This is an interesting question and we can learn from other people's answers :)
I can only share what many people are already doing - showing up daily, creating content consistently, growing HP, and curating. I don't even trade much nor play games which I believe can be good ways to increase one's earnings.
For me this is the most important part because it allows us to actually scale our income from hive!
3 credits were added for the Liotes Ranking
Thank you lots :)