To reach the trending pages should be, in my opinion, just an amazing achievement. But the trending pages shouldn't consist of the same authors on a daily basis which it does today. More or less at least. However the trending pages are also basically the first things newcomers see when they visit Steemit, and that's why money is such an important factor on Steemit... But I also feel that it's misleading.
I know I have a bunch of loyal followers and I've had loyal followers since the early days too. With or without being on the trending pages. With or without $100+ articles or $1. That's also why I am truly grateful for the support I have. :)