Technically the secret sauce is:
A. have an engaged following.
B. Find a competition people actually want to participate in (This fun first-to-answer quiz)
C. on a theme that your followers/community enjoys (this was mainly aimed at Smartcash enthusiasts and holders, and the price was 1000 SMART, which is needed to earn the monthly stakes).
D. make upvoting and resteeming part of the entry conditions.
Thanks, this Steemit thing is a little complicated unless you dedicate your life to it lol.
Yes, it is. I am trying very hard with valuable content. No luck so far.