How to promote your webcomic to get more readers on Webtoon and everywhere else

Here are my Top 10 favorite tips for promoting and growing our webcomic audiences. If I can answer any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments below!
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Hi! Thanks for watching! Please consider liking, subscribing, and ringing the bell for notifications.
You can read my webcomic THE MIDDLE AGE here:
THE MIDDLE AGE: middleagecomic.com
AND ON WEBTOON: www.webtoons.com/en/challenge...
AND ON GOCOMICS: www.gocomics.com/the-middle-age
MY PATREON: / steveconley
You can learn more about my original webcomic ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS here: astoundingspacethrills.com/
And sign up for my MAILING LIST here:
steveconley.com/email/
Thanks again for watching - and for reading this fine print!
- Steve
/ steveconley

[@kuremyona7017]

You seem like a very passionate soul when it comes to comics, this makes me very happy.

[@SteveConleyArt]

[@AA-rr9ly]

Another idea for the postcards! Use QR codes so people can easily access your comic!

[@GrainneSheridan]

Wear a shirt with a QR code on it that sends them to your comic lol

[@paigecritchlow]

Thank you SO much for sharing these tips!!! I've been having a really hard time lately getting my comic TENACITY noticed by new people. Even making webtoon canvas top 30 pretty consistently hasn't been helping much so I'm very grateful for these tips. There are quite a few in here I haven't tried yet!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks so much, Paige! I appreciate the encouragement. I'll be sure to check out TENACITY!

[@vortex_05_96]

I have a comic on webtoom that is called Hands of War: WW2: Western Front. I haven’t seen many historically accurate ww2 webtoons so I thought it was an interesting concept. 👍

[@CraftingVegeto]

I REALLY appreciate the tips! Subbed 👍

[@theforgottenordergraphicno8052]

I remember a time when link trees were the best way find awesome comics and share your own, I kind of miss that community sometimes. Good info in this video, i watched it twice XD

[@beachchickensmedia]

This is by far the best explanation of how to market your cartoons that i’ve seen. Thank u!! I will be rewatching this many times.

[@evilcaptainred]

I like the postcard idea a lot- free art that you can take home is always welcome in my book! Thanks for the tips!

[@hughdidit]

Great tips! It's good to have a place to start with promoting your comics and get going in the right way instead of throwing anything at the wall and hope it sticks.

[@matthewolson7003]

Thanks for this! I’m new to the game and have been drowning a little in the bottomless swamp of publishing options. Having it broken down like this makes the whole thing feel more doable. Consider adding “friendly and informative video” to your list, cause you just got one more fan. 🙂

[@eyewhiskers8454]

Fantastic tips! I can't thank you enough for being real and honest about real tips to promote your comics. So many people post the same social media and thats it. This is great.

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks eyewhiskers! I really hope the tips are useful. Thanks for the kind words!

[@mechaniproject6291]

one thing that really helped my canvas release was reaching out to youtube creators that do "Let's Reads" or Reviews of webtoon. I reached out to creators who read my genre. Another thing I did was have "readers circle" group chats on instagram. You have some great points and seem like you'd have great conversation in this field.

[@samconcklin]

Wow! Straight to the point and lots of awesome advice. I just subbed and I look forward to more webcomic tips! :)

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

[@randomladyaj]

I never thought about the postcard idea. I want to try it! :D

[@doomy1803]

This was super useful. I’m trying to build an audience for my Star Metal comic on webtoon and tapas and this is exactly what I needed. Also good luck on ur comic too!

[@cupidbeaux6251]

The postcard thing is actually so smart and I've literally seen postcards around conventions and not thought much of it. I've always assumed they're materials that the cons are giving out and that whatever is on them is like... a PAID advertisement. Honestly that just for real blew my mind. I do (well did because of covid) artist tables at a number of local anime conventions and when they exist again I'll maybe try that out!

