succeed here as long as you are trying to help them succeed or they benefit in some way (emotionally, spiritually, financially). Just like anywhere else in the world.
- Friends and Networking matter! Relationships and Trust matter. Just like anywhere else in the world.
So you see, Steemit isn't some Utopian paradise where we all show up post a few thoughts, sing "Kumbaya" and get paid. I know you watched a YouTube video and they said that is how it was gonna be, but it just isn't. It's place just like anywhere else in the world. The only difference is that the rules of the game are slightly different.
Tools, Resources, and Lessons
These are some things that I've learned through my experience in the first 4 months. The good and the bad have visited me with all of these. I will be posting more detailed articles on many of these subjects later.
- Voting Bots and Upvote Services have many positive qualities and some negative qualities. Yes, you can make positive cash flow with them, but you can also lose your ass if you don't know how. I've done both. I don't care if any of this goes against your "principles" or your "vision" of Steemit. Bots and upvote services aren't going anywhere. They are a tool to be used and I will post on that later.
- Resteem services can be great for your exposure or they can be a total waste of your money. The factors that determine which of these outcomes you get can be slightly complicated. More on that later too.
- Delegating SP and Leasing SP can both be profitable depending on your situation and activity on Steemit. I have done and still do both.
- Curation can be a total waste of your time or it can put your week over the top in profit. It depends on your strategy and goals for the week, month, etc. I see too much time spent by people chasing curation rewards that they don't even understand. For example, most of you aren't getting your share of 25% like you think. You are getting more like 12%. More on that later too.
- There are Great Communities on Steemit and within Discord to help you to get better at Steemit and to grow your account. There are also communities that will suck your time, energy and life away while promising a bunch of bullshit that they can't deliver. In many cases they are no better off than you in the Steemit world but want you to allow them to mentor you. I've written about some of these communities already - Qurator is Awesome-Sauce Post
- There is absolutely nothing wrong with Self-voting. The only people telling you not to self-vote are gigantic whales (most of them tell you to self-vote also) and evangelistic Social Justice Warriors that are still preaching Steemit Utopia here and don't have a pot to piss in. Pay yourself first!
Beware of advice from people that haven't invested as much as you in Steem or Steemit.
My 3 Biggest Payoffs
Short section here. The 3 biggest contributors to me reaching my goals on Steemit have been these and in this order:
- @qurator - Some may argue, but to me they are the best group I'm involved with and I'm involved with a bunch. The people that run this group are honest and straight forward. They know the platform and they don't accept shitty content. All these things follow my Core Values. I paid 2 Steem to join (currently 4 Steem), upvote them 2 times a day and delegate 300 SP. They upvote me for about $1.20 STU every single day and I get hit with their curation trail for more. It's like doubling my self-vote plus some.
- The #PayitForward Contest, Discord Group, and the community that has grown around it. Especially @thedarkhorse, @lynnecoyle1, and @wolfhart. My engagement, relationships, and network have grown immensely in the last month and this project is a HUGE part of that. These are amazing people and the group is growing exponentially now. I'm so excited about it.
- #Kryptonia and #Superior Coin - In just about 2 weeks, I am making huge strides in building my network further and earning not only Steem, but Superior Coin (SUP) in the process. Through this program I have met even more cool people like @fitinfun, @sydesjokes, @joanstewart and more. My paid for votes haven't cost me any SBD and have taken me over certain target thresholds for my posts. Thanks @kryptonia and @superiorcoin. Sign up for Kryptonia Here
Honorable Mention - @Steembasicincome The jury is still out on SBI. They are upvoting my posts and I like everything about the concept, but the return on my investment is lukewarm as of now (14 or 15 Steem invested for .10 STU upvotes daily). Granted, each Steem I invest helps someone else also so that is cool, but I'm not ready to dive in much more than I already have at this point. I will keep you posted in the future (pun intended).
The 4 Best Tools for Managing Your Steemit Account
I've written about all of these before, but let me go through them again for those that haven't read those posts. Hyperlinks are to my posts about each.
- Still GinaBot - She is the sexy secretary that I never had. She notifies me about everything that I want to know in real time and I can take her on my phone and still get those notices. Instant updates on upvotes, comments, new posts with the #payitforward tag, etc. If you don't have her, get her. She's free.
- Steemworld - 2nd only to GinaBot because the updates sometimes lag and I don't get phone notifications. However, the reports here are amazing and I can find out nearly everything that I want to know about my Steemit account and activity. It takes some time to master, but the basics are easy enough.
