So, you've been posting and posting and posting, but not much is seeming to happen. Sure, you made a few steem bucks off that one post, but it was a fluke,or was it? There are things you can do to get more views, which in turn can lead to more votes, comments, resteems and followers. Most of the tricks I'm going to mention here are just good copywriting. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I forget what I already know, but following these steps can increase your audience and you chances of success on Steemit, so here, we go!

Write an Attention Getting Headline

10 Ways to Make a Billion Dollars Today, Number Three is One You Could Start Right Now!

You know, when you see a headline like this, it's probably a scam, but who doesn't want a billion dollars? Wherever you find tips on copy writing, you're going to see this advice, write a good headline.

Not only is it the number one tip above all others, but without it, none of the others matter much. You can write your guts out about things people really want to read, but in the digital world especially, the headline is the door.

If you're not getting read, it's likely that this is your first problem.

• Use good psychology, offer to solve a problem
• Make the reader feel they'd be stupid not to take a look
• Make a big promise with your headline, people love to disprove outlandish claims

Whether you get them to click in because they hate what you wrote, because they love it, or because their curiosity won't leave them alone may not matter.

Choose a Great Picture

Without one or more pictures, posts on Steemit rarely get any attention at all. Since the picture is the biggest part of your preview, choosing one that catches attention is essential. Some articles might get nothing with one image, but take off with another.

• Your image should catch people's attention. Make it bold and make it stand out.
• Choose pictures that make you curious. Anything you can do to make people want to click will help.
• Your picture must be clear, even in a smaller size. Some people are searching Steemit on mobile. Pictures that work well small are best.

Look at the trending category to get ideas about what kinds of images are working well. You'll need to translate that to fit your content.

Pay Off on the Promise

Don't rip off your readers. If you promised them a diet that will shed twenty pounds in five minutes, you better have something to say. Always deliver on the bold claims of your headline. You can fool them once, but once you've lied you may lose your readers.

Give more than they expect. Especially on steemit, content is often light on details. Make sure your audience learns something. The more value you provide, the more likely your content will receive credit and shares.

• Offer additional resources to study
• Back up your claims with expert information
• Suggest steps your readers can take

A single article can change the course of a life if the information is strong enough. Be that writer. All of us have at least one thing we know enough about to change someone's experience. Share it, in depth.

Polish Your Writing

A lot of great books will never get published, because, the author refused to take constructive criticism on their writing. Bad grammar, poor spelling, sloppy formatting, can all cause readers to click out of your work before they finish it.

• If you don't speak English well, find an English speaking editor to help you
• Use digital editing tools to check your work
• Read your article before you publish and correct mistakes

There is never an excuse for not getting it as good as you can. Even after ten years of writing, I'm always learning new things.

Choose the Right Category

Some of us get so used to adding tags quickly, we don't think much about where our work is being posted. By choosing the wrong category, you can subject yourself to unnecessary competition, or you might be posting where no one is even looking. There are great categories for nearly every kind of work on Steemit. Here are some things to look at.

• Look at the traffic numbers. While categories with lots of posts, get lots of views, they also have a ton of competition. Smaller categories might produce better results.
• Check the payouts. Some categories earn more on average than others. If earning is your goal, studying those numbers may help.
• Make sure your tags fit your content. People can be frustrated by poorly placed articles. They can even down vote things they don't think fit the category.

Getting onto the "hot" and "trending" lists in most categories is your best bet.This will automatically guarantee a larger audience for your post. The more eyes, the more readers, the more readers, the more votes, etc.

Publish in the Morning

Early votes are the most valuable. They will move you onto the "hot list" or the "trending" list, if you can also get early payouts. Publishing before 10a.m. Central Standard Time, seems to be the best for quick votes. More people are active then.

• Without hot or trending status, your post is dependent on your personal audience draw.
• Early votes lead to more votes, based on the potential curation rewards
• More votes seem to be given early in the day, versus later, and content is easier to find when it's fresh.

To help you keep your schedule, prep your posts the day before, then copy and paste into the publisher when you're ready.

Get Your Audience Hooked

Whether you pick a topic and stick to it, or a style, or write your content in a series, building readership is a great way to build repeat votes! The comments I get show that. Repeat comments are a great way to build a conversation around your work. My serial stories do that for me. I have some commentors that come back multiple times each week.

• Include links to your other work in your posts for easy navigation
• With fiction, cut in the action, make them want to know what's next
• Give a preview of your next piece to whet their appetite.

Building community relationships is the best way to build a strong blog that consistently earns votes and comments. Faithful readers become fans and fans are the best kind of community for content producers.

Vote on Other Content

Use your votes. The more you vote for others, the more likely they'll come around to vote for you. This is a simple one. It can lead to big rewards.

• Voting consistently for a few authors can help create a relationship with them.
• Mid sized accounts are often the most valuable. They don't have as much competition for their attention, and can add a lot of value to your posts.
• New accounts are also great to vote for. They're more grateful for votes, and may end up growing quickly into valuable supporters.

Vote daily. Use your allotment. You don't really have a right to complain about how votes are allocated if you're not using yours to help direct the flow.

Comment, Comment, Comment

Lots of comments. You have no limitations on the number of comments you can leave behind. Always tag comments with your steem name like this @markrmorrisjr to create a link straight to your blog.

• Make your comments positive and supportive
• Let them know when and why you upvote their content
• Take your time, longer comments are better and more likely to be upvoted

Conversation is a huge key to building community. On days I spend extra time commenting, it shows up in my votes, comments, resteems, and follower count.

Use the Social Media Buttons

Share your posts. Share them in groups, on your profiles, wherever. The buttons are at the bottom of each post. Link up your social profiles and use your following to help spread the word. Encourage them to become members of Steemit.

• Just like any advertising, it's a numbers game, the more eyes, the better.
• Be consistent, only share each post once on a platform, don't spam anybody.
• Pay attention to the post, answer comments, invite new users, etc

They were added to the platform to be used. If you don't use them, you have no one to blame but yourself. I have many Facebook groups for each article I post. I don't use them every time, but I try to remember as often as possible.

Follow, Follow, Follow

Follow more people to get more followers. It works. It increases your views, increases your votes and increases your comments. The wider your audience, the better your odds of being successful here.

• I like to follow new users. I get about 1/2 return on following new accounts, nearly half of them follow me back.
• Follow people who do what you do and have similar interests, then add them to your voting and commenting to support them.
• I can't say this enough, the more people you follow, the more will follow you

There are other things you can do that I cannot recommend.

Vote buying, renting Steem power and other methods can also help you get higher payouts and more votes. But, in my opinion, this inorganic activity doesn't make the platform stronger, it consolidates power in the hands of the few and allows for abuses to continue.