I have earned a living through internet marketing since 1993. As an entrepreneur I am constantly dissecting things – poking the beehive, seeing what makes things tick or break. Employees quicken the pace of this – but with every new idea I have there is a period of learning the system. I’ve decided to continue to share my experiences with Steemit in an effort help enhance the quality of contributed content and the value of Steem.

Right from the start I have to warn you that Steemit will not give you the kind of detail you want. You can’t do A/B split testing or “time of day” testing for example (it would be duplicate content). Optimization can be done – but the only metrics for success we have are votes, comments, and Steem Dollars.

Anyone who can write - can make a post. If you are starting at the very beginning check out my How To Write The Perfect Post.

Branding

Branding is something most people take for granted. Take a writer for example, if they write fictional romance all the time – they are likely to attract followers who like that type of content. If you take that same account and start writing articles on other things (maybe things that are political or people disagree with) you run the risk of losing followers and damaging your brand. That is not to say that this is a problem for EVERYONE - it is simply something to keep in mind. Keep your brand consistent for the sake of your followers. I write about whatever I want and maintain no consistency in my content subject matter– as a result I am not pushing a brand and my followers are people who enjoy my variety – I am aware of this and purposely continue writing about whatever I want.

If you want to be known for something – keep it consistent – in my case I’m not so much motivated by the prospect of earning a few Steem Dollars as I am about learning how to optimize for the platform. That said – if you want consistent rewards from Steem you should at least attempt to gain followers and keep their attention by being consistent (ie. The guys that post the currency exchange charts every day). Find your lane and stay with it.

Headline

Your headline (or title) is the first thing that grabs the reader’s attention. Before you post, make sure that you have a title that is not only captivating but descriptive. Less is sometimes more. Take for example ”How to write the perfect post and make money” - I know what I did wrong. It was a great post - I got a lot of votes – but had I left out the part about making money or changed it to something a little more community oriented I would have been rewarded with more attention and probably more Steem. It came across as scammy – I knew that when I wrote it - and I did it anyway to test my theory.
It is important to know that your posts permanent link is just that. If you change it half-way through - your headline will change - but your link will always stay the same. Be warned!

Image

Image is something that I think is either overdone or underdone. I have tried multiple approaches and have come to a consensus. If you have no pictures – your post will probably fail. If you have too many pictures – the reader will be distracted from the content. If you do all images (unless they are yours and are fantastic) you probably will not get votes. Content is king on this network – all good media should always be paired alongside good content to enhance the piece. Nobody gets it right all of the time – but it should be on your mind. The first image (which becomes the thumbnail) is the image that should represent your post and be interesting to the reader. If you change it later your thumbnail will not reflect the change in certain areas like on the current “chat server”.

First Sentence

When you are browsing Steemit – and voting and commenting on content you enjoy, the first sentence of the post is often what brings people in. Think of it like a “tag line” for an advertising campaign. Nobody should change their art if they like it the way that it is. But bringing in readers and voters is tough work - you should make an attempt at optimizing your post to be successful.

If you were writing something on the Moon Landing, and you were writing your first sentence , you might write something like “The Americans landed on the moon in..”. While it is in by no means wrong – try to put the most exciting thing about the Moon or Moon landing first. Remember the who, where, what, when, why and how about what you are writing. Ask yourself what it is you are really trying to tell people. Change perspectives and pretend you are the moon - different is not always better – but it often is. Make sure your voice is heard in the way you feel comfortable. It doesn't have to be poetry but introduce your topic in one sentence. "The world changed the day we landed on the moon" or "I was watching my 4 inch - black and white - RCA, when we planted the stars and stripes on the moon" - something gripping. If you can hook the reader early on by presenting something valuable in your first sentence – you increase your chances of having a successful post exponentially.

Tags

Categorical tags are how people find your content. It is important to tag your content properly to get the readership your post deserves. Tagging your post in the wrong category might do more damage than good. Take a look at the top categories here. You can choose five. Don’t choose based on money – its bad for the community and bad for your post. Tag appropriately and make your own. If I were writing a piece about my hometown of Toronto I would tag it – even though its not on the top 100. Being honest and accurate will take you further in this community.

Final Thoughts

These techniques alone won’t help you make quality content – but they should help you make a better post. As you start employing some of these ideas – you will certainly get more votes than you otherwise would have. Its up to you to look at your content and figure out what it is that makes it special - and whether or not there is an audience for it on Steemit. Once you figure that out – it’s simply a matter of coming up with the words to describe it.

Sometimes you will write a post and be convinced that it is perfect from every angle - only to watch it "fail". Steemit is still very small – so you might not get the recognition you feel you deserve (I know I sometimes feel like that). You have to keep posting - as frustrating as it may be - over time you will get recognition - some people like to see that you are part of the community and contributing consistently before they follow and vote for you. I’ve learned quality beats quantity any day of the week in this community - if you think a post doesnt represent your best effort - clean it up or start over - remember real people read your work!.

Keep posting !