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Apr 2021

So some hypotheses and observations based on this thread:

  • Clearly the forums here are a good way to get a foothold whichever platform you're posting on. Though... it's kind of unfortunate for Tapas that they're putting the work into hosting and modding a forum, something Webtoon doesn't bother with, and people are using it to promote webtoon stuff. (Officially the forum rules are that threads about webtoon or other competing platforms aren't allowed, but the mods are pretty lenient on this).
  • As you'd expect, getting featured on either platform is a big factor in performance. It seems like a lot of the people with the biggest gap it's because they had some sort of front page or event feature on either Tapas or Webtoon. It's just unbeatable visibility that none of the algorithm driven systems can match (so I highly recommend taking part in events where you might catch the eye of the staff and making sure you have a great cover for a chance at that).
  • Webtoon it's easier for a comic with no following to get spotted by people by posting an update because the section for fresh updates is easier to find and doesn't seem to have a sub requirement (Tapas requires 15 subs to appear in Fresh), which means that when you update and how busy the genre you update in becomes a big factor in visibility. The smaller your genre, the more chance you'll get noticed.
  • On Tapas a comic that's gained a modest following and has an active readerbase to grow because the most visible, default way to browse comics is "popular" where the ranking is determined by recent likes. I often get a few new followers the day after an update because the likes on the new episode boost me near the top of Action (and I can be pretty confident this is how they found me because they're readers with no comics/novels of their own, and most of their libraries are made up of other Action genre comics). Of course, unlike Webtoon, Action is a small genre on Tapas, so even a below 1k sub comic like mine can be at the top of free to read on a good update day!

I have a theory about the new Tapas algorithm that came in about this time last year... because it does seem like the people who have a significant lead on Tapas have been updating since before the new algorithm (which favours comics that already have an active following, as I mentioned earlier because visibility is based mostly on getting likes), while the people who are ahead on Webtoon came in after the new algorithm... But there isn't enough data here to say anything for a fact.

This one must have escaped my attention. I originally thought it wouldn't be allowed as well but was encouraged by other users to promote our webtoon on here. It didn't sit well with me though I did it so I convinced my artist to publish on Tapas as well. Now I promote both versions and that feels a little better.

I have huge gaps all in favor of Tapas. All series are BL.

Going Up
Tapas: 5207 Webtoon: 732 Difference: 4475

2 Men and the Sea
Tapas: 2471 Webtoon: 73 Difference: 2398

The Death and Him
Tapas: 2703 Webtoon: 1639 Difference: 1064

Let me win you [over]
Tapas: 796 Webtoon: 113 Difference: 683

My observations:

  • I always go by "more updates-> more people see you-> more people probably will follow". This barely works for me on Webtoon. The longest comic is not the one which has more subs on Webtoon.

  • Updates seem to really mean nothing, "The Death and Him" blew up during some event when (I guess) people had to read certain genre of comics to get coins. But it was a few days only and as you see Tapas already surpassed Webtoon.

  • Quality and quantity of the comic episodes MEAN NOTHING. Literally. I saw a lot of art and story gems which not even near 1K. And I feel bad for these people... I think I saw a thread on tapas which is 2-3 years old where people share their webtoon links and only 4-5 were still active while others are gone or abandoned never hitting bigger milestones.
    *
    What it means? To me Webtoon is about luck and how many new readers YOU bring to the platform. Every time I check "Up and coming" it's people with preestablished fan bases (IG, other comics and so on) which get a boost from said fan base and as a reward Webtoon boosts them in "Up and coming" section which is logical for the platform, but hell to see if you don't have a big fan base.

However, there is luck... I was kind of lucky to get "The Death and Him" somehow be in that event for few days. But think about that I have 4 comics, 125 episodes, and ONE TIME I got a shot which was cut off once I started getting close to ad program.

And honestly Webtoon as a platform is depressing for me.
/rant on

On Tapas I feel closer to the readers I see my actions mean something, I see my work being paid off and rewarded even if you say it's small. I give more = I recieve more.

But on Webtoon I get way less than that.

  • No comment notifications, I need to manually got through 125 episodes to find new comments. I love my Webtoon readers, why it has to be such a work to connect with them?
  • Anyone can come and make my rating go down bc they felt like awarding my comic 1 star is fair.
  • I worked my ass off trying to get to ad program, but the result is: take 20k US views after 21 updates and f off, you need 30k, maybe if you make MORE THAN 21 episodes per month you MAYBE will get that 30k US views. And no, you can't say "these 21 episodes were bad, probably", because on Tapas it was the peak of the series as to this day - 124k views, ~10k likes and 540 comments.

