i think if you are a minnow, it really doesn't matter what good content you have until you are noticed by someone big or befriended and upvoted. It depends on your audience too, how engaged they are with you - are they just a number? Will they resteem? As they say the higher the number the more chance of votes, that's what gets you to the hot page. I think that only dedication and determination work in the end. As well as other legitimate tricks to move up yourself (paying, promoting, investing steem into SP, so on)