How Can I Promote My Webcomic?

Prettysenshi · Post by **Prettysenshi** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:56 am

Okay. Hello.

Now, I have had my webcomic, http://arcadia.keenspace.com, for well over six months. Still, I have little to no readership, which is very discouraging. I sometimes feel pressure to start over, quit, or change my style to manga or whatever---I had a forum a while ago about my frustration on that topic. However, I don't want to do any of these things on account that I really like my comic, and I feel that if other people saw it, that they would like it as well.

With that said and done, does anyone out there know how to promote webcomics well? Cuz I really would like to know, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one.

Terotrous · Post by **Terotrous** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:00 am

Some basic things:

Make a banner, then upload it to the guide and put it in your forum signature.

Make a newsbox.

Add yourself to the webcomic list / belfry / onlinecomics.net

These are the simplest (and most free) ways to get more exposure, which it sounds like you need.

K-Dawg · Post by **K-Dawg** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:15 am

What he said:

And now if you want to actually put some money into promotion, there are tons of comic sites that let you advertise on their pages for a fee.

Oh also for free, do fanart and get yourself known in communities. This doesn't mean run to a community and plug your comic! Get to know the people, but always have a link to your site.

Vorticus · Post by **Vorticus** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:27 am

One other thing, you might want to fix your rant. Displayed in firefox, your rant is way down at the bottom, after your sidebar. I almost missed it entirely.

Col · Post by **Col** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:38 am

*cough*

Ida · Post by **Ida** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:46 am

Terotrous wrote:Some basic things:

Make a banner, then upload it to the guide and put it in your forum signature.

Make a newsbox.

Add yourself to the webcomic list / belfry / onlinecomics.net

These are the simplest (and most free) ways to get more exposure, which it sounds like you need.

Exactly. I did all of those, and in two months my average daily visits have gone from 40-something to 200-something. Also, put a banner in your signature and post here a lot! That's what got me most of my hits for the first few months.

[edit]Hey, I think I've actually read your comic before.

Only at that point, the story hadn't gone very far, so I forgot about it afterwards. It looked promising, though. *Checks out the new pages* [/edit]

Specterz · Post by **Specterz** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 9:08 am

1. Apply to all the free webcomic list type thingies.
2. Make a banner, and put it in your signature with a link.
3. Post in as many forums as you have the time for, and get to know the locals. If you hang out in a forum long enough, people will click your banner.
4. Make a newsbox image and submit it (in siteadmin). Alsom put the newsbox on your page, 'cause if you do it, others will too, and thusly promote a lot of comics, including yours.
5. Be a generally nice guy.

5 easy steps to becoming a webcomic master. Well, I'm not one yet, but at least the steps are easy.

RPin · Post by **RPin** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 9:28 am

specterz wrote:1. Apply to all the free webcomic list type thingies.
2. Make a banner, and put it in your signature with a link.
3. Post in as many forums as you have the time for, and get to know the locals. If you hang out in a forum long enough, people will click your banner.
4. Make a newsbox image and submit it (in siteadmin). Alsom put the newsbox on your page, 'cause if you do it, others will too, and thusly promote a lot of comics, including yours.
5. Be a generally nice guy.

You got all of them right except for #5.

<strike>5. Be a generally nice guy.</strike> Be an all around asshole, pick up fights with as many people as you can, specially the big ones in the industry over the most stupid matters even if they do not concern you or your comic the slightest.

Ida · Post by **Ida** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 9:43 am

RPin wrote:
specterz wrote:1. Apply to all the free webcomic list type thingies.
2. Make a banner, and put it in your signature with a link.
3. Post in as many forums as you have the time for, and get to know the locals. If you hang out in a forum long enough, people will click your banner.
4. Make a newsbox image and submit it (in siteadmin). Alsom put the newsbox on your page, 'cause if you do it, others will too, and thusly promote a lot of comics, including yours.
5. Be a generally nice guy.
You got all of them right except for #5.

<strike>5. Be a generally nice guy.</strike> Be an all around asshole, pick up fights with as many people as you can, specially the big ones in the industry over the most stupid matters even if they do not concern you or your comic the slightest.

Sadly, I'm afraid he's right. Sadly.

