The steemit system doesn't reward merit or quality. The chance that a whale will notice your posts are zilch unless you actively seek them out and befriend, or better yet, bribe them, which is how the upvote bots work.
Otherwise the best you can do is hundreds of minnow upvotes for just a few dollars. It's not about how many people see your stuff, it's about WHO upvotes it and how much SP they have.
RE: It's true. Hanoi Swallows People