What makes you interested in reading a new webcomic?

[StopWatchers]

So outside of Tapas, I also have a stand alone website for my comic. Over the past month I've been slowly building an audience for it through social media (mostly Facebook ads, and a couple twitter ads). A little has come from it, but not a whole lot. I know gaining an audience is a marathon, not a sprint, and that it takes a long time to happen.

Related to this, my question is, what makes you begin reading a new webcomic? Would you based off an ad you saw on social media?

If you have begun reading a new comic based solely off an advertisement, what about it grabbed you and made you want to click on it?

What about video ads for webcomics? With the growing popularity of video advertising I've been thinking about putting together a short 15 sec or so ad to advertise my comic. Good idea?

I think this thread could not only help out myself with my advertising efforts but a lot of other people too! Helping to know what makes people check out new comics. Thanks everyone!!

[Vanesalisa]

the cover it's interesting and I always know that the covers shows that the stories are interesting

[Kayke]

I don't have a lot of time to read comics lately, but when I do find new comics it's usually off of the first page of Tapastic or off of Twitter.

The thing that draws me in is 100% the art. Personally I'm a visual person and studied illustration before becoming a cartoonist, so art is really important to me and can be a deal breaker. I could like a story but if the art is confusing (like if I can't tell what way the panels are supposed to be read or if the characters all look the same or if there's stuff going on with the anatomy that makes me stop and think 'what the...' every five seconds) it breaks my connection with the story and pulls me out of it, like bad acting in a movie.

So basically, I see art I like, I click it, I read a few pages, if I like the story I follow (or bookmark for standalone sites) to read more later.

[AmysGames]

The plot, definitely. If the plot is interesting within the first few pages/the comic's description is interesting enough, I'm most likely to stick around.

[Deej]

Back in the days of stumbleupon, what caught my attention were the most unusual comics.
I've never been a fan of anime and the manga style is usually a big turn off for me, unless executed well.
Writing makes or breaks a comic, I like ones that roll with the dialogues and jokes, and I don't mind a quick groaner so long as I can hop to the next page, next page, next page!
Me for example, I like to post little snippets at a time so that one is okay on its own, but it's really the big picture that stands as the work.

[Nivardy]

Definitely narrative.

Art is always nice, but it can take a backseat if the story is passionate.

One of my favorite webcomics isn't very visually stunning, but the writing is funny, smart, and personally grabs me.

It was called Cat Fox Wolf, and it was precious.

It was sincere.

[Deej]

Sincerity, above all else, absolutely. Gobolatula's It Hurts! Is the perfect example of an artist who is passionate and cares about his characters and project. Completely absolves him of his grade school style of drawing, lol. Check it out.

[Mocha]

Usually the art work and the premise. If I see something that has art I really like, then I'll usually give it a shot and read a few chapters. Often if I don't find anything about the story or characters to be very interesting or likeable after the first 3-5 chapters then I'll drop it. Also sometimes I just look up comics with keywords relating to something I feel like reading, and if I find something that sounds interesting even if it doesn't have very good art then I'll try reading to see if it's any good.

[StopWatchers]

Awesome, thank you all for the great responses so far!! I really appreciate it!

So from the sounds of what people are posting so far, I should develop a couple "key" pieces of artwork to use for ads that will really grab people and want them to click to the website. Then it seems like it'll just be up to my writing to keep the people coming back (as it should be).

Feel free to keep posting what makes you begin reading a new comic!

This is all very helpful!!

[Testaccount]

For me, it's art and story. If a comic has good artwork, I'm more inclined to check it out. However, if the first few pages don't capture my attention, then I won't keep reading it.

It's pretty much like finding a new book to read. If the cover and blurb are interesting, I'll give it a try.

[IdiotWithPencil]

at first glance art or cover art, seconed if the characters are interesting or the plot, also try some web comic hubs like http://topwebcomics.com/ I usually check it when I want a new read

[Wolven_Sister]

If it's a new webcomic that's just starting out and only has a few pages available, I look at the posting timeframe on the dates of when they were posted, I read the premise (personally I like bizarre-o plots with farfetched ideas. Manga does this a lot and when it's executed correctly, it's worth it).

I usually focus on art less since a good story doesn't have to be about good art imo, it just has to have a an engaging plot with likable characters. At least for me, I know there are a lot of ppl where it's primarily the art that gets them interested first.

If it's a comic that's been out for a while but it's "new" to me since I just found it, I look at how many episodes are posted and if the creator posts them in a timely manner. If they haven't updated in a month with no explanation as to why, then I won't sub to it. And I also see how active that creator is, either in commenting back to their readers or checking out their links on their profile to see how active they are on their other platforms.

I know it sounds like I go crazy when I check out a new webcomic, but I don't have a lot of time to read. So if it's a comic I'm gonna be dedicating my scarce free time to, then I want to make sure it's gonna stick around for a while with characters I'm gonna enjoy reading about.

[shaylafarley5]

For me if a random page from the webomic catches my eye I'll give it a try. And the story gotta be good

[scarlet_wings_kaili]

The first thing that catches my attention is art. Then I'll read the first few pictures and decide if I'm still interested in the comic.

Stuff that'll get me interested in the story are:
unusual concept
interesting & unlikely characters

[modrawmanga]

the art to start
I click on things if the art caught my eye,
usually if the comic is featured on a front page of something like tapas or webtoon,
with too many content available, I usually rely on the wisdom of the editor or the crowd before trying to read something new

I might check out image or video ad if the artwork is superb

[Shanny8]

The story & the art, then the characters....

[mariusthered]

three things.
1: the story
2. the art work: (that comes second because everybody has to start somewhere)
3. the attitude of the person posting. people who are friendly I have time for. people who cannot be bothered to answer comments from fans get kicked off my reading list after a short while.

[joannekwan]

When looking for something new particularly, what will pique my interest first is the art.
It doesn't necessarily have to be skilled or "good" but just come off as interesting to me. (I'm such a hipster, I like non-mainstream kinds of art most of the time.)
Then if the writing's decent, I'll read as many pages as available.

However ads for me in particular have the opposite effect? Like if I see an ad for a comic (as I sometimes do in the ad-space here on Tap) I am ill-inclined to click on it. I hate to admit it but seeing the ad lends me to think that the comic already has a following and makes money either by itself or through a collective so I'm less likely to check it out. Like I said, I'm kind of a hipster, gimme the raw undiscovered stuff, lol.

[StopWatchers]

That's a very interesting insight into ads. My day job is in marketing (for a University so most of what I do doesn't really apply to marketing for my comic unfortunately), but most of our marketing is with ads. But that's an interesting note that seeing an ad for a comic might be a turnoff for some people.

I'll be sure to keep that in mind!

[unicornfield]

I think art is what catches my attention.

After that, it's how easily I can follow the story, for example, if the text/panels are all over the place and I have no idea what comes after what, or if the text is difficult to read.

Then it'll be story, characters, and all that.

Though I find that bad art can be compromised if it's a comedy series and it's really funny.