Nobody really knows how it works - me included. Some things are curated (chosen for further distribution) and some things aren't. It seems entirely random at times.

Some of my un-curated writing (why anti-racism is pointless) does better than my curated writing. Things that I think won't get curated (Maxine Waters is stupid) do get curated, and things I think are shoe in (Elliot Page Umbrella Academy) don't.

I would say your best bet as a beginner on the platform is to keep things short and snappy. Use grammarly every time and use the Hemingway app to make sure your sentences are short enough (I don't use this anymore, but I used to). Given that there's 30,000 articles published every day on the site, work a little on treading that fine line between clickbait and offering something. Once a curator finds your work - if they enjoy it, they'll distribute it further. Keeping it short and snappy might be your best bet to get on the radar.

All this is pure speculation of course. You could write a dense 100 minute article and be curated like a total pro - I've been here two years and I can't work it out. :o/