Has Twitter dramatically increased subscribers for anyone?

[AdrenalineShots]

I ask as I still haven't played with it yet and it seems like a potential huge waste of time that could be spent creating comics?

[Aspie_Gamer]

I've gained a few new subscribers here and there through Twitter, but nothing really substantial from my experience.

[RayB]

Still new with very little views/subscribers. Twitter is one of my main outlets and while it hasn't directly helped with Tapas, it has helped with people going to my actual site. My site does far better than both Tapas and Webtoon combined as far as views go. Twitter and Facebook have a lot to do with that.

[Kayke]

Twitter has been good to me. I don't know if it has brought people to my Tapastic page specifically, but it's brought people to my main website and patreon. It's also gotten me comic and illustration gigs!

[Michelle]

Well, if your sole purpose regarding social media is "Get more subscribers", you'll probably find yourself frustrated regardless! Sites like Twitter are great for discovering new artists, talking with your followers, posting art updates and getting involved in the comic community in general. Doing all these things can translate into more subs, sure, but it works best if you genuinely want to interact with people and aren't just using it to post comic announcements.

imo time spent talking with people and forming genuine connections is just as vital as working on your comic. If you spend all your time making comics and zero time putting yourself out there, no one's gonna know who you are, and less people are gonna vouch for your work and share with others. That's not to say Twitter is the only way to do this; some people prefer Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, whatever. But I think going into any social platform with the sole purpose of gaining a ton of new readers is going to result in some disillusionment. Like comics, this stuff takes time and investment.

[AdrenalineShots]

Thanks Guys! What are the best hashtags to use when starting out as a webcomic creator? Are there any particular good ways to get started or alternatively bad ways lol : )

[AnnaLandin]

Nothing dramatic, no. But participating in webcomic-related hashtags has netted me some more attention, and there's no reason NOT to use it.

It's also gotten me comic and illustration gigs!

This is true for me as well! I'm working on a fairly substantial illustration-gig right now which I got via Twitter!

[shazzbaa]

I couldn't have said it better than Michelle!

This is my favourite tapastic thread on twitter info -- it has some tips for joining two of the big hashtag discussions in the comics community (comicbookhour and webcomicchat) -- but overall my biggest advice is always just, follow a bunch of artists that you like and admire, and watch what they do, and see what's working for them! Immersion is the easiest way to learn.

[Shanny8]

I feel Twitter has increased my subscribers. For the first few months I had been picking up steam, but not a lot. When I started really broadcasting my series on Twitter a lot, I started to see my numbers go through the roof. Pretty much since August , my views have increased massively- and I've picked up more subs than I thought would.

[ptrcksnntt]

The point of twitter is less art promotion and more putting you in quipping distance of artists you like. So when you reply to other folks soon after they post, or in a way that gets a lot of likes, you can piggyback on their fanbase a bit.

So short version is that it can be, but only if you're good at being a consistently witty extrovert

[shaneoid77]

Yes I think so, it's been a place to chat and share experiences with other webcomic creators too.
I think it's best not expect overnight results like :/

[MoonSquid]

You can't say so for sure, but I've only just joined twitter and am woefully lost as to how to get the ball rolling. I'm following a bunch of artists and such, but still getting ahold of hashtag etiquette. Apparently there are specific tags to follow at certain times but ??? I'm hoping it'll get easier with time XP

@Kaykedrawsthings how do you twitter? Do you do a lot of link posting / art uploading, or is it mostly text based conversations? Or am I looking at this the wrong way? XD

[Kayke]

@moonsquid I don't really do a ton of linking. I upload art and post work in progress pictures of whatever I'm drawing. But I also do a ton of chatting with people and making jokes and posting funny pictures and selfies and whatever. I don't really worry about hashtags unless I'm doing an art meme or posting fanart.

I think a big mistake people make is JUST link sharing. If every single tweet someone makes is just a link to another site I probably won't follow them. It gives off a really impersonal vibe and makes me feel like the person isn't there to engage with others. Like someone handing out business cards at a party instead of having a good time.

[GesuGesu]

I use Twitter for more art interests and socializing than trying to promote my comic, so no. I'm more likely to gain more Twitter followers from Tapastic readers than gaining Tapastic readers from my Twitter followers.

[DMBrigman]

I've had a lot of success with Twitter, but I have made an effort to use it to get comic readers.

Basically you want to be someone interesting to follow, so you have to post content of value. That can mean sharing tips and tricks, WIPs, funny jokes, interesting observations, etc. If you only post links, that isn't really valuable and you won't gain followers. You should be in the mindset of what you bring to others. Sometimes that can just be interaction. I personally post WIPs, a bit about myself, engage in hashtag discussion, but mostly I chat with other people, either on their posts or by replying when they talk with me.

Social media is all about putting yourself out there, even if you have great work no one is going to seek it out if they don't know about you. With the vast amount of content fighting for attention most people don't go clicking on random links, there has to be a driving factor. The art or synopsis is interesting, a friend recommended it, they saw the rough drawing and want to see how it turned out, they think you are interesting/passionate, etc.

I would suggest following some people on Twitter and seeing what you like and don't like about how they post. What gets you to unfollow? What gets you to interact? then emulate that. If you really want people to read your work you do have to invest time in marketing/social media, no one is going to do it for you.

[WakaXO]

I can't say that it's dramatically increase my subs but it has made promoting my comic a lot easier. (As compared to Tumblr, which I was using before and what felt like screaming into a void.)

it seems like a potential huge waste of time that could be spent creating comics?

Not necessarily, if you're just posting update alerts and maybe doing the odd hashtag event, then theoretically you could only go on once a week. Though, the more you interact on Twitter the better your audience will be, so in that sense it is a balancing act. I personally schedule in time for Twitter so it doesn't interfere with other things.

Even if in it only garners a few more people looking at your comic isn't that better than nothing?

[WintreKitty]

Twitter hasn't increased my followers on Tapastic, but they are a bigger number there than here. They are a much more active community than Tapastic is for me, as well. I can interact much easier with my followers, and the community is just incredible on twitter. I highly recommend all artists join twitter, only for the benefits of being part of such a large art community.

[SynergyEclipse]

I just created a twitter account for my comic to see if it'll help me get more readers, and to meet others. Should I make an introductory post first and then see where it goes from there? Is that how all of you started with it?

[DMBrigman]

I started by following people and interacting. Definitely participate in #webcomicchat and #comicbookhour they usually have discussions on Wednesday and Sunday. You can follow me @DMBrigman

I usually post heavily about my comic on update days, the rest of my time is spent posting WIP, talking about my day, and interacting with others.