Nicotine · Post by **Nicotine** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 9:46 am

specterz wrote:1. Apply to all the free webcomic list type thingies.
2. Make a banner, and put it in your signature with a link.
3. Post in as many forums as you have the time for, and get to know the locals. If you hang out in a forum long enough, people will click your banner.
4. Make a newsbox image and submit it (in siteadmin). Alsom put the newsbox on your page, 'cause if you do it, others will too, and thusly promote a lot of comics, including yours.
5. Be a generally nice guy.

5 easy steps to becoming a webcomic master. Well, I'm not one yet, but at least the steps are easy.

That's informative, especially since my comic is really new

MrEff · Post by **MrEff** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:01 am

RPin wrote:
<strike>5. Be a generally nice guy.</strike> Be an all around asshole, pick up fights with as many people as you can, specially the big ones in the industry over the most stupid matters even if they do not concern you or your comic the slightest.

Damn straight.... for example... check out my strip tomorrow for a lil dig on my latest review...

Or even take a look at my banner......

-MrEff-

Tangent · Post by **Tangent** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:16 am

Just an FYI, the first ten comics seem to be missing the bottom half of the strip.

Another thing you can do is to increase your update frequency. You update weekly. That makes it a touch more difficult to get a hold on things.

Also, draw. Frequently. All the time in fact. Sketch, doodle, have fun. Improve your artwork so that the characters remain the same from one to the next (a problem I had with the original Tangents). The better the artwork the more people will be drawn in.

Finally, map out the story, and have part of the next written out as well. You always want to have at least half of a story arc planned for when the previous story runs out, so that you're not left at wit's end and not knowing where you'll go from there.

Banners in your .sig also help. People click them and go to your comic. I'd do that before spending money at Comixpedia especially as you might not draw in the people you expect.

I've received 2273 hits from the Keenspace forum boards alone in the last 11 days. That's from the banner/link at the bottom of my forum posts. And I've not spent any money doing it. Just invested time in posting to the forum board.

Take care!

Nicotine · Post by **Nicotine** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:19 am

Tangent wrote:Also, draw. Frequently. All the time in fact. Sketch, doodle, have fun. Improve your artwork so that the characters remain the same from one to the next (a problem I had with the original Tangents). The better the artwork the more people will be drawn in.

That's good advice, too. I draw everywhere I go

(it annoys my parents). It helps though...helps you to become more consistant in drawing your characters, I guess

Ghastly · Post by **Ghastly** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:24 am

In a very short while I'll be offering a really fantastic promotional deal to webcomic artists (just waiting for AWC/WCN to be up and running).

Crazy Chris · Post by **Crazy Chris** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:53 am

Suck up to those with more popular comics. Send fan art. Cameo their character in your work.

Leko · Post by **Leko** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:22 pm

Crazy Chris wrote:Suck up to those with more popular comics. Send fan art. Cameo their character in your work.

But only with permission!

Allow me to add my reinforcements to everybody who's suggested a link in your signature. Even a text link, though a banner is best because it gives the audience at least a vague idea of what your art/humor is like. Actually, it can even get on my nerves when people don't have a link, because if they're talking to me and getting involved on the forums, I want to look at their comic, and if there's no link in the signature it's a lot harder to do that.

LibertyCabbage · Post by **LibertyCabbage** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:31 pm

Chicks dig guys in jail.

Break something big.

Anywherebuthere · Post by **Anywherebuthere** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:27 pm

You ned a grainy video of yoru web comic having sex, and releas it to the internet. Then create a big stink over the video being released to the internet to keep the video in the public eye. Then have your web comic star in a reality program with another web comic demonstraiting just how talentles your web comic is. If you notice your hits dropping, release another sex tape to the internet, or do commercial for a burger joint with your web comic sudsing up a bently with it's ass.

This is the most surefire way of having your web comic rocket to stardom, weither you have talent or not it will work 100% of the time.

Anywherebuthere · Post by **Anywherebuthere** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:28 pm

Ghastly wrote:In a very short while I'll be offering a really fantastic promotional deal to webcomic artists (just waiting for AWC/WCN to be up and running).

Awe, but Ghastly, my hand cramps up when I draw that much tenticoo wape.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:35 pm

Short of actually following that video tape advice...just get involved in a few forums and keep producing your comic. It usually takes a little while for your audience to find you, but it's nice to see the solid work begin to pay off after a few months.