TBF, it's probably @steevc that's kept me going since 2017. I would argue that having a mentor such as Steve has got to be a positive in the popularity stakes, and I would be lying if I said Steve's delegations to me over the years have not helped by making my account slightly more attractive.
Personally, I can empathise with accounts that complain they're not getting the rewards they [think they] deserve. We all believe our work is on a par with the likes of Shakespeare, Orwell and the Chuckle brothers, so I can perfectly understand when someone sees an account regularly hitting $100+ for what looks like a pile of shite while their own Plutarch "Parallel Lives" earns $0.37
Just like Social Media platforms such as Twitter et al., users need to post and comment something EVERY-GODDAM-DAY on Hive if they want to stay noticed. It's that famous saying: "Out of sight out of mind." Sadly, though, some of us cannot devote every single waking moment to Hive.
I will say Hive is the classic "It's not what you know; it's who you know" though. Or Steve's favourite: "The old boy's network." 😉 🤣
It does matter who you know, but if you are doing good things then it should get noticed. Rewards can vary wildly though. I know the curation projects try to spread them around, but some big accounts will have their favourites.