This is an article attempting to explain how I got such a high payout in such a short time.
Hello dear Steemians
As of today, I am the number 1 content creator on steemit.com in terms of payout. I do not write this article to brag or to boast but to reflect on how a guy that is not a whale (actually #698 on the richlist and falling) and to top it off, has English as a second language can do something like this. I will openly admit that I am not the best writer and that I probably have a lot of grammar mistakes in my articles.
So how could I have generated such a ridiculous payout in such a short time?
In this article, I am attempting to answer that question so that anyone who is interested in having similar results can replicate the formula that I have used.
1. It's not about how much you work on your article
Some people get pissed because they work hard on a piece of content and then get very low payout. It's similar to the marxist idea of the labor theory of value. How much you work as very little to do about how much you are going to be paid. After all, Steemit, work under Subjective Proof of Work, meaning how valuable your content is, is in the eyes of the voters...not you.
2. If the word for real estate is "Location, Location, Location"...
...in the Steem world the word is: "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation". You basically have to build a brand by demonstrating that your contribution is increasing the value of the Steemit.
How does one increase his reputation?
There are many ways to do this and you have to use your own skills and talents. Some are just such fantastic writers that they can simply write and have votes pouring on them. If you've read @stellabelle or @donkeypong, you'll know what I mean.
Be courteous whenever you reply to post and add value to the conversation. If you don't like an article, sometime it is better to not comment than to write something negative. You don't want to make enemies who would downvote you in the future. Keep your downvotes for spam not for opinions you don't like. Remember, you are acting on a public unalterable ledger (a blockchain). Whatever you say will remain. Think twice before writing something negative.
I would suggest anyone who's looking to increase his influence and reputation to join the Slack channel of Steemit. Then create connections while following the best tips I've ever heard on how to get what you want:
"If you can help enough people get what they want...you can get anything you want".
Don't go on the Slack Channel to get but to give. Give as much of whatever people on the Slack channel needs and you will never be chasing after votes.
If, for example, you were a french person who would like to do a translation of the whitepaper, create tutorial videos, bring in big bloggers name, etc. You would get my votes for a long time. I would probably even ask you to send me a private message everytime you post content so that I can support you.
If you want to know more about how to become more influencial and increase your reputation, I would suggest you read my cliffnotes on the 6 principles of influence here.
3. Make your article irresistible to click on
If you have ever been at the checkout counter waiting in line at the grocery store, I am sure that at least once, you've picked up one of those tabloid magazines. But why? Next time you find yourself in that situation ask yourself that question.
But here are a few queues:
- The image was appealing and peaked your curiosity
- The headline was weird, interesting or shocking.
- The topic interested you
In some way, shape or form, the cover of that magazine stirred up your emotion enough for you to take action. That's the same kind of effect your want when you create a piece of content (if you want to maximize payout). If you do it well enough, people are even going to vote up even before they've read it.
I like to use animation as the first image of my post. It makes my thumbnail stand out from the crowd. Also, I come up with many headlines for the same article and choose the one with the most "humph". People complain about clickbaits as being something negative. It's only negative if the article that follows is low quality and vaguely related to the headline.
In short, you want to have a seemless message. From the thumbnails to the conclusion of your article.
4. Create High Value Content
Like I said above, value is in the eye of the beholder and is completely subjective. But here are a few queues to help you find out what is most valued at any given time.
- Pay attention to Trends
Go in the "hot" section and look at what is being upvoted. Look for patterns. Is the "introduceyourself" type of post hot right now? Maybe you should jump on that train since it's an easy one to jump on.
Also, on the Slack Channel there are many conversations that people have that can be a great inspiration for topics that are important to the most active members of Steemit.
- When you find a topic or trend that is hot, deliver more than anybody else
Let's take the example of an "introduceyourself" post. If you basically drop 3 lines, you probably won't get a big payout. But if you go full out about your life, your dreams, your goals, your experience, your connections along with a picture of yourself...you bet people are going to upvote that!
