Preamble

This post started out as a reply to @myhealth's post, but it quickly became long enough to merit its own post.

Her article expresses dismay at seeing $1000 posts in hot and trending, but failing to make any real money on her own posts. I think this feeling is common amongst newcomers.

I myself have only been on Steemit for around a week now, and while I'd love to be raking in hundreds and thousands of dollars per post, the fact is that I have a stable job and I'm not relying on this platform for income. However, other people are hoping to make a living here, and seeing that post you worked on for hours rake up a total of $0.06 can be disheartening.

My First Post

Depending on how you look at it, Steemit's reaction was either very generous or unintentionally cruel to my first post. I posted it and woke up to it having made nearly $15. I thought, can it really be as simple as posting a picture every day and making that much money every time?

Of course, no. I haven't been able to replicate my initial success yet. That said, I'm not here to get rich quick, but I think there is the possibility of getting rich slowly. Here's how I think that's possible.

How To Get Rich Slowly

I'm not an expert and I can't see the future, but this is the path I'll be following.

1. Grind Away, Build Up Reputation

Even the big hitters on Steemit create content that doesn't make them more than a few cents. However, I think it's safe to say that there's a strong correlation between the success of a post and the poster's Steem Power & followers. This is the result of simple logic:

• Having more followers means more exposure for your posts (and a greater chance of them being upvoted, resteemed etc.)
• Having More Steem Power effectively means you can make more money for other people when you upvote their stuff
• People will follow you and interact with you more if you are more likely to make them money

We start off with little or no reputation or power, so it's important for us to work hard at building connections and producing quality content. Try to provide value: be unique, entertaining, informative and/or kind (the last one is essential!).

2. Don't Be Selfish

While you're working on building up your reputation (something that never really stops), consider other people on the network. Steemit relies on giving and taking. If all you're doing is serving up content, you may think you're a "giver", but really you're a "taker" because you're trying to earn Steem without giving any to others.

In essence, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If people see that you're taking an interesting in them by asking genuine questions, providing constructive criticism etc., they will naturally want to give something back.

3. Pray To The Market Cap God

Since its inception, Bitcoin has enjoyed an astronomical increase in value ("If You Bought $5 of Bitcoin 7 Years Ago, You’d Be $4.4 Million Richer"). Of course, bitcoin experienced a major crash and a lot of turbulence during those seven years as well.

The fact is, the $10 in Steem you make today could be worth hundreds or thousands in a few years' time. On the other hand, Steemit could become superseded and your Steem might be worthless. Still, I consider the Steem I make now to be an investment. The beauty of this platform is that I can invest by producing content that I enjoy making, rather than throwing my money at it.

4. Stay On The Ball & Diversify

As I alluded to earlier, Steemit could rise to be the dominant social networking platform, or it could fade into obscurity. We don't know what will happen, but there is a classic technique to avoid risk: diversify.

I've been researching potential Steemit competitors, and one I'm interested in is Synereo. It's important to do your research and try to see what's approaching from the horizon. I've signed up to the Synereo newsletter and I intend to get involved with that community as soon as I can.

There's nothing stopping you from sharing the same content on multiple platforms (though it may have to be tailored to fit each). By doing this, you increase your exposure and hedge your bets against one platform falling victim to another.

Conclusion

I'm no fortune teller and I'm not rich, but it's my belief that perseverance and the right attitude has a good chance of paying off for Steemit users. As for me, I'm having a blast here regardless of how much I earn.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the ride everyone!