This is a collection of tips aimed to help new users be successful on the Steem platform!
Many of the tips were provided by members of the community in this post, as well as this interview from @rahul.stan. A lot of them are ones that I have learned through my own personal experience. The rest are just ones I have come across during my time here.
I hope this guide serves as a useful resource for all our new members as we work together to build a great community :)
- Comment on posts that interest you, and engage in conversation. It will help match you with same interest people, and that means more friends and followers. @freedomnation
- Make the goal of your actions (posting, commenting, upvoting, etc.) to add value to the platform and community.
- Don't expect to start earning lots of money right away. You must create good content, network, and gain followers first. @liliana.duarte
- Do not spam. This includes: Posting links to your posts or blog when it not relevant and useful to the conversation. Direct messaging people you are not friends with and asking them to check out your post or blog. Asking for follows, upvotes, resteems, etc. from people you barely know. It will not endear you to anyone, and diminishes the quality of the platform. @meesterboom
- The more engaging you are, the more followers and up-votes you will get. @positivesteem
- Bookmark posts that you like, so you can come back to them later. @klasta
- In the Quick Start Guide on Steemit.com there is a section of "Helpful Posts from Steemit Users". There are some real gems there. Take the time to read them. It will be worth it!
- Do not plagiarism or copy someone's work without permission. Make sure you post links to sources if you are using someone else's work. @steemcollator
- Following people who share the same interests as you. @freedomnation
- Take the time to read the Etiquette Guide.
- Grammar, punctuation, and formatting are important. @theghost1980
- Focus on growing the value of the platform. If it takes off and one day we are bigger than Facebook, then the STEEM you earned could be worth much more!
- Browse Pixabay.com for free photos to use in your posts. All images are released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free. Attribution is not required; just don't try to claim them as your own work.
- To be successful on Steemit, try to find your niche - a topic or way of posting that makes you stand out and gives you recognition. @jpperc
- It is OK to share a link to your post if it is in the context of a discussion, and you are doing it in a way that adds value to the post you are sharing it in.
- Consider investing in the platform, but do not invest more than you can afford to lose.
- Be persistent and don't expect to have immediate success. @thecryptofiend
- Help fellow new members climb up the success ladder. @doc-speakeasy
- Read the FAQ. @melowd
- Look at examples of successful "introduceyourself" posts before doing your own.
- Use your skills, hobbies, and wisdom to create useful content. @keithwillshine
- Never rant or whine. Nobody likes this. @kingscrown
- Be original. Be friendly. Be helpful! @eyehid3
- To optimize curation rewards, vote on quality posts that have past their 15 minute mark and have not received high rewards yet. @paulyaces76
- Make many friends here and establish good relationships with them. @rosher72
- Encourage all your friends and family to join the Steemit Community! @evanrvoss
- In each post, inject your perspective and experience so that the post is more personal and unique. @positivesteem
- "Follow for follow" is kinda annoying. With increase in userbase we should follow people that share the same interests as you. @acidyo
- Use the platform for developing your thoughts, life's work, and ideas, problems you want to solve, etc. There are people on the lookout for these things. Even if they missed it, I still think it's time well spent. @kevinwong
- If your post is 'not safe for work', use the "nsfw" tag as one of your tags.
- People appreciate when they put the time into a post, and then someone adds a new point of view or opinion - enriching the quality of the post. @meme.for.steem
- Bookmark a "Markdown" guide and keep formatting at the top of your mind when putting posts together. @bruckdashel
- Use Steemit chat, where you can directly talk to other Steemians and promote your posts. @freedomnation
- Read, read, read - even the topics you are not really interested to. Why? You will find some inspiring themes to write about when you are currently without ideas. @freedomnation
- Start building a community around your topic. @kingscrown
- Be extremely careful providing your keys to anyone or any site. Even if you trust them, it is still possible for their site to get hacked. @sneak
- Save local drafts of your posts just in case your computer crashes. Save once just before you click the "Post" button. Usually the post will still be there when you get back, but it is good to have a backup copy just in case.
- You have a limited amount of voting mana. The more you vote, the more of your voting mana you will use up. As you use up more of your voting mana, your votes will be worth less. Your voting mana will recharge over time.
