I think it's a question of trial and error, really. Trying different strategies and see what works for you. What worked for me, may not work for somebody else. You may find out that your photography gets appreciated, or tutorial or news. Just try and see what works.
As for notifications, I recommend an app called Steemifications, just do a search for it in AppStore.
Thanks for the recommendations !!!
I personally recommend GINABot for notifications. It works great :)
https://steemit.com/ginabot/@themarkymark/ginabot-the-secret-to-your-sanity-on-steemit