I came here from a little bit different spot. Traditional blog. I wrote my first 100 posts to about 3 readers. It took way over a year to get to the point of paying the $10 per month server bill. For me, traction seems incredibly easy to get. There are lots of post promotion options and it is just a matter of time and distance.
I'll guarantee I've had my stuff in front of more people in two months that I did in 2 years outside. It is the primary reason I am so excited.
I do think that paying it forward will be an incredibly important part of the fabric of Steemit going forward.