Well, there may be folks, like myself that despise the censorship, data harvesting, and forcefed propaganda on Fakebook. This is what I would emphasize in marketing, while retaining mention of rewards.
However, it is the rewards that will prove out Steemit, in time.
It is that time is of the essence that causes folks to bail when their expectations aren't met. It is therefore critical to limit expectations in order to retain active accounts.
@diabolika has recently posted that there is an active recruitment initiative that seeks out good writers, drops a few reward bombs on them early on, and then regards them as hooked.
This works, but creates great frustration, and I reckon still ultimately fails more than it works. Worse, it creates false expectations. People have quit jobs, moved into vans, and tried to make a living on Steemit because of early boosts.
It is writing like yours, and lucidity that I came here for, and I have not been disappointed. I reckon rewards need to be merely the icing on the cake, to preclude backlash.
The real draw of Steemit is free speech, and, presently at least, the lack of propaganda.