To write a good post on Steemit is not easy. In fact, it’s like plaiting fog or herding cats – impossible.
Knowing what’s going to shoot your name (and account) into the Steemit Stratosphere is anyone’s guess and therefore, you really should stop worrying about it.
I can give you a few pointers and tips on what it takes to make a good post, but I’m afraid there’s no recipe for the perfect money-making blog post here on Steemit.
There’s a good tip for writers: Write what you know.
That advice works well for Steemit too. If you know what you’re talking about and write good, clear posts with pictures and great formatting – thanks @fitinfun – you’ll have something worth reading. After that, “May the odds be forever in your favour…”
I realise and understand that a lot of people have come to Steemit because,
“There’s loads of money to be made!”
and
“You can earn a wage!”
and even,
“Give up your job and just rake the money in!”
but that’s not strictly true and it’s certainly NOT true if you’re just starting out and cannot afford to invest heavily and Power-Up your account.
You may strike it lucky and get a few Steem on that magic number at the bottom of your blog page, and well done if you do, but please do not go in to work and take a dump on your boss’s desk on the strength of that.
Your work has to be consistent, well-informed or creative (or both), well formatted (spaced out well so it’s easy to read) and (usually) including pictures relevant to the post to put your point across clearly.
Visual pointers help your readers to see what you mean.
Oh... erm...no, not this kind of pointer...
Your posts should absolutely not be stolen or ‘ripped off’ from someone else’s work – neither here on Steemit, nor further out into the World Wide Web.
DO NOT STEAL - you WILL be found out.
A few tips on the formatting of your posts.
Put an extra space between paragraphs. It spaces them out and gives a little ‘white space’ to break up the swathes of text, making it easier on the eye and easier to read.
If the paragraph looks like a lot of text, split that up too. It may not be correct in the literary sense but it will help.
Use the asterisk * (above the 8, using the Shift key) to make italics
- One on either side of your statement * (without the space on either side) makes this - italicized.
** A double asterisk ** on either side (again, without the space), makes this - bold.
THREE in a line (now, we’re going to town!) *** on either side of your statement ***
Gives you THIS Both italicized AND bold Woooh!
If you want to quote someone’s post, the rule of thumb is to use the quote box.
For example, yesterday, I wrote this:
Upvote if you like someone’s work – that is all the reward you need to give and believe me, it’s appreciated.
In my post.
To get that effect, you need this character > - above the full stop, using the shift key to access it.
I use Word in which to write my posts – it’s a good habit (for me). I save all my posts to the Cloud – you don’t have to, it’s just what I do.
I write every day, that’s a habit I lost recently and now I have it back, I’m determined not to lose it.
I enjoy making-up stories and I love the feedback I receive. Not only do I like getting praise, I also find the criticism useful too.
I’ve learned a lot here on Steemit and I use this social media platform far more than any of the others.
Yes, it really is possible to make some money on here, but my strategy is to build up my reputation as a good story-teller and writer and build up my account so that eventually, I WILL be able to say, “I’m a professional writer and I earn a living on Steemit.”
I think one of the biggest mistakes people (newcomers) make is believing they can jump right on that unbroken horse and ride it like the professionals do.
If you have a unique slant on things, you’re an innovator or have something really special to add that this platform needs, then you may just get on that unbroken pony and ride it like you’ve trained it for years. A few people have done that and have been successful.
The majority have not.
The majority of us are working steadily, making friends and enjoying their Steemit journey.
The one piece of advice I give to people is the same as I give when someone is about to self-publish their book…
Enjoy the experience. Make the most of it all, it’s really fun.
But don’t think you’re going to be a millionaire overnight from this – you almost certainly are not.
Enjoy this Steemit experience, it really is the best platform to come to the internet in my opinion.
You get out exactly what you put in.
Images from Google and my phone...
Thank you, I am new to steemit and to social media as a whole. I resisted most of it as Im a traditional introvert. So, my knowledge and skillsets in ALL OF IT kinda make me feel like a baby with duct tape on its hands. Or a cat with it on its feet. It's hillarious as long as you are not the baby or the cat... :) Thank you for the advice.
Very thank you, it's good help and is useful
Thank you.
thanks this info @michelle.gent, i have my Upvoted and resteem your post
Thank you so much!
you'r welcome
Thank you for the keystroke tips, I was wondering about them and you made it so easy with your examples. A commitment to write everyday, I think is key.
You had me at the cat herding video though!
You're welcome! I'm pleased this seems to be helping so many.
Yeah, the cat herders are awesome! :)
good post👍👍👍👌👌
Thank you :)
your welcome my friend
Nice your articel, thanks for share...
You're welcome.
very good tips. thank you for sharing
You're welcome :) Thank you for reading :)
@michelle.gent Very cool tips there.. Appreciated it...
You're most welcome. I hope some of this helps.
Good stuff for the newbies like me
Thanks
You're welcome.
I strongly agree with your opinion, not an easy matter to write in the media steemit, it takes a struggle and hard work to be able to give birth to good writing
It is often difficult to put down that first word onto paper (or onto the blank computer screen) but once you've made the move, it gets easier.
I will always remember and follow every tip and suggestion you give, thanks a lot my friend. success is always for you, I wait for your next post.
Thank you. I hope I don't disappoint :)
this is part of your incredible words
"But don’t think you’re going to be a millionaire overnight from this – you almost certainly are not.".
