Is It True We Have To Spend Money To Earn Money On Steemit?
I read a post today by @yallapapi that left a sour taste in my mouth. Not because of him personally, but the sad realisation of what he was writing about. In summary:
That in order to succeed on Steemit, you've got to spend money on your on posts
Honestly, that just seems so depressing to me. Isn't this platform supposed to be about rewarding those who commit to providing quality content? When I first joined Steemit I was in it for the long haul, knowing full well that success doesn't just happen over night - it usually takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build your reputation.
And I was down for that.
In my naivety, I assumed that over time, if my content proved to be interesting and valuable, I'd see some kind of compensation. In fact, I picked Steemit over Medium initially for the very reason that creators could make money on the platform in a decentralised way.
Indeed, I'm a big proponent for blockchain technology and see huge potential in cryptocurrencies. Heck, I even work for a Clean Tech startup in the crypto space and hold various alt coins in my wallet.
Unfortunately, I just don't have the financial resources to be dropping 200-500 $ on each post I create to gain visibility and grow my following in order to make serious money.
But even if I did, there's no way I'd be into that. It seems like cheating. I mean, I understand it's kind of a catch-22 and perhaps some may rationalise it as a necessary evil, but surely there's another way?
It makes me so despondent to realise that even if I work my ass off, I'll never succeed on the platform if it stays the way it is. I'm honestly such a huge fan of the whole concept of a decentralised blogging platform and I'd hate to jump ship when it has so much potential, but I'm not sure if I could continue to support a system that is so biased and unjust.
Maybe I'm overreacting and @yallapapi's post just got under my skin, but reading what he had to say was, to me the first time I'd come across something so open and honest. Usually, all you read about is how Steemit is the ideal and easiest place to earn money through writing.
I think I might have better success on Medium's Partner Program, because at least over there quality content reins supreme and shitty, half-arsed articles disappear without even a single clap back into the blackhole from which they came from.
Ugh, I don't know.
I just hate to think of the hundreds of talented people out there who have been drowned out in the sea of crap (don't even get me started on the "Trending" or "Promoted" pages). I mean, there is so much more interesting stuff out there than just crypto analyses and #foodporn!
Anyway, rant over. What I'd like to know now though is there anyone who can tell me that what I've read is wrong? And if it isn't, then what's the solution? Because it seems like unless I become a millionaire over night, I'm probably never going to gain traction on this platform.
PS - I don't want this post to seem like I'm bashing Steemit, because I'm not. I love Steemit. I would just like to find a way for quality content to get more recognition and be rewarded.
Cheers for reading. If this article somehow manages to hit your radar (which it probably won't), I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the topic in the comments below.
If you liked this, you might also be interested in my other articles:
7 Things I've Learnt As A Non-Muslim Fasting During Ramadan
Overcoming the Fear to Post about my Depression Online
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Wow I was just thinking this yesterday, how it seems just working hard on this platform is not enough. It’s so easy to just be unseen and witnessing some specific types of posts really hauling in big payouts with not much substance can leave one disheartened. I agree with you but I think it’s ok and necessary to also support yourself especially if you’re working hard at it. I’m just enjoying honing my skills, sharing thoughts with people who are willing to connect and pushing myself while recognising and appreciating those who are doing the same :)
Exactly. Every time I press "post" I feel like I'm sending my thoughts in a big black hole of nothingness!
Anyways, I'm not too concerned right now, as like you, I'm also enjoying the process and improving my skills! :)
BTW - it's nice to have connected with you!!
Highfives, keep doing what you’re doing :)
Thank you! You too! :)
Well as much as I hate to admit it, it sure is true. I've seen hundreds of good content creators who don't get enough appreciation on their posts while people who put little to no effort, made a fortune just because they bought the upvotes instead of actually earning them.
You can still grow without spending money, but in all truth, it's gonna take a lot of time, efforts, energy, and tolerance. But if you ask me, I'd rather get paid with clean hands.
I know what you mean. It's a tough one, because we would like to be seen and heard. But I agree, I just don't feel comfortable about spending money, I'd rather earn it (even it takes a long time!).
Hi Victoria. A friend of yours forwarded me to this post.
It’s realky disheartening to hear you need to pay hundreds to get any real recognition.
I came to this platform with the same mindset as you, again maybe me were a bit naive to the concept but there’s nothing wrong with hoping money ends up in the hands of those who work for it, not those who “cheat” and pay for recognition.
Thanks for bringing that post to our attention. Followed you and your friend, I like finding people on here with conviction and honesty 😊
Hello! I'm glad you found my post. Hopefully things will get better around here - it is just the beginning after all!
