Hello dear Steemians

As of today, I am the number 1 content creator on steemit.com in terms of payout. I do not write this article to brag or to boast but to reflect on how a guy that is not a whale and to top it off, has English as a second language can do  something like this. I will openly admit that I am not the best writer  and that I probably have a lot of grammar mistakes in my articles. So how could I have generated such a ridiculous payout in such a short time? In this article, I am attempting to answer that question so that  anyone who is interested in having similar results can replicate the  formula that I have used. 

1. It's not about how much you work on your article

Some people get pissed because they work hard on a piece of content  and then get very low payout. It's similar to the marxist idea of the labor theory of value.  How much you work as very little to do about how much you are going to be paid. After all, Steemit, work under Subjective Proof of Work, meaning how valuable your content is, is in the eyes of the voters...not you. 

2. If the word for real estate is "Location, Location, Location"...

...in the Steem world the word is: "Reputation, Reputation, Reputation". You basically have to build a brand by  demonstrating that your contribution is increasing the value of the Steemit. 

How does one increase his reputation?

There are many ways to do this and you have to use your own skills  and talents. Some are just such fantastic writers that they can simply  write and have votes pouring on them. If you've read @stellabelle or @donkeypong, you'll know what I mean. Be courteous whenever you reply to post and add value to the  conversation. If you don't like an article, sometime it is better to not  comment than to write something negative. You don't want to make  enemies who would downvote you in the future. Keep your downvotes for  spam not for opinions you don't like. Remember, you are acting on a  public unalterable ledger (a blockchain). Whatever you say will remain.  Think twice before writing something negative. I would suggest anyone who's looking to increase his influence and reputation to join the Slack channel of Steemit. Then create connections while following the best tips I've ever heard on how to get what you want: 

"If you can help enough people get what they want...you can get anything you want".

Don't go on the Slack Channel to get but to give. Give as much of whatever people on the Slack channel needs and you will never be chasing after votes. If, for example, you were a french person who would like to do a  translation of the whitepaper, create tutorial videos, bring in big  bloggers name, etc. You would get my votes for a long time. I would  probably even ask you to send me a private message everytime you post  content so that I can support you. If you want to know more about how to become more influencial and  increase your reputation, I would suggest you read my cliffnotes on the 6  principles of influence here. 

3. Make your article irresistible to click on

If you have ever been at the checkout counter waiting in line at the  grocery store, I am sure that at least once, you've picked up one of  those tabloid magazines. But why? Next time you find yourself in that  situation ask yourself that question. But here are a few queues:  

• The image was appealing and peaked your curiosity
• The headline was weird, interesting or shocking.
• The topic interested you

In some way, shape or form, the cover of that magazine stirred up  your emotion enough for you to take action. That's the same kind of  effect your want when you create a piece of content (if you want to  maximize payout). If you do it well enough, people are even going to  vote up even before they've read  it. I like to use animation as the first image of my post. It makes my  thumbnail stand out from the crowd. Also, I come up with many headlines  for the same article and choose the one with the most "humph". People  complain about clickbaits as being something negative. It's only  negative if the article that follows is low quality and vaguely related  to the headline. In short, you want to have a seemless message.  From the thumbnails to the conclusion of your article. 

4. Create High Value Content

Like I said above, value is in the eye of the beholder and is  completely subjective. But here are a  few queues to help you find out  what is most valued at any given time. 

- Pay attention to Trends

Go in the "hot" section and look at what is being upvoted. Look for  patterns. Is the "introduceyourself" type of post hot right now? Maybe  you should jump on that train since it's an easy one to jump on. Also, on the Slack Channel  there are many conversations that people have that can be a great  inspiration for topics that are important to the most active members of  Steemit. 

- When you find a topic or trend that is hot, deliver more than anybody else

Let's take the example of an "introduceyourself" post. If you  basically drop 3 lines, you probably won't get a big payout. But if you  go full out about your life, your dreams, your goals, your experience,  your connections along with a picture of yourself...you bet people are  going to upvote that! 

- Format Properly

Your article must be easy to read and pleasing to the eye.  At this  point in time, steemit.com uses markdown. It's very easy to learn and  you can read this guide to help you liven up your post. Also, leave plenty of whitespace and make your paragraph short. There are many interesting post on this topic already. Make sure to visit the  #writing tag for some tips on how to become a better writer. 

- Practice, Practice, Practice

When I first started my career as an internet marketer, I started  with a blog. I literally blogged everyday for more than a year and I  only made a few hundred dollars. But what I've learned in the  process   was much more valuable. I've learned how to write in a way where my  readers genuinely feel like I want to help solve their problem. My focus is outward and I constantly try to examine how the reader  would react to my word in a positive way. With practice, you can do it  too. 

5. Promote your content properly and build a following

I am surprised by how many people have come to Steemit because of my  articles. That's because whenever I write a post I believe would  interest people outside of Steemit, I promote as far and wide as   possible. Many of them now follow my writing and also help build my reputation. So if I write an article, I want it to:  

1. Rank on the Search Engine
2. Get picked up by people on social media

If you are here for the long run, once you publish, follow the cheatsheet below.

1. Upvote Yourself!
2. Submit to Bing and Google
3. Ping your post with Pingler
4. Send an email to your email list if you have one
5. Pin the image you are using as your thumbnail on Pinterest with this plugin
6. Craft a smart tweet linking to your blog (use hashtag and tag people when relevant)
7. Share on your facebook wall
8. Submit to Digg
9. Submit to a related category on Reddit

Conclusion

I have tried to distillate to core fundamentals of how you can gather  a ridiculously high payout on Steemit. In short, build your reputation,  follow trends, provide more value, touch people on an emotional level,  practice and promote. NOW, is the time to take action and apply those simple principles. Good Luck!