I did something different that could count as vote begging. I told my Youtube audience to show their support by following me on Steemit. It was a way for having many followers, many likes and a more interactive community right away.
Authoring can be a huge snag for anyone who is not deep into economics or travels around a lot. Commenting is indeed the easier way to gain rewards as long as you provide something other than "good job". It doesn't have to be a long reply as it has to offer a new perspective.
I never flagged something so far. Not only I get nothing out of it, others with almost double my reputation do it for me XD.
Obviously, you start small in every new platform. Having a pre-existing fanbase from elsewhere like me helps a lot to not feel lonely in the first months.
i would state that introducing your youtube audience to steemit would be considered a heroic act :-) MUCH better than replying "hi nice post, please follow my ass @hereandthere" to each random blogpost imho.