Get more readers – our goal!

Want to get more readers on your worldbuilding articles? You’re not alone! This is our MOST frequently asked question. Today is all about getting additional eyes on your work, more comments, and maybe even (if you’re doing the right things) more likes too!

Make it easy for your readers

To attract new readers, you have to make it simple! If you’ve already done the work to organize your world, that’s a great setup for this tip! Make sure you’re consistently using a clear layout, to help guide readers through your articles. Breaking up articles with headers, quotes, images (even placeholder images) and making use of the sidebar will also help avoid text walls, and give your readers context.

Create User Journeys as a guide

But, why not go a step further, and create a User Journey for new readers? This might be a further reading section (use links, or article blocks). Or you might link to your introduction article or primer at the bottom of your articles. You can even use features like the global footer to direct all articles in your world to a certain landing page, or your world’s homepage. Make sure your world’s homepage is clear, and that your most important information is at the top. This will also help you get more views and grow your audience.

Calls to action to engage your readers

Another way to encourage readers to like and comment on an article is to just ask! These calls to action can be simple. For example, you may want to add a question at the bottom of your articles to help drive comments. Letting readers know that their likes and comments are helpful is also a good idea! If you’re looking for new followers for your world, make sure you tell them what they’ll get if they follow, and what kind of new content to expect.

Use mouse-overs of many types!

Finally, for new readers, make sure you’re using the World Anvil features to help them absorb the concepts of your world. This is especially important for cornerstone articles and concepts. You can do this in the form of mouseover snippets (definable in the Article’s design tab), variables, tooltips, and article previews. New readers will be able to get the quick TL:DR of the concept  as they read, and will form a clearer picture of your world setting.

Use your World Anvil profile to get more readers!

World Anvil has an author’s profile for every user – and if people like what they see, they’re likely to follow you! This is a great way to get more readers and views on your articles, short stories, and everything else you create on World Anvil. You can use your profile to announce your articles and create a network of friends!

Make sure you’ve filled in your “About me” section, so people can get a feel for who you are and what you write! You can also link in your social media accounts, so that people can find you around the internet. Post status updates and creative journals here, to let your followers know what you’re working on, or share tidbits about your world and your progress. And make sure you give a friendly response to people if they write in your Guestbook!

Finally, using a profile picture, a cover image and article cover images will make your profile stand out! It’s also a good way to brand your page, and help people understand what you’re writing, at a glance.

An example of a World Anvil Author's profile - a great way to get more readers on your worldbuilding!

Here’s my World Anvil author’s page right now – big love to Sai for creating my avatar! Looks like I should update my “about me” section, though!

Want to build a online writing community on World Anvil? Get a stream of great, inspiring articles in your notifications? Then make sure you follow other members of our community! And if you’re releasing articles, make sure you’re selective about how often you release public articles to your followers, and when you choose to push announcements for updates. This will keep your followers excited about every new release you make in your world!

The World Anvil discord!

Sharing respectfully on our Discord is a great way to get more readers for your work. One good place to do this in #guild-share, where guild members can share their work with others. Chapters are another great way to get feedback, and most chapters centre around a genre or idea. This means that they’re more likely to read and enjoy your work! Finally, of course, there’s the summer camp official channel! Discussing your article here, respectfully asking for help and kindly helping others, is a great way to raise your profile in the community.

Pssst! The Discord is a GREAT World Anvil resource for help, ideas, announcements, discussion and more! Learn more about our Discord here and join the Discord here! 

Reddit and Facebook Groups – a great place to get more readers!

Subreddits and Facebook Groups are great places to find communities interested in the same things you! Which means, you may get more readers for your work there, too.

It’s important to remember that subreddits and groups are communities and discussion groups, and often take a dim view of people who just swoop in to spam their work. So be a good community member! Respond to other people’s questions and comments, even just for 5 minutes a day. Make question posts, polls or informational posts (depending on the group rules!) as well as posting your articles, and don’t post too many times in one day! Most Reddit and Facebook Groups have their own community rules, so make sure you read those carefully to ensure you’re being respectful of the space. You may be removed or banned from a subreddit or group if you contravene the rules, and in general, people respond better to friendly, helpful beans who stick to what’s allowed.

Just like social media, images can be very important on Reddit and in Facebook groups. If you’re sharing an article, a screenshot of your header is a quick and easy way to create an image. Make sure you also include questions in your posts to drive comments, and check you are posting using the correct flares on Reddit!