[@SteveConleyArt]

That's great! I felt a little silly including it on the list because it's sooooo low-tech but it's so useful. Let us know how it goes for you when conventions and events safely start up again!

[@cupidbeaux6251]

@@SteveConleyArt It's not silly at all! It's actually BECAUSE it's low-tech that I never would have thought of it!

[@user-tk4xx1rd8e]

Thanks for the tips! My webcomic Lunar Element will come out sometime in December on webtoon

[@amelioriart]

Such priceless info!! I just started my webcomic (5 eps so far) and I'm DEFINITELY gonna try this all the tips :3 Thanks Steve!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks for the kind comment. I hope the tips are helpful! Good luck with your webcomic!

[@DOMINGOX6]

Amazing tips! Thanks a lot for this valuable information, definitely gonna try some of these for my webcomic :)

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks, DOMINGOX6! I'm glad it was helpful! Good luck with your webcomic!

[@PatrickLugo]

Super-usful info (no surprise) even offline, in the paper print world. Surprised by your choice for the #1 spot and yet, there it no arguing with it. It's even worked for me surprisingly well.

[@LittleWondersProject]

I saw your webtoon series being on the recommended series and got super excited for you! Thank you again for sharing these tips with us! always nice to watch your videos when im feeling a little down. Your passion for comic gives me hope T_T

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks, Joanne! I really appreciate the encouragement! :) I was really surprised to see those recommendations. It started about six months ago and it's been wild to get new subscribers even on days I don't update. I think that recommendation started appearing at the bottom of other Fantasy/Comedy series' pages when my webcomic got more than a certain number of subscribers/views - though maybe an editorial selection played into it.

[@LittleWondersProject]

@@SteveConleyArt Yeah i do heard those picked series in the bottom are specially picked by Webtoon CANVAS team. not sure how much of it its true, but it is encouraging to know. :)

[@dilemmasd9274]

Thank you for all this information. I don't know the progress I'm making but I will try my best!! My webtoons are "IS THIS LIFE WORTH LIVING OR DYING?" and "WORDS". Hope you have a good day!

[@SteveConleyArt]

I like your cover/thumbnails a lot. I look forward to reading the stories!

[@dilemmasd9274]

@@SteveConleyArt thank you 😊

[@mauriciomorali5392]

Hey Steve! thank you for sharing your knowledge! I'm currently working on my webcomic's first 10 episodes and this information is GOLDEN for me.

[@dagmar.rokita.author]

I agree with almost every word here, especially the one about social media My only problem with it is that if I don't have THOUSANDS of fans, no one is going to support my kickstarter or join my mailing list

[@Queen-dl5ju]

2 years later this is gold!

[@houvv]

Thanks for sharing your tips! It's really helpful for someone looking for new ideas to self-promote their web comic 🙏

[@wallrider4730]

My webtoons called chosen chaos and I reallyyyy hope some of these work. Currently have 135 followers

[@TheGenomax]

Really love your sincere suggestions! They are really useful!

[@mikeymike2256]

Another way is to answer that eternal question on YT where you take the opportunity to promote your actual comic. You're good Steve, you're goooood! : )

[@SteveConleyArt]

LOL MikeyMike. :) FWIW I don't see this channel as promoting my webcomic. I really think our webcomics are all so unique that trying to "sell" them while discussing something tangentially related doesn't really work. Like, if this were a channel talking about the best practices for opening and managing a restaurant and I mention *my* restaurant - it's just to let viewers know I have some experience in the subject, not because I expect Steve's Soups to suddenly have record sales that month. :) It's important, I think, to promote our webcomics to webcomic readers not webcomic creators. I like your comment a lot and may include it in a upcoming Q&A video!

[@mikeymike2256]

@@SteveConleyArt Well, it wasn't a negative one Steve, trust me on that! I love everything that you have to offer. You're obviously smart and passionate!

[@AndrisGameDev]

Steve this video was great, thank you! I see videos without any value so so often that I kinda got used to it, so it really is a pleasure to find something like this.

