Many authors work hard to create great content on Steem, yet do not receive the best rewards. What gives?
In yesterday’s post, I talked about how content has to be optimized for attention OR money, and how you usually can’t have both of those things at the same time. If you missed it, that post is right here: https://steemit.com/steemit/@heymattsokol/earning-money-vs-making-an-impact-on-steemit-or-why-your-best-posts-aren-t-earning-the-big-bucks
Today we’re gonna talk about the other side of the coin: Steemit’s design unintentionally amplifies the feeling that you suck at Steem.
This is a big problem for users in the “dip” of their Steem career (https://www.amazon.com/Dip-Little-Book-Teaches-Stick/dp/1591841666) - which often occurs after the first 1-3 months of hard work. Luckily, you can move past that feeling of inferiority. It all starts by seeing the situation clearly.
FOMO on steroids
It’s perfectly normal to feel like you aren’t earning enough money from your Steem posts. After all, every time you log on, you see other people earning TONS of money! The top posts at any given time will be earning hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Indeed, a quick anecdotal glance shows dozens of posts earning several hundred dollars at any given time. (does anybody have hard stats on this - how many posts per 24 hours earn $100+? let me know in the comments)
As a result, the natural human inclination is to think: “Oh no! These other Steemians are easily making a ton of money! They can probably live off of that much money. Meanwhile, I earn a few bucks a post. I suck, and/or this system is not fair.”
This mindset is easy to land on. But it’s not helpful. Here are a few thoughts on countering this FOMO-esque way of thinking:
How to Crush Steem-MO
A: Most successful authors have worked their asses off on this platform. Whenever you start feeling like “damnit, why not me?”, click on their profile. They will probably have thousands of posts dating back 9+ months. Do you have that yet?
B: You only see the most successful posts from the people you don’t follow. In other words, when you see a post that has $1,000 on it, you are seeing the “Greatest Hit”. That same author could have dozens of other posts earning $10 or less. Again - click their profile and look!
C: Feeling bad for yourself is natural at times. But always try to focus on a basic fact: Self-pity does not help. Rather than focus on “why not me, this isn’t fair!”, try to think: “why not me, and how can I change that?” Tip: The answer is probably to spend 20 hours a week writing, commenting, and promoting.
work hard like this guy did. the prize doesn’t come for free.
20 hours a week?! Damn straight, son! This isn’t a free money machine. It takes work to get that money.
Where to Start
The way to start reducing your Steemit money FOMO / frustration is to call yourself out on your shit. Whenever you get jealous of an author, look at their profile. Nine times out of ten, you will see exactly why they make the money - hard hard work.
I hope these thoughts have given you some new insight into the Steem platform. Maybe I’ll make some money from this, but I’m hoping more for the attention :-).
What do you think?
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Keep fighting the good fight, and keep up the music posts!
i need to find more people like @heymattsokol to follow, ! cheers, you too @musicsteem!
:-)
I will! Thank YOU for the support
Great post man! I think you're right, so let'go work :)
Let's do it!!
LOL great article man!, loved the photos!, very creative! :D
thanks a lot! @dreamrafa
haha i used to be in this phase but not anymore.
just be yourself, create nice content which you like and stop pressuring on getting profit.
passion should not be judged with money :)
I have followed you, feel free to follow me back.
Glad to hear that you have overcome this feeling. I still get it from time to time... but I can hardly complain, right? things are going pretty well :-)
Love it! Re-steemed. This is what I Have to keep reminding myself
thanks
I'm new here, so I really value this.
glad to hear it
Wise words. It is not a sprint, it's a marathon. It takes time to find your groove and hone your skills. It's in some ways unfortunate that a lot of introduceyourself posts make so much money. New users come to expect it on every post they make.
Dude, it's so true!! I remember when I was new and eligible for Curie upvotes - I'd get huge upvotes on pretty much every music post I made, even though frankly a lot of them were crap.
Then I hit whatever rep it was - 60, maybe - that made me not eligible. I used to earn 50+ steem easy per post, suddenly I was earning 10 or less. It took some humility to accept that and keep posting... honestly, I had a few weeks where I barely posted. But now I'm back, and I hope to achieve that prior success through the strength of my legit fan support.
thanks for your feedback!
Good luck man, I hope so too
I don't see the point of this post. I'm sorry. Especially when knowing that Steemit is in beta and that HF19 is coming in a matter of days. If someone is experiencing disappointment in the platform, maybe he/she should go try some other place instead.
If you are frustrated with the site, go for a walk or get a dog.
Trust me, I have been a creative person for about 20 years now. And all I got so far was "disappointment". I think, that there is no better way to learn than through experience.
Again, If someone is having "problems", because they are not earning money and no one gives a fuck or whatever... Then it may be time to evaluate things and perhaps change something in your life.
No offense bro, just what I think.
Well I have two beagles here in the room right now, and we go for daily walks through the nature trails behind my house... so I have that covered :-)
"If someone is experiencing disappointment in the platform, maybe he/she should go try some other place instead."
IDK - I feel different than you on this point. My goal with this post was exactly to help people experiencing disappointment - by showing them that it's normal and they should work through it, not give up. I'd hate to see potentially valuable members of the Steem ecosystem leave because they are having a bad day.
To be fair tho - if "no one gives a fuck or whatever" - that IS valuable info. Because when no one gives a fuck, your content sucks.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I value all feedback
Great display of some balls standing up for your position! ;}
Hope the weather is nice. ;)
Great post...Got huge inspiration from you..sometimes get ..frustrated.. some times happy with making some penny...But best thing of the steemit is the great platform of learning....I tried to be happy even I got the single penny from my post...I never earned handsome 100+ dolor in steemit but I thing, I am improving my 100+ dolor earning writing skills...
Once again thank you..
You and me both, I've never gotten a $100 post before. But hey, here's FIVE cents with my upvote right now ;-)
ya..Great to see u & your 5 cent...cheers...One day I will contribute ...Thank you my dear friend:))
Great post got my follow!
Super funny as well
thanks a lot @mossinator, glad you got some laughs
You are 100% right! There are no Free rides in life. One way or another you have to earn it!
Successful People Do What unsuccessful people refuse or will not Do!
I'm new here, just started following you.
Great advice for us newbies in Steemit. Gotta make sure to work hard for that money. When did you start out and how hard has your journey been?
I started in January 2017. It has been hard work with many ups and downs. But in the end, Steemit is one of the best things that has happened to me in many years.
glad to find out you are enjoying it so much. Inspires to keep on going. cheers!
Upvoted great post again! It's hard work at first but I think it will definitely pay off in the future:)