User blog:Banningk1979/Some Tips on Promoting Stories

So, recently there has been a lot of discussion about promoting stories. I know from experience the sting of seeing my own work get lost in the constant shuffle of new and old material. And while the Random Pasta button might occassionally smile on your work, in reality, it is very easy for even the best stories to get buried.

Now, rest assured the staff here are working on concepts and writer-centric options to help users showcase their stories. However, if you are really serious about your stories, and want to expose them to a larger audience, here are a few methods that have worked well for me and my stories.

Think outside the Wiki- Posting here is the first step, of course. However, once your story passes the QS here and becomes a fixture, what then? Well, that is when social media becomes your best friend. When you read a story, look at the top right of the page, and there is a nifty little share button. This will enable you to share your story over your Facebook, Twitter and Gmail. It's a great way to get your work out there to your friends and family that might otherwise never even know Creepypasta Wiki exists.

Collaborations- I recently was in talks with an old friend of mine that has a pretty successful following on DeviantArt and Tumblr. He is going to start doing so sketches based off of my stories, which I will then link on my profile here, promoting his art. It's a "friends helping friends" collab, which is a very progressive and community centered method of getting your work noticed.

Reach Out- One of the best methods of spreading your work is to have a Youtube reading. However, if you just sit back and hope that one of the popular Youtube readers will find and read your work, then you can expect to wait. You have to reach out to them first. Share links to your stories and check up to see if your reading has appeared. If you do get a reading, make sure to share that video just as you would share your story on social media. Make sure you are giving your work as much exposure as possible.

And finally....

Show Thanks- If someone reads your story, does art for your story or helps promote you in anyway, make sure you show them your gratitude. Message them a thank you, but also, share, subscribe and promote them in return. This will ensure that people will want to work with you in the future.

If anyone else knows any good tricks for spreading your work to the masses, please post below!