How this Post Might Hit the Front Page

So I'm not new to Hacker News. I check the site everyday, however I've never bothered to actually post or submit content.

So I'm wondering, how does one get their post to hit the front page, and actually get some decent traffic?

If it does hit the front page, how much traffic can one expect to get from HN?

Does it require simply submitting great content alone, or do you have to be social and know a lot of startup people on here to get your stuff upvoted?

Thanks