I'm relatively new here and don't have any friends on Hacker News (unfortunately). Of the 4 articles I've submitted, 3 have made the front page (albeit one only

I'm relatively new here and don't have any friends on Hacker News (unfortunately). Of the 4 articles I've submitted, 3 have made the front page (albeit one only very briefly). In my experience I was able to make the front page after receiving only a couple of votes. I'd say it is definitely possible to get traction by submitting relevant/quality content without gaming the system.