I've contemplated the whole business of how too stay authentic while also creating "lighter" fare that's more likely to be popular... and there's definitely a balance in there. Much of it having to do with my NOT putting up 5000-word screeds on some of the more delicate nuances of consciousness and self-awareness. Break it into smaller more digestible chunks. But still stay on topic... I don't really expect I have the sort of content that would ever make me a top-100 blogger here, but that's OK. I'm sure I could study and research "popular" topics and churn our suitable fare... but I was doing that "for a living" once upon a time, and I just don't have any interest in going back.
I've probably missed the (Steemit) point somewhere along the way... as I tend to curate for what I perceive to be quality/value of content rather than whether I'm going to have a big payday.
Yeah I also curate what I like based usually on quality info/topics. But a lot of voter behavior isn't that way ;)