I promise you this. You haven't heard this before. Some of you might have read my previous posts. Some of you, have never seen them. Some of you might recognize my username.. And others don't.
I am hitmeasap. My real name is André Strand. I live in Sweden and even though I'm not native in English, I do what I can to produce good content. I work hard. I try.
I've been on a bumpy road so far on steemit... And I know I'll face future obstacles too.
At one point, I even doubted myself and my own content..
It was due to the success I had. The success I had during my very first week on Steemit.
That experience was something different. I've never had that kind of luck ever before. I never got paid before I worked myself "up the ladder" so to speak. On steemit.. My first week, something rare happened to me.
This story is about the rocket that took me from the ground to the moon...
I don't really know how it all happened but for some reason, a whale landed on my post. For some reason, the "upvote" was delivered and I got thrilled, ecstatic and nervous to be honest..
Nervous due to the fact that at any point, another whale could come.. I was trending on the first page, even though I was quite far down the list.. I was still there.
At any point, another whale could drop by and give me a downvote and crush my dreams and earnings in pieces. With one click of a button.
One tiny click on a button.. And I could've got even more than what I got.. And I could also get nothing at all.
- A few hours later.. I got paid for the post. -DAMN! That's one of the best experiences I've ever had online.. And I've been working online for about 5 years now, full time, as a freelancer..
Honestly.. It's insane.
I decided to do another post.. And suddenly, that same whale dropped by again. BAM! - Pending payout of $400 or so.. My first thought was.. "yeah right". I couldn't believe it. Not until hours later when I suddenly noticed another whale on that same post. - BAM! Pending payout of more than $800..
And here's where this story takes a terrifying turn.
Seriously. I made more than $1000 for 2 posts. That's $500 a piece. I've never got paid that much for anything online before. Not even once. Not that fast..
This was my first week god dammit! - What the hell is going on..?
Honestly though.. I made a bunch of posts before I got struck by lightning. The scary part is.. That it happended twice when it happened. Two days in a row.
The third day, I made 2 different posts. One of them, just a meme. I got $7 for that one.. And $7 is awesome. If I had shared that thing on any other social media, I'd never earned a single cent..
So that $7 meant a lot to me. Not due to the actual amount, but because I could see both potential and that I was able to generate some extra income for doing something I usually do for free.
- An hour or so later, I made another post.. Payout: $614.
That literally equates to more than $1500, in 3 days.. That's almost as much as an employee at a grocery store here in Sweden earns in a month. - I made a month's pay in 3 days..
- Me. I did. A random guy on a new website called steemit.
There's no wonder people are getting hyped about the payouts for the trending posts. I got hyped too!
I made a shit ton of money, in my opinion, in 3 days.. And all I did, was to publish 4 different things.
What did I do next?
- I continued to publish new content obviously! - I had hit the jackpot for the first time in my life!
A short story about me and my life..
I suffer from panic anxiety and I've been doing that for the past 4 years, almost 5 actually. Ever since my father passed away. He died in front of me. At home. I was 27 years old.. Since that day, I've been taking care of my mother as much as I possibly can. And yeah, it's hard. Sometimes it's really difficult..
I miss my father everyday. I think about him all the time.. I hugged him for the last time when he laid there in his bed at home.. He was starting to get cold.. I said to him, between all the tears and the pain I felt..
"I promise that I'll take care of my mother".
That's the last thing I ever said to him. I wish he heard me. No matter if he did or not, I promised him something and I'll do whatever I can to keep my promise. - I will never break that promise!
The best thing about working from home, online as a freelancer.. Is not the fame, glory, red Ferraris or enough free time to do whatever I want, whenever I can..
For me, the best part is.. That I don't have to be afraid of the panic anxiety I have. I don't have to talk about it with my co-workers or explain things for my boss. I manage to earn enough to pay the most important bills and I can help my mother. That's what matters.
On top of that, I have a beautiful girlfriend. I can take care of her too. Perhaps not in the exact ways I would want to.. But we've been together for a long time now, and I truly love her. Family matters to me. It's the most important thing in life.