- Steemauto - This is absolutely necessary for automating your upvotes. There are a ton of other features, but I use the "Fanbase" (autovote) function the most. You should too and set me up in there while your at it. haha
- SteemSupply - I love this tool because it keeps me updated on what my expected payouts are going to be. I like to budget for the coming week and this is a great tool. It has colorful, easy to read charts as well and it even shows the Steem/SBD exchange rate based on Coinmarketcap's figures.
Concluding Remarks and What to Expect This Week
I've invested about $4000 USD into Steemit as well as a great deal of time. Half of that was when Steem and SBD were trading higher than they are now and half when it was trading at $2.5 USD. My account is now valued at almost $8000 with my payouts due this week (Thank you Steem Supply).
That means that I'm very small potatoes in the Steemit world. However, not long ago I was struggling through the swamp of understanding this incredible platform with a severe learning curve that kills many newbies off before they even get started. Even spammers don't know how to make money on Steemit - their efforts are laughable.
It is tough, but I'm having fun, making a little bit of money and meeting some fantastic people along the way. Hell, if Haejin and Jerry Banfield are right, Steem is going to "Moon" and my investment will pay off no matter what I'm writing here.
Here are the posts that are planned for this week but not in any particular order because I'm waiting for some research and test results to conclude before I finish writing them.
- Strategies for Comments and the Curation of Comments
- How Curation Actually Works and How Can You Maximize Your Votes
- Upvote Services That I Like and Use
- Using Bots to Boost Your Returns and Visibility
- Using Resteem Services to Boost Your Returns and Visibility
- What You Should Expect To Give and Receive in a "Community"
- Delegating and Leasing Steem Power - Do's and Don'ts
- Maximizing Returns from Kryptonia and Superior Coins
It's family time for me. Wish you all the best and remember - all intelligent comments get an upvote.
Like this article? Please resteem, upvote and comment.
Don't like it? Comment and tell me why. Let's discuss it.
All intelligent comments get an upvote for effort (even if I disagree).
Send me a copy of one of your posts and I will try to read it quickly.
All images are mine or downloaded from Pixabay.com
Posted using: busy
https://busy.org/i/@energyaddict22
Follow me on:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jr.byers.58
VK - https://vk.com/id185155240
Discord - EnergyAddict#9726
Special thanks for support from @qurator @dynamicsteemians @newbieresteem @resteemit @asapers #payitforward - @thedarkhose, @lynnecoyle1, @wolfhart
Thanks for this post, and ironic as I finished posting my three month post before checking my feed and finding this. A couple observations.
1- You post unique experiences, often coupled with knowledge that is more than just surface decoration. I look forward to your posts more than most on my feed, so for anyone reading this remember this isn't a race against others. Don't get discouraged if it takes longer to reach this point. *stepping in front of my account to conceal it from comparison as I laugh nervously.
2- You have an analytical mind (which is part of your draw for me) so I love these posts where you share how you get where you are at. Some of the steps I don't feel comfortable taking (yet), but some I have and appreciate your sharing the knowledge. Thank you for nudging me to participate in the #payitforward challenge. I am still trying to figure Qurator out, but it is proving my mind is not as sharp as it once was at the moment.
I will be curious to read what you have to say about the resteem services that are not negative. I can't imagine many eyes from that as I myself have quit following some who resteem to much. Given that these services appear to resteem anything for the money it feels like their wall would look similar to trending, lol.
I can always count on you for the most well thought out, reasoned and balanced comments. It is ironic that both of us were writing similar posts at the very same time (for those reading this, it was not planned).
Going backward -
I have some detailed analysis of how much benefit I get from resteem services and which provide me the best benefit. I will show my reasoning in the post, I promise.
I'm glad you enjoy the analytical because for many of my friends, it drives them absolutely crazy (often they suffer from "feel goodism"). I truly believe there can be a balance between the practical and self-beneficial AND the helping of others in an altruistic fashion. It's my belief and some would disagree, but my mind doesn't work the same as others. That maybe good or bad, the jury is still out. Luckily, my wife loves me regardless. ;)
I try to post what I think is interesting and why I find it interesting. Some people like it such as you and I tend to like those people. Funny how that works.
Thanks again and I truly loved your post. Read it before I came over here to do responses. I do appreciate your support and comments.