- Format Properly
Your article must be easy to read and pleasing to the eye. At this point in time, steemit.com uses markdown. It's very easy to learn and you can read this guide to help you liven up your post.
Also, leave plenty of whitespace and make your paragraph short.
There are many interesting post on this topic already. Make sure to visit the #writing tag for some tips on how to become a better writer.
- Practice, Practice, Practice
When I first started my career as an internet marketer, I started with a blog. I literally blogged everyday for more than a year and I only made a few hundred dollars. But what I've learned in the process was much more valuable. I've learned how to write in a way where my readers genuinely feel like I want to help solve their problem.
My focus is outward and I constantly try to examine how the reader would react to my word in a positive way. With practice, you can do it too.
5. Promote your content properly and build a following
I am surprised by how many people have come to Steemit because of my articles. That's because whenever I write a post I believe would interest people outside of Steemit, I promote as far and wide as possible. Many of them now follow my writing and also help build my reputation.
So if I write an article, I want it to:
- Rank on the Search Engine
- Get picked up by people on social media
If you are here for the long run, once you publish, follow the cheatsheet below.
- Upvote Yourself!
- Submit to Bing and Google
- Ping your post with Pingler
- Send an email to your email list if you have one
- Pin the image you are using as your thumbnail on Pinterest with this plugin
- Craft a smart tweet linking to your blog (use hashtag and tag people when relevant)
- Share on your facebook wall
- Submit to Digg
- Submit to a related category on Reddit
Conclusion
I have tried to distillate to core fundamentals of how you can gather a ridiculously high payout on Steemit. In short, build your reputation, follow trends, provide more value, touch people on an emotional level, practice and promote.
NOW, is the time to take action and apply those simple principles.
Good Luck!
(Labor Under Correct Knowledge)
merci de ce post très utile. Following you now.
Great point that it doesn't matter how long you spend writing an article. It's all about if it resonates. I also like the idea to write a few headlines and see which one sticks out. I've been plugging in and connecting with others but these small tips really make a big difference. Thanks so much.
Old is gold Sir! And you my friend, give good honest advice!
Wow. You're ON-POINT with this.
Easy to see how you've accumulated the rewards: producing content of exceptional VALUE.
Golden guidelines. 👌🏼
Thanks for the great tips. Too bad I didn't read it before doing my first post!
So great post, and totally agree with all this points. Thanks!
SIR YOU ARE GREAT I STARTED FOLLOWING YOU FROM NOW....:)
PLEASE SHOWER SOME BLESSING OF KNOWLEDGE ON US LIKE THIS POST,
IT IS VERY HELPFUL
Awesome. Thanks for the tips! Very helpful for newbies like me. Cheers!
As a newcomer, this is a very helpfull post.
It was yesterday i first heard of steemit, and i love it already.
This is an invaluable post and absolutely brilliant. Its simple, makes sense and easy to implement.
Thanks mate!
very nice and well thought article
.
I want to follow your thoughts
Hey on that author payout, my stats are this: 2786875.65 SP + 6837.991 SD = 13675.982 SD
Does that mean that I can convert 6837 steam dollars to bitcoin then to US Dollar? Why is 13675.982 also SD?
I did some calculations, and it appears that 1 Steem Dollar is equivalent to .38 US Dollar. Is that correct?
Steem are worth 0.38 right now but Steem Dollars will be worth $1 US.
The 13k is the total value of SP and SD earned. (50/50) (in dollar terms)
But the SP I receive must stay SP for two years right?
When you power down your SP, it takes two years for that amount to be converted, that's what I understand.
104 equal payments (small drip over a 2 year period)
thanks
Thanks, this is good stuff. Congrats on Steem being a success for you so far! :-)
hey, I appreciate the shoutout. Thank you. This is a great, well-written post.
Great insight, thank you for sharing this.
Fantastic Article, thank you so much for sharing with us
Definitely going to start following these tips.