Let's move on with the story and let's go with some honesty here..
With about $1500+ in earnings.. I obviously kept going for more. I joined steemit due to my despise for facebook and other social media platforms.. - And I stayed due to all the cash I made. - It helped me alot in real life. I could support my mother easier, I could pay my bills and I could live a life where I didn't had to work my ass off 15 hours per day..
Like I've already mentioned, this was the best experience I've had online. Well, perhaps that's not entirely true but it was at least the easiest cash I ever made. It was easier to make money on steemit than it was to ask my father when I was a kid for some money to buy candy.
- My father never said no. I always got money from him.. So you can imagine how easy I thought it was to make money on steemit.
The story continues..
I published a couple of more posts.. And suddenly something weird happened..
I got just a few dollars on each post.. Post after post.. $7.. $7.. - "Seriously.. Something is messed up. There must be some crazy bug or error on steemit?!"
I made a new post. A better one. Well, at least I think so. I try to improve my writing and my posts for each new post I make.. It's hard not being native in English but I'm used to work hard and to put in a lot of effort.
"This will go big so everything is back to normal again.."- $33..
I hit that publish button once again later on that day and ended up with another $8... -Seriously?!
"Okay.. Calm down André. You got this! - Just be cool." I came up with this awesome idea and I went for it. BAM! - $634. - I made another post. $439..
I published another one.. $24!! - "Hey! - The site malfunctioning again..?"
When I first started out, I made one of those "awesome" introduction posts.. (You know the ones that are "always" trending and has pending payouts of $2000+) However, I got $5 from my post. Due to the success I've had so far, and as I had become more and more familiar with the site, I decided to share another one. A better one. $122.
At this point.. The real problem started..
I made 17 posts after that.. And got $40 at the most.. 17 posts!! - "...What the F is going on?!"
The thing is that:
- I am the one who messed up!! - BIG TIME! - I started to do the things I did for the money.
- I published my posts and I expected big payouts. I expected the same results I've had so many times before.
I made another post. $104. I published 8 more posts after that and earned $29 at the most for one of them.
At this point.. I started to doubt everything I did.. And everything I had done..
- What is going on? - What am I doing wrong?! - Have I done something different? - What's the reason for this? - Is it me? - Is it steemit? - Is it something else? - Did I publish my posts at stupid times?
- Damn. Perhaps I blew all my chances.. Perhaps I should have published less posts.. - All the readers are tired of @hitmeasap by now and I'll never earn a single cent again..
I thought of nearly everything.. My head was filled with crazy thoughts and ideas. I just had to understand why this happened. Why now?
- Why can't I earn?! - "everyone else" are making thousands!
Instead of analyzing other people's content I analyzed my own..
Instead of looking at the trending post and trying to figure out why whales upvoted this and that.. I spent some time analyzing my own posts. I read them all. Several times. On which posts did I earn the most..?
I noticed that I went "big" on one of my posts where I talked about what I will do for steemit in terms of bringing more users. Instead of publishing the same article once more.. (I hate plagiarism and don't support copied content at all, not even if it's your own content.) I made another post, about the same thing again, but I developed it. I explained it better. I shared more details. I went, once again, all-in. $634. - "Yeah, that's the spirit!" - The next day, I published another one.
This time, about the success I had, but more importantly, that people never should give up, no matter the results they got. They will get noticed if they keep creating good posts. Sooner or later, someone will find them. Once again, someone obviously liked my share, so I got another $483. - The next day, $196.
Here's the "fun" part..
I made another post. In my own opinion, one of the best ones I've made so far. I explained in detail what I would do, to bring more people to steemit. How I would bring more users. I shared details about the whole campaign. I listed all the things I'm about to give away.. For free. For one purpose alone. - To bring more people to steemit.
Products I'd buy with money from my own pockets.. This was my contribution to steemit. And I knew I'd get a bunch of awesome advices, which I was looking for. I wasn't looking for the money.. I wasn't looking for a "thank you" from dan or ned. I was looking for advice.. Nothing else. - $4.. That's how much I made.
