"I was getting frustrated myself due to seeing the many copied and pasted articles doing so well on Steemit, while my work which I spent hours researching and writing them were pushed down under the flood of copycat fluff."
We all go through this phase. I've spent hours on a post that made 7 cents. You must remain persistent, network as much as possible, and continue producing quality if you wish to succeed.
Like anything else worthwhile, it's not easy.