dont be upset. dont give up. steem is still in open beta. as more tools get out into peoples hands and as you continue putting work here, you will find that more and more people will eventually start following you. I also suggest having your own website that has steemit as a backend for your content---this way you advertise your own site (get ad revenue?) and also ask people to upvote from your website so they only see your content. :)
Thanks for advice and support!