Also, great to bump into another trader :D
figured you'd catch that, so didn't bother mentioning it! must be a "trader thing"! lol
Regarding the exposure bit, while there's a slight chance for more visibility, I really haven't found much evidence to support that assertion. In fact, if you check out a few of @vinnu's recent posts, he tried rando on some very low payout posts (< 5 bucks), and it really didn't have much of an effect at all. Of course, one only got a 1% randowhale payout, but on a $100+ post, it may have still turned out okay.
Perhaps a better way of looking at it from a trader's perspective, momentum begets momentum, and once you "catch a bid", the whale vote bumps it up even more, and any additional momentum might really send it parabolic! Well, something like that, at least! lol
As for gaining traction, I still find (as you also said) genuine comments and positive interaction with others on STEEMIT may be a newbie's most powerful tool, achievable by anyone willing to put in the time and effort.