Last weekend, an article I wrote unexpectedly made it to #1 on the Steemit Trending page. Here's how it happened.
A majority of posts I submitted in the first two weeks were mostly overlooked. The lack of a financial reward didn't bother me - as a blogger for over a decade, I'm conditioned to not expect that anyway. But it was disappointing to see no feedback and engage in no discussion. I was left wondering if anyone had read my writing at all.
After a while, I reflected on what was happening. It was obvious - being a nascent platform, there simply isn't a vast diversity of users. What brought me to the internet in the first place was the opportunity to discuss niche subjects - the kind few if any of your real life friends would be interested in.
Of course, if I tried to figure out what was trending and emulate it, it would never lead to good writing. So I picked up more general themes which I was interested in, but at the same time would have the opportunity at greater visibility.
Enough rambling - on to the journey of this post. It'll also be a great example for how well the changes introduced with Hard Fork 12 are working.
A Rough Start
For me, this was definitely just another post. I had made posts before that I was just as proud of and had worked on just as hard. My approach is simple - to write, post and move on.
Half an hour on, I started getting some good feedback, but there were only a few upvotes. I was ready to move on, and was convinced it would be yet another overlooked post.
A huge shout out to the folks at Steemit.chat! Many of you were the earliest voters. You guys were right. Thank you for supporting me, this wouldn't have happened without you.
Some Signs of Life
A couple of hours later, I came back to find two influential Steemers had upvoted the post. It shot up to $500. However, it stayed there for the next few hours.
Moreover, I was disappointed by the lack of comments. I was really hoping it would generate some good discussion, but it simply wasn't happening.
I went to bed that night with the post lost into the void at the same $500. No more comments were coming in. With just a few hours to go till Payout, that seemed like it.
Hitting the Trending Page
I was wrong, again. The next morning, I was surprised to find a whole slew of comments and upvotes rolling in overnight. I looked at what happened - it drew a lot of attention right at payout time. My guess is an influential Steemer was watching the "Payout time" page, which a) extended the payout time by a couple of hours and b) finally propelled it to the Trending page.
The Explosion
This was not my first time on the Trending page - indeed, one of my earlier posts made it to the top 15 or so. However, once it was there, it never gained much further traction.
This was different. Things start getting interesting on the Trending page. Comments steadily started streaming in, and I started enjoying myself - there was a fair amount of discussions. Upvotes were, of course, streaming in.
It Just Wouldn't Die
At $2,500 generated, this was far and away my most popular post. The extended payout time was finally approaching, and I was prepared to call it a success.
By sheer chance, this second payout time period co-incided with the peak at Catchawhale.com (neat little app!). Moments before payout time, once again, there was a massive swing of upvoting. The quadratic function started kicking in.
It was up to $4,000, and in the Top 5.
The next payout period arrived, and once again, it just wouldn't die! This time, it rocketed up past $9,000 and up to #1. It was truly surreal seeing it all play out.
Curators
My hats off to the top curators - I know it's tough to curate so much content, but keeping an eye out at the Payout time and the subsequent time extension page does give the posts a last chance. I do see many great posts that hit nearly 100 upvotes, but never Trend - including some of my own. They are popular, but never catches the eyes of Whales or Dolphins. It would be great if there was an "Upvotes" page alongside "Payout Time" which goes purely by number of upvotes. It'll be another tool to give curators a better chance at discovering good content. I bet this will sort itself out as the site grows and there are thousands of influential curators.
A Second Chance
Thanks to the popularity of this post, a couple of Steemers looked through some of my older posts. One of them actually came before this post, and was paid out with less than half a dollar.
It is now Trending in the Top 5 after being dead and buried. I bet this would never have happened were it not for a later post hitting the front page.
I still have many articles that have been overlooked, but this is a really reassuring sign.
Passing it On
I guess I have just graduated from the minnow class. Looking to the future, I instantly invested every SBD earned into Steem Power. I'm still a little fish, and it may not be much, but I'll be looking closely as much as possible and upvoting/commenting on great content from new members.
TL;DR
- Keep writing. Keep posting.
- Pick topics you enjoy that have a wide appeal.
- It's not over till the post is paid out.
- Further, don't give up if a post that you are really proud of is overlooked, has been paid out and had entered the void. It may yet be resurrected.
- Once a good post hits the Trending page, it can go really, really big.
- Hard Fork 12 is a huge success! It really is giving a greater voice to many of us who were being overlooked. There are many quirks, of course, but I'm sure they will be fixed.
- Never be driven by popularity or money. Write because you enjoy it. Stop writing and take a break the moment you are frustrated.
A Shameless Plug
Thank you for reading! Deep apologies for this shameless plug, but I thought I'd give it a shot, seeing how good posts can always be rediscovered. :) Like I mentioned, I have a few posts that might be worth a read - do feel free to check my profile. Specifically, my last two posts. One of which is about how our World is getting better all the time; the other is an on-going thriller story which I feel is my best work yet.