- Not every post needs to be a lengthy article. Sometimes users just like a funny meme. @aguayojoshua
- If you lose your password, you will not be able to access your account at all. There is no forgot my password link. Copy it to text file and: save it to a USB, burn it to a CD, print it out, and put it in a fireproof safe. Don't lose it! @stephen-somers
- Do not tell anyone your password or private key. @oflyhigh
- People will follow you if they feel a personal, honest connection. @wwamd
- Find a tutor/mentor. @bhavnapatel68
- Keep track of your voting mana through a site like SteemStats.com or SteemNow.com. @fleur
- Pick five good tags for your posts. The tags should be relevant to the content you are posting about. @themanualbot
- Check out this list of awesome tools to use with the Steem blockchain! @edje
- Post everyday and reply to all good comments people leave you. @kingscrown
- Learn the ins and outs of the system. @bhavnapatel68
- Read the whitepaper. Keep in mind some details are out of date, but it's an important read, especially if you are investing in the platform. @gigafart
- Be patience, building followers takes some time and effort. @dreamrafa
- Don't compare yourself to other users, there are a lot of reasons why other users just as new as you, are getting higher payouts, don't take it as something personal. @dreamrafa
- Read a lot, learn as much as you can about steemit, and crypto-currency overall, this will help you to get a better overview about the community and understand why things are the way they are. @dreamrafa
- Find a good community of people you can get to know and work with, such as photography, jokes, science, or a regional group for people from your country or area (those are just a few examples). Help build that community by commenting, voting, helping others, and bringing in new people from outside Steemit. As that community grows, you will benefit from more followers, more votes, and the higher reputation that comes with trust and longevity. @donkeypong
- Learn about the Steem witnesses - who they are and what they do. Vote on the ones you think are doing a great job.
- Steemit works best with 1920x1080 aspect ratio 16:9 images. Illustrate your story with images! @bruckdashel
- Use your posting key to sign in for blogging instead of your owner password or active key. @carface
- Be careful when sending your coins to third party exchanges like Poloniex, Bittrex, etc. If you do use these sites to buy/sell coins, it is best not to leave the coins on the website for a prolonged period of time. If the sites get hacked or go bankrupt, there is no guarantee that you will get your coins back.
- Respect other people's opinions even if you don't agree with them. @carface
- Be diligent in replying to new and older posts on your feed. @ironshield
- Strike up a conversation, people like to talk. @ironshield
- Read the Quick Start Guide @happyme
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are users in Steemit.chat and Discord that you can chat with. You can also search for posts related to your question and ask questions to the author. You can also create a post asking your question(s). @themanualbot
- Prioritize content that will retain its value in the future to promote the long term health of the site. @kasperfred
- Having a catchy title is great, but not click bait. @klorb
- Post at the time that you think the most people are online. Steem is big in the US, for example, so you don't want to be posting when it's 8 a.m. over there as people will be getting ready for work, not looking at steemit. The first half hour is crucial to how many people see and upvote your post. Therefore, post when it's 9 p.m. in the US, or 9 p.m. in China, to mention two. The best time to post depends on where your target audience is located. @ericwoelk
- Go meet people in Steem.chat. It's a great place to connect with people, ask advice, get involved with the community. @biophil
- Don't expect people to vote for you just because you send them a link to your post or ask them to follow you. @biophil
- Don't give up. @suziescorner
- Post a profile pic. @albertvhons
- Do an "introduceyourself" post. @albertvhons
- Follow with high reputation people and learn from them. @albertvhons
- Brand yourself. @albertvhons
- Do not convert your SBD rewards to STEEM using the in wallet tool while the SBD price is greater than $1.05. Use the internal market to trade your SBD for Steem. @leongkhan
- Power up. Your votes are worth more. You earn higher curation rewards. The value of your account can go up if the price of STEEM goes up. @azurejasper
- Be yourself. Share unique content. @azurejasper
- Don't be shy - communicate with people in the comments, everyone around here is friendly and encouraging. @azurejasper
- Make sure you always attach a photo to your posts. @wwamd
- Debate when necessary but don't argue. @wwamd
- Check out some of the other UI interfaces to the Steem blockchain such as Busy.org and beta.chainbb.com, although beware that you would be sharing your private posting keys with the sites in order to use them. @edje
- You are what you put out here. @wwamd
- Post quality content, on topics you know and enjoy and like minded followers will gravitate to you. @the-bitcoin-dood
- Support the community. @melowd
- Spread the message. A new social platform has arrived in town! @theghost1980
