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Treat readers well, and they’ll treat you in kind.
Getting reads, votes, and comments on your stories is critical to success on Wattpad. Not only do comments help you hone your writing, but the more reads, votes, and comments you get, the more likely it is that your story will be seen by new Wattpadders. But starting out isn’t easy. Growing a dedicated, enthusiastic fan base requires dedication, perseverance, and time.
In this section, I will discuss how to maximize your chances of discovery in the Wattpad universe. Although the site has more than sixty-five million users and over four hundred million stories, as of this writing, it is possible to rise to the top. On first look, these numbers might seem overwhelming, but if you think about it, they also mean there is huge potential for you to find your audience. People are on Wattpad to read. This specificity makes the site unique among social media platforms and the perfect place for a writer to build a readership.
I joined Wattpad four years ago, knowing nothing about the site. Like everyone who signs up, my shiny new profile had zero followers, reads, votes, and comments. The first story I posted was The Perfect Guy—an adult science fiction short about a robotics company that uses a person’s DNA to build a perfect mate. It got about two thousand reads, which was good, but when I looked around Wattpad and saw stories with millions of reads, I decided that’s what I wanted. But how?
I analyzed, experimented, observed, and read other writers’ advice to answer that question. Now I have over thirty thousand followers and a story that has accumulated ten million reads, close to four hundred thousand votes, and well over one hundred thousand comments.
I’ve condensed my findings into ten steps.
It all starts with your story, one that Wattpadders want to read and vote for, one that inspires them to comment. To understand what works for Wattpad readers, it is important to know who they are and what they love. The Wattpad readership is statistically different from the traditional literary audience. Although there is virtually every type of person on the site, in general Wattpadders skew young—90 percent are Millenials or Gen Z—and the clear majority are female. The astute author will keep this in mind when writing for Wattpad.
Like anywhere in the publishing world, stories have a better chance of success on Wattpad if they are well written, compelling, original, and reasonably free of errors. Because it is easy for Wattpadders to switch to another story, our objective is to not give them a reason to leave. That being said, there are some successful stories on Wattpad that have errors and are not technically well-written. Why is this?
Most likely it is because the author has touched something in the reader. Wattpadders will forgive technical errors if they identify with a main character whose struggles are similar to their own. Characters are avatars for readers, and if they can imagine they’re fighting pirates, falling in love for the first time, or triumphing over the mean girl, you will have them hooked. Stories that engender feelings of happiness, despair, lust, romance, anger, or other powerful emotions have a greater chance of succeeding.
Having an understanding of how Wattpad readers find your stories is critical to forming successful strategies.
Like many places on the internet, Wattpad is a big, bustling, constantly evolving place. But there are many ways you can increase the chances of readers finding your story.
When Wattpad recommends a story, the reader makes an almost instantaneous decision to click on it or not. Most Wattpadders read on a handheld device, which means all they see is a thumbnail of your cover, the title, and the beginning of your description. It’s important to ace all of these.
Let’s assume you’ve done such a good job attracting readers with your cover, title, and story description that they click on the first chapter. Now what? Chapter one is a reader’s first impression, and it is critical to get it right. Begin with a great opening sentence, one that begs a question. The reader will have no choice but to keep going to find out the answer. The writing should be excellent, active, and visceral. I recommend a short first chapter (perhaps 1,500 words) and lots of white space. People are intimidated by long chapters with huge blocks of text. Break it up. Be an invitation, not a roadblock.
How do you get your readers to click on the next chapter and the chapter after that?
Because most Wattpad stories are posted serially, there are gaps of time between posts. It is therefore imperative to leave the reader wanting more at the end of each chapter. This is accomplished not only by good plotting and creating characters that readers care about, but also about leaving open questions in readers’ minds. End your chapters with a cliff-hanger. Something the reader will wonder about three days or a week later. Updating regularly is key if you want your readers to keep coming back. Make a schedule, and stick with it. Posting two times a week is optimal, and at least once a week is recommended. If you can’t write a new post in that span of time for some reason, let your readers know. They need to believe you’re reliable.
Be flexible, observant, and curious. One of the great things about Wattpad is that you can experiment to see what works. There is plenty of information out there, and you should use it. Successful stories and the statistics provided to you by Wattpad make for invaluable learning tools.
Analyze what successful stories and authors in your genre are doing. Emulate them. They are popular for a reason. Use the statistics Wattpad provides regarding engagement and demographics. For example, we can see which chapters are the most popular in terms of reads, votes, and comments. We can see what kinds of chapters result in the biggest decline in readership. It’s normal for the drop-off between the first two chapters to be high—50 percent or more. But when readers stop at chapter sixteen after making a significant investment in your story, that’s a problem. What might have turned them off? See chapter eight for more about this.
