It feeks like the Self-Promotion Well has dried up

[Garchompula]

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Everywhere, all advice is SELF-PROMOTE!! USE REDDIT THREADS USE THIS USE THAT!! But the issue is by doing so, so just seemingly end up promoting to other creators, and once they've decided whether or not to read you, that's it. I see the same people spamming the self-promo threads over and over again nonstop, I doubt an average person wants to read through those. It's so demoralizing. I know I have a great series, but until the websites I publish on think so, it feels like I'm screaming into the void.

[ArtGremlin]

Yeah, I’m not really sure how to reach average people rather than just other creators. I’m eventually going to try to start posting animations on youtube (Of my characters of course) and that might be a way to find a bigger audience. (People love moving pictures )

[king-goldfish]

I definitely feel that. It seems like it's really hard to promote anywhere that will be seen by actual readers as opposed to just other people also trying to self-promote. Unless you have a bunch of money to throw at paid advertisements, of course (which, even if I were rolling in spare cash, would feel a bit silly for something I am offering up for free to anyone who wants to read it). Beyond that, it all feels like a crapshoot, unfortunately—what will get popular and what won't. Would love to know the secret sauce to doing self-promotion right.

[doodlemcfiddle]

I can offer you advice, though it may differ from others' opinions and might not be useful for you. We mostly create so that others can see and enjoy what we are doing. However, it's important to remember that your primary goal should be your own joy and pride in your work; everything else comes second. A few months ago, I almost gave up writing due to harsh words from someone who, I concluded, just hated me. Also, in that group of that person was, others were constantly comparing their work with mine and saying, "Oh I got more subs than you." or "I got more like and I even not write BL," etc, etc. I deleted everything: my accounts on writing platforms, social media, everything. This happened when I was also trying hard to promote my story and noticed that I was getting very few likes, comments, and even the subscriptions stopped. I continued writing but didn't share anything. A good friend asked why I was keeping my stories hidden under the dresser, unseen by anyone. So, now I'm trying to adopt a new mindset: to write and share stories primarily for my own enjoyment, knowing that even if no one else sees them, I have achieved something for myself. Also, I'm pretty sure you have your share of readers who are always there.

Sorry for the sappy story; it's something I experienced, and it made me feel desperate too. So, keep creating – you're doing awesome.

[thepenmonster]

No big webcomic ever got that way by self promotion. It was all the work of the readers. If they ain't yelling about (rhetorical) you then they're shitty readers. Remind them... kindly... that they need to step up before real life steps in and takes their favorite comic away.

[AmysGames]

I feel like the thing a lot of people don't realize with self-promo is that it takes consistent effort, but that doesn't mean you're going to have consistent results. Very few people are going to get hundreds of new followers overnight. For the rest of us, growth is going to be very, very slow—I've been averaging around 3 new subs a month and I consider that to be pretty good.

I've said it many times before, but the most useful promotion tactic I've ever had has been making new friends. Of all the webcomics I've read, there haven't been a lot that drew me in from premise alone. Usually it's either because—as mentioned above—a friend recommended it to me, or because I got to know the author enough that I finally decided "This person seems cool, I should check out their comic." Most popular comics got popular because the author was well-connected. That's why it's important to network with other creators. That's why it's important to not just spam every self-promo thread hoping someone takes the bait, but to have actual conversations with people.

That said, it's for sure frustrating when it feels like all your efforts are for naught. "Just keep trying!" can feel like empty advice when it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The consistent effort does work, but the payoff doesn't tend to be immediate... and it's going to be a constant source of stress if you can't come to terms with that.

[birthofanewworld]

That truly sucks. So sorry to hear that. I am glad that you are back writing. A lot of people go through this. The world can be a cruel place. The worst thing possible for a writer, or just creator is to give up creating because of some bad apples. Your advice was great. I'm really just glad that you adopted a new mindset. Keep creating, my friend.

[TadxSarah]

I think i really needed to hear all this because i have been having a hard time with self-promotion and even though i have a little bit better results on tapas. Most other places like webtoon, namicomi, twitter, instagram and etc. things are really slow or people like a post, but don't actually read my comics and i have been doing this for a couple years. I gave up on a lot of my old comics in the past because of feeling discouraged, but i also learned after a while that you got to make comics or novels for yourself first to truly be happy and to never give up because you never know who you are inspiring.

[EncryptedWriting]

I've really struggled with the self promo stuff. Back a couple years ago I did it like most folks today. However, I find it to be annoying at this point. When I see folks just copy and paste on 20 threads, it makes me not want to look at their stories/comics.