- Be patience with yourself & your audience. @theghost1980
- Answer comments as much as you can. @theghost1980
- Don't clutter your brand by resteeming too many other authors unless it fits with your brand. @ender
- You can use the mute button for users that annoy you. @ender
- Verify yourself with a picture and date. Just write "STEEM" on a piece of paper and take a selfie. People like to know you are a human and not a bot. @blackvapor
- Some will act like they have all the answers. Find your own way, you'll be happier. @lig007
- Explore all aspects of the site. After being here a month, you'll still be learning. @lig007
- Get to know others in the community with similar interests. @keithwillshine
- Resteem the articles you resonate with. @keithwillshine
- Make a powerful title for our post. @shilpapatel
- Content should be simple and clear to understand. @shilpapatel
- Have patience and be active. Keep blogging and commenting on relevant and quality posts. @danuahmed
- If you aren't truly passionate about it, don't be surprised or dejected if people who read it aren't passionate about it. Further, don't be dejected if your passionate writings don't find passionate readers. @blakemiles84
- If posting about something that may be a controversial topic be sure to be informed and acknowledge both sides in your post. @chelsea88
- Do this for fun. It should be enjoyable. @chelsea88
- If you're doing this mindlessly, people will notice. @chelsea88
- Don't just be here for the $$$. @chelsea88
- Be polite. Do Not Flamewar. It hurts your reputation, the reputation of whoever gets dragged into it. Reasonable discussion is so much more beneficial for both parties anyway. Do not insult others, even if they insult you first. Seek to be the "better person". @pbock
- Know your audience, and be careful about posting too much. You could lose followers if your posts seem like spam. @freedomnation
- Your voting power will get stronger as you build Steem Power. @drewley
- Follow people with more influence than you and engage in conversation. @drewley
- Keep your SBD and STEEM in your wallet savings account while you are not using it. If someone gains access to your account, then there will be a 3 day period of time before they can take your money. This should give you time to recover your account and change your keys. @rondonson
- Running contests is a good way to gain followers. @marchek
- Be consistent with the quality and frequency of your post's. @surprisebit
- This is a community, you can learn from others, and also impart knowledge. @chelsea88
- Try and take note of methods and strategies that seem to work well for other users. In that same breathe, just because it works well for others does not mean it is the best strategy for you. @eyehid3
All excellent advice. Print in large font and post next to Steemit computer. Or better yet, memorize. @ironshield
If I wasn't worried about seeming too self-absorbed, I would add that as a tip ;)
If I had any money too tip I would as well, but i'm still new here and have not acquired enough steem yet. So you will have to settle for an upvote that does nothing xD, I will get there eventually.
No worries :) I'm glad that you found it useful.
Awesome curation of advice. When our powers combine!
Thanks, very useful and plenty of resources. Bookmarked;D
This is definitely quite useful and I appreciate you putting together such a comprehensive piece. I can also appreciate you really did listen and incorporate others input (like mine lol). Not that I didn't think you would, but you had a ton of replies so, i wouldn't of blamed you if mine got lost so thanks a lot for mentioning me here. I am glad I could help.
This post just Goes to show how awesome you and many other top of the line steemians really are. You do care about helping us newbies out. I couldn't be more impressed with this community. It really has exceeded my expectations in so many ways and for me, that is rare.
Wow @timcliff, that's really a huge collection of individual advises you've collected there. But despite being meant for new steemians I think they are kind of for everyone as they are really diverse and helpful.
Very true :)
This post is fantastic in so many ways - THANK YOU!!
I love that you took the time and effort to compile everyone's top tips. There is some great advice here! 😃
Glad you found it helpful :)
Man, my eyes are bleeding!!! So much information, but very valuable information. Thanks a ton for putting this together to keep us all in check. This isn't just your ordinary chatroom or social media site for sure and It separates the kids from the pros without a doubt. I'm already a better writer, typer, and curator just from a few weeks. I feel like I'm just becoming a better person in general from being on here and being a part of the community. It may sound weird, but this is a special place for sure and as I was reading this I felt myself getting stronger, more polite, refined, intelligent, generous, and other fluffy bunny shit like that. Haha. My grammar has gotten better just in the last few weeks of posting and reading. I don't even have to use spell check to spell definitely anymore. Ha!! Seriously. Sign me up! Oh, wait, I'm already signed up. Steem ON!! I can't wait until it stops trying to autocorrect the word steem like it just tried to do again!!
Oh yea, Uprooted, duh, resteemed, (damnit, there goes autocorrect again) and still following!
