Economic incentives can still be offered, but in a sustainable manner. E.g. an advertising system can be built in, so people or companies can pay money to boost posts, and this can be returned back to the content creators. Let's be clear, Steem is never going to appeal to normies in its current state. And while the appeal of getting free money is interesting, it is totally unsustainable, as has been evidenced by STEEM price crashing throughout its history except for a couple of months here or there.