I will be coming back for that cheatsheet, thanks!
Thanks for sharing it, definitely a valuable advice:)
From a noob to Steemit, thank you very much!
@cryptoctopus, thank you for sharing
Thank you for taking the time to explain some techniques.
its great how you contribute, and i will look out for your future posts !
This is a classic that we can come back to again and again.
I think this post will help to me . Glad to have found it.
Thank you @cryptoctopus
Hey @cryptoctopus, I just wanna say thanks for providing us with some much useful information.
The best post I've read so far. I mean... every word matters.
You know that feeling when you're reading something and thinking "That's it! Right! Obviously!"... I just felt that all over the post!
Really valuable and clear information. Thanks a lot.
I am quite new here but reading this gives me a little more of direction. I hope to be successful here like you :)
Thanks for your insights. Very helpful.
I tried to follow this almost to a T for my #introduceyourself, except Bing and Google. It crashed and burned. And I'm a pretty good writer. I helped a friend write his intro, I don't think it was nearly as good as mine, but it did over $800.
It seems like sometimes it just doesn't happen. Am I wrong, or is timing simply part of the game and you can't make it happen?
It is very obvious that a mass majority of people on Steemit are here because they have high hopes of making lots of money for their posts. It is also easy to see when someone such as your self has higher standards and thus is rewarded for it. This is one of the many aspects of Steemit I LOVE is that we all get to decide what is valuable and that which we decide gets rewarded and that which we don't doesn't. Thats how it should be.
Thanks!
Thanks for the article, @cryptoctopus.
The Slack link isn't working for me. Not sure how to get into the Slack channel. Or maybe it's not open anymore, because of Rocket?
Getting traction here is tougher than I expected. Some really good content is getting lost beneath the hype and celebrity rushes. I'm new here, so don't know how these trends cycle. Hopefully it'll shake out soon.
Useful even avter a year.
Wow !!!...awesome ....informative and inspirational article , which I really looking for it. Upvoted and Followed..
"Labor Under Correct Knowledge"
Thank you so much for this. Its perfect.
Thank you for this post, i am new and learning. Very useful for me. Cheers
is slack channel of steemit down? thanks for this infor crypto. Wish I would have been ere a year ago to upvote it haha!
haha, actually now it's on steemit.chat
This post has also become the number one result on google when I searched for "steemit what is potential payout?". Very clearly written article with great tips, and I would not have known that English wasn't your first language. Thanks for posting!
read it, now i am going to put it into action
Thank you for the well thought out post. I am looking to create my first piece of content and this is a phenomenal guide to follow. Very well done.
Awesome thank you!
This is an incredible usefull post! Thank you =) How can I save it or resteem it? I will use it as a guide for myself =)
Wow, this post is amazing. I had no idea how many easy ways there are to promote your articles. Thank you cryptoctopus! Following you.
Legend. May I also add, never give up because you never know how close you are to getting what you believe you deserve!
This is a great article. Thank you very much for putting this guide together. You brought up some great points that I didn't think about before, like 'it's not about how much work you put into your article'. That's a really great point to emphasize. It's much better to get a good idea of what kind of content people will think is valuable and then tailor your content to that. I'm going to keep that in mind for future posts. Thanks again :)
Amazing article! Very good ideas!
This is a great template to write your introduction. I'm going to follow these suggestions as a guideline to my first post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of your help, really good stuff!!!
Work and patience it seems... I hope I can really add some value here n_n ... I am actually posting all mi blog in Spanish, do you recomend me to switch to English? Or to make two posts? Or a post with both languages? Or to go eat ice cream while I can?
Greetings!
This is one of the most helpful articles that also gives inspiration. I don't believe I have ever seen a post with so many up votes. It is simple to read and understand and very useful. I have a quick question I hope you can answer for me. This article is a year old now do you still get paid from the up votes if someone up votes now? Thanks for the response if you are not too busy.
Thanks for sharing the tips!! All the best!