One conclusion I have is that interaction is the most important thing. A few years ago (when we were still at Steemit) I joined various auto-vote trails and that's how I got ahead. But that's not it. You have to comment in person, reply in person, and after a while, it becomes much more apparent.
Interaction and engagement is the thing I strive for.
btw: you do this "thing" great! 😎
It makes a huge difference to build relationships here. If you have a large stake, yeah, voting randomly and blindly can earn you enough - but it doesn't build relationships or a reputation among other users.