I want to see everyone on Steemit succeeding and I'll do what I can to help!
It's amazing how fast you can lose your focus!
When I started this Steemit thing, I was determined to help others by sharing whatever I've learned. Then, my posts hit a little boost and I forget what I said I was about.
**Sorry, it's been a few days! **
- At first I convinced myself I was waiting until I got my payout system down, so that I could share it, step by step, but that's been 4 days ago!
- Then I was just "too busy" trying to catch up
- I finally had to face the facts, I was getting greedy, posting for upvotes and money, and forgetting to contribute value with things like this.
So, here I am to share what I've learned in the past few days!
- I broke through, into what I consider fairly serious money with a few $500+ posts
- After two days of struggle, I finally got money into my bank (I'll teach you how, I promise)
- I broke 100 followers!
- I've made over $800 in real, American cash from this platform in my first 10 days.
- My steem power has reached the point that my new posts are worth 4 cents out of the gate. (684, is my current level)
- I should be in baby dolphin territory by the end of the week! (1000 steem power+)
But, what you want to know is, how did I do it? Right?
The truth is, I am doing exactly what I set out to do. I am posting mostly fiction, but high quality posts about two or three times a day. I don't have enough bigger payouts yet to say, "here is my formula" but here are a few things I've noticed, comparing posts that went "mini-viral" and those that only made a few bucks.
- Morning and later evening seem to be the best times to post.
- Posts that are going big, go there in the first two or three hours.
- Your first image and your title mean everything!
*A little explanation on that last statement: My "How to Hunt Bigfoor for Fun and College Credit" story didn't start off so great. It was the second part that caught traction. *
- I titled it wrong at first. On the second episode, I corrected that.
- My image was all wrong. Bigfoot fans wanted something funnier, I think.
- I didn't "intro" the piece well.
**I'm working with the first line of every post now, to create a hook. **
Your first line works like a "meta tag" (those descriptions you find in Google, that explain what a site is about and help you decide which link to click) Combined with the right image, a good first line will draw readers in, whether they upvote or not is up to your post.
- So, I can choose a provocative quote from my story and put it at the top.
- I can synopsize the story in a single line, if it's interesting.
- I can ask a question that demands to be answered!
Whatever you can put in that first line to get them to click, do it!!!
Remember, that once they do, you must pay off on your promise.
- If you promise info, pack that post until it bursts with useful facts and links.
- If you promise jokes, make them laugh until they wet themselves
- If you promise thrills, or chills, you better deliver.
Here is something I learned in theater: It is easy to catch an
audience's attention. You can walk onto a stage in front of a crowd
and look up intently and before you know it they will all be looking
up! It is also not that hard, once they are on your side, to keep them there, but if you lose them... it is damn near impossible to get them back!
If you promise something in your hook line that doesn't get delivered, good luck getting them to follow you! Or even click on your next post!
Here is what I think is most important, in order of importance for building a Steemit audience, ready?
- Followers: however you get them. All of the writers getting $1000.00 up on average per post, have huge followings.
- Quality content: this is a must. Study a few posts of people complaining about low payouts. They write crap! 100% of the time.
- Steempower, as it relates to earning. The bigger fish you are, the more of the booty you get to keep.
- Reputation: I don't know how this goes into the formula, but I think it is a measure of relatability. So, I don't know if it directly impacts success, I think it is more a measure of "Am I doing the right things" if you are, that number should be climbing.
Here has been my approach to getting followers and the rest
- I follow people who upvote my work and try to upvote on their work and comment, so they know I was there.
- On quality, I've been working on my storytelling since I was 14, intentionally, so 30+ years.
- Steempower, other than the first payout, I've taken all of my SBD in cash. For me, steempower will come from higher paying posts.
- Reputation: my reputation has stalled for a couple of days, so, I am not commenting enough, or posting enough content like this!
In the long run, for everyone who says, "Crap gets paid, while quality just sits there," I can honestly say, you need to shut up, quit complaining and write more stuff!
@EricVanceWalton is cashing out about 3 to 4 thousand dollars a day (American equivalent), but his first couple of weeks are filled with 4 cent posts. He was consistent and he built an audience. It was about two weeks in when his first post hit. He could have given up, but he didn't.
Okay, now "Show me the money!" (how to get actual dollars from Steemit, part one)
"Honey," I said, "I got over $200 for that story!"
"Really?" she answered, "So, you paid that bill with it?"
