With nearly a million users, Steemit is becoming known. As that happens the variety of people here become more and more a typical cross sample of society at large. Choosing your audience just became easier.

In the beginning, it was mostly coin speculators, developers, and hard core content producers like me, interested in the possibilities.

Now, I see every kind of person I know in "real life" from housewives to retirees and they are all here for a variety of reasons.

The one thing I am focused on during this period of my Steemit career is building my audience.

Why, you've done really well.

Yes, I've been very blessed to be visited often by some large accounts. It's been nice. But, that's not what I'm really after.

Sure, I want to be rich. I do. Rich beyond my wildest dreams, which to me, means taking more than one short vacation a year. LOL My needs are simple. But, I want a lot more than that, and in this I am going to be greedy!

I want a community. I want like minded people who will read my words and be inspired, read my stories and laugh and share them with their friends. This is what I'm after above all else.

It's the one thing that has eluded me in my writing

A steady audience

**Maybe that's because, my work is all over the map. I'm so interested in so many things and in so many different kinds of story. I don't think I could pick a single genre if I tried. It would be like asking me to eat steak every day for the rest of my life. (sorry vegans, I love steak) There are soooo many other things out there to try and experience. **

Whatever the reasons, I'm here to settle this once and for all, can I build an audience for my own work, as I have for lots of others, across a wide variety of industries and genres of work.

Here is an example of what I mean.

I know I can write. And please, know, I'm not fishing for compliments here, more thinking out loud. But, I know I can write well. I get paid a lot for my writing. And, I know my advice on audience building works for everyone else. (just ask the #Dolphinschool Bootcamp group if they've grown) I've done it over and over. But, for some reason, there's some barrier for my own work.

That became clear when my first full length book ghost writing author decided to go to a traditional publisher. Lots of my authors have published, but generally it's been digital, or indie.

For those that don't know, "ghost writing" means, I create the work, you take the credit and buy the work from me outright, and keep any profits. Basically.

So, anyway, this guy, young guy, I've known him since he was nine, started traveling and speaking. He asked me to write a book for him. So, we got together and discussed what he wanted to say. I felt like we nailed it. It turned out great.
Fast forward a few months and I get this call from him.
"Mark, you're not going to believe what just happened," he said. (I won't use his name, since he is the author of this book, not me) "I just got an offer from a publisher, with an advance, and a possible multiple book deal."

I didn't know what to say, it wasn't just a publisher, it was Random House, it was all my words, and they'd picked it up, unsolicited, and called his agent for the whole manuscript from the sample chapters. He's a total unknown. THIS NEVER HAPPENS!

I was at a loss. I was happy for him, and me, but in my head I was screaming! WHY? Why can't I do this for myself?

So, this has been haunting me for months now.

I want to be able to earn my living from stories I tell and information I share. Not something I create for someone else. It may sound selfish, but that's where I am. So, I've been thinking about what kind of followers I reall want, or who any Steemer should be looking for, and there are three kinds you do want, and one you don't.

First a word about whales

They're great, but they will break your heart. Seriously. They have too many people pulling for their attention to get in good with them long term and that's totally understandable. My advice? Produce good content. If they like it you'll have a temporary benefactor. Maybe they'll stick around a while. But, if that's your strategy, you better power up every penny, because you'll need to be a whale yourself to make a living on whale votes alone.

1. The Repeat Customer

It is always easier to sell to someone you've sold to before. This is why email lists of customers are soooo valuable in the marketing biz. Some sell for tens of thousands. They shouldn't be sold at all IMHO, but there it is.

These steemers like you. They plan on coming back, they're regulars. If they stick around and produce good content too, about 50 of these might be enough to pay a mortgage every month.

2 The Curator

Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising. If you haven't heard it before, now you have. No matter where you go no advertising EVER beats personal referrals. Think about, even if you don't know anyone that buys mini-vans, when you wanted one, where did you go? Reviews! Right?

These steemers are making a name by making a name for other steemers and it's awesome. It happens all the time in social media. Some of the biggest names on every platform hardly ever write their own content, instead, they showcase others, and their followers trust them to tell them what's good.

3 The Newbie

This one may seem out of place on this list. After all, little plankton votes are so small, you could eat six in one bite, and it would only be worth a penny. But, there is more kinds of value than just money. And they can really pack a punch.

When people are excited, they talk. Talking is good. They love everything on Steemit, some of them are spammers, but they'll get corrected. But, the ones that are really trying to grow, will share your content, upvote you, comment, follow and generally be a good advertisement for your work if you treat them well.

A good balance of these types can really make a blog go! Most of the "working steemers" you see, who are keeping the lights on with steemit, average between 30 and 100 votes a post. If you develop long term relationships, those votes will grow in value over time, too!

Now for the ones you want to throw back!

Some people just can't help themselves. They're just negative. They're mean and angry and they can set your house on fire if you let them in. Rather than explain it, I'll just leave this here and you can read the comments to see what I mean.

Trigger Warning!

This user gets graphic about what he thinks of me. But, if you want to know who to avoid, click this link, right here! Starts with the first comment and just gets better.

Suffice it to say, if @muscleroast shows up at your door, I wouldn't open it.

Want more great tips and training? Try the #dolphinschool tag, or follow me @markrmorrisjr. THANKS for reading.

Can he do that???