I would say it's very easy for a post to not gain traction. Even in my many months here and with all the "experience", I still have some posts that don't do really well.

I think the way to go is to not really focus on the rewards (no matter how difficult that sounds). If you write to engage and actually engage with the community, you'll actually be making gains on two fronts.

I think relationships are more important because in the long run, they'll bring the rewards we all crave.