This is incredibly simple advice, but it's not easy.
I do my best to stay consistent and post quality content; comment all the time and help people with their concerns. I've had some big post payouts, but mostly not big. The minimum has been going up slowly over time.
Would you say your climb was steady, or more fits and starts?
I started from the bottom like everyone, with only the delegated 30 SP from Steemit. It's been slow and steady at the beginning, but I put a lot of effort into Steemit and I'm grateful for what I gained in return, 7 months later :)