Ten Simple Ways To Get More Attention For Your Fanwork
(On AO3 and Elsewhere)
I figured I should share these since it took me a long time to figure some of them out. A few caveats before we start:
A few caveats:
1. Some of these are AO3-specific (but can be adapted elsewhere), some of them are pretty universal.
2. I said "simple", not "easy".
3. These techniques help to get work that is in the competent-to-good range, if you're lucky, solidly into the midlist when it comes to hits and kudos. They will not make you the most popular person in the fandom.
4. If the work is bad (poor grammar and spelling, no character logic at all, etc.), even this won't help. If your work is super-excellent, these will probably work as well as they do for competent-to-good stuff.
5. This is written from the deliberately cynical perspective that one's primary goal in fandom is maximum positive attention. There are other reasons to do fanwork, probably better reasons, as evidenced by the fact that I personally don't bother with most of these things most of the time.
6. Overdoing any of these may backfire spectacularly.
7. Results not guaranteed.
( 1. Post Early )
( 2. Post Often )
( 3. Answer all your reviews )
( 4. Talk to people. )
( 5. Bring in shills )
( 6. Tag for popular pairings, fandoms, and characters at the least excuse )
( 7. Tag Lots. )
( 8. Put the main character's name in the title )
( 9. Craft your summary carefully )
( 10. Find your niche and stick a flag in it. )
"If you know all these good strategies,
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
melannen", you cry, "Why aren't you getting way more kudos than you are?" "Because I'm lazy and I hate doing them," I say. "Also I decided that getting four or five kudos every single day was enough to keep me in buttpats with minumum effort, and I seem to have already managed that by accidentally doing 1, 4, 6, and 8 a few times. Lazy and midlist is where I've hung my hammock. You should try it."