HOW DO I GET A WHALE TO NOTICE ME?
I joined Steemit two months ago and have had moderate success so far. Some people are doing better and some people are doing worse. But one thing I have had going for me is that the proverbial ‘whales’ have seemed to have taken a liking to my posts, and this has led to a massive spike in interest in some of my posts.
Some of the things I hear are, “So you got in with one of the whales then?” or “I need to get in with one of the whales...” So how do you actually ‘get in’ with the whales?
This photo, along with a link to my post https://steemit.com/england/@lewisjfclarke/europe-trip-part-4-bristol-cousinly-bonding-and-somerset-ciders was featured in Steemlight magazine under the post 'The funny guys'
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Well first of all if that’s the way you are looking at it then that’s where you are going wrong. These people are exactly that; people. They like who they want to like, and vote for who they want to vote for. They are also fully aware if you are trying to get pally with them just to get some financial return. People aren’t stupid, and if this is your approach then it will work against you.
So how do you get noticed? The simple answer is through your content. There are hundreds of ‘scouts’ for Steemit magazines who troll through minnows’ posts looking for gems, and these gems will make them money, which in turn will make you money. Also a lot of the whales do sieve through content as they didn't become a whale by accident, and if your content is engaging and original (And I can't stress the original point enough; nothing makes me roll my eyes more than plagiarism, so imagine how someone who has a large say in the format is going to feel...) then it won't be long before you see a random upvote that could give you an extra $5-$10 on a single post, and possible future posts.
In two months I have been on two separate magazines that have skyrocketed the number of followers I have, which doesn’t necessarily equal more money, but it does equal more exposure, and it does take time, but as long as you consistently post decent material you could eventually be in a position where you are making hundreds of dollars on a post.
This photo, along with a link to my post https://steemit.com/funny/@lewisjfclarke/europe-trip-and-asia-stop-37-bohol-philippines-the-chocolate-hills-and-all-that was featured in the OCD daily issue #35
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I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this. So comment below if you have anything else to add to this and hopefully we can get a little discussion going. We will also be continuing this discussion on the Steemit Mastermind Group on Facebook if you are interesting in engaging with us.
I get what you are saying brother but sometimes you need some kind of feedback to tell you that you are on the right track you know. for example I found your article today through google as I searched how to get noticed by whales because I had written a really good article that frustratingly enough only got 2 upvotes after pouring my soul into it
Funny you should say that, I actually just wrote a post about this a couple of days ago. I think over the last 4 months I have only had one post that went over $5 so I'm not making any money on here either. I used to kill it and make $50 a post, but that slowly disappeared and now I make hardly anything. Maybe I need to be more strategic and start kissing people's arses. But that's not me. I like what I like and if it's good, I'll upvote it.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@lewisjfclarke/keep-posting-even-if-you-are-making-usd0-50-usd1-a-post
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I completely understand where you are coming from though; it is so disheartening when you put so much effort into a post, and you look at comments that say 'good post' and they make eight dollars...
Try not to focus on that though. See this as a platform to meet people and if you make money, then it's a bonus :-)
You know what actually @lewisjfclarke, it has been 2 days since I wrote my first comment and I think I had a change in prespective in that period that I find really interesting. To be honest, I came here to make a few bucks at first (struggling med student and all that) but after writing a few good articles and planning to write multiple more and comming up ideaa for blog series and such, I started liking it for the heck of it. It gives me a chance to really shape and articulate my thoughts (if you get what I am trying to say) Its like taking this big stone of raw ideas and carving a sculpted post out of it.
Looking back I wouldnt of really invested time doing that if there wasnt a potential monetary payout at first, but know that I am into it, money is a secondary bounce (a very nice bounce, but a secondary bounce).
I will give your article a read by the way and tell you what I think
That is the best way to look at it. Steemit is designed like a pyramid scheme (As horrific as that sounds) where the people who got in early make shit tons of cash while the others are playing catch up. The only difference is if you get lucky you can also make some cash yourself (I'm sure you've noticed some people have an upvote worth $100. I once posted a review for one of my books and I had one upvote and $93)
A friend of mine said the best way to look at it is think of Steemit as Facebook but you can get paid. It's a very simplistic way of looking at it but there is also a valid point there. You use Facebook for free, so use Steemit like you would Facebook and if some random whale spunks all over you then consider that an added bonus to something you were gonna do for free anyway...
Brilliant post mate! Thanks for keeping it real as usual brother 👌
Cheers mate :-)
You are so right! I roll my eyes when I see the comments suggesting that the whale was the only reason you did well (when it's like yeah that helped, but the bigger point is - my post is good!) or the comments like you mention where there is suggestion that you have "kissed some whale ass" to get your vote.. um.. really?! Why can't it just be because they like what I did and happened to have a lot of influence?