I made another one.. about more or less the same thing, but in a different way (like I did previously).. *And I made $6.'
So, what do I want to say with all of this..?
- Don't give up. No matter how much luck you have, no matter how little you get.. - Don't doubt yourself. - Believe in your content. - Believe in yourself. Be unique. Be you.
I know that I'm still just a small fish among all these amazing authors you can find on steemit.. But you could still learn something from my story..
What I came to realize, even if it took me awhile to figure out..
- Do your own thing. You will get exposure sooner or later.
- Don't write for the money. Money will come sooner or later.
No matter how much you analyze others, no matter how much time you spend on your post. No matter if you publish 1 or 4 posts per day.. None of that matters. Keep going!
There's also a bunch of cool websites out there, such as catchawhale for instance. One quick glance at the site and you'll see when the whales are awake. You'll see their activity. My recommendation? - DON'T LOOK!
If you start to publish content when the whales are the most active.. And get nothing. You'll most likely end up being sad, angry and disappointed. - That's what happened to me! - That's one of the reason I started to doubt my own content and started to doubt myself.
At this point, when I write this, it looks like I'm back to "square one" again, without going "big"..
Perhaps this will continue for a few days... A few weeks or months.. But I won't stop. I will never stop.
- Take it from me. A person who went "to the top" and back again..
Best Regards,
hitmeasap
great post I will be featuring it today in my daily pick of hidden gems
Thank you. That's awesome! :)
@hitmeasap I imagine payouts might get less as there is more competition the more STEEMIT grows. In the long run, the view is to try to re-invest some if not most of your earnings into STEEM POWER. As STEEMIT grows so will what you have vested. Then after a good while you can consider withdrawing. My 2 cents anyway. Good luck and yes, post what moves you. Write about what you have passion for. Provide intelligent and informative content and all will be well. ps I wouldn't quit my day job, at least not just yet (and no disrespect to your work, more of a just wait and see attitude).
FULL $teem Ahead!
@streetstyle
Thanks for sharing @streetstyle, I appreciate it. Made a lot of sense :)
I find that this market graph relates to the Steemit blogsphere just as well.
Too many people get caught up in "euphoria". What goes us must also come down. Going back up again from the bottom, is what seperates the wheat from the chaff. You won't make it if you don't love it.
Great share. Thank you! :)
Insightful post, and one that I am bookmarking for future reference!
Thank you very much. I appreciate it :) :)
Really nice article, upvoted and following ;)
Thank you very much, I appreciate it! :)
1
Thank you :)
Great post, you're making a lot of sense!! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, I appreciate it :)
As more people have joined it has become harder to get noticed and I suspect the whales are also very limited in their time so it becomes less likely to get a big payout even if your posts do get better due to simple practicality.
The good news is that eventually it won't matter. As STEEM distribution increases and greater numbers join those who have persevered and built up a following will start to earn more. It may not be enough for anyone to quit their jobs but that is unlikely anyway even now - only a few people have made huge amounts of money.
People should join because of the community and the ability to get rewarded rather than expecting to get rich. I think as people start to understand the platform more this will start to happen.
For me the best thing here is the community. It is so much nicer and less trolling than say Reddit or even Facebook.
I agree with you about this community being better than reddit and facebook. There's no question about it at all! :) - About the whales. I think you are on point there too. They seem to be limited and they vote as much as they can, even new users are being upvoted regularly and that's awesome to see! :)
What does it say about the nature of money if we are all losing our minds when somebody we don't even know clicks a button on a screen? Mad world we live in. Thanks for the post.
Liiiiike, seriously. You don't need to break your brain "trying" to be original, just come as you are, add your value and pour yourself out on screen and I'm sure you'll find some people who vibe with you. It's the "trying" that comes across as fake. If you are putting your heart into it, you will put your whole self into it.
I am the me I was born to be, doing what I do for all see. Thanks! Good motivator.
Great story and use of skills. Loving it!
