Seven Big Reasons You're Failing at Steemit and What You Can do About it! Dolphinschool is in session!

Remember as a kid hearing about the California Gold Rush in history? It all seemed so easy, didn’t it? But, the secret was, most of the guys that went after the gold, got blisters and empty pockets! You know who ended up the gold? The bastard who started selling shovels and picks. He knew where the money was and the same thing is true here on steemit. If you’re failing, you’re attracting it.

It’s a fact.

The universe is an essentially fair place and most of the accounts on here making bank on a daily basis have done some things you are simply not doing. Sorry if that stings, but here’s the good news. If YOU are the problem, then YOU can also be the solution, but if you’re not, then you’re screwed. Pack it up, go back to facebook and have a good long cry, you’re done.

But, if you’re ready to put on your big girl panties, I’m here to help. I’m not going to pull punches, or be nice. Sorry, that’s not going to help you. I will be as encouraging as I know how, because, for one, I want steem to go up to $100 a share and more. Then I’m set for the rest of my journey on this earth.

• Not just that, but there are a lot of people here from places in the world where scarcity is more than an idea, it is an oppressive reality the suffer under because no one around them can see possibilities. They’ve been beaten down and held down too long. So, this is for you!

You’re not working hard enough!

Sorry, I know that sucks, but it’s true. Most of the blogs I look at for people that ask for tips, are simply not cutting it. Sure, your posting every day, maybe once, maybe twice, then you skip a few days. When I took a sabbatical, it was two weeks of solid posting to get decent rewards again.

• One post a day is not enough to gain followers and attract attention from bigger voters

• Stop being lazy, edit your posts and write more than three or four lines of text.

• Add some sources, link to other articles in steemit, create or curate some great images.

• If you wouldn’t upvote it, don’t post it.

One of the best ways to judge if your work is going to fly is to ask yourself, would I spend one of my ten daily full power votes on this post? If the answer is no, go back to the damn drawing board and fix that mess! Don’t inflict the rest of us with it. Don’t know how? Get some help!

You’re bringing nothing of value to the table.

Sure, you’ve put together a nice post, you’ve even edited and done a decent job with images, but your post is worthless. If you think just putting up some links to someone else’s work is enough, you’re wrong. We know what’s out here. You’re going to need a reason for what you post and it needs to add value!

• Teach me something I don’t know.
• Entertain me in a way that’s new, make me laugh, or feel deeply.
• Add beauty to my world.
• Put information together to form a unique perspective. It’s got to be fresh!

If you’re just doing what everyone else is doing, you’d better the be the best one at it. If not, you’re screwed. But, if you can show me your unique view of the world, in a way that makes me appreciate it more, or makes me rethink my own view, that’s value!

No one cares about you

When I say that, I don't mean they don't care, I mean you're not giving them a reason to care. Sure, you can make a mint off of personal posts, but only if they mean something. There’s a new genre out there called “lifestyle media” where you show me what you’re doing in a way that inspires me to join you, or find my own bliss. You can’t just share a couple of details about your life, with no color or storytelling and assume I’ll fall in love with your life. It doesn’t work that way.

• Let us see the real you.
• Teach us something that inspires
• Share what means the most to you, others will find that meaningful too
• Relate your stories to something I want to learn about, whether it’s steemit, or skydiving.

You may have looked around and seen some of the steemers making good money on their travel and recipe blogs, but take a harder look. Their photography is typically above par. They are sharing interesting details that others miss and they have an “eye” for a story. That’s what people are voting for, not just a family recipe or vacation spot.
_
You’re not engaging with your audience

While my votes are not back up to what they were last summer, one thing I’m proud of is trying to respond thoughtfully to every single reply. The conversation surrounding your work has to start with you. You must be grateful to your audience and let them see that you are excited to share your work with them!

• Say thank you, say it and mean it, gratitude is a huge success magnet
• Be personal, look at their blogs, get to know them, offer suggestions, or return the comment, or resteem
• Don’t just copy and paste a response, unless you’re just sharing a link, or other information
• Try to stay positive. I have a hard time with this, but don’t engage bullies and trolls.

If you look at my posts, many of them have as many comments as they have votes. This is key I try to respond to as many comments in real time as possible. If they are logged in, commenting, they’ll see my reply and that engages them in a real conversation. Be friendly. You need a community, not a fan club.

You’re not returning the love

You’ve got to upvote, comment and resteem! I try never to ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself. It’s important. If you’re too good, or trying to conserve, or whatever, you’re never going to build an audience. Take time to look around each day and pick a few people to genuinely support. Upvote them, comment and resteem their work. You’ll be amazed how many will return the favor, if you’re genuine.

• Start conversations, don’t just comment bomb blogs with random messages like a bot!
• Never promote on someone else’s thread, unless it fits the conversation and seems appropriate.
• Respond to their replies if they open the door for further conversation. Friendships become alliances.
• Choose work you genuinely enjoy and find valuable, regardless of the curation reward.

People like to engage with people they like. Showing genuine interest is a great way to make them like you. By choosing those you feel good about promoting, you never have to worry about connecting to things that don’t make sense with your brand, or personality.

You just haven’t been here long enough

It takes time to get found. If you’ve been here less than a month, don’t start posting expert sounding posts about steemit. At least go up to the top right and read the quick start and guides there before you start trying to train anyone in anything. It’s okay to share what you know, but don’t start sounding like a know it all.

• Watch your “followers” number, make it grow, every single day, and you’ll get where you want to be
• Be consistent. Don’t write pout posts about not getting rewards, or beg for votes.
• Build relationships with those that do show up. Don’t be discouraged, the potential is too big for that!
• Check your “reputation” score. If it’s rising every week or so, you’re doing it right!

Trust me, you don’t want instant fame. Many who’ve gotten it here ended up cashing out and going home when things got hard. Building your audience little by little is sustainable. If you hit the jackpot over night, it’s likely to disappear just as suddenly, when the new “it” kid shows up.

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

If you’re going to share your opinion, you’d better have something to back it up, or be prepared to listen to other points of view. Do your homework before you write your pieces and try to add as much detail as you can. This is especially important if you’re new, or having a tough time. Better content= better rewards.
Take your time, don’t rush, two good posts are better than a dozen sloppy ones
Share what you know, but have some sense of humility. Others know things too.
When a post is well researched and sourced, it’s going to be hard to disagree with.

If you’re going to call others out, be sure you know what you’re doing. It can get rough on here.

The internet is the world’s largest research library. Let that post sit until tomorrow, gather your resources, then launch it again, with full sources and good detail. You may be surprised how much better you’ll do.

If you enjoyed the post, please join my followers, consider an upvote, a resteem or a comment. Thanks for your support!