[Minnow Tip] Commenting really makes a difference in getting followers!

Over the past weeks I've been trying to figure out how to make the best out of Steemit. Seeing all those posts on Trending with hundreds of dollars when I first joined really made me excited, so I wanted to join the fun.

Here's some things I found out that might useful for all you other minnows (like me) out there :)

Curation rewards are low for Minnows

First I thought that I should vote on the whales so I would get curation rewards, but that didn't really work. When you're a Minnow, your curation rewards are really low (as you can see in this analysis). I'm still trying to figure out how to do a more detailed curation reward analysis that proves this point even further.

_{A summary of the average curation reward from the analysis linked above. Minnow rewards for curation are very low.}

Popular posts often get hundreds (if not thousands) of upvotes, so your share is very little to begin with. In addition, curation rewards are based on your own Steem Power. The lower SP you have, the lower your curation reward is. Earning decent money from curation is reserved for dolphins and higher.

Getting votes and follows from whales is hard

Because the popular whale posts get so many upvotes, the people posting them won't even notice your one little upvote. Hoping to get a vote back is a waste of time, you have to get really lucky or really stand out for them to notice you.

Some people try to solve this problem by spamming whales begging them for upvotes. Please don't do that.

_{Don't be like this.}

Writing good posts that never get noticed is demotivating

Writing good posts is a great start, of course. Steemit is all about quality content, so writing a good post should get rewarded. But who's going to see it? Hundreds of posts hit the New page every hour, so after a few minutes your post is already snowed under. All that effort writing a good post, and nobody sees it... to get noticed you're going to need followers

Getting quality followers takes effort

This is the important part for everyone just starting out on Steemit. To get anywhere at all, you'll need followers. Gaining followers is not easy; it takes a lot of effort. But of course, nothing in life is free. If you want to make the best of your time here, put some work in it!

To get the best out of your followers, they should be both active and somewhat interested in what you have to say. Some folks just follow thousands of Steemians at once, hoping for a follow back. That might work for some, but the followers you'll gain that way are probably not very interested in you at all. They just follow you because you follow them.

_{How to get quality followers: start a conversation! After this comment not only did I have another programmer with interesting posts to follow, but I also got a follow back from him. It really works.}

If you want people to upvote and resteem you, their interests need to match yours. This is what I mean by "quality" followers. They will have to get to know you, and you will have to get to know them. It's all about building a relationship!

Commenting works!

A great way to get better followers is to comment on their posts. Here are some of the upsides of commenting:

• It's free of course (and it can even earn you some rewards if it gets upvoted)
• It's unlimited. Upvoting drains your voting power, but commenting can be done many more times without losing any power.
• You get a lot more exposure. You don't need any followers for people to see your comment. If a post gets popular, everyone who reads it is a potential reader of your comment. If they like what you say, they might follow you as well!
• People get to know you. If you comment about (for example) cryptocurrencies a lot, people who are interested in cryptos will see your comments on many posts and realize that you two like the same things. A great recipe for getting followed!
• You will make friends. Again, Steemit is about building relationships. A handful of loyal friends can get you very far indeed.

But don't just comment anything. Here's a few tips:

Tips for better comments

• Comment on blogs you like, not just those you think will be popular. This way you will find people who like the same things as you, which increases the chances of them also following you.
• Upvote what you comment on. This also lets people know that you really value what they have to say.
• Let them know you read and understood their post. Show them you're interested in what they say.
• Ask questions about the post. Again, show them you're interested. If they reply to you, chances are a lot bigger that they'll remember you next time you post a comment.
• Don't spam. One good comment goes further than 100 generic "Nice post" comments.
• Don't beg for upvotes/follows. Let people decide for themselves.
• And very important, have fun!. If you don't enjoy your time on Steemit, is it really worth it at all?

I hope these tips are useful for you guys, if you have any suggestions or improvements don't hesitate to leave a comment 😀.