Hello everyone!
Today I want to share some useful tips in order to help you gain some exposure on this overcrowded art site. 

Keep in mind these are just small things you can do daily to be active on the community and get noticed, you won't become famous in 24 hours doing this! If you're pursuing fame, this journal is not for you.

So I joined DA. What do I do now?

You joined the biggest art community you can find on the internet. This means there are already millions of members and you have to work hard if you want to get some feedback and exposure.
Don't worry! It's not impossible. To be noticed here you just need to be active and engage on community activities. This means you can't submit art and run and expect favs and feedback to fall from the sky.
You can read this to get started:
FAQ #56: How can I get noticed on this site?

Ok, but how do I become an active member?

 
Don't worry, it's just about growing a daily habit and interacting with the community. No Hocus Pocus here Let me give you some tips and tricks:

Be kind to other members and comment on the art you fav. Post something more meaningful than just "nice!". I usually tell what I like from the artwork, for example: "Beautiful composition! I also love the colour palette, it's very delicate!"
This way you'll show your appreciation for the art faved and you'll let the artist know you took time to look at their work. Maybe that grateful artist visits your page and browses your gallery, too! 

Post onThumbShare Forums to share your art and find new artists you may like. Discuss about art on Art related Forums. There you can find nice people willing to help you and give you art advice, share art, discuss and meet awesome people.
But please, please, read forum rules before joining them!
FAQ #801: Are there any rules for the Forums?

Join groups that are well moderated and actually active. This means groups that offer real support, where some art gets rejected because Admins really care. Believe it or not, those groups are better than we-automatically-admit-anything groups. If your art gets rejected, take a deep breath and politely ask them why. Maybe they offer you actual constructive criticism.

Post journals doing art features. Feature your watchers' art as a way to thank them for the support. Feature beautiful art you find on ThumbShare forums and let people know you think their work deserves more attention.
Keep in mind that journals are for important updates, announcements or art features; for small, silly or funny things use status updates.

Please, don't spam your watchers with status updates and polls (if you're a Core member). That can make them unwatch you. Don't be a drama llama, that's not the way to success because that can easily annoy people or even scare them and make them run away from you!

Organize your gallery. Show only your best works on the featured folder. WIPs and sketches go to Scraps, to avoid spamming watchers.
Tag properly your mature work and try to post it in the right category to make things easier for the community.
FAQ #220: What is Mature Content?
FAQ #554: Is my deviation Mature Content?

Reply to the comments on your art with a "thank you!". It's not that time consuming and it's polite and kind. You'll let your watchers know you are grateful for the feedback and they will keep commenting on your art.

Give out a lot of llamas. Install One Click Llama Button on your desktop and Two Click Llama Button on your smartphone. This is important to make people visit your page.

What if I am not receiving feedback?

Don't worry. It's a slow process since DeviantArt is a huge site and people have to find you to comment on your deviations.
However, you can speed it up by actively joining groups such as ProjectComment, GetWatchers or GetExposure, among many other active groups.
These groups focus on giving and receiving feedback and support. If you're looking for criticism, these groups can be your place! 

I always say if you want to receive, you must give! It's all about reciprocity.
Give what you want to get and you'll get noticed soon!

Best of lucks! !