How Can I Promote My Webcomic?

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:40 pm

1. Promote comic
2. ???
3. profit

Risky · Post by **Risky** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:57 pm

I dunno, I have very little traffic compared to how long I've been doing this.

Cope · Post by **Cope** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:08 pm

mcDuffies wrote:1. Promote comic
2. ???
3. profit

The "profit" is unlikely, but the "???" is definite and constant.

Protectmyballs · Post by **Protectmyballs** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:10 pm

A good way to get hits is to visit my comic, and tell all your friends to do the same. Then once everyone has seen my site and my traffic is pretty high, ask me nicely for a linkswap, I'm usually pretty good about those kinds of things.

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:36 pm

McDuffies wrote:1. Promote comic
2. ???
3. profit

Shut up, pussy.

Levi-chan · Post by **Levi-chan** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:47 pm

No need to be catty about it, Sub.

Cope · Post by **Cope** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:49 pm

Touche, pussycat.

Mimo · Post by **Mimo** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:52 pm

want a saucer of cream?

Levi-chan · Post by **Levi-chan** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 5:29 pm

Please, don't. You're scratching my uncaring, hard self. I'm purr-fectly fine, thanks.

*braces self for onslaught*

Crazy Chris · Post by **Crazy Chris** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 6:22 pm

Just be a bit more patient. Six months is reletivaly new for webcomics. Most of the time it can take over a year to find your fanbase. Also, it might help to establish a more consistant update scedual. God I hate my spelling. Okay, I'm done being serious. Back to the catfight.

Col · Post by **Col** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 6:31 pm

Cope wrote:Touche, pussycat.

Touch a pussycat?

Risky · Post by **Risky** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 6:36 pm

Either "Nice touch, pussycat" or "Ass, pussycat".

Cope · Post by **Cope** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 6:43 pm

You dirty, dirty people. Doth naught but iniquity dwell within thou bawdy minds?

It's a line from The Two Mouseketeers. So don't blame me!

Tangent · Post by **Tangent** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:15 pm

Oh! That is the other, the most VITAL thing.

Keep to a regular update schedule.

I don't care if you only update weekly. Update EVERY week. If you update 2x a week, always do that. If you're crazy enough for 5x a week then keep it up (it's one of the best ways to build up readership quickly, but it can be a devil to keep it up. But your artwork improves rather quickly doing it as well...).

When you start missing updates, you start losing readers.

Carsonfire found that out (Elf Life) when he started getting intermittent with his updates. Even now he's still struggling to get back those readers, and to update promptly.

The absolute best way to update regularly is to have a buffer. Draw a week, two weeks, in advance. Keep updating and drawing like normal... but if you have things run long one day or are sick it means you won't skip a day. Just make sure when you've the time to rebuild your buffer.

I wish I'd done that... if I had, Tangents would be a college-based webcomic instead of a review site. *shrug*

Grayswandir · Post by **Grayswandir** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:47 pm

Hehe, yeah, take Tangent's advice. I haven't been able to update recently(either no time or lack of a computer) and I've lost readers. The only one's who really check for updates these days are friends and those persistent people who refuse to believe that "Tank'd" is a dead end project forgotten by its creator that will forever show the same page for a year and a half and then suddenly update a couple times and then stop for about a week...*cough* (thanks you guys by the way, the constant show of interest has kept me going)

But seriously, keep the updating constant! Or if you can't warn your readers before hand (at least try)

*side note* If any of you who read my comic check the forums here, I AM still alive and kicking, just lacking a computer right now, I apologize for the lack of anything new.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:55 pm

Good advice by Tangent there too.

Go back and read it again.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 8:59 pm

Also, start hanging out here and get involved in comic jams.

Not only a good way to get your art seen, but people also like seeing their characters/themselves drawn in different styles, and they're pretty damn fun!

Jackhass · Post by **Jackhass** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:45 am

Establish yourself on a webcomics forum or two (like this one)...

...I'm not even one of the big names around here, but I still get a pretty substantial amount of hits just from people on these boards clicking on my sig. Pretty much all my regular fans have come via these boards too.

Other than that, just sign up for the webcomic lists, trade links with as many people as you can, do fan-art for more popular comics or get in on various Jams and competitions some sites hold.

Oh...and have patience...you'll note that most of the big webcomics out there are at least a couple years old at least. You won't get immensely popular overnight unless your comic is something really good.

Asuria · Post by **Asuria** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:21 am

This is a very useful topic. I've only started my webcomic uhm... about two or three weeks ago. I signed up at onlinecomics.net just yesterday. I wonder what that'll give.

Specterz · Post by **Specterz** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 5:30 am

Doesn't onlinecomics.com require you to have, like, 10 or 15 comics on your site? I don't know precisely, I just know that I didn't have it yet

Maybe next week.

Back to the being a nice guy-issue... if you're a nice guy (or gal, sorry) on forums like this one, people will go check out your comic sooner than when you're being an asshole.
But, I'll agree, it can help to start a ruckus with other webcomicers and get yourself in the public eye.