I believe that steemit has it's own merits and will attract it's own following without the need for massive social outreach. Similar to Pokemon Go, I would argue that the folks who are going to join steemit will most likely hear it through word of mouth from their friends and colleagues.
Many will be nervous about the word blockchain, but once they realize that the blockchain aspect is secondary to the content of the posts, they will be more comfortable.
Just my two cents.