I joined Steem not long ago and am still trying to understand what makes a post successful. I'll go to the high earner posts and ask myself "Why did this do well?"
Sometimes the answer is obvious--quality. Sometimes it's not so obvious, and probably timing and just striking the right nerve with people (luck) is the factor. I wish you and be both the best!
You know what? - It could be literally anything that makes these posts go big. One of the things, which is a fact, is the following they have. Follow-trails, followers or bots. It doesn't really matter in the long run, as it's still their followers.
What I personally think is a bit sad, is the fact that some people spend several hours writing a super long post.. And they get $0,01 for it.. Meanwhile others are writing a few sentences and get rewarded with hundreds of dollars. That's unfair, but it's also life.