Well deserved! And I very much agree with your points. I have made money on one post, I got lucky and someone with power upvoted it. I usually get several comments and upvotes on my posts, so that tells me I'm doing something right. Sooner or later "the right person" will upvote it, and I'll make some money. I will never be forced into making shit posts about topics that doesn't interests me just to make easy money. So I'll continue to make good posts about things that interests me, and we'll see how it turnes out in the long run :)
You're a valuable contributor to Steemit - I love your drawings! :) Keep at it. As the community grows, you'll find more fans.
Thank you, I really appreciate it :D
Your experience is a great example of how the system is supposed to work: you put in a lot of effort, added value to the community, and got the rewards. It's really good to see that you're remaining humble about it as well. Well deserved!
Thanks! I'm aware it's a matter of luck. My post from yesterday was, I'm sure, just as engaging if not more, yet it paid out with 2% the amount. It did generate some interesting conversation though, and I got to follow a couple of good contributors. I have learned not to give up on it, and I hope it gets rediscovered some day.
Thank you for sharing this "how-to". It really helps me to continue posting, I really am discouraged sometimes because of my efforts that i invest in content quality of my posts. But it's okay, I'll get there someday. I followed you and will stay tuned for your next posts. I'd appreciate if you look at my posts and tell me what you think. I post about entrepreneurship and discovering mexico.
Don't worry about it. Your problem is similar to mine - there simply isn't the diversity yet. It will happen, keep at it. :)
Thank you ! Will do. Wish you the best.
This is a great recap of how you hit the trending page. I remember seeing your post at the top of the trending page and feeling pretty happy about it.
I have to agree with what you're saying too, regarding posting and moving on. If you're posting just to make a buck, this place is going to hurt your feelings. But if you're posting to exchange ideas and generate discussion, this place is already awesome, and we were doing it completely for free before.
Keep at it, the community is responding to your work :)
Yes, that's how I look at it. What hurts me though is when posts get overlooked or lost. I know this post is mostly for the minnows and I won't make much money of it, but I'm happy with the discussion it generates. And also, another gentle reminder to keep everyone going.
Yeah, posts are going to get overlooked or missed and it sucks but that's the reality on any platform. But if the perspective of the author is set right, then it's all about expressing yourself, engaging in any conversation that arises, and moving on to continue the discourse in different subjects. If no conversation arises, that's a bummer but also inspiring to tackle the subject from another angle. I don't know, I'm just happy Steemit exists and I can finally be interested in a social media platform again, the money is a bonus.
Couldn't have said it better myself. :) It's still early days, I don't know where this is heading, but I'm committed to contribute in my little way to make this a proper Reddit alternative whileit gets consumed by bureaucracy.
Great write up! Thanks for sharing this story with everyone. I've had a few posts make it to page 2 of trending (where you scroll down and it fetches more content) and it's really an incredible feeling. Each time I've been surprised how much I enjoy being recognized. It feels a bit like this, I guess:
Heheh. It's great to write for yourself and do what you love. It's also nice to get recognized by others. Keep putting out great stuff, and you've earned my follow for sure.
Haha, nice. Thanks. I've been following you for a bit now too. This is what creates communities. :)
Congrats and m happy for you too. Indeed many good posts have been overlooked and is sad to see that. Being a blogger for so long and your bonus luck had finally arrived. Although I am not a writer but I really enjoyed reading what you guys have been posting. Good job @liberosist! Steem more great posts ya!
Thanks! I shall of course keep writing. :)
Bro what happen to you is completely normal because you have high quality post , look again at this post it's wonderful so you deserve more I believe , thank you for make me hope again after I have loose faith in stemmit
True! keep on writing and writing, eventually a post will make it to the top!
I'm not saying everyone will be as lucky, but the idea is simple - keep writing. :)
perseverance won the day :)
Patience and persistence always pay off. It may be frustrating along the way ... but eventually, it will be worth it. And now, I'm heading to the "shameless" plugs.
It's also worth remembering that it doesn't always pay off. It does most times, but one should always be prepared for misfortune.
I agree with you, I think people should stick to posting quality content about whatever it is they are passionate about regardless of any rewards. Hopefully as the community grows someone will stumble across your hard work and recognize it for what it is.
I can't wait for Steemit to mature! :)
@liberosist I have been following your posts for quite some time as I like you writing style. I see there one of your older posts slowly moved up the ranks and is now trending! Wow, this will be an amazing one as this should stay up there for a long time. !!! Hope it pays out well!
Thanks @jacor, the feeling is mutual. Look forward to seeing what you're writing next. :)
I hope so, but I really wish some of my older post were re-discovered.
Awesome! Glad you had a good post. I'm in the same boat as you were and am refining my topics to some extent, But I do believe SteemIT is becoming more diverse and the less popular topics will gain followers as well.
Great Success Story