I followed you back and look forward to reading your posts! Take care!
Seems like Steemit is much more community focused compared to Medium, which is content focused. I already met cool people here, and I only arrived about 2 weeks ago.
Hi! Yes, I'd agree with that, which in itself isn't that bad! It's nice to engage with like minded thinkers!
I’ve been on Steemit for 8 months and I agree with everything you said. I didn’t join Steemit to be a source of income. I joined because of my interest in cryto, to get a little Steem, and the opportunity to express myself and meet new people.
When I joined, I knew that the early adopters to Steemit had the easiest opportunity to make money and that I had joined the party a bit late. I’ve never used bots but I do use 3rd party upvote services like Steemfollower and Steemengine.
My biggest disappoint so far has been not being able to gain much of a true following. But gaining a true following can be very difficult on social media whether it be Youtube, Steemit etc.
Hi Mike!
I didn't even realise there were 3rd party upvote services! I'm such a noob! I still think we'd be considered early adopters though as the platform is still relatively new and I'm sure lots of change and improvement will come!
I know what you mean about a true following! I mean, I've got about 240ish followers but I wonder they're actually "real" followers since about 99% of them don't engage with my content!
Anyway, I'm following you now and you'll have an engaged reader of your content in me!
I didn’t know about the upvote sites either until one of my friends on here told me about them. I agree we could still be considered early adopters in the sense that Steemit (and crypto in general) is still not mainstream. I’ve got over 350 followers but many of them are resteem/bot services or people who are following like 100,000 people. Thanks for the follow and I’ll follow your content as well.
Upvote this blog post https://steemit.com/christianity/@bible.com/verse-of-the-day-hebrews-4-16-nlt
To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
Oh the irony.
As I wrote in my post, you need to change your expectations of what you'll get from this site. Most people come here for the money at first. But like I mentioned in the article, the best thing about this place is not the money, but the fact that people are incentivized to interact with you and read your content.
You are virtually guaranteed exposure here. I wrote on Medium for a while as well and didn't get nearly the amount of exposure that I've gotten here.
Plus you have the added benefit of being a girl, which means you'll be getting extra attention for whatever type of content you create. Use that to your advantage.
I read a few of your articles. They're alright. You expose more of yourself than most people on here, which is good. I think they could be better.
Not that you asked, but one of the reasons that I put so much effort into my posts is that I know that they reflect on me. I don't want to be one of those people who writes one great article and that's it. I don't want people to say about me, "oh yeah @yallapapi used to be great, but he just writes shit now." I want people to read every single thing I ever write because they want to see what kind of crazy shit I'll think of next.
Anyway, the point is that you really do just need to focus on writing the most incredible articles that you can. If you do it long enough, eventually you'll get your break. And when that happens, people will go back and read everything you ever wrote. If too many of your earlier articles are "uninspired" (for lack of a better term), then you will have wasted your break and will need to wait for your next one to be able to capitalize on your fame.
You should assume that every single one of your posts (and comments for that matter) will eventually be read by a legion of your fans. Once you have that mindset, you'll find that getting eyes on your work is much easier. You can make money by eventually leveraging your audience, but forget about making money directly from your posts.
Unless of course you want to write for @omniloquent.
Hey!
Thank you for taking the time to respond to me! I really wasn't expecting that.
I can't help but expose myself, because that's just the way I am; I write from the heart. In a way, it's kind of a therapy for me. But like I wrote in my most recent post, I'm unsure of the direction to take. There's so much going on inside my head and I have so many things I'd like to talk about that I don't really know how to structure my posts.
You know, am I just here to rant, or inspire? Or both? I mean, this platform is amazing for just being yourself and letting it all out, but would people be that interested in my random musings?
I like Medium, I really do, because there's some really good quality there and if you write well, you do get noticed. I have much more recognition there than I do here.
You say that you're guaranteed exposure here but how so? So far my posts have pretty much fallen on deaf ears. And I don't want people following me just because I'm a girl. I'd like to think they're more interested in what I have to say!
I'm definitely with you about constantly writing good stuff. With each post, I hope to improve and provide more value to someone. Your posts are particularly inspiring because you it's obvious how much time and effort you put into them. And you're also fucking smart and hilarious (a winning combo in my opinion).
Anyway, I'm literally obsessed with writing (always have been) and I'd love one day to be paid to write full-time. I also believe in the underlying technology behind Steemit, so I'll keep plugging away here.
Thanks again for the advice and realness. If you have any advice for how I can improve my writing, I'm all ears. If not, I'll just keep learning through observation and trial and error!
BTW - what would writing for @omniloquent involve?