Early Thoughts on Steemit Strategy, Correct Me Where I'm Wrong, thanks!

So, I'm new to Steemit, but not new to online writing platforms or social media, and I'm starting to develop some strategy for platform expansion here. A lot of this is based on guesswork, but these are the things I am going to try. Been around a while and think I'm missing some things? GREAT! Share, man, share.

Influence building
Since last night, I've noted the number floating near my avatar head has jumped from 25 to 32. I assume this is an influence meter, although, I have not seen that stated. (it may be, I just have not seen it) So, here are three things I've done that I think contribute to this.

• Posted content: I added an introduction a short story (I write scifi) and a tips article on writing to see what would gain the most attention. Not much so far, but a little.
• Commented on other posts: I noticed that most of the comments that have been upvoted are longer and almost stand as added content, so I'm thinking this is a key.
• Replying to comments made on my own work: this is something that increases engagement on ANY platform and I'm assuming it will work here too.
• Following profiles I find interesting. So far I've risen to six followers, only one of whom I knew before. It's a start. I think this is likely key to "organic" influence.

*Going to try ending every comment with a relevant question to see if that gets me any more traction than a mere comment. *

Content construction
Since I am a full time freelance writer with content on most of the major writing sites, I'm applying the same techniques I use elsewhere.

• Valuable content is a must, no fluff, unless it's funny or entertaining. It has to add value to the conversation.
• Adding images, this was a bit tricky. My first short story has illustrations that didn't get embedded correctly (Pro tip: use Stackedit.io editor for better formatting) and I'd love to know if I can edit that post.
• Category selection, as always, I believe is key to getting found. Studying which categories get the most attention and looking for my niche, at least to get started.

*Next up, I'm planning to spend some time studying content that has major upward momentum to see if I find any common threads. So far I have not found much. It bothers me a bit to think that only influential votes can bring you up.
Off page promotion
While Steemit doesn't directly reward us for inviting new members, it seems likely that someone coming in from a link I share is more likely to upvote my post and follow my profile. So, I'm setting up some tools to create a syndication network, similar to what I use on my blogs.

• Creating an RSS feed from my blog page to make notifications and syndication possible.
• Sharing the RSS feed through a trigger building site I use to generate several dozen backlinks for each post.
• Echoing the promotion through [Massplanner] to my other social media platforms for more backlinks and views. (http://www.massplanner.com/?ap_id=Markrmorris2)

*I'll be interested to see how well this works on a "members only" platform like Steemit. Not something I've tried there. *

Additional thoughts

• I had one post copied from my blog, a short story. A bot noted it as duplicate content. I'm wondering how much that discounts things.
• I'm not a panderer, so I'll be interested to see if good content can get discovered without favor trading or sucking up.
• Would love to see this platform grow and become something more. I'm looking forward to a long future here, but experience shows most social media experiments falter quickly.
• Not sure how much time and effort to invest here, since I'm not sure if getting found by a "whale" is the only way to make it, in which case, volume and quality are not factors.

I am sure many of you have had a similar experience and I would love to see you add any advice or insight, especially if you've had successful posts. I'm not a competitor and will share whatever I find out.

When I first started in online writing I had to spend long nights researching and experimenting just to get my first few readers and I determined I would be the guy I should have met then, to help people shortcut their journey, wherever possible.

THANKS! in advance for your upvotes, replies and follows. I'll gladly return the favor.