Well hell, long time no see huh? I'd like to say I'm back from my, er, break all rejuvenated and refreshed and what have ya but honestly it's damn near midnight and I'm running on three hours of sleep that I managed to eek out on my couch this morning when I finished cleaning dog piss from my mattress upon arriving home at 3am after a 15 hour shift. But enough about me. How was your day? Aw, forget it. We ain't here to trade sob stories or have hardship contests, we're here to talk about comics, right?
Let's talk about your comic, for once! More specifically, how to get more folks to notice that ya even got a comic! That's the struggle, ain't it? Well, one of em- there's also drawing, writing, planning, plotting, formatting, publishing, etc. of course! But sometimes the getting anyone to read the damn thing part seems like the struggle we got the least control over.
So let's start right here, with this site.
First you can make sure you have a signature image banner so that when you contribute to the forums, other users can see that you have a comic. Got it? Great! So… er, then what?
Well it's like bein' at s party, kinda. At some point ya realize your “I'll just stand over here against the wall looking interesting and surely someone will come talk to me” strategy isn't the most effective way to meet people. Ya gotta actually approach people and engage with them! Thankfully here on the internet, ya run a way slimmer risk of having a drink thrown in your face and don't have to worry that somebody's gonna point out that weird thing you do with your mouth or how much you're sweating.
So how do you “engage”?
Comment on other people's regularly, recently updating comics, for one, especially the top ten. The folks who comment and read comments tend to be readers willing to invest their time in a comic, and return to it once they're interested. So there's a good chance at least some of ‘em will click on your name to have a look at your comic. But don’t be the guy at the party that interrupts conversations and only wants to talk about himself. If there is one thing that ya ought never do, it's post comments or start threads to the effect of, “hey check out my work”. That will make exactly no one want to check out your work, and will gain you nothing but contempt and revulsion. Dogs will growl at you when you walk past them, babies will start crying in your presence, and flowers will wither at your touch. Yeah, I know, it's a bit harsh but I don't make the rules, ok? Look, just be complimentary and play it cool, and people will come. Commenting on news posts and engaging in relevant discussions there can serve the same purpose, too!
So when people DO click on ya, what do they find? Make sure your profile page has enough interesting info about you that someone would want to see your work. This can be your stylistic or genre influences, hobbies, witticisms, personal background, whatever. Think, “what kind of tidbits or key words makes me wanna look at someone else's work?” and try to attract like-minded folk who dig what you do.
Speaking of which, you gotta keep doing what you do, dig? That's to say, consistency is key! Frequent updates will put your comic icon on the front page more often, thus increasing the odds more folk will see it and check it out.
Now if ya wanna step outside the boundaries of this here establishment and into the infinite vastness of the internet, let's talk about increasing yer popularity through outside sources. This can be done by getting a link to your comic on a popular blog or buying advertising through Project Wonderful- on other comics or on The Duck Webcomics. Ads are a sure fire way to boost yer readers, and is more affordable than it sounds; it's less like paying for friends than it sound like too.
If you get enough views, regardless of where they're bein' directed from, yer comic will go into the top 10 listing, and then even more people will see it on the front page. And that's it, kid! You've made the big time. Nothin left to do but relax with your piles of money and fawning harem, like all the big shot web comic artists! Huzzah!
READ MY COMIC DAMN IT! (A "how to" guide)
HyenaHell at 12:00AM, June 16, 2017
4 likes!
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Avart at 6:54PM, June 20, 2017
That's my method, searching some comics related to my style/type of story or in the top list, then read it and make comments. For me, it gives me better results than posting in a forum "Hey, I'm here... come to see my comic" :D Nice article!
stinger9 at 5:50PM, June 18, 2017
Pretty aptly put! Just to add to that frequent updates part, timing can be pretty important too. Updates can go unnoticed pretty easily if they update about 5 minutes before the next DD day, and get pushed immediately off the Latest Updates! There's probably some sort of ideal time to update, either a time when more people are on, or when there aren't as many updates, but any exact things on that are beyond me!
irrevenant at 6:36PM, June 17, 2017
Weighing in on community projects isn't a bad way to go either. There's a number of titles and artists I stumbled across through Heroes Alliance that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed. P.S. What Bravo said - there's also a heavy element of luck involved so do your comic because you enjoy it. Popularity is not guaranteed no matter what you do.
bravo1102 at 8:51PM, June 16, 2017
And then there are those who crank out stuff readers tell are first rate, even having creators in the T-10 As regular readers,who still nothing. Ads and awards and STILL can't break 100 page views. Some out here just get no respect. It's all great advice but for some, no matter what you do, readership is not guaranteed. Don't give up by any means, but don't expect the world to beat a path to your door either. Face it, some people can do ANYTHING and get acclaim and others can create tbe Sistine Chapel miracle of comics and get barely noticed. Welcome to my life.
rmccool at 7:09PM, June 16, 2017
I get a lot of those read my comic and recommend me letters.. ... the cameo my character and link to me letter.. do I love you ? ...a project with another writer can help,,, but you sort of have to earn my trust. if you call Warmwind the yellow thing with the dog thing... yeah its not happening... build a partnership with a writer whos work is like yours..is a good idea.. my fav letter is the are you really asking to be added as a co author on my comic when I don't know you... letter... I think just keep posting writing and drawing is my best advice.. nothing happens overnight.. and I know my early stuff sucked I was in the 200s and 500s for a long lime.... Amelius did give me some helpful words way back then... my kids where like 5 or 3 back then and they are 20s now... so way back ...I'm a old pooka...been here a long time...
Niccea at 9:56AM, June 16, 2017
I find new comics to read from the Awards or from other community events like Secret Santa. I feel community participation helps the most.
Amelius at 8:50AM, June 16, 2017
In addition to not plugging your wares on other people's comics before even saying hello-- don't send PQ's begging people to read your comic either! Throughout the years I've gotten plenty of messages that start with a vague compliment and immediately plunge into a plug. It makes me feel like a jerk to ignore those, but I don't think it's behavior that should be rewarded-- false flattery will get you nowhere, and believe it or not, T-10 don't exactly have inflated egos on DD. Even worse when you can tell it's a form letter they sent to all of the T-10. You'll get better results with genuine interaction-- so find similar comics to yours, ones you ENJOY, and share your feelings when you finish reading their entire archive. Leave comments and prove your interest! You just helped boost their hits and they may be more willing to return the favor. It's not a guarantee you'll get a return read, but at least you got to read a comic out of the deal!
KimLuster at 6:49AM, June 16, 2017
Very Nice - but I have to admit, I don't know how to put a banner on my forum posts that links to my comic :(
Ozoneocean at 1:12AM, June 16, 2017
Hahaha! Great job on this one HH, you knocked it outta the park! :) You made this far more interesting and engaging!