You are already doing one of the things that benefits successful people on steemit the most. Interacting with people. As much as posts can earn you money, investing your time and giving your knowledge while sharing with others allow you to have a platform where people actually care what you say.
That is a major difference between here and twitter/instagram.
If you are not active in the comment section and never respond to comments and questions, I don't see very much growth.
You are already ahead of the game and have brought credit with you to the community so you have a leg up already.
You have the ability to take your blogging in any direction you wish. As much as I'd like to see you succeed, I would also like to see you give back to the community whether that be through time, contests or helping keep new users here.
I like to think of the money we receive as a bonus to this platform to keep from focusing on it too much. Helping others reach their goals is really the best way to propel you to reach your own.
As more people come here, it will be increasingly important to maintain relationships with followers and craft creative thought provoking posts.
Everyone has a lot of questions when they first join and post, but there are many users who are willing to reach out and help all.
If I can be of any help to you, you are welcome to reach out on steemit chat (bendjmiller222)
Hope you are enjoying your time here so far.