Some very legit points. I feel a large part of getting my posts read includes having a title that is slightly click-bait. If I do a well-written how-to I feel like most people will just glaze over it. I've also found that personal stories seem to do better than any other. People like a good adventure story.
It can definitely be frustrating to put the time and effort into crafting a quality post only to have it sink to the depths of oblivion. I guess persistence is the key here. Sooner or later some of the bigger players will recognize you (or at least that's what I keep telling myself). I'll be interested to see how this next fork alters things.
I hope i will get a bit better and make quality posts. Thank you by the way : )
I think you're on the right track. Keep it up!