It might seem like an odd thing to do but if you are a minnow and you want to get more exposure for your posts, and you have very little steem power or not many steem backed dollars (SBD) then this might help you get some more exposure, steem and SBD.

It will take you time and effort but it may be a way to grow your presence on the many platforms of steemit, Dtube and Busy to name just a few.

@jerrybanfield and @molometer (me) at #steemfest2 in Portugal.
![jerry banfield and molometer.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWSUaJnGT2Pv6mDyu4vuDxVm1ga9mRE2LF1nNhiETS5Gk/jerry%20banfield%20and%20molometer.jpg)

I invested money into steemit to get the vote power slider, then I invested some more just because I have faith in the platform after meeting so many steemians in real life at steemfest2 in Lisbon, Portugal and at other meetups in the UK. 

**I have not taken one penny out of steemit in the entire time I have been on here and I always powered up every cent I made.**

Not the most sensible strategy in any venture.

@mammasitta and me having a coffee on the sidewalk.

![mammasita.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYuNrGZDubT8mHMJgqveC9AJ5NdM8EzUEsGJzfMkkRQac/mammasita.jpg)

I travel a lot which doesn’t come cheap. When I make a post, in my mind it has a dollar value based on what it cost to get that content and I do want a return on my investment. 

When you first start on steemit and you put all that effort into a post and get $0.2 in return. It can be disheartening. 

You may rationalize, that like many things, it can take time to build up a following. But then you see brand new people joining steemit and you see that they are making $100’s right from the start? 

Their content isn’t any better than yours and in many cases it’s just a crappy photo with no explanation whatsoever? 

In fact, there are many accounts that are just complete trash, fake and plagiarised content from the web. 

Memes and suchlike. Luckily we have @steemcleaners that track this stuff but they are overwhelmed with the number of posts that they have to deal with daily. I support them with what little I have.

I had a great chat with @logic about which was the most affordable country in Europe to live in? Portugal it turned out was top of the list. I may have to move there to survive in my retirement.

![logic.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcKb9c8A5kpg2g3NoSwneZUCdBaUTGKCTP7Mytqd8rBBe/logic.jpg)

**The secret to 'success' on Steemit**

When I looked into some of these accounts two things stood out. 
They are either getting a lot of support from a very few whales or they are using the upvote bots. 

**It’s then that you may come to realize that you are actually in a game. A real and serious game. It’s a social experiment called capitalism and you better get your act together and fast.**

As I have no whales to support me. I decided to try an experiment. 

I started to power down my steempower to give me something to bid with and I began using the upvote bots which you can track using a great tool at [steembottracker](https://steembottracker.com/) designed and maintained by the developer [Yabapmatt]( https://steemit.com/@yabapmatt)

Steemit developers.

![steemit developers.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSKzGH1ShAkcJ24JhdWZHKy8KqRtF1LgtvihRohN9Y3Bd/steemit%20developers.jpg)

You will have to experiment with it to get a decent return on your bid but in general it has been worthwhile to spend the extra time to get my post a bit more of the oxygen of publicity. 

Whether it is going to be successful is another question but at this point I’m not going to sit by and ‘hope’ that things will suddenly improve. I’m going to do what I can to make it happen.

Steemit does have it's own post promotions tab on the main website that you can use but virtually no one uses it, as the money you spend with it is just burned and you get little in terms of more exposure. 

**What you should be trying to do is raise your profile, earn some more steem and improve your chances of your posts actually being seen.**

Watch this video from [Joe Parys]( https://steemit.com/@joeparys/) on how to use the upvote bots and rather than redo the video myself I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me sharing it with you. 
You can also bid for and upvote your posts on the bot tracker website.  

https://youtu.be/RdNxk_R423E

Do your own research and be careful. If you see one of the upvote bots and you think it might be wise to wait to the last minute to grab an upvote. 

**Don’t do it, because there are loads of other people thinking exactly the same thing. 
And when you all bid at the last minute. Not only do you lose money but everybody in that round of votes loses money. It's a quick way to piss off a lot of people.**

My advice is to bid early and forget about it. If you are profitable that’s great and remember. When you upvote your post. 
Everyone that commented and upvoted your post is going to get considerably more in curation rewards. This will make your upvoters and resteemers a bit more money.

You are supporting the upvote bots too which allows them to help more minnows. So it’s a win, win to all involved. 

I often use @jerrybanfiled 's upvote bot of the same name, as the revenue from this bot goes to fund other steemit based promotional projects.

**Ethics:** In any business the first priority is to be profitable. Steemit is a business as well as a social network. We are the shared owners of this business. Use the network effect to boost your exposure.

If you want to deprive these sock puppets and fake accounts? Then it is almost your duty to use these bots and make it less profitable for the scammers.

The upvote bots are there for a reason. They were developed and deployed for you to use and to be successful. 

**They are a tool that you should use respectfully. Don’t abuse them. If you feel that your content is worth more than what you are earning. Try them out.**

This is not financial advice just common sense.  

![the new steemit branded t-shirts.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWSzwXxDSuFUaXDrnomvPXLtgoAHdvrGiqMxANzMaPLFF/the%20new%20steemit%20branded%20t-shirts.jpg)


I wish you every success, however you define that word. Steem on.