Yeah, @papa-pepper tried an experiment early on, by posting another kind of content under a different account. It was a lot harder to duplicate his earlier success. He eventually ended the experiment and expanded his own posting topics rather than keep the two separate accounts. Even with effort, timing does count. But without the effort, the results are sure - just not in the right direction.

Even for folks just finding Steemit, there is still opportunity. We see some folks really rise if the topics, their voice, their sociability, and work ethic all line up. But connections to folks with power, right from the start, seem to have an outsized impact. That's the same as it ever was, and is a product of chance as much as anything else. Best of fortune with your planned project in 2018.