Broadly speaking, the people posting about success are a tiny and unrepresentative sample — it is not complicated, it is just easy to skip. One thing I notice: results vary a lot and a quiet fortnight means very little — it took me longer than it should have to work that out. Is the fish dating app the same as Plenty of Fish?
Honestly, taking a break when it starts to feel like admin is sensible — small thing, but it adds up.
For what it is worth, most quiet inboxes are a bio problem rather than a photo problem — nobody tells you this at the start.
From what I have seen, consistency matters more than intensity here — it is not complicated, it is just easy to skip.