I have had about four posts that did very well because I got lucky and a whale happened to see my work and so... they voted. I didn't go around begging for it and I was ABSOLUTELY extremely appreciative for them to be so generous and spend that money on my content.
To add to your point, I also think its really important to just get involved in your community. Spend some time complimenting people when you DO see something you like - don't be lazy. Get to know people and make sincere friends by expressing kindness to them when you come across something that moves you - but try to dig a bit deeper. Explain why you like it, what about it moved you, what about it makes you excited... you know?
The short "Great Post! Upvote Me" crap just drives me crazy. We ALL KNOW you are smarter than that and are capable of more.. stop trying to make "easy" money - there is no such thing. Anything worth a damn takes a bit of time and energy and effort. I wish people would just get on board and not be afraid of expending that energy - lol.
Anyway - rant aside, I appreciate you sharing this type of knowledge, hopefully more people will see this and will learn to better what they do here and the rewards will naturally follow. I'm just gonna be like Dory .. "just keep steeming.. just keep steeming.. what do we do? ...we STEEM!" lol Just got to put in that time ;) Thank you for sharing!
Out of all the comments I liked this one the most by far. With a thought process like you have you've definitely earned a follow!
I completely agree with you about the community as well. I worked at a hotel in Suffolk last year and their slogan was 'part of your local community' and their big advertisement campaign was to tell people that they should support their local businesses. However they didn't practice what they preached, and unsurprisingly they went out of business this year. I think for them it was a catchy slogan and they expected the money to roll in whilst sitting at home counting their money, whereas if they were genuinely a part of the community supporting all the other businesses, then they would have seen not just a boost in their bank balance but in their social circles as well.
Steemit is very similar to this. If you have ulterior motives (pretend to like people to get upvotes), then people aren't stupid and you'll soon get found out. But if you have friends on here then relationships bulid, and from there you genuinely want others to do well instead of being selfish.
EXACTLY! And yeah, I agree about that company, they should have actually tried to do what they were marketing, but like you said people are going to get wise and turn away from you for lying about your true intentions! Thank you for the follow, I look forward to following you as well! :
Cool. It's nice to connect with people all around the world. I saw that you are from North Carolina. I mat a girl from Washington DC (or one of the states near there) and she was moving to Charlotte to find work. Don't know much about the place if I'm honest but I've always wanted to travel across America, but see real America and not just all the touristy places...
Yep me and the fam live here in good ol' NC. Cost of living is really affordable. If we had our choice we would probably move to Cali - my boyfriend was born in San Diego and really loved living there. But for now its easier to be nearer to our parents, and other family support. I agree though - we really want to travel that way too - the boyfriend has had a lot of travel in his life, but I haven't. So I really am looking forward to that one day!
San Diego? Is his family in NC or back in CA? My friend who I met in Thailand is from San Diego and she loves it! She told me to go to In'n'out burger whenever I end up in California...
I stopped thinking about that really... if it happens, it happens, i'm more busy meeting other "normal" people (-:
That's how it should be. Like I said if you are trying to get a specific person to notice you then that's where you are going wrong. It should be more about engaging with people you want to engage with, and like minded people will find you...
there is nothing more i can add. it is all been well describe.
as for small fish like me, looin at those who got upvote by the whale must be envy. But always remember to look back at your blog, if your is not better than them, so turn your envy int motivation to make a better content. 😃😃
Good points. I understand why there would be some envy as envy and jealousy are natural reactions to other people getting noticed over your hard work. But at the same time when I write my books I am always supportive towards anyone who succeeds in any form of writing. My thought process is that I know I'm good, and will be a successful writer one day, it's just a matter of when. If someone gets noticed before me, great! See you at the top of the mountain...
My advice for "russian steemit" once was - post something that you want to post, write something you do not want to be silent about, and you will never feel discouraged with money not earned ;)
Very good point. I always tell people write what is in your heart, and that applies even more so when it comes to blogging. When you write about what you think people want to hear, then it will never work. But if you write about what you are passionate about then like minded people will find you and interact with you.
Love seeing people reminded that whales are just people. People with more influence than most by people none the less. Focus on making good content is all that it's about and you have written some great pieces! Lovely seeing you being rewarded for it!
Exactly that; they may have a lot more influence on here, but they still go to the shops just like everyone else. Always focus on appealing to everyone and enjoying yourself, the rest will come.
Thanks Iamjamie, I'm still waiting on your first post. Will definitely Resteem that bad boy (Unless you start slagging me off during the post...)
Hahahaha! I'll be posting my first introduce myself post soon! It's done-ish just haven't found pictures for it yet and have been stalling. lol.