So! You’re starting a webcomic and want to share it on social media! Good idea! But how?

The ins and outs of every platform shift and change, nobody has surefire answers, and not all of them are going to be right for you. But some specifics to keep in mind as you approach social media as a webcomic creator can go a long way.

Before you start: Can they read your comic?

Before you get started on any platform - have at least one chapter ready to read. A cold launch on your very first page with 0 followers will probably not go anywhere fast, unless it’s an AMAZING first page that explodes everyone’s brains instantly, which is rare. It’s really good to give people a mini-story to chew on.

On the other hand, it can also be cool to show the PROCESS of starting the webcomic, even before it launches. Heck, some people make accounts solely for their webcomic OCs, and then make the story later. It mostly depends on how much of the behind-the-scenes process you’re comfortable with sharing right from the get go.

Where to Post

The biggest platforms that webcomic creators are using right now are Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, TikTok, and deviantART (Facebook might still work for some folks as well, but we don’t have that experience.)

Talk about your comic on any or all of these places to begin with! But as time goes by, try and foster the ones that are most fun for you, and easiest for you to handle. You don’t need to post everywhere all the time every day. If you’re just on Twitter, great! If you’re everywhere, great! It’ll all depend on what you like and what you can personally handle.

Next, decide if you want to have your webcomic accounts be separate from your personal accounts. Some people open a whole other account on a site solely for comic news and updates - but not everyone does. Either way is valid!

How to get visibility:

There are many ways to start getting seen by others, so experiment with a lot of things!

• Post in different formats depending on what each platform does best.
• Show your process! People love sketches. People love seeing works in progress. People love seeing you film your screen and put it up on TikTok, like a window into your ‘studio.’ Embrace the messy stuff - not everything needs to be super polished!
  
• Talk to people if you’d like to make connections. Genuine interest in their work and their process really does go a long way. That said, stick to appropriate spaces and don’t hound people who aren’t interested in talking to you!
  
• Once you make some friends on these platforms - support them with fan art and comments and general good vibes! As always, your desire to make art or leave comments should come from a genuine place, but hey, if a fellow creator likes your art and shares it, that’s already some visibility for your art style and your passion.
  
• Reshare old content that you like after a while! People miss things all the time. If you like looking at a thing again, someone else might too. Share it again!
  

Also, don’t let low engagement at the beginning get you down. It’s not common for someone to come into a new platform and have everyone go OH MY GOSH, INSTANT FOLLOW on a massive scale. You have to be ok with very slow growth at first. Remember, you’re connecting with only a few people at first, then those people will read your comic, tell a few friends, their friends will tell a few other friends, etc etc. The growth isn’t always consistent, but it does get a little more exponential as time goes on, if you keep at it!

Events and discussions can also be an easy way to get visibility and make connections when you’re first starting out. Most of these apply to the art community in general, but you can totally include yourself if you’re making a webcomic. Because your webcomic IS art! These sorts of activities include:

1. Art Share Threads - this applies both for regular art and for webcomics. Seek them out, especially on accounts with viewerships that mirror your own. Be smart about where you share (maybe don’t drop your fantasy comic in the middle of a cape comic thread) - but share as often as you’re comfortable!
2. Weekly Comic Chats: These are events where creators can talk about the webcomic creation process. They basically cover everything, so if you’re wearing a lot of hats for your webcomic, it’s a good place to talk and to learn! The one that we all know best is @WebcomicChat on Twitter -  follow it and check out their weekly discussions!
3. Participate in MEMES! Either redrawing existing ones, or hopping on the bandwagons of those that pop up - seemingly overnight! It’s an easy way for a potential reader to be like “ok, the vibe of this meme is giving me the vibe of the comic,” which is a great ‘in’ for getting someone started or invested. Have fun with them!
4. Collaborate with a group! Zines, group pictures, and other group events can be great as well. If you’re making a “webring” of friends and creators, it’s cool to see those comics consolidated somehow. See what you can organize! 
   

   It’s good to see people supporting each other - we like that, and we need more of it.

   
   

When to Post

Every social media site or app is going to have some sort of pattern for ‘what time is best to post.’ It’s different for each one, and on some, it matters a ton, on others, it matters far less. Do some research into the peak hours of the service you’re using. On Twitter, it’s usually best to post around noon eastern time - when a lot of people are either just about to start work on the west coast, or just about to go to lunch on the east coast. It doesn’t always apply, but there are absolutely DEAD ZONES during the day, where even the most beautiful posts go to die.

Hashtags

On Twitter, try to limit your hashtag usage - but using #webcomic or #webcomics can be helpful! On Instagram… go hog wild. On TikTok… you don’t have unlimited hashtags, but you can still include a lot of them. In general - just look at what other similar creators are doing, and literally copy them on their hashtag use. Just do it. There’s no shame. Steal the hashtags.

How to Behave on Social Media

How you put yourself out there not just as a comic, but as a person MAKING a comic should also be a big consideration in your approach. Ultimately, it’ll come down to your comfort level, your personality, and how personal you want to be. A lot of it comes down to common sense - don’t be a jerk to other people - but your mileage may vary on what kind of vibe you want to set.

While you can absolutely get an audience for being extremely opinionated and sassy (especially if your comic has strong messages), it definitely doesn’t work for everyone and can often affect how people perceive your story. The best use of social media is always a genuine portrayal of your personality, but with a little dash of neutrality here and there, especially if you’re using it for marketing.

Know how to control yourself and think before you post something controversial. We’ve absolutely seen people just completely lose it on main, and while that can be entertaining sometimes, in other cases, it can really blow things up in a way that can’t be undone and drain your energy and morale to deal with the aftermath. Having the control to be chill and professional in public and vent your spicy hot takes in private can be the difference between a great social media experience and a draining one.

Parasocial connections are also a common trap just starting out.  It’s great to get the word out in appropriate spaces, but stick to talking to people who want to be talked to, and DON’T DM strangers just because they have large follower counts, or put other on your mailing list without their consent.

Self-Care

Social media presence takes time, patience, and energy. It’s a great tool to grow your audience and make important connections with your peers, but you’re also likely going to be making posts that never get seen in the process of navigating algorithms and finding the places both you and your audience like to hang out. Use it as a tool and not a judgment on your work. If you find it too consuming or unhealthy, use queueing/scheduling tools to give yourself space from each post or take breaks. No matter what, stay healthy.