It's probably a difficult task to summarize my strategy and experience in a single comment. But let me try. Do these two things.

1. Contribute
2. Engage

You can contribute by doing anything that benefits Steemians and Steemit. It can be anything. 

Egagement happens only in comments. Reply to people who comment on your posts. Comment on posts that you read. Answer an unanswered query on any blog (if you know the answer).