[@1ivingdeadgr189]

That postcard is stunning!!

[@merlot5150]

You're so generous with your tips! Thank you for sharing!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks so much, Danny!

[@JacksonTaylorandTheSinners]

The cards are very wise. Thanks for the info. Very helpful. 🙏🏼

[@SillyShroomans]

i think people gloss over your tip on advertising. i see a lot of ads from artists who aren't selling anything. not even a call to action to like their page or anything. like... why? i've been doing this for just a bit more than 5 years with some successes and i still keep discovering other creators. webcomics is such a diverse space. :D

[@duranimusprime5989]

I appreciate the comment. I still get confused about what "Call to action" entails. What are good examples of that?

[@SillyShroomans]

@@duranimusprime5989 it's literally a line calling for the reader to take action, ex: "dm me for commision info", "follow me for more content", "click the link to read the full episode" etc...

[@SteveConleyArt]

That's a perfect description!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Totally agree! I see those ads too. I think a lot of cartoonists define success differently and so an ad which just brings them a few more readers is all they want. Like you said, it's a diverse space and if they're happy, who am I to judge? :) I just don't want fellow creators to be taken advantage or spending money when cheaper and more effective options may be out there. Congrats on five+ years of cartooning! That's an achievement!

[@eidennazca6045]

Whaaaat.. Why did I just saw this now? I'm definitely gonna try this when I go back to doing webcomics. Getting a living out of art is difficult and doing it as a webcomic artist is on another level for me. Right now I'm working as an artist doing projects for clients using my anime style. I'm happy so far but what I really wanted to was to produce my own webcomic which is super draining, time consuming and costly (due to lack of earning initially) But I do believe that someday I'll be able to produce my own. Thanks for these advice. I just subbed and will surely check on your channel again when I'm ready.

[@Philosophy.and.Tostitos]

You are my comic senpai. Thank you, senpai.

[@nyesro1353]

I'm legit gonna binge watch every vid u have this is so helpful! Thank you!!!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks so much, Nyesro 13! I really appreciate it!

[@JFMstudio]

Thanks for this video! This will help me promote my future graphic novel! I plan to release it next year, but it's never too early to learn some tips!

[@PsychMandril]

I am dying to know how you make those dope ass hard cover books and other merch.

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks for the comment! I'll make a point of discussing this in an upcoming video!

[@courtneygodbeyart]

Super helpful advice! Thanks so much for sharing and definitely gonna try some of these out!

[@SteveConleyArt]

You're so welcome! I hope they help!

[@TP4211]

This is fantastic advice, thank you so much!

[@perrituguau7867]

Postcard tip made me subscribe!! Love it💕 do u make them yourself? Or do you send the art to a company that makes them? I’m a bit old school myself so I’m very interested

[@PhoenixFilm2]

Thanks, Steve! This is useful

[@augustawickmanart]

This are some really great tips! Thanks for making this video!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks Augusta! I really appreciate it!

[@iz00axel]

in relation to #3 (or #2), I think it would be great if you can have your comic translated to another language so you can reach more people globally

[@Tonyukuk1453]

Its kinda next level

[@dgriffstudios]

These vids are so great Steve, keep it up!

[@SteveConleyArt]

So glad you like the Dawn!

[@Tonyukuk1453]

You're amazing i literally found all the things i was looking for thanks

[@liachngo]

Your vids are soooo helpful!! THANK YOU!

[@SteveConleyArt]

You are so welcome! I really appreciate the note!

[@strangeattractors]

Thanks Steve, this a really a great video.

[@Spike-st9fn]

Love this video! SUPER HELPFUL!!

[@EvaTrianaMachadoUrquizaSPAPM]

Thank so! So helpful

[@Alan01796]

Amazing advise thank you so much

[@Waynimations]

Just started a webcomic and i will try these tips out!!!!

[@Jkdabomb10A]

You are adorable! Love your energy and thanks for the useful tips!

[@oibardicfury9333]

Great video!

[@sarahguillen4275]

Thank you, I really needed this!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Yay!!! :) Thanks for the note! I hope the tips help!

[@milesmagallanes8998]

Thank you so much, it really helps me.

[@geoffgrogansblockhead]

This is great info, Steve! Thanks for sharing!

[@SteveConleyArt]

I appreciate it, Geoff! Everyone should check out Geoff's terrific interview podcast (and his webcomic too)!

[@AA-rr9ly]

Also your comic art is soooo ssiicckk

[@BoReads]

This is immensely helpful thank you.

[@lycopene1772]

Thanks so much!

[@Squidrue]

Thank you!

[@ahmedmazen8500]

Best man talk's about web comics💥❤️

[@prism_world]

This was a great video and super helpful :D I started posting my webcomic on Webtoon Canvas a month or so ago and am struggling to promote it, but I get the feeling that sci-fi comics don't do as well on Webtoon (I was thinking of also posting on Tapas but I couldn't decide if that was a good idea or not, so I appreciate you pointing it out!) As for conventions, I was hoping to find some locally I could get into, but I have nooo idea where to start... Do you have any recommendations on how to find conventions around you? Is there an all-knowing website that has a list or something? Thanks a ton! ^-^

[@pauldriggere8300]

People are going to tell you not to "spread" your webcomic out too much because it could suffer from saturation, and that's actually useful to know. Pick ones like Tapas, Webtoons, ComicFury and the like, and see how things go. The key is to have just enough out there where you're not over-selling it. If you show up in too many places, you'll run into too many readers that will say, "Oh yeah, I already read this on some other site". Also, and I can't stress this enough, get a website for the comic so that you can effectively blog as well, get people knowing you (not just the comic). :D

[@Vikita1795]

Like you said, you have your webtoon on Webtoon and Tapas. I've been trying to figure out, they both have different size formats. Webtoon has 800 width whereas Tapas has like 950(?) Width. Do you recommend making the webtoon at Tapas size and then scale it down for uploading to Webtoon? (Like going in and just shrinking the final product?) Or what do you do?

[@AlyannaPoe]

Thank you for these awesome tips! I would just like to add that as a teen I loved reading comics and the most common place I would read/find them were Pinterest! I don't know how it's worked for artists, but that was where I was always at (btw I was a teen a few years ago so this isn't super dated info XD)

[@pickledshoe]

I'm going to try to post card one at the next con

[@dohmshah6164]

I've read your comic it's very beatiful, the art line, the coloring is high quality! Steve, have you try apply google adsense for your web?

[@IzFanArt69]

that why i have lot social media, when i see merryweather comic, he everywhere for post his story commish by other artist and it seem work, i follow the way he made. but im still slow.

[@stephenbayliss3002]

Thanks for sharing these tips. There is a lot of stuff that I had not thought about . When it comes to marketing all I hear is social media, which I am not entirely comfortable with. Do you think it is possible for a web comic to succeed in black and white?

[@pauldriggere8300]

ANY webcomic can be successful if it's good. Doesn't matter if it's colored or not. MOST of the Japanese manga these days is black and white because they haven't the funds to make it colored in the first place. :D God a good story? Fun characters? awesome art? Then it'll find an audience.

[@Zoodraws]

Thanks for all these great tips :) I've thought of doing fanart for other comic's who have an animal character that I can highlight a fact of, but never knew how to go about doing it. Should I run it by them first, or just do it and be like "tadaaaaa?"

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks Brian! IMO, 'tadaa' is fine. :) I think just share it! It's an expression of admiration and fandom. IMO, and I wish I'd stressed this more in the video, the key is to make sure we're creating fan art because we enjoy it and love the originals - and not because "this creator has 100k subscribers and I want a piece of that."