Thanks for putting this all together Tim. Bottom line: Always be Adding Value. :)
Yes! :)
Some seriously good tips you gathered here Tim. I was reading through these and have implemented a few already but as someone who in new to content creation I can always use some more tips. I am trying to look at my Steemit account as more of a business and less of a pastime, as this will help me take my posts more seriously than if I did not. I do this because I am a bit lazy. Ya can't win then all. But seriously, going to try and plan out my posts more ahead of time before writing and also do more with GIF's. I like the interactive feeling they bring to posts.
"Don't compare yourself to other users, there are a lot of reasons why other users just as new as you, are getting higher payouts, don't take it as something personal." @dreamrafa
Took me a while to finally get over that feeling. The best advice to newbies will be to idolize other's struggle and quality of content, NOT success.
P.S Even calling it an "ultimate guide" is an understatement
Haha, thanks!
Setting this aside for reading later, looks to be helpful!
I've been running around looking for the most useful posts in terms of newbies and steemians in general, and this one is awesome.
I was putting together a photography post, and often what I do is add some philosophy to go with the beauty of nature, lol, but this time I thought I would do a compilation of links to the best of the best steemit guides.
Dude . . . holy crap there is a ton of great info here. I have to bookmark this thing for reference later.
I'd say another thing to do is not to underestimate the value of a well placed and thoughtful comment. I've gained followers and followed people because of responses in the comments section.
Don't ask for a "follow for follow" or a "Vote for vote"
Don't spam your articles on unrelated posts
Have fun! And get to know the platform first. It can be daunting in the beginning, shoot, it still is for me sometimes.
Don't be afraid to ask questions about the post you're reading . . authors love to get people talking. And questions are the best way.
Use the 50/50 Post method when upvoting your post. The conversion rate is better than if you would use the 100% option.
All of these things I learned from other members. Nothing is an original idea lol, and that's the cool thing about the community. Oh yea . . . about this post. It is straight
Great comment :)
It is hot.
Wow what great posts....YOU CAN SEE MINE^^ :))
Hey timcliff, I am really new at steemit and I have lots of questions about how to get followers. I am kind of embarrassed to ask people to follow me. I do like writing but how do I not get lost among thousands of other wonderful writers? Do you have some suggestions based on my profile (@sijuka). I could really use some help!
The best tip I have is to try and network + get involved with the writing community here. Spend time engaging with other writers. Find Steemit.chat groups where they hang out.
Good call on not asking users to follow you. Most people consider it annoying/spam.
There is also a group in Steemit.chat called #steemprentice where users will help each other network.
The last tip is to just be patient and persistent. If you continue to post good quality content over time, then your audience of followers will slowly grow.
Wow, these are some really solid advice. Thank you for taking your time to write to me in such detail. I will definitely try to follow on these amazing suggestions.
Well here's my tuppence worth. Create a permanent bookmark by commenting. Then it is always there on your page under "comments". Easy to re-find great posts this way. May be up there already as a tip. So many of them, I've forgotten half already.
Interesting. For those of us who like to comment a lot, they will probably still tend to get buried though. Personally I save mine in a notepad file, but the downside to that is I only have my links saved on one device.
I like this idea! Google doc perhaps? Or dropbox? Something that is easily accessible across devices.
Yeah, that's a great suggestion - thanks :)
Be like @timcliff and occasionally share your rewards on a good post with those who contributed in the comments, like he did for me!
It's encouraging and shows there are great people who are willing to help you succeed.
Thanks for collecting all of these nuggets in a box and tying a nice bow around it for us. It is encouraging that people are willing to put their egos aside and give sage advise to help promote a harmonious community. As a growing community, we all have skin in the game which makes it in our best interests to make sure that those who adhere to the spirit of this platform will be justly rewarded.
Etiquette Guide.....can that one be listed a dozen more times :-)
I've just joined and I'd love to see a deep-dive on some of these, perhaps a small interview with the authors of each advice on how they did it themselves? So we can wrap a story around each one.
Here is one :)
https://steemit.com/blog/@terrybrock/steemit-success-series--timcliff-on-who-to-target-with-your-content-1512178826-124805
When i joined steemit i didn't really know much,then i stumbled on the welcome page,it's an ABC to everything about steemit,as a new steemian ,you should always keep in mind that the best way to excel here is to take your mind off earning for a little while in order to build yourself,familiarize yourself with the environment first,a lot of people come in with the mindset to earn,i have learnt that it does'nt really work like that,i cannot thank you enough for the spirit of unity here,it has brought about this great piece of knowledge,i have learnt a lot from this........thank you all for your amazing inputs.
