The Butso Method will change the way you think about writing.
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Successful social media relies on engagement. The more a post is engaged, the more widely it gets distributed. There are many forms of engagement.
Email outreach is hot again — and many independent creators are leaping to it as a way to escape social media. But in so doing, many of us are running afoul of long-standing FTC regulations which could hamper our ability to reach those readers over the long term. So let’s talk best practices.
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During yesterday’s Patreon Connect conference, which focused on creators of adult content, two new regulations were announced. These are both a result of a new rule being applied by Mastercard in regards to 18+ content. Patreon also announced a cryptocurrency feature that they may implement in the future. Let’s talk about what these new rules mean — and why the cryptocurrency announcement may not have been a coincidence.
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It’s one of the most-often-heard complaints in webcomics today: How do I get my comic seen in a market that’s oversaturated with comics?
You’re… not gonna like the answer.
It’s a false premise.
The webcomics market isn’t oversaturated. Are there more webcomics in 2020 than there were in 2001? Unquestionably. But on the other end of that equation, webcartoonists working in the early 2000s didn’t have social media. So although there were fewer competitors, it was incredibly difficult to direct people to one’s site. Moreover, the vast majority of the potential readers didn’t even understand the concept of reading a comic on the Web.
Enter social media and viral promotion. Now, exposing new readers to a comic is vastly more efficient (and effective) than it was in those early days. And, predictably, there are also exponentially more people publishing comics on the Web than ever before.
So, the market is oversaturated, right?
Wrong.
Because we’re forgetting to factor in the most important variable of all: Quality.
It is undeniable that there are more comics, but — let’s face it — most of them are pretty horrible. In fact, I’d argue that the ratio of good comics to low-quality ones is about the same as it was in those early days before social media.
However, since the main conduit for consuming web content is social media, the system itself eliminates most of the low-quality content.
When a low-quality comic is published on social media, the outcome is fairly consistent: Nothing happens. The creator might get a couple of favorites — perhaps from other webcartoonists expecting a quid pro quo relationship. Very few people are going to share it or comment on it. Overall, the net effect is that the post’s engagement will be negligible. And posts with little-or-no engagement get filtered out rather quickly by social-media algorithms.
If a webcomic is posted on social media and nobody sees it, is it even there? I’m going to argue that it’s not. And since the vast majority of content consumption on the Web happens through social media, these low-quality comics are certainly not having a significant affect on the saturation of the webcomics market.
On the other hand, posting a good comic — along with making adequate use of social-media best practices — will get engagement. Even if you’re starting from an audience of zero, eventually someone is going to see your comic. And if it’s a high-quality comic — a comic that connects with its audience — they’re going to engage the post. And as that happens, more and more people will be exposed to your (good) work. And their engagement will help you to steadily build a larger and larger readership for your work.
Those other low-quality comics are a non-issue. In a social-media sense, they’re not even there. And if they’re not there, they can’t saturate the market.
In short, you’re going to be better served by spending less time worrying about the saturation of the webcomics market and more time improving your skills (and your understanding of social media). In the end the former is nothing more than a weak excuse for failing to do the latter.
Today’s show is brought to you by Wacom — makers of the powerful, professional, portable Wacom One! This week, we’re discussing the recent exodus of top talent from corporate comics to Substack, a subscription-based email-newsletter platform.
Questions asked and topics covered…
Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the editor of Webcomics.com Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive.
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There seems to be some misinformation going around about whether it’s legal to ship comics using the Media Mail service of the U.S. Postal Service. Since this misunderstanding this could cost you hundreds of dollars, let’s get it straightened out now.
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One of the smartest things you can do as your webcomic starts to transition from hobby to business is to establish a new bank account for your burgeoning venture. Keeping comics finances separate from your household income has several benefits. Here’s what you need to know…
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24-Hour Comics Day is in a couple weeks — October 2nd, to be exact. Here’s what you need to know…
The content you are trying to access is only available to members.Let’s face it. One of the biggest hurdles in growing a webcomic is reader retention. That’s why I want to encourage you to set aside time this month to develop (or improve) three different ways to introduce your comic to a newcomer. Here are some ideas:
Landing page: does your landing page offer a short, effective guide to a newcomer? If you’re not using a landing page, should you?
Sampler PDF: Build a short PDF that features some of the best examples of your work — or one that acts as a quick intro to the comic and the current storyline.
“About” page: Every webcomics site should have one. Does yours? Is it good?
Pinned post: What’s the pinned post on your social media sites? Does it act as an intro?
Linktree: Should yours include an additional entry for an intro to the comic itself?
Video: What about a video introduction? That could be a fun way to introduce new readers to what’s going on in a shorter. more enjoyable format.
Once you have a solid three, consider sprinkling them into your social media outreach, Maybe add them to update posts, or take a moment to make a post that just discusses this intro vehicle.
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