I found interacting in communities on Discord has helped me a lot. Commenting, following, and engaging other authors you like goes a long way to get followers who actually engage rather than just follow for follow.
It isn't easy, I won't like to you.
What's discord? haha. I was going to start a blog on another server, but chose this one from the advice of my partner tbh. That is the second issue though, I have struggled to find like minded stories to follow my self! Everything decent seems to be hidden beneath all the junk