First, let's address the elephant in the room:
The person who got 1000+ subs within a span of a week most likely has a fanbase elsewhere or could've been promoted.
Having an Established Fanbase:
A good example of this is Noodle Bois from Webtoons:
Only two updates, and the creator has 20.5 k. But if you go into the comments, people are yelling:
"Tiktok squad, where ya'll at????"
"Who's here from Insta!!?"
This creator has been posting artwork elsewhere (WIPs, concept art, little doodles), and promoting the release. They've gained a fanbase. Hence, when they finally uploaded, that fanbase followed them to the comic. The same is happening here. Whoever you're watching get those 1000+ subs in a week is probably coming in with an established fanbase.
Getting Promoted:
The creator you're looking at could've also been promoted. That's either by Webtoons itself or by another creator who's well-known on Webtoons. People tend to look at things that get promoted on the front page more often than not.
I'm someone who got the promotion. I've been posting on Webtoons for 1-2 years, but it wasn't until the end of last year and earlier this year that I got several promotions. Before that, I had about 700 subs gained on my own for one of my comics. Now, that comic sits at 10.6k subs. But that's not the end of your job.
I was still able to gain 700 subs on my own, and I did that by:
- Being active in the comic community
- Showing WIPs
- Building authentic relationships with other creators (key word is authentic).
- Talk to your current readers.
Being Active in the Comic Community:
Well, this can mean a lot of things. Sometimes, it means offering advice to other beginner creators on how to make comics or showing how you do a certain process. For example – do you have a method for how you draw buildings? What about hair? How do you draw a car? Or hell – maybe you’re excited about another comic that’s coming out.
People begin to look at you as someone who’s engaging with others, who has comics they like (outside of their own comic), and who wants to help.
Other times, it can mean asking questions to the sites you’re working with and being on their radar. I follow the Webtoons Canvas Twitter, and I tagged them when I promote my own comic. I also ask them questions and engage back with them with they ask creators questions.
Doesn’t mean you have to be a preppy cheerleader to do this. Just wanting to engage, ask questions, and offer suggestions help.
Showing WIPs:
I’ve said this in tons of threads in these forums, but people love WIPs. It makes them a part of the process, and it’s the prefect chance to engage with others. I do it all the time – I post WIPs of comic panels, or random doodles, or sketches, and I talk about the process: what inspired me, what made me do X instead of Y, and what’s the easiest for me to do.
I think the best example is also Heikala Art:
https://twitter.com/heikala_art
This creator is always showing her process with watercolors and then the finished piece. It would be easier to just show the finished work, but she makes it where you feel you’re part of the action. You see the artwork go from a sketch to all of those little details, and it’s just mesmerizing.
Building Authentic Relationships with Other Creators (key word is authentic):
Get to know more creators. You're already in a forums -- ask about the process, dive into some of the conversations that are happening (both comic related and not). A lot of times, people come on here just to promote their work or collab in hopes of getting more subs. But I think building strong relationships is the best thing.
It's what I did -- I got to know some of the people here, I made friends, and now I know a lot of wonderful creators that do amazing work. Even more, I promote their work and they mine. Not because we feel obligated, but because we've gotten to know each other, we've invested in each other's works, and we really like what the other is doing.
Talk to Your Current Readers:
Start with the readers you already have. You have 200 subs -- that's 200 readers you like your work right now. That many people can fit an auditorium. 200 people are reading your work. That's pretty awesome when you change "subs" into "people". So now engage with them.
Ask them how they felt about the update. What them what they think could happen next. Foster that atmosphere for better dialogue. A lot of times, people do not comment unless there is something to comment about. So if that update isn't particular exciting, they might not comment. So you have to make it exciting.
Why was this update important? What about it show people be looking at?
Again -- these are some suggestions on what has worked for me. And these are the things that kinda led to me getting on Webtoons' radar and getting promoted. I can't guarantee that everything I mentioned will help you, but I will say it doesn't hurt to try.
I hope this helps! (and I hope this wasn't too long XD)