Try using the interface on Steempeak.com to post: on the compose screen there is a drop down for beneficiary. It's OK to promote a post, but not to be seen to be earning a positive return. This was how things were with big accounts posting crap, bid botting themselves up and self voting and just milking the system. That's what @theycallmedan is fighting.
Adding @null sends any profits from that post to be burned (increasing the value of all Steem out there, @steem.dao sends Steem to the proposal system. If you'd still make some curation rewards, but you wouldn't be profiting so obviously from the bid-bot, you will still get into the trending lists and get seen and your content is probably good enough to then get organic likes.