I had my chance.. Did I actually blew it?! - I've come to the conclusion that my content probably isn't good enough. At least not for the whales or dolphins.
The title isn't my own words.. But it's a very common sentence on steemit. No matter where you look. If you look at the chat or among all the posts being published.. It doesn't really matter. And yeah, I'll be honest about it..
Me, you and everyone else. We are all keeping our fingers crossed and wish for that "breakthrough" moment. All of us wants it.. But that just won't happen.. It's impossible for all of us to reach that success at the same time!
With that being said.. And to come back to the statement above.. Did I blew my chances..?
- I've both earned and learned on steemit during the time I've been here..
My first week was the best week. I had successful posts like these:
And.. Since then, I haven't had that same success even a single time. Nowadays my posts are landing at somewhere around $12 on average.. Which is the reason I've started to doubt my own content.
- Am I doing something wrong..?
- Are my posts different in any way..?
- Have I changed something..?
Before you start to discuss about me doing things for the sake of money and this and that.. Just don't. I'm not here for the money alone. If you read some of my previous content, then you'll understand why I'm here. Rewards are more than just cash. Just check this previous post and you'll see what I'm talking about: I'm Fluent In Whale! - At least if you ask Dory. -I bet you're fluent too. But does it really matter?!
Anyhow,
when you've had great response and awesome cash rewards on some of your posts.. Then you'll want more.
- So, here I am. Sitting in front of my computer, which I've been doing for the past 3 weeks now..
The sad part is.. That I'm starting to feel just a little bit discouraged.. And don't get me wrong. This is not a "I give up" speech or anything like that. Not even close. I'm not like that and I won't give up. Steemit is too awesome to just walk away and never look back.
With that being said though..
I've started to question my own content. I believe I share decent quality, especially for being a random dude from Sweden who's not native in English..
However, I've got upvotes from both dan and berniesanders on a few posts previously.. Right in the beginning. More than 2 weeks ago.. What did I do then .. And what am I doing now? - I can't see the difference.
I believe it comes down to two things alone.
The first one is luck. The second thing is timing.
I probably had beginners luck the first week.. Hopefully that's the reason at least..
And I hope so, because otherwise it would mean that my content doesn't please these whales nowadays..
Hopefully, it has to do with timing.. When to post. At what time. If I made my posts at the EXACT second ALL the whales looked at "new" posts.. Then I'm sure I'd get some upvotes. A few at least..
That might have been the reason for the success I had in the past.. Perhaps they found my content just due to timing... But in case they did .. Timing and luck .. is the same.
Moving on..
With all this being said.. I started to realize something..
If you go back and look at the success I had.. Take a look at those screenshots...
Perhaps it was because I used A BUNCH of different tags..?
- Sure. It could... But it's not likely. How come?
How would I explain the success of all the other posts..?
- The fact is. You will never know when the whales will find you.
The only thing you can be certain of.. Is that they will. No matter if they upvote something you've spent 3 hours on or a meme you put together in 3 minutes.. They will find you eventually.
And I suggest that you do the same!
Best Regards,
hitmeasap
You didn't blow it!
OK, this comment is coming from the fact that I can't see any of your posts from a couple of weeks ago. However, I think the reason why you dropped off, is your posts are just that bit too short, for any of the Whales to auto follow you.
You have proved to them you can deliver quality; your posts are always fun to read. However they need to know that if they do start following you, you're not going to drop back down to 500 word or less articles.
Aim for about 1500 words in your next 3-4 articles, and I bet you get more cash.
This isn't about just stuffing content in there for the hell of it, this is about keeping your fresh entertaining style, and going into a bit more detail.
Try it, and see if it works.
Cg
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you @cryptogee, I appreciate your comment. Perhaps you're right.. Perhaps my articles are too short in general. When I think about it, I believe 2 out of these 4 "winners" were longer than this post.. But I'm sure that 2 of them were shorter too. However, that could just be proof enough that anything works too.. Anyhow, I can totally see your point with longer content. As long as I stay within topic, in detail and deliver a fresh read, then I'll probably increase my chances of scoring a "big" one again.
