Thanks for the awesome response @bmanmcfly! Steemit definitely gives content creators a chance to monetize their content early on before they even have those 10k views.
As for the follow for follow - some people do that, but it's not really the norm. People usually just follow those if they like their content.
There are numerous issues with how things are distributed on steemit, but In a general sense, the more people you draw, the bigger the rewards get. Which seems fair; especially when there are chances to see that some have built up a following over a period. Good way to maintain motivation that persistence can pay off.