I will always remember these words, because this is the motivation for me in enjoying Steemit
That is very true. I see a lot of people think the key to wealth is to "just do..."
If you are "just" doing, then you are not putting everything into your task.
Thank you very much,...
All excellent points @michelle.gent ! I read a lot of posts and note what others are doing with regards to spacing and photos. I love to read but appreciate a break in the text to absorb the info (and sometimes the pictures are entertaining).
I haven't watched that cat rustling video in awhile. It's a gem.
I always liked that video, one of my favourites too :)
It's hard work, sometimes, copying what others are doing without guidance. I thought this would help people to get the techniques to help them in their writing.
As you already know, writing takes practice, practice, and MORE practice. I definitely dreamed of being a writer when I was young. For a while I was writing on my various blogs but I love this format more because there is a higher probability of someone actually engaging in dialogue on a wide variety of topics.
The engaging and discussion part is my favourite too.
I don't even mind if someone criticises my work, I can usually pull something useful from criticism - except when the criticism extends only to: That was rubbish, I didn't like it at all!
LOL
the best advice. and I will enjoy the trip in this steemit by multiplying your insight and friends.
That is the best way to enjoy this, I think. :)
thanks, I've been trying to use those markdown symbol recently more as taught by my husband, he has a cheatsheet. :) and you are absolute right, dreaming to make good money in short period time in steemit doesn't work. We've seen so many successful stories. on one hand, we are a little bit frustrated by the progress, but on the other hand, it still give us a hope and motivation to hang on. Writing is one of our hobby too, we have to keep on reminding ourselves, even when we didn't have this platform, we wrote, then why are we frustrating because of the little progress? just don't let money defeat you.
You're welcome.
Exactly so. I think of it this way:
If I had written these posts onto my blog (not on steemit) or on other social media, I would have earned exactly nothing and I probably wouldn't have received the feedback I've got here, either.
Keep going. You're one step ahead of those that have not yet joined Seemit.
Thanks we will. Always have to think positively
This is so helpful, Michelle. Thanks for this follow up to yesterday. I'm out of power for voting, but I am bookmarking, resteeming and tweeting so hopefully more people can see this walk-through. I really needed the italics and bold.
I just try to learn one new formatting trick every few days and let it sink in. I really appreciate the way you showed it. So many times - people explain, but I still don't get it! The pictures really help me and I am sure I am not alone :)
Thank you and you're welcome :)
Ah! I'm glad the pictures helped. I wrote the post in Word and took pictures... simple, really :)
I look back at my first few posts here as compared to the more recent ones, and all the formatting tips I have learned in the last month since being on steemit and I have found how much I have learned.
It's a day by day process of learning for formatting.
And writing what you know is kind of the Golden Rule for writing I agree. thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Thank you for commenting. Yes, you're right, slowly does it. Learning formatting is not easy. If I don't use it every day, I forget some of the things.
Exactly, make money on steemit is not easy but better than google adsense. In fact even you have the most beatiful and useful content still no upvote. The only way your post get to hot and trending tab, it need to be upvote by a whales. Or a humdred of thousand minnows
The hot and trending pages shouldn't be your goal, at least not right at the start. In Steemit, the goal is surely to make new connections and develop your account slowly.
The saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day," is true here too.
A good addition in my knowledge about steemit.Thanks @michelle.gent.
You're welcome @fatimagull. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Really helpful post, thank you for your advice.
You're welcome, thank you for reading and commenting.
Thank @michelle.gent
you're the best teacher, I learned a lot from you.
You're most welcome :)
Thank you, @michelle.gent for this very informative post. I learned something today. Is really good of you to share with us newbies...
Hey @cecicastor, thank you for your continuing support. I consider this as a pleasure to help new people coming to this wonderful place because someone helped me when I first started and so I'm passing that on. Maybe someone from this list of people who have replied to me will do something similar next time :)
I am a great believer in paying it forward. I have been helped in the past, so I pay it forward when I can.
Agreed. And, consistency is also a key.
Oh yes, and don't let previous success be your downfall.
One of my posts got curated. I made some money, and what do you know - it was AFTER that that I got "writer's block", "analysis paralysis".
"What if this next post isn't as good as the previous one?
I set myself up for failure because I kept on second guessing myself, was afraid to publish (because, what if it wasn't as successful as the first one?) lost my consistency, and well...
After licking my wounds for a bit...
"ONWARDS AND UPWARDS"!!
Hopefully someone can learn from my story!
I hope you've got your 'mojo' back now :)
Consistency is certainly ket, but only you are qualified to know how far you can be consistent (I hope that makes sense...)
I stopped writing because I became preoccupied with something going on in my 'real life' and it became harder to return to Steemit.
hey good content. you went to my channel @ luisquijada2697 follow me and I follow you
You must have missed yesterday's post on this subject. Never mind, just click this link Here
Just in case that's a bit too much for you... here's the point I'm making again just for you.
Here’s the DON’T list -
Don’t spam your blog link on someone else’s post, it’s not polite, especially if it has nothing to do with the subject posted.
Specifically:
Don’t beg for follows and resteems, I just ignore those that do that. Instead, engage in conversation. Ask questions, show you’re interested.
Great post @michelle.gent
Thank you.
Just the post I needed to read.
A reality check is always good.
cheers
followed and upvoted!
Thank you for this one also....
I need to add more spaces between my paragraphs and break them up more. My paragraphs can get big at times.
My gratitude for your continued guidance.