Thanks a lot, I appreciate your input :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I just had a quick look at your blog history. In the last week alone your contributions were upvoted more than 1000 times and you received more than 300 comments - as said, in one week! And virtually all your posts made two figure earnings. If this isn´t successful, then I don´t know what would be...
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
In my previous post I shared above, I've stated this:
The thing with this post.. Is that I am satisfied with the results I've had. I truly love it and I know that I've had more success than a bunch of users on steemit, and for that, I am thankful.
However, because of the cash reward I got right from the start, I started to doubt my content when it never got big again. I ended up having doubts due to the success I had. Some might find that strange or odd, but I've never experienced that. I'm a firm believer of the fact that you'll need to work hard. I've never won a lottery for instance.. And I could never in my life imagine that I would get this much from anything I did on steemit.. But suddenly, I did. My posts went big and that's the best experience I've had, as I went from a hard working guy to a guy who ended up with a huge success within seconds.. And ended up as a guy who doubted himself and his own content... And finally, came back without doubts, and the will to never give up. I found myself again. Because of that, I am forever thankful as I've proved to myself that I would never give up easily, no matter what kind of success I found. I will continue to work hard and I won't question my own content. It was a fluke and nothing more to it than that.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You have almost 50 followers, I think there is no better confirmation for that your contributions are valued and that you are on a very successful track. Sure, you made kind of a lottery win at the beginning, but what you then achieved is much more difficult, namely a sustainable appreciation of your contributions by your followers. Congratulations, really! (I´m following you too, btw;-) )
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you very much, I appreciate it. You are right and you've made a good point. I'm just glad that I came back "on top" so to speak. I'm back to my normal self again. I went on a ferris wheel. From the bottom to the top.. And then back again.. And all that in lightning speed! - Now I'm working myself towards the top again, and I won't let anything discourage me.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
$12 dollar range?? I'd kill for that even.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Honestly, I don't know. But I believe it would be something like that in average. And yeah, that kind of money reward is awesome and I love it. I've said it multiple times in other posts of mine, and in this one too, that I'm not here for the cash rewards alone. Rewards for me are much more than just money. This is more like .. I don't know.. A motivational thing. I had awesome success on a few posts, I know that everyone can't have that success all the time, and I know that many of the users on steemit never had a single post earning more than $1.. But this is also the key thing with this post. I understand these things.. And I won't give up. As long as I don't doubt my own content, then I'm good and ready to go. Pitfalls are common. Even in my freelancing career. When you're in doubt. Then you're out.. But I managed to pull myself together again.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Me too, sometimes I get $0.00 but I'm loving my new found passion for writing in coffee shops so who cares, I also never doubt myself because I always write what I think, not what I think people want to read.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
That's what I've been doing too. And that's also the reason for the doubts. These doubts came due to upvotes from whales. They upvoted things in the beginning but not a single time after that. I was misled, due to the simple fact that I've always been a hard working guy who suddenly ended up with great success without any major effort at all..I've never experienced that. Ever in my life. That was something new, different and amazing.. But it made me doubt myself and my content further on, as I didn't reach that same success after that. It was a fluke and nothing more to it than that. I can see that now.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I think you're barking up the wrong tree here buddy. You were noticed. You are on some radars. You are an early adopter with a track record of success and successful content.
Don't fall for the fallacy of you 'deserving' your earlier payouts, or that of 'thinking the network is broken'. You deserve nothing. Earn it.
I'll tell you something.
Steemit life is unfair. Networking is unfair. Capitalism is unfair, by virtue of us being mortal creatures with different starts and ends in it. This isn't monopoly where everyone is rewarded for passing start, and where we all start with a seed capital. Some of us start in debt or worse.
But the game itself, that's fair. The game is a closed feedback loop of chance, quality, value and cliques. It's up to you to decide how you want to play it. If you're not happy with the current board, work from the shadows to reform it. Reform it overtly, with crowdfunding and propaganda if you will. The blockchain is open. The blockchain does not forget, but it does not embezzle either.
This is your chance, your platform and your life.
