#Dolphinschool # 9 Not Getting Paid? Here's What You're Doing Wrong!

I see a lot of posts in my feed whining about not getting votes

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I feel you, I do. So, I thought I would explain to you why I am getting votes, why Eric Vance Walton banks $ 2k per day and why you may still be collecting 10 cents.

First, you need to understand some things about how Steemit works

1. Votes are weighted, so the number of votes you have is not in direct proportion to your payout. However, if you are getting lots of votes, but no payout, you should keep going, you're building an audience and the votes you need will find you.
2. The bigger the vote, the more time is added to your initial payout window. Also, categories like "trending" and "hot" only open for posts with weighty votes and cash behind them.
3. It's all about who follows who, who follows who, that follows you. Want more followers? Be a good follower! Want to attract their attention? Go comment on their work. Make yourself valuable.

*Those are just a few things you might not be considering. Now, onto what makes a profile profitable. *

Here are a few things those writers have that you don't.

1. Reputation score. Where is yours? You start with 25, if you are below this, there is your problem. Either your posts or comments are offensive, or poorly written. You've had downvotes, something I avoided from the very beginning.
2. Followers. Every single day, I've added followers! How? I post good content. I reply to EVERY single comment and I comment on others. I also try to be helpful and share what I learn.
3. STEEM power. Did you take your first payout in cash? I didn't. I waited until I had a single post hit over $ 50 before taking anything. I powered up my small early posts into Steem power, making my vote more valuable and raising my profile. Little by little, I'm gaining on the big boys, a little each day.

Now, let's take a look at your posts

For many of you, it's simple, your posts are adding nothing to the conversation. Sure, you write well enough, you may be even clever, or amusing, that's why you're getting votes. But, that's not what the whales are interested in. They are building something, you need to contribute or get left behind.

• Your content should be attractive to outside users. Write stuff that is interesting to Steemit outsiders. Even if you write about steemit, tell people why it's great here, bring someone in.
• Spell check and edit. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not far enough ahead yet to properly edit each post, but for the most part, mine are easy to read. I don't make huge spelling errors, or have grammar that sounds like I'm translating from Russian (no offense to those that are, you just need to have even more compelling content)
• Stop complaining! It's not attractive. It won't get you what you want. Want to point out flaws in the system? You'd better articulate your position well and offer a point of view! Whining will get you exactly what you deserve.

Quit expecting instant results!

I write for a living. May be hard for some of you (grammar nazis) to visualize this, but I make $ 50 to 100 an hour in the real world for my writing, even with my occasional typo and horrible comma splices. But, my first few posts didn't do much. In fact, the majority of posts on Steemit get NO PAYOUT!

• Post at least twice a day and don't make them throwaways. Can't write that much? Curate interesting content from other places with your commentary.
• Determine to do this for two weeks straight, before you complain.
• Sign up for a site like scribophile and get some critiques on your work to improve it.
• I cannot say this enough stop complaining and get to work!Study those other profiles, what are they doing that you are not? Who do they follow? What do they write?
• Be patient, look at Eric Vance Walton, the fiction writer I most admire on this platform. It was nearly three weeks before one of his pieces hit big. Was his other stuff crap? NO! It just took some time.

*So, while it's easy to think that those of us getting paid a little are just like you, understand, we work hard. I've been writing for over 2 decades for hire, and for 35 years for fun. What I do isn't easy for some. It wasn't for me either. I've paid my dues and I am finally cashing in just a little of all the hard work that went into developing my talent. *

**No one is shutting you out! Find something interesting to contribute that is attractive to outsiders. Edit it. Add some images. Keep it positive and be persistent. You'll start to see payout if you do these things. **

Here's a way to get paid for nothing! Upvote and comment. If this post goes over $ 500, I'll share the wealth with one lucky commenter!