Congrats for already seeing benefits from Steemit! As for being hard to get noticed on Steemit, I will tell you one thing; right now, because the platform is incredibly new (less than a year on the market) the number of users is very small - there are around 2500 posts / day. Compare that with any other established social media.
On top of that, Steemit has this SteemPower thing which rewards commitment and gives you benefits as you grow.
Yes, you are absolutely right! I think everyone just starting out will just have to be a bit patient. I'm positive that people with potential and great posts will rise to the top eventually.
I'm still finding my way with the SteemPower, Steem and Steem Dollars thing. I think I'm starting to get a handle on it, but being a complete newbie on all things crypto, it's a lot to take in!