I was kicking myself for not buying sooner. Had been planning on joining the site for a couple of months now but didn't get around to it. Did the price really increase because "people are becoming more and more aware of STEEMIT" though?

I'm skeptical of the idea that there was a sudden explosion of awareness. I would always be skeptical of a large spike in price, and expect a likely pullback in price. What if there is a pullback and some of your viewers panic sell after following your advice to invest?