A really helpful and interesting post so thanks for sharing. Hadn't heard of @qurator so will check that out. Most of all it looks like your hard work and perseverance are paying off. Success leaves clues.... ;)
Thanks for the comment. I'm very happy you stopped by and enjoyed the post. Definitely checkout @qurator. My linked post gives some easy instructions on how to get started with them. Good people there. Also, thanks for the compliments. I would describe it as "progress" rather than success. ;)
I hope all these posts will be on @kryptonia. That place is the goldmine for me lately - in several ways. I can't wait to read all your posts. It's not easy here, but it is worth it.
Both my son and I lease delegated sp and will do so forever. I like the leverage. One of us is ilways on @minnowbooster looking for 100 sp. I'm in on sbi more than you. And in on qurator too. And of course payitforward where maybe we met.
I think you have me on your auto-voter now and I am so grateful. You should see good curation rewards from my posts and I hope you do.
All I learned about curation was from @abh12345 and his curation league. I m curating for love - not money now, but I'm still am signed up there to see how some people make great money curating. I did good when I tried.
Thank you for the shout out and all your help in so many places.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting! It is amazing how small the world is that I can find San Diegans living abroad like me on here. Yes, I did originally find you through the #payitforward, but then I got turned on to Kryptonia which I love. All my posts will be on there with good rewards to people who visit them (courtesy of @sydesjokes). All the best to you, your son, and the San Diegans I've met through you two.
You are fun @energyaddict22 even though you, at times, use words I last heard and paid attention to in the army... :-)
I have questioned the attitude that says one should not self-vote. My questions were not answered with any substance other than a holier-than-thou attitude. Given my work environment, this is an attitude I battle every day and it did not evoke a positive response. However, I left these conversations with a vague feeling that I was doing something substandard or unethical by self-voting.
Thank you for setting me free! I look forward to your upcoming posts!
Hahaha Lmao...such as?
I'm sooooo happy that I met you on Steemit - another benefit of #payitforward! Thanks for your comments and thoughts.
Yes, my language is sometimes a bit over the top. I usually realize it the day following my posts and sometimes I regret it. However, one thing about Steemit that I like as opposed to the articles I write for other publications is that I don't step away from the keyboard once I begin to write here. I make an outline in my mind and on paper, gather my photos, graphs or whatever supporting stuff I think I need, and then I start writing. It goes from my mind to the keyboard to the "Submit" button without a lot of editing, revision, etc. (I do go back and fix my grammar mistakes when I find them). In general, I think this is a "freeing" experience for me that is so much different than the deep, analytical thought that makes up my "real" job. I do hope that I don't offend too many people, but at the same time my readers are getting to see ME and not some projection of me that I think they want.
Please let me know what you think about the future posts. I look forward to hearing from you. All the best.
Just to make sure we are on the same page @energyaddict22, I'm not suggesting you edit your posts more or change anything. The way you phrase things is part of your allure. And part of what convinces your readers that you are speaking the truth. Anyone in this pc world of ours who is willing to express himself so strongly must be very convinced of his statements...
Thank you for your contribution on so many levels. And thank you for the smile on my face when I read your blog.
No worries at all. I didn't think that is what you were getting at. ;)
top shelf..Congrats! and your support has been appreciated!!
Right back at you!
You are correct that there is a lot of misinformation out there @energyaddict22!
re: self voting is a prime example.
There are a lot of people I allowed into my circle because I really do like them and enjoy discussing a range of topics with them. But, they led me down a path where I was actually feeling guilty for upvoting myself and using services to help me reach my goals. I still like them and hope to continues discussions with them, but will disregard their advice on how to build your Steemit account.
There are some gems in @yallapapi's post, if you can sift through all his bs. haha
Our paths crossing has been a breath of fresh air for me. I like your strategies and tactics.
Looking forward to reading those posts you have planned...
🍻 Cheers
Thanks for the detailed comment. I will move through it backwards.
I love @yallapapi's posts. He is a bit more coarse than me, but he is genuine. His motives and mine are totally in alignment, but I like his spirit and his ambition to help people in his own way. He wants to earn, but he doesn't want to do it at other people's expense rather to do it in conjunction with others. Also, I don't think he tries to take advantage of his followers (many influencers do including "communities").
You have hit the nail on the head with pay for vote "communities" versus "vote-bots" or "upvote services". The biggest difference in my opinion is the amount of resources they have and not their mission so much. There are many bots that are doing good things with their earnings like Jerry Banfield, Eco-Train, and others (at least they claim to be).
