2. Commenting and gaining a Following

For the first week or so I wouldn't recommend writing any posts on your blog.

This is a time for you to build up your exposure and following and to get the hang of the way Steemit works -- and the way it can work for you. So I would maybe resteem (share) a handful of posts that you really like, but not enough to push your Introduce Yourself post off the screen. You want people to see that post.

So, for the next few days, you'll be commenting like a beast and building your following.

But why?

Commenting on Steemit is very powerful.

The community here is still small, which means it's really intimate. Whales, for the most part, are friendly and unjaded. This is a good thing for you, because the more influential accounts (whales) can help you out a great deal.

When you go to someone else's post and leave a comment, make sure you are actually reading the post. If your comment isn't relevant to the post, or if you just say "nice post!", you'll look like a spammer and it'll completely defeat the purpose of commenting in the first place.

If you leave a good comment on a good post, you're going to get followers. Commenting is a great way to showcase your style to the rest of the community on Steemit and build your reputation.

Start conversations. Join conversations. Ask questions. Be authentic. The Steemit community is still very friendly on the whole, and even controversial topics tend to be dealt with in an mature and respectful manner. So if you show respect to the community, you will be rewarded with networking opportunities and followers.

Have a strong avatar

So, if you're commenting a lot, which you should, then people are going to have lots of opportunities to see you.

An eye-catching avatar will really help people remember you. And when they remember your avatar from comment to comment, they'll start to get a feel for how you operate and the style that you bring to Steemit. It'll give them more opportunities to get to know you and eventually follow you.

Some great examples of strong avatars are @papa-pepper, @ausbitbank, @fulltimegeek, @steevc, and myself @shayne. These avatars are iconic, colorful, attractive, and memorable.

I also drew three of the five ;)

How to locate good posts on which to leave comments

This is where a good part of the "work" comes into play.

I would strongly advise that you familiarize yourself with the "hot" tab. This is a search category that identifies posts that are likely to trend but are still young. These posts are perfect to comment on because you can get in early, leave a relevant comment, and be near the top of the comments section before it starts to trend.

Then, if/when the post trends, there your comment will be -- thoughtful and relevant, just waiting for all the Whales to take in what you've said and click over to your profile, see your introduceyourself post, and follow you because YOU'RE AWESOME.

Check the #introduceyourself tab daily

This will take you to all of the new users. Go to their posts and read what they say and leave a thoughtful comment. It will be very appreciated and 9 times out of 10 you will have a new follower.

This is also a good place to build up a network of exciting and passionate people who are interested in the Steemit platform. Face it, anyone who is interested in something like Steemit at this stage in the game is going to be on the eccentric side and likely has all kinds of interesting views and opinions.

I recommend doing this for a week or until you've gained 100 followers -- whichever comes first -- before focusing on posting.

Now, onto one of the most overlooked aspects of Steemit

Avoid link-dropping or follow-begging

I know, you want people to read and upvote your latest post.

But it's not a good idea to drop links to your work unless it's requested. And I also know that you're trying to build up your following -- and it's important that you do that -- but leaving a message like "Hey, I just upvoted your post and followed you. It would be cool if you did the same!" is no very courteous or respectful.

People have a free choice of who they want to follow. And if they like your work, they might follow you. If they don't, then there's probably a reason and you shouldn't take it personally. Just keep working on your own content and brand and eventually you'll get plenty of people following you.

• INTRODUCTION
• The introduceyourself or introduction post
• Commenting and gaining a Following
• Be mindful who you follow
• Posting
• BONUS TIP!

Feel free to leave any questions below!

Is there something specific that you'd like me to cover in a guide-style fashion? Let me know in a comment below.

Follow me @shayne

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