How do I find Reddit and Facebook Groups?

To find relevant Reddit and Facebook Groups, search the platforms for keywords like worldbuilding, fantasy, scifi, DnD, RPGs, writing, authors, etc! Here are some of our favourite subreddits and Facebook groups to check out (some of the Facebook groups are Private, and you will need to apply to enter them):

Feel free to recommend your own favourite groups in the comments!

Get more readers through Social Media

A social media account can be one of the most rewarding ways of getting your work out there! Here are my 5 top tips to make the most of any social media account.

  1. Remember, it’s SOCIAL media – rule number one on any platform is to be social, respond, reply, talk to people. This will help you gain followers and traction in the algorithm – and maybe make some new friends too! You can also follow World Anvil on your social platform – we do our best to boost our beans without flooding our feed!
  2. Follow the 80:20 rule – 80% content, 20% promotion. This means 80% of your posts should be interesting and engaging content, whilst 20% should be promoting your project.
  3. Use image or video where you can. Make sure you’ve sized it correctly for your platform.
  4. Don’t post too much! Bombarding your followers with posts can cause them to jump ship!
  5. When promoting your own articles and worldbuilding, remember to include calls to action – explain why they should read your article /click on the link.

Beyond these tips, each social media platform (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, Youtube etc.) has their own specific Image/video sizes, Hashtags, Formats, Memes, Demographics and Culture. Make sure you explore the space, so you can post like to pro!

Pssst! If you’re a World Anvil Sage, make sure you check out our full Social Media 101 Seminar, available in the #Sage-Hall pinned posts on Discord.

Start your own Stream or Video series!

We’ve spoken before on this blog about how streaming and videos can be helpful to get more eyes on your work. The World Anvil platform has around 1.5 million users, and everyone uses it differently! So people love learning new tips and tricks, and comparing workflows. And streaming can make writing and worldbuilding less lonely, and more fun! But most important for this post, sharing your worldbuilding and creativity is a great way to get more readers for your work, and find fans for your worldbuilding! It can be a bit more challenging to start streaming than any of our other suggestions here, but it’s also a lot of fun! All you really need is a webcam and microphone, and a Twitch or Youtube (or other streaming platform) account!

The Homework Assignment: Get more readers for your worldbuilding!

For this prep assignment, the last before Summer Camp, we’re going to help you get some more readers for your work! Below are some quick and easy tasks that will help make sharing your articles simpler during crunch time. In fact, you’ve probably done most of these already!

An example of how a tweet can help get more readers on your work

An example of how social media can help get more readers on your work! Announcing a new project is an easy, positive post people will love!

  1. Social Media
    • Get yourself set up on a social media platform or two of your choice!
    • Make sure you fill in the “about” sections and add images where appropriate
    • Make a post about your intention to do Summer Camp, introduce your world and mention us (@worldanvil)… and we’ll like it! Remember to link in your world, and add relevant hashtags to your genres! (Check Dimitris’s example above – it’s a great format to copy!)
  2. Subreddits and Groups
    • Find a few groups or subreddits you’d like to release to, bookmark them, and read the rules so you know what’s allowed
    • Start making friends and interacting there now! Just five minutes a day is enough.
  3. World Anvil Discord
    • If you haven’t already, join the World Anvil Discord, and say hello to your fellow Summer Campers in the #Summer-Camp-2021 channel
  4. World Anvil Author’s Profile
    • Fill out your author profile “about me” section
    • Add a profile and cover images (use the same ones as on social media to unify your brand)
    • Link in your social accounts
    • Make a quick post for your followers!
    • Follow 5 (10 for extra credit!) other people who make amazing worlds to make friends – then, write in their guest book or comment on one of their posts! You’ll find other Summer Campers in the comments of this blog post and in our Discord.
  5. Create an Article Release Plan
    • Create a step-by-step release plan for your Summer Camp articles (add it to your pledge document in a final section)! This might include:
      • A quick check that you’ve formatted your article clearly
      • Your social media accounts, with hashtags you should use (#WASummerCamp and #worldbuilding should be in there!)
      • Your chosen subreddits and/or facebook groups
      • The World Anvil Discord, in chapters or appropriate channels
    • Simply follow the steps you’ve set up whenever you have an article ready for release! It’ll make sharing your work easy 🙂
  6. To submit your homework, write a comment on this blog post sharing:
    • your amended pledge document, now with your Article Release Plan!
    • your completed World Anvil author’s profile
    • your social media links, so people can follow you!