Perfection
Robert Lewandowski scored a 5 goals in 9 minutes.What Match !
Thanks :) Appreciate you contributing!
Thanks for the tips. Am actually new in steemit, but this post will go a long way in helping me succeed. Bravo! 👌
Wow, that's a proper wall of text crammed full of great content! I will use this in the future to send new friends that are joining Steemit. Thanks!
My goodness!!! What a great compilation of ideas and thoughts!! So much great information, so helpful for us younglins :) THANK YOU so much for putting this all together, it must have taken alot of time to gather all of this info. You are such an inspiration. Thank you thank you!!
Wow, that's a lot of tips. I've just included a link to this post from my recent tool and website list I posted 2 hours ago. I think all users should have everything they possibly need now. :)
Thanks Tim!
We must be on the same wavelength again. :)
Probably - we usually are :)
I've resteemed your post. I've re-read it twice, you have a lot of great tips in there... Must have taken you forever to read all those blogs and compile this list.. Wow.
This post helps a lot for newbies like me and provides an insight on the untold rules which is to be known for having a good time in steemit.
As a newbie to the Steemit platform I found your article to be my one stop spot for my steemit induction. Bookmarked and referred to my newbie friends and family. Thanks for taking the time to compile such an informative knowledge base where everything I need to know is in easy reach. Much appreciated :)
Glad you found it helpful :)
Thank you so much for this! It will help this newbie out a lot!
This definitely one of the most comprehensive guide I've seen thus far. Excellent for a minnow like me. :D
Great post for the minnows and newbies @timcliff , people appreciate your time and effort into posts to help the community, and lets be honest, the upvote aint bad hahaha ! Much love and success bro! Following you now too
:)
Good advices that deserves to be known.
Thank you very much, it's a great article, it was good to make all this in one place that everyone can benefit from.
I personally benefited from it and will continue to benefit as I consider it as my reference.
Welcome :)
This is called Let's grow up together. Thanks @timcliff
I am new and this is so helpful, thanks for taking the time.
Welcome. Glad you found it useful!
Wow. These are a great list of tips. Thanks. Resteemed
That's a big list! Hopefully people will skim over it at the very least!
Being active and talking to others is very important, as long as people have the basic decency to not self promote in inappropriate places :-)
Oh btw, here's a link to what you might find interesting:
[No, just an example]
Hehe, yes. Exactly :)
This is one of the most helpful beginner guides i've read so far, I really like how much support and advice you all give to new people. Thanks for posting this.
You made a very extensive list mate!
Thanks for featuring my post :)
For sure! There were a lot of gems in there :)
thank you very much @timcliff fo such a great post am also a new user to the platform and it had proved too much beneficial to me as i was searching for such kind of content thanks once again
and i also owe a great thanks to @freedomnation @eyehid3 @chelsea88 @surprisebit @marchek @liliana.duarte @liliana.duarte @ironshield @keithwillshine @blackvapor @lig007 @donkeypong @ericwoelk @leongkhan etc etc for such valuable suggestions.
big help - i will have to reread this due to so many quality tips - i learnt a lot and am looking to find my niche in these early days. i am grateful for your great ideas on how to improve my Steeming.
This is so much appreciated:). It's answered many of my questions and I have barely made it through. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. This is awesome. Kudos.
Sound advice. this is how the community can grow and get value out it. There is a lot of information. I really love the steemit layout. its very simple and straight to the point. i believe a complete beginner can come onto the platform and utilize it
Great post man! This has wow factor! You compiled just about every tip I've seen over the last week into one post and it's fairly easy read to top it off. This is great stuff!
This is a very Exhaustive list ,and thanks for reminding about password thing ,will write it down incase my hdd crashes!
This is such a useful post. Thank you and everyone who added something to the list.
TLDR; you don't have to write to earn
sometimes a small simple comment is better than a big one.
Thank you for going through the laborious process of providing these summarized bullet points for the community. I was pleased to see you acknowledge so many others for their contributions to your list. As a new member, it helps to have a cache of tips in one place. I look forward to providing information on capital markets, finance, and in-depth analysis of industry segments (e.g., tech, energy, currency, etc.).
Very cool! It sounds like that will add a lot of value to the community :)
My 0.02 is “be here for the long game”!