How did Hitler get himself noticed and being able to take part in the election??

I'm not incredibly educated on Hitler's life, but from what I remember from college you're right about the first part. He got into the elections because he was gaining many, many supporters. He made friends with the right people and subsequently climbed up the ladder until he reached the top.

If you haven't already, watch the film, 'Hitler, the Rise of Evil.' It explains everything in movie format. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSjkpaXlXIE

After WWI, Hitler continued to work for the German army in their intelligence wing. He was sent by his superiors to infiltrate and keep tabs on the ultra-right wing German Workers Party. Hitler became interested in their politics, particularly their ultra-nationalism and anti-semitism. He began doing work and giving speeches for them. He left the Army in 1920 to devote himself full time to right wing politics By this point the party had changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party, or Nazi Party, and Hitler had designed the swastika banner for them. He turned out to be an extremely effective public speaker and extraordinarily charismatic figure. By 1921 he was speaking to crowds of thousands of people and was the most famous public figure in the Nazi Party. That same year the party named him their chairman, after he gave them an ultimatum to do so.

Hitler achieved this through his public speaking ability, his charisma, and the appeal of his ideas to Germans. The years after the war were a terrible time for many Germans. The economy was in the toilet and people were struggling to make ends meet. They also had to deal with the humiliation of the loss of WWI. Germany had been the biggest power in Europe prior to the war, with the largest economy, the largest industrial base, and the largest most modern army. Yet they were dealt a humiliating loss in WWI. And the post war years saw their economy in shambles and the one proud German nation humbled. Hitler and other right wing politicians were able to appeal to the nationalist concerns of many Germans. They explained that the problems Germany was facing were not the fault of the German people or German society. And right wingers like Hitler promised a glorious rebirth for Germany which would once again take its place as, in their view, the greatest of all nations.

In 1923, Hitler tried to carry out what has become known as the Beer Hall Putsch where the Nazis attempted to seize power in Munich Bavaria, where they were headquartered. Among those taking part in it was Erich Ludendorf who had been one of the top two German generals in WWI. This shows just how far Hitler's star had risen in just a few years that this guy who had once been a corporal in the German army was now standing, literally, arm in arm with the army's former supreme commander. The putsch failed, and Hitler was tried and convicted of treason. But the trial in many ways served to raise his profile. It gave him a national outlet for his ideas, which he moderated for a more bourgeois audience. He was sentenced to five years in prison but only served eight months, during which time he wrote Mein Kampf, his manifesto.

When Hitler was released he promised to foreswear violence and only try to achieve power through legitimate means. This was BS of course, the violent intimidation of rivals was always part of the Nazi playbook. But Hitler had learned an important lesson. If he tried to overthrow the state with out and out violence then he would be smacked down. But if he used the veneer of respectability to gain power then he might succeed. Hitler set about rebuilding the Nazi party. He attracted more and more members with his critique of the weakness of the existing German government. The various administrations of the time all struggled to try and get a handle on the economy, especially after the Great Depression. Hitler promised to do better and restore the German economy. At the same time he was able to play off of fear of Communism. The Germans had beaten back an attempted Communist revolution in the wake of WWI and many people in Germany still feared Communism. But the German Communist Party (KPD) was a large presence in Weimar Germany which regularly polled 10-15% in elections and, like the Nazis, maintained a large paramilitary fighting force to protect themselves and intimidate their enemies. Hitler and the Nazis promised to squash the Communists. And they promised to address the real economic problems which Germany and German workers, were facing without resorting to communist ideas. For people who were fearful of the Communists, whether we're talking about bourgeois German property owners, or working class Germans who leaned more right than left, this had an appeal. Hitler also, in contrast to the existing administrations, promised to scuttle the provisions of the Treaty of Versaille, which Germany had been forced to sign after WWI and which had imposed humiliating conditions on it such as a strict limit on the size of its military. Hitler promised to restore not only the economy but German military and diplomatic prestige as well. For nationalist Germans this had a powerful appeal.