Yeah, I think this may be a little steep for some users but perhaps over time it will come down in price. 

For someone like me, who's been here for 7-8 months it's perhaps more valuable as when I posted a lot of my best research I had very few followers and Steemit had far fewer regular users.

Steemit inc. may also incorporate a similar feature in the future, so it's really an individual choice and maybe not for everyone.