"Well no," I replied, "I don't have it in my hand yet...."
**My wife is a pragmatist. If you want her to celebrate success, you better have something to show for it. **
Now a few days later, when I got my first decent cash from Steemit and paid the bill (which would have gotten paid with client projects a few days later) and bought her a simple gift with a few bucks of it, she was thrilled!
**So, here is how I did it, I will share this in phases, phase one is set up. **
- You need a bank account to do this in the US. If you don't have one, go to Gobank.com and sign up for a free one! You'll need your routing and account numbers. (on the bottom of your checks)
- You need an account at a crypto currency exchange, I chose Poloniex.com signing up was simple. Learning to use it was tougher, but I'll get to that in a later post.
- You need a bitcoin wallet to hold your bitcoin. (steem is recognized enough to be traded for bitcoin, but trading it directly for USD is harder) I chose Coinbase.com on the recommendation of a friend with experience in Crypto.
- You need a depositor. In many countries you can get a Visa that spends Bitcoin. There are two options I've found for the US, but I was ineligible for both. I chose Bitpay.com, on the advice of the same friend.
So, your homework, #dolphinschool, is to go set up those accounts, so you are ready to make magic happen with your first real payout!
I will explain step-by-step how to use each of these platforms, at least on the basic level I have learned, in future posts, starting with Poloniex.
Follow me to have these posts in your "feed" where you can find them!
I read on the Steemit FAQ that you need at least 10,000 Steem Power to be considered a baby dolphin, not 1,000.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@shenanigator/official-steemit-faq-rough-draft-your-edits-are-needed
Well, there you go, I read 1000 on a post a week ago. I suspect there really is no hard distinction. I do know that my posts, if I leave the upvote box checked, start out with a penny or two in payout now.
You may be right that there is no hard and fast rule on this stuff. I suspect that everything is fluid at this point and all of the details are being worked out as we go.
Well, it looks like that is the official position. I don't really care either way, LOL, but it's interesting. I guess it's based on your impact on the upvote "ecosystem" so to speak. I did learn a lot from reading that, by the way, and will be sharing some of it in my next dolphinschool post.
Nice post. Enroll me in Dolphin School please.
No enrollment necessary. Just follow the hashtag #dolphinschool by searching for it. To get my posts on that tag, follow my profile and my stories will show up in your feed. Thanks for comments!
Thank you for this post, and the information you have included! I have to read it more than once. Just starting out, you know!
I have to add a question, and I feel stupid for asking it. I did not see a place to upload a photo with my first blog entry. Can you tell me how I add a photo? Thanks! -Pam
Thanks for this Mark. I haven't done a lot of posting articles yet. The one article that I posted which gave me a decent payout, well more than the quarter I had previously received was an interesting lesson on the system for me.
I posted it, watched closely for a while. No action at all. Then about 2 hours later, I rewrote the first sentence. Bang.. within minutes... I had some serious upvoting. My reputation jumped from 38 to 50 so the amount of upvoting must have made a difference.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the good advice. I hope with my little upvote I bring you closer to your dream to become a baby dolphin....
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@steempowerwhale/i-am-steempowerwhale-and-i-am-here-to-upvote-your-lifetime-dreams
I am on Steemit because I have a mission:
Thanks for the upvote. every bit counts! Good luck on your mission.
Hey this was really a wonderful and confidence booster post for someone newbie like me. I hope you will post more for newbies as i also want to earn some bucks like you so that i can spend it on my studies.BTW post was really helpful.Thanks
You are welcome. One way you can start to earn a bit is finding posts that have large pending payouts, but no comments and adding your meaningful comments.
hey i want to know that can i re-post any of my post later or can i share on steem anyone post like yours's as i liked it?............it is legal here?
You can share my post to your Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, using the share button. If you want to share the ideas here, you need to add something to it. you might consider a post built of helpful links with a sentence or two describing what you got out of it.
Thanks for sharing your post. But
No You dont. Use Cashaa or Localbitcoins
I go on to say there are other more complex means, you're right I should edit this line. Meeting someone in a parking lot to exchange bitcoin info did not appeal to me in the slightest. LOL
I go on to say there are other more complex means, you're right I should edit this line. Meeting someone in a parking lot to exchange bitcoin info did not appeal to me in the slightest. LOL I will, however, look into Cashaa, thanks!
So, Cashaa is another version of Localbitcoins. No thanks. I'd prefer to pay some small fees and be able to deposit my money from the comfort of my desk chair.