I think similarly to you. Thankfully, we can do whatever we want here, and that's great! It does come off as a bit desperate and ingenuine, at least to me, zapping for follows. Especially because at least for me, I follow based on the person's profile. If I find them intolerable and dislike all their notes, it doesn't matter how phat their zap is, I'm not gonna follow. It is difficult though to gain exposure and build up the follower count. It's a slow but sure process for me. But it is rewarding in a way, building a following through posting content that resonates with or that people enjoy. It'd be nice if it grew a bit quicker though, haha