Regarding self-voting. This is YOUR choice. I won't be bullied by others on how to spend MY money. I also won't tell them how to spend THEIR money. Your self votes aren't hurting them and it helps you stay on the platform and reach your goals. "Friends" should be encouraging you and not trying to make you cater to their belief system. My favorite example of this is when I have vegetarians/vegans over to dinner and they request that I make something that fits their diet. I'm a nice guy so I do that. How many times have they catered to my tastes in meat at their house? If you guessed ZERO, you'd be right.
Good talking to you. Talk to you again soon Mizzourah!
I am speechless of this post.
You are just the ultimate source of inspiration and you make me strive to do better each day. I meant every word I said on my dtube vlog. You are indeed a great motivator to most of us and I am glad I met you. You have been very generous with your guidance, and advice and I have seen a difference in my account since we became friends. You push me to do better, to keep up the momentum as you do yourself.
It will be so great of you to share your valuable guidelines in the open with the rest of the community. I have a feeling you will positively impact so many lives and we shall all be indebted to you. This are such amazing numbers you have accomplished in this short period of time. I have been in this game as long as you have and barely accomplished a quarter of what you have. So indeed, you do understand how to navigate than most of us do.
Here's to your next milestone. I will be at the frontline cheering you on.
Sincerely,
-Elsie.
Awwww! You're the best. Love you to pieces. Thanks for the kind words. I won't lie, I have an advantage over many people because I had/have money to invest in the platform. That gives a HUGE edge to me over people with limited means. It is for that reason that I try to give at least something back to those that are WORKING HARD (like you). Going over to see your post on Dtube now. Sorry it took me sooooo long.
Incredible post! Thanks for all the great information.
upvoted and resteemed.
I took your advice and did a #payitforward post.
I think I missed something or did not post it where I was supposed to.
Please let me know. I want to spread the word about this and be able to do it right. lol
thanks.
Here is the post I was talking about.
https://steemit.com/payitforward/@davidwardlow/my-entry-to-the-pay-it-forward-curation-contest-week-4-first-one-for-me
Thanks for commenting and I apologize that I missed this comment. I'm not sure how, but I'm sincerely sorry about it. Yes, the #payitforward post has to be linked in the comments section of the contest by @thedarkhorse. I think you know that now. I promise to do a better job of catching these comments before they are 4 days old.
No worries I know how crazy life can get. I am trying to grow my smm business and keep my postings on Steemit to 1-2 posts a day. I am also going to do an intro video for Dtube.
I look at Steemit and now Dtube as my way to relax. I enjoy writing and creating content.
The pay out is not a good motive I am finding It might be different for Dtube but as I said it is a destresser for me. lol
I will be doing more #payitforward posts and yes I have learned to linked and comment in the original post . As time permits.
Best regards.
Good deal. Thanks again for your comments. It's good to have met you on here.
This is exhausting! 😄
But seriously, I envy your drive and ingenuity. I can learn a lot from how you utilize all of these resources. And I need to. It seems really overwhelming to me. But what I’ve been doing for 10 months isn’t really working in the way I’d hoped. I have the quality content piece sewn up but I suck at the rest of it.
So I think it’s time I stop whining like a little princess and ask you to mentor me a little...if you’re willing.
You're still one of my favorite princesses! ;)
You are correct that you have the quality content sewed up. The next big challenge is to get it consistently in front of the people that will truly appreciate it. By that I mean UPVOTE it or hire you to work on their stuff outside of Steemit.
Thanks for stopping by as always and we will talk again soon.
That is the challenge... 👸
This was very informative and I shall read it again tomorrow when I'm less tired. There's a lot of information here and it seems very valuable. I'm nearly three months into Steemit now and finding my way and trying to grow organically. I've never looked at bots or resteem services, though I do follow some DTube based curation trails and Discord groups.
I'm enjoying what these content platforms have brought into my life and I'd like to maximise my return on time, but to be honest the most enjoyable part of the whole thing has been the friendships I've made with like-minded people of all ages all around the world. In fact one of the issues we have in the DTubeDaily group is trying to arrange virtual meetups at a time that suits everyone - so far we haven't managed it!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I apologize for my delay in responding.
Definitely keep up the relationship building with like-minded people. Those will be the ones that will support and promote your posts in the long run. Of course, I am always happy to post on things that I do on Steemit to get a return on my time and money invested.
Good luck on the "meet ups". Those that manage to do it are always happy that they did.