[@Zoodraws]

@@SteveConleyArt Oh yeah, and I always feel like on the other side of things, I don't want the artist to think I'm just doing it for that reason of gaining something, but really because I'm just fanning out on a great comic that happens to use cats as main characters for example :D

[@flexorlamonticus]

Doobly doo! Are you a Matt Coleville watcher or did you get that term somewhere else? Thanks for the awesome video!

[@SteveConleyArt]

Both! :) I picked it up from John Green’s Vlogbrother videos a couple of years but I’m also a fan of MCDM!

[@N.a.r.i]

Interesting! I wonder how the postcards would work with a storydriven comic tho. :V With episodic comics they are indeed super effective, but what about a whole story? How can we use it for them?

[@kiyomi6568]

*me who draws mature webcomics* Steve: ''Postcards!'' Me: 👁️👄👁️

[@SteveConleyArt]

Totally agree. :) NSFW have their own set of challenges. I've never worked on an 'mature' webcomic so I don't much advice to give there.

[@kiyomi6568]

@@SteveConleyArt hahah its all good 😆

[@jiminnoodlesoupwithasugaon1915]

I agree 100% to Reddit

[@melogome]

how can you produce those postcards?

[@thespookylocker]

what site do you use for your postcards?

[@mechaniproject6291]

link to where the flyers were made?

[@Kkaz-Art]

These are so helpful..ps not to sound weird or anything but u have really smooth skin 😂😂

[@SteveConleyArt]

I'm glad the tips were helpful! You're very kind. :)

[@caseyspaos448]

And nice teeth 😁

[@timothyfulton9555]

Thanks for the tips making a Best Comment for Week on my Webtoon. I am slowing getting subscribers.

[@SteveConleyArt]

That's great! Congrats on getting the new subscribers! It's such a good feeling!

[@brandonthomason7316]

I'm not an artist, I'm a writer, paying an artist to make my comic. So, yes, it will cost me more than 1 dollar per page. I don't want to sell my comic story to a publisher or creator because I love my characters and content to death. What are my options?

[@wiggie666]

where on webtoon can you pay a dollar to advertise an episode, that is interesting,

[@SephOgreThe3rd]

I don't use a lot of sites for my webcomic so I'm not familiar with some lingo. When you say Episodes are you referring to chapters or page count? I only have 11 chapters but over 375 pages.

[@SteveConleyArt]

Wow! That's an amazing amount of content! Congratulations! By 'episodes' I mean the next installment of our webcomic released to the public - however each of us defines that is fine. It could be an individual comic strip, a multi-page PDF, a long scroll on Webtoon, the next upload to Instagram, there are countless formats. I think that every time we publish a new episode/chapter/installment, it's the best promotion for all the episodes/chapters/installments which came before.

[@SephOgreThe3rd]

​@@SteveConleyArt Thanks! I've been doing it for a few years to help improve at drawing. Ah I see what you mean! A few times you mentioned pages and other times episodes. I suppose Episode is a vague term for a finished product. A webcomic that produces a page a week would call that page an Episode. However a printed, or more traditional online comic, would consider an Episode a whole chapter. I really should get it up on the other posting sites...

[@PrinceLied]

Should I hire a digital marketer? I feel like I'm not doing a very good job promoting my webtoon Lost Genesis: Lied.

[@burnersforhim]

i wanna live comfortably like the goats !!!

[@nouzmb]

Please make more webtoon videos

[@SteveConleyArt]

Thanks, nouz mb! I just uploaded a new one! :)

[@ender5892]

4:10 I tried going into Topweb comics and although there seems to be some nice comics there, there r a lot of nsfw...weird comics? Not digging the site. I don't know, it feels weird advertsing my comic next to these adult nsfw +18 stuff. They should have a separate section for nsfw. Really unpleaseant tbh haha

[@SteveConleyArt]

I appreciate that Marcella. If the site doesn't feel right, skip it. :)

[@preethiparthasarathy367]

Great video!!