Have some fun with it.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you for your comment. I do understand what you mean and the thing is, that I never thought I'd have the success I've had so far. I never thought I'd be getting followers, a bunch of upvotes, awesome comments, feedbacks and, obviously big cash rewards. I've even gained some friends here and I love this place.
The reason I started to doubt myself, or my content, was due to the beginners luck or what I should call it. Let's call it beginners luck as I got the whale-upvotes my first week. I've already stated within a few other replies in this post, that this was the crazy part. I'm not used to this success. I've never been used to it. I'm used to work hard, working a bunch of hours and putting in a ton of effort.. Afterwards, the rewards will come. It has always been that way for me.. Which is why I started to doubt myself when I experienced something totally different for the first time. My steemit experience so far is amazing. Especially since I got to experience something I've never experienced before.. The best part is, that I've managed to come out on top again, even after I started to doubt myself.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You sound like a stand-up guy. You'll do well here on Steemit, I'm sure. Consider me your follower ;)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you @spookypooky, I appreciate it :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
lol... I've never hit over 50 CENTS.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I'm sorry to hear that.. But you're not alone. There's thousands of users on steemit who never earned a single cent. My best advice to you would be, just keep going!
I personally had my ups and downs.. And I've even had a few days when things got so bad so I even started to question my own content.. I'm back on the right track again, and I'll keep pushing forwards, towards new goals.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
We should never give up. Just keep doing what you do. Eventually success is bound to come our ways. If not for steemit, we woudn't even be getting the money we are getting now! Cheers! :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Never give up and never doubt yourself. What happened to me was just a fluke. Nothing more to it. I see it clearly now.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Awesome
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thank you.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Just stay yourself, be truthful and write good stories.
Forget about the money
As I like to say:
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
That's some wise words. The main reason I started to doubt my own content.. Was because of berniesanders and dan. Due to their upvotes in the beginning. They obviously liked my content back then.. So what's the big difference? - Is it because of me ... Or is it due to something else?
Honestly speaking, I would have preferred to get these upvotes on content I write nowadays instead of back then.. If I did, then I wouldn't have doubted my own creations as much. Then I would understand that I improved during the time here and not the other way around. - No matter what though. I'm not a quitter. Things in life aren't always easy. Hard work, effort and persistence is what it takes to become a successful freelancer .. And I bet it's the same here too.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You are right. There is a huge luck factor here, so that is why people should keep trying.
Moreover, with the increase of the number of users it's more difficult to "make it". but on the other hand, more people also means more "average quality content", hence more room for good stuff.
I see your post is at $11. Maybe it will snowball. I hope it for you ! truly.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
You nailed it! :)
In the beginning of my freelancing career, I earned a few bucks here and there. That's also why I believe in hard work and effort. These things will pay off in the long run. And I'm here, long term. Which is also the reason I don't compare my own results with other people. I compare my results with myself. I've always done that. At steemit, it turned out the other way around actually.. I became a winner after just a few posts.. And I'm not used to that. I've never had that kind of luck. I've always worked hard and put in a ton of effort in my creations.. And suddenly, I got lucky after doing nearly nothing.. It turned out to be a superb experience for me!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Maybe you should do it regardless the money involved.
Maybe you should just write something you like.
Maybe you should continuously improve yourself (if you desire).
Maybe you shouldn't expect anything. Maybe then you'll see some good signs.
Maybe steemit is about a good community, good content, diversity.
That takes time. And patience. From all of us.
Maybe the journey is more important than the finish line or the prize.
Good luck and enjoy it. :)
Cheers.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Hang tough friend , better days are coming! I feel the same way too sometimes, but then I think, don't write for the money, write what you like. Someone will appreciate it.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I totally agree with you. Keep up the good work! :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
As someone who has found himself in the exact same situation as you, I have been thinking the same thing. It's easy to start doubting yourself, but in reality a lot of success here and even in the real world depends on luck and proper timing. Keep producing good content and you'll get back to the top!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Yeah, and that's where I've been. It's nice to meet someone who've had the same experience. It's a terrible place to end up in.. It sounds to me that you've managed to break free again. I'm glad. :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit