These are some very useful tips, I've been on here less than a week and I've got almost 60 followers, mostly just from trying to write good comments and supporting other users. I've found even most of the 'big guys' on here reply to well written comments and they like to support people who engage with their content. Most of my posts however have attracted little attention, though I have already had a few of the "I followed you follow me back messages" that you mentioned in this post