I think we have flooded the forum with self promo and it's kinda sad.

[craftsbyblue]

I agree that engaging with others really helps. I think it can also help to post (and not just advertise) your comic on multiple social media sites - as a reader, I didn't know these forums existed until I started posting my own comic xD.

Here's a few places where I post outside of Tapas. It's a sample size of one, but I hope it helps.
- DeviantArt: I've been posting a comic page a week. I've discovered multiple new comics from engaging with other artists on this site. Additionally, participating regularly in community events and promoting fellow artists has helped me connect with more people. A word of warning: there is a lot of AI art on the site, it will take time and effort to curate your dashboard.
- Instagram: I've been posting my comic pages in batches of 4 images. Compared to DA and X it takes less effort to get engagement here. Still trying to figure out how to use Stories as a way to promote fellow artists.
- X: I decided not to post my comics here and stick to only advertising, mainly because I'm concerned about the long-term stability of this site. Additionally, recent changes to the algorithm have significantly impacted my and other artists' reach.

Additional suggestions:
- BoredPanda: I've seen multiple creators self-promo here, and I've discovered a few new comics this way. It helps that comic promo posts are just one type of content that gets posted here, so the site is not over-saturated with them.

P.S. There's no shame in posting a link and running. We're all busy / stressed and don't always have the energy to engage. But engaging with and promoting others does go a really long way.

[Kelheor]

That all is true. I mean, I won't spend time promoting on Tapas forum. Unfortunately you have to wait till the readers pick it up naturally and the comic platforms promo team will see your work and decide it's worth promoting. Participate in the activities that Tapas and Webtoons are making, it's another chance to be seen. Promoting on big social media sites feels like screaming in the void, but at least it gives you another chance to be noticed by other people.

[craftsbyblue]

One thing to note is that the majority of readers will likely read without leaving any kind of feedback. Not liking / commenting doesn't mean that they don't enjoy it :).

[cherrystark]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you want to make a name for yourself with your work, you must have a plan. It's so easy to start an account on a free platform and start religiously posting to it in hopes of making it big. The hopes get even higher when the site offers the potential of compensation. But eventually, you'll have posted on every promotional thread out there and aren't racking up the same number of views/likes/subs as you used to. *This usually is the point when writers start asking where to promo next.

Make a plan for your work for the next month, the next year. Look at different options to monetize. Is self-publishing an avenue you want to explore? Is your work at a level that it would appeal to the average reader? Going to different platforms like people have said is a good idea, but you need to know the type of audience for the site. I went with Amazon with my independent work, despite Amazon's reputation, people are far more likely to buy from there instead of buying from some random unknown platform.

Note: To go along with my advice about making a plan - readers know platforms' reputations. They frequent the free sites that they like. A lot of readers don't want to even touch stories if they don't like the platform in general.

[ralyash]

Promotion is one of my least favorite things about being a writer. I'm an introvert to begin with, and I HATE being the noisy little bug that spams things every day--but that's also how promotion works. You do it over and over again, and someday you'll strike that lucky something that gives you the word of mouth of readers. It's like someone else said--the real organic reads come from the readers themselves; all you can do is put your product in their hands and let them do with it what they will.
It's hard, especially for smaller creators who don't have a social media platform or are just getting into doing things like ads and such. Creator forums do give you a place to start, but they aren't a place you should stay in, generally.
There's a aloooot of experimentation and learning about who your audience is that goes into promotions. You can dump a lot of money into cheap ads that get thrown at every audience possible and get nothing from them. You can also dump 5$ into an ad at a single targeted audience that finds a reader that nets you hundreds, if not thousands, of readers overnight. It's complicated, and there's no free lunch in this world. It's going to take time or money and sometimes both.
Sure, there are Unicorns--heck, I know a few--but they are few and far between--and it's not YOU and YOUR WORK; it's just that it hasn't found the right eyes yet, and in this world where EVERYONE is competing for peoples attention and time that gets increasingly difficult. Diversifying and getting your name and your work out to as many places as possible can help a lot.
The best thing you can do is keep on swimming and don't get disheartened. It's hard, and it feels very David against Goliath at times, but I personally think its worth it. ^-^

[Leyelle]

Same, my best advice would be to try building up promotion for your series on social media. You can post artwork, covers, xyz, and if people are curious then they can check out your story. I don't think anyone but other writer's look at the threads. Also definitely coming up with fun or unique promo ideas that show off your cast would be good, like drawing them all in Christmas-themed outfits, doing one of those "draw your squads" and stuff like that. Mostly I'm posting artwork, and since I draw my own covers, I share those as well, praying I'm not just screaming into the void