Thanks for the reply and welcome to #nostr!
There are no ‘payouts’ here in quite that sense of the word (implying a centralized entity deciding who and how much to pay).
Instead we have #zaps where we are able to send sats (little or big bits of bitcoin) to each other instantly when we like someone’s content. It is a peer-to-peer V4V (value-for-value) model with no middlemen.
I like to say nostr is to freedom of communication as bitcoin is to freedom of transaction.
To receive zaps you need to connect a Lightning wallet to your nostr account. Since things are still evolving here, different clients have different ways of doing that. Which client are you currently using? (I am mostly on nostr:npub18m76awca3y37hkvuneavuw6pjj4525fw90necxmadrvjg0sdy6qsngq955 myself)
You might like to check out this chapter I wrote on nostr in the recent 2nd edition of my book if you want to learn more about it.
https://d.nostr.build/XZv8D9J3w9IbxCuT.pdf
https://thesimplestbitcoinbook.net/
Since there are no algorithms here, the way to get followers and engagement and have the best experience is just like in real life, where you interact with others and post quality contact yourself.
If you take a break for any reason, and don’t post for a while, when you return and start posting your same, followers will see the content you post, and you will not be ‘downgraded’ because you were away.
I hope that helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have. People here are generally way more friendly and helpful than over on the bluebird app. When you post a question, it can also help to add the hashtag #asknostr
Lastly, as I mentioned before, things are evolving here, so it helps a lot to be patient when there are glitches or app, crashes, etc.
If you want to see a feature, you can ask if any devs are working on it or willing to work on it, etc.. This whole ecosystem is growing and everyone of us has the chance to play a part 😊
Oh one more thing, check out nostrapps.com to see some of the incredible apps being built on the nostr protocol. 