Wattpad is a social-networking site. There is a direct correlation between authors’ successes and their engagement. While this can be time-consuming, it is worth the effort.
You can engage with your Wattpad readers by responding to chapter comments; by creating author notes within chapters, on your profile, and on readers’ profiles; and through private messages (PM). Public comments (as opposed to PMs) can result in exponential increases in visibility. If you comment on another person’s profile, then their followers may also see your post. PMs are, however, special and more intimate and can engender loyalty.
Chapter comments not only help us improve our stories, they build relationships with readers. When I started out on Wattpad, I responded to every comment, even if the reader’s feedback was only a smiley face. To increase the number of comments, be inquisitive. Start a dialogue. Answer with a question of your own. Readers appreciate it when authors take the time to answer and treat their comments with respect and gratitude. They also love seeing that they have an impact on your work. An invested reader wants you to succeed. This doesn’t mean you have to change your story, but let the person know you’ve considered her suggestion.
Pay close attention to your notifications. At the beginning, I thanked every person who voted, commented, added my story to a reading list, or followed me. Every one! If someone voted for one chapter, I thanked them specifically for that chapter vote. The idea is that there might be other chapters the reader could vote for. After interacting with me, many would go back and vote for all the other chapters.
When I was a business student, I learned that one of the most important elements of a business letter is to ask for the action you want the recipient to take. I applied this concept to my stories and included a request at the end of each chapter for readers to vote if they enjoyed reading it. I explained why votes are important to Wattpad writers. I also invited readers to comment, letting them know that I appreciate every one. Ask people to follow you so that they will receive notifications when you update. And lastly, if someone is enjoying your story, feel free to ask the person to spread the word.
When your story is done, mark it as “Complete.” Many Wattpadders wait until a story is designated as such before reading so that they avoid disappointment if a writer cannot finish. You will get an influx of reads once you mark your story as “Complete.” Do this by going to the “Story Details” section of any title listed in “My Works.”
If you are a good Wattpad citizen, you increase your chances of getting reads, votes, and comments. Here is what I suggest: First of all, take a little time to familiarize yourself with the Wattpad Content Guidelines, which are found in the “Help” section of the website. It discusses important topics like story ratings, prohibited content, categories, copyright, and spam.
One of my basic principles, or mantras, is to always give first. Comment and vote on other people’s stories. Never suggest trading votes for votes or follows for follows. Find stories on the site you love, and vote, comment, follow, etc.
Be the type of reader you would like to have. If your comments are insightful and pithy, you can be assured the author or the author’s readers will take note and might even check out your work.
Get to know other writers in your genre. Promote stories you love. Dedicate chapters to writers whose work you admire or to enthusiastic readers. Never ask someone you don’t have a close relationship with to read your story. The only exception to this rule would be a situation where you see a story similar to yours and feel a reader (as opposed to a writer) might enjoy yours as well. In this case, you can send a PM or post directly on the reader’s profile. Never promote yourself on another author’s story or profile, or ask people you don’t know well to promote your story.
Be someone Wattpadders want to interact with. Make your profile upbeat and interesting. Highlight parts of your personality that are likely to connect with your readers. Be polite and respectful with your readers and other writers. If you do this, people will feel welcome in your stories and be more apt to read, comment, and vote. Personally, I never give any negative criticism in public. If I have constructive feedback, I do it with a PM.
Don’t disparage yourself or your work. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Instead of apologizing for work you’re not proud of, make it better. It is alright, however, to tell people a story is a first draft.
Wattpad is a constantly growing and evolving platform with sixty-five million users who love to read. Now you know the secrets to increasing your reads, comments, votes, and followers. By adopting these suggestions, you can establish the kind of platform that will help you move forward in your writing career.
Mention your story’s reads, votes, and a favorite comment or two in query letters to agents and publishers. Take it even further and include demographic information found in your story’s stats so publishers and agents can better understand your readership.
Debra Goelz is a refugee from Hollywood, where she served for ten years as a financial executive for such companies as Universal Pictures, DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, and The Jim Henson Company. Her performing career began and ended with her puppeteering a chicken during the closing scene in Muppet Treasure Island. After garnering more than ten million online reads, her award-winning YA fantasy, Mermaids and the Vampires Who Love Them, was published by Hachette Audio in October 2017.