Thank you very much, I appreciate it :)
https://steemit.com/life/@dragonslayer109/daily-pick-of-hidden-gems-22 here is where i will be featuring your post
Thank you, I appreciate it! :)
Well written and thank you.
dubloon135
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it :)
@hitmeasap damnit, are you speaking directly to my soul?? it's like you touched upon a lot of things that I was asking in a recent post: https://steemit.com/thoughts/@jedau/i-the-forgotten
Thank you for this. Now, take my upvote!
Haha, sorry mate.. Or not.. I dunno. :D
And thanks! :)
No, no. It's a very funny coincidence. Just goes to show solutions earn more than rants. I'm happy for your success! :)
Thank you very much, I appreciate it :)
I am an old hand in the game of "originality." I have learned two things: ONE is that the more you struggle to be "original" the more you sink and, TWO, "originality" never comes out of research or chasing after what is "trending but out from mostly random impulses that push you to write something you are certain you cannot write.
I've seen this sequence play out with large caliber "successful" people, some of whom still wonder how and why they scored big with that one story--the spirit of which they have been unable to invoke and recreate since.
Great post!
Thank you for sharing.
Yes i totally agree with this stance !! People must be individuals here and stand by their own personal content and interests !! Or we just follow and clone our thoughts to one gelatinous mass of fear of being outside the collective box of the wider community !! ; - )
Yeah, you are correct. Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks for the post, i am new to this and it helped me understand how it works.
Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it :)
words of wisdom my friend..rise again like the Phoenix..You deserve it
Thank you very much. I appreciate it :)
That is how this thing work. You need a bit of luck too. If it means something I was advertising your post on another that had same vision about shirts, and even prompted you about that guy and said to reach to him. You need strong followers base than thing lift off. But they might get bored if u talk about the same thing all the time about making steemit big.
Not giving up is the right formula. Keep trying and you will succeed.
Yeah, I agree with you. 50,000+ users writing about all they will do for steemit could be tiresome in the long-run.. I get that.. One should also think about the fact that people might not be interested in the same things you are. Which could be a reason for the lack of votes.
Good thing what you said above is to not worry and you will have results. One day I've seen one guy posting in a comment section on all new posts promotion of his post and said to him: "That although his post is good, it is not nice to spam on others content without contributing, because I saw he wasn't reading them". He replied that he is desperate, he injured his foot on work and is now on minimal wage and that he will do anything to get noticed. His post earned about 150 votes but landed 50$ (post was concerning whales who should start voting on content better else their baby will die). Idk if he is still here and I hope he didn't give up. I hate that for the time being good post is good for let's say 24h. That makes people spam new content a lot. He after few hours went to write another one and wasn't a part of a discussion on old one (you do a bit of the same thing also, but almost all of us do the same because system works that way).
To get back to the first point of how you should do what you think is right and the prize will come. I have read a post here about a Law of reversed effort by @fishborne it talks psychologically on that matter so read it if u like.
https://steemit.com/psychology/@fishborne/the-law-of-reversed-effort-the-harder-you-try-the-less-likely-you-are-to-succeed
One thing that is also important is to hear what others are saying and not only promote our ideas. That is what I do here and why I do things like this promotion of someone else's post that is 2 or 3 weeks old. It won't make me or him rich but will make this better place.
Voted, a very good recounting of the experience when a whale licks you. It does drive you a bit demented!
Haha yeah. Thank you :)
Thanks for the insight. It really is about being inspired to share your own story. I trust there is a population of people who care about my content and future content regardless of their position in the steemit growing pond. Peace and thanks.
You're welcome, thank you :)
Hard earned wisdom.. :) Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Hehe yeah, one could say that.. Thank you! :)
Thanks for bringing some reality (realism?) to my understanding of Steemit, after just one week on here. An interesting observation though: I have been reading posts and have upvoted 5 in the last half hour or so. On the first one, my upvote was worth .09c, the second .06, then .03, .01 and on the last 2 posts I have upvoted, including yours, my upvote was worth .....ZERO :-(. Not sure what that tells me, but maybe one upvote a day is the way?? Cheers. Stuart :-)