As to your point regarding Vocal vs Medium. I get shit traffic on Vocal. I've made really good coin winning challenges. It's a different beast.

Tugging the heartstrings seems to work for me, as does going against the grain. But not in that obvious way. I've won 3 challenges, placed in countless others. They've made me happy. They've pissed me off to the point of quitting. But I'm still there because every now and then I hit it big with a challenge.