Webcomic Promotional Tools, Part 2.

Here are some more quick and easy, and free, ways to promote.

1. Get your comic reviewed. If you feel you've got enough strips in the archive, and think it's ready, just go to any of the webcomic review sites and email or leave a comment requesting a review. Aarins Blog, Wednesday Webcomic Weview, 2 Cents In 60 Seconds, Comic Rankers(the only downside to Rankers is being REQUIRED to put their banner on your site if you want a review. I did it.), Ataraxia Theatre(two hamsters review, but it's currently on hiatus), CasualNotice, and The Webcomic Watchman, and of course yours truly, all take requests. Eventually they will all get to your comic, and the more sites you request a review from, the more chances that you will get one. Be patient with this though. Don't keep emailing and trying to persuade them to rush or they might discard your request all together. I'm partial to chocolate chip cookies though. :)

2. If you have a humor comic, try entering your funniest strip into Webcomic Battle. It has dropped off a bit in viewers since it's inception, but maybe you can help build it back to its former glory. I tried it and got a few hits. The process is basically a death match between two comics, and the one that gets more votes for being the funniest gets to come back the next day and "battle" it out with a different comic. This goes on and on until your comic loses. The more days you win, the more views you will end up getting. Make sure you put up a good one! Easy and fun to see if you win or not. I won. One day. Sniff.

3. Redditt. It's basically a forum for hot topics of the day. Register, put up an "article", basically a pitch for your comic in one line, and the more people who view it and give it an up arrow, the higher up the chart it goes, and the MORE chances for people to notice it and click. It helps if you can get people you know to click it to push it up, but that's if you want to use those sort of shameless tactics.

4. StumbleUpon. Here is the official description right from their home page: "Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar to find great sites, videos, photos and more based on your interests. StumbleUpon learns what you like and makes better recommendations." In short, the more sites you "like" and the more people "like" your site, the more chances for people to stumble onto your site and "like" it again, and so on and so forth. It's like a snowball effect. The more people use it, the more people find your site. A couple of problems here though. People who aren't looking for webcomics will stumble to your site too, and they will most likely go right to the next site. So they won't all be new fans. And it seems that the less you use the stumble toolbar and like new sites, your views from the program will drop. So you have to use it pretty much everyday to get good results. But it's still free and worth it to try out. So go like tons of sites! Oh, and enjoy it too, because there are lots of cool and weird sites that you would never even know about, but will find here.

5. Put a link to your comic in all of your emails. You've got friends, right? Wouldn't they like to see what you're up to? Chances are some people you email, friends or not, will be curious to click the link and see what your comic is about.

6. Word of mouth. WHAT!? Your comic is good? I have to tell others! The easiest and best way to get your comic noticed. It's just like any other "product". Remember Crystal Pepsi? New Coke? If it's bad or badly executed, no one will want it. Make a good comic people will want to come back to again and again, and the clicks will eventually come.

7. While not totally free, making magnets, stickers, flyers, etc. to post up or give away around your city or town, believe it or not, will work as well. I live in Savannah, Ga, and we have SCAD(The Savannah College of Art and Design) here. I'm going to go guerilla tactic style and drown that place in flyers and stickers soon. I also have a WebcomicAsylum magnet on the back of my car. It's not all internet, folks. I know some will think it's goofy or tacky, but if you believe in your comic or site, and really want to promote it, go all out! You've got nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

Part 3 up Monday!