The first point you raised explaining not to expect many rewards until you post 100's to even a 1000+ blogs, is sooo true. I also fell into the trap of expecting quick rewards, having seen those on the trending page earning $100+, I got quite unmotivated that my blogs weren't appreciated like theirs. But persistence is everything, I did not stop creating blogs and always tried new types of blogs, and eventually I posted a STEM related blog that got got a $30 upvote from a STEM curation trail, i was so excited! My first big reward!! So defs my advice to anyone else who is also trying to make it big on steemit, is keep trying! And don't be afraid to try new things!! Your persistence will pay off, and when it does you will be handsomely rewarded :)
Thanks @swissclive for making a blog like this, I think it's really valuable and insightful to minnows, in that it's no bullshit and tells it how it is.