I am not a person with much luck - whatever following I got was through WORK. Someone can make an artwork and blew up to 5K followers, I had to make 300+ plus to hit 5k on DA and these artworks honestly I don't consider low effort or bad as people pay me to draw for them so that means my skills are at least good to be paid for. And I accepted it. I accepted that for whatever I do - nothing will be easy for me. I will draw and write day and night, having barely any life in the process. Ok, cool. But I will always feel that whatever I get was earned.

Tapas worked this way for me. And it made me happy.
Webtoon is so luck and pre-popularity-based, the platform is unrewarding. It takes more of me than it gives. :pensive:

/rant off

Ok. Webtoon - 132 subs. Tapas - 3.2k subs
I'm close to stop publishing on Webtoon :disappointed:

And I totally agree with the previous commentator.

I'm sorry, I don't know Russian. And I'm sorry to hear that. I think you should keep publishing on Webtoons as well though, you never know when your luck will turn around

I've noticed the same. I have about 750 subs on Webtoon and only 16 here :sweat_smile:

Та же фигня. Я хочу бросить этот долбаный вебтун. 1к сабов и 40к просмотров в месяц это вообще нереально набрать.

How long have you been posting the comic there? I mean, if it's a year or so, I will agree with @GokceofCandG, the situation can turn around soon enough. Especially since you're creating BL.

I will wait a few more months and I will probably stop. It just takes my time and doesn't give anything in return. Webtoon is not interested in new contributors.

If you're asking me, we started posting at the same time on Webtoon and Tapas. Half year ago. Lidiash takes longer to publish, but the situation is about the same.

I dunno. People keep mentioning these forums are a good resource. But, (and I could be wrong, I'm pretty new, ) it seems to me these forums are full of creators trying to get others creators to read their comics. My guess is most creators are just looking at others comics on here out of professional curiosity, not as a potential reader/subscriber. So I'm not sold on the usefulness of these forums in finding new readers. I would be happy to be proven wrong.

the forum is 99.9% creators. Readers have no need to be there =)
The forum is nice when you're a beginner and have no idea how to even start gaining an audience. But most of us here are the same small creators.

Since @rm_manga mentioned, I will add too: since 1 of August 2020. 8 months of updates, which means on average I published 15 episodes per month.

I have no hope for myself, but if it gets better for others - great, I will be only happy for them. <3 Miracles happen, just not to me, even if in 1 month I overwork myself to make 21 episodes for one comic and 5 for others. And to whoever reads this: I add these numbers to encourage them not to think that if their webtoon don't fly it 100% means they don't work enough or there is something wrong with their content. Platforms can be just like that.

The best course is if one decided to continue is to appreciate whatever there is (like my longest comic has 1-2 people commenting, but hell, I remember them, and it's honestly fun to reply to them) and find the good of it... Occasionally ranting about the state of things on the forum of other platform, lol.

У меня 1.6к сабов, но за 6 эпизодов 9,750 просмотров из США. К слову последнее меня особо расстраивает, будто просмотры из других стран какие-то не те, хотя рекламу мне при выборе любой точки мира с ВПН показывают одну и ту же.

Оцени, есть ли ради кого там оставаться, впрочем. Выкладывать на Вэбтун не так муторно, если автоматизировать процесс (например у меня скрип в ФШ уменьшает страницы под их параметры).

@lidiash @rm_manga я просто хочу сказать, что меня поместили на первую страницу через год и оно поперло.
Так что может есть смысл ждать чуть дольше.
Also it's strange to write in Russian here lol.

Это круто, но сложно предсказывать будущее на платформе, где так много зависит (в случае отсутствия готовой фанбазы) от удачи, да и Вэбтун нигде не делает обещаний, что, грубо говоря, момент славы гарантирован каждому через год, да и гарантирован в принципе.

Я опираюсь на тот опыт с платформами, что у меня уже есть, и стараюсь ценить то, что уже достигнуто. Зная свой характер, мечты "вот однажды как выстрелит" превратятся в разочаровывающее каждым днем ожидание того, что никто и не обещал, что случится. Но тут, очевидно, это индивидуальное отношение.

Oh yes it is. Feels like being an undercover spy who fails to blend in.

640 on WT vs 134 on Tapas.

I'm lucky to have over 100 on Tapas tbh lol since superhero is buried under a shitton of action comics lol.

Yeah, your points are definitely fair :ok_hand: I don't personally see the point of leaving Webtoons for Tapas exclusively, because there's no way to gain the same revenue on Tapas at all, when there are at least some chances for it on Webtoons. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't, no point of making yourself to do the work in vain.

I don't advocate for leaving Webtoon, through. Just venting the frustration with how the platform works.

Posting to both is not that much of the hustle to begin with.

And revenue is not my prime goal or measure, hence why I am still posting on Webtoon.