I see that you have a lot of comments so may not respond but one thing I found that worked for me ( I'm still a small fish in a very large pond, but a few people do upvote my content) is that you need to engage with the community! Comment on other people's posts, make some friends, after all this is a social site. If you come on here just looking to make money, people are going to be able tell!

Also, don't be afraid to state your opinion. Like you said this isn't facebook, reddit, or twitter, if you have an opinion and it is relveant to your post, don't be afraid to say it.

But most importantly love the content you post. It shouldn't feel like a chore!

This is an awesome post and I enjoyed reading it!