Is Literotica still the place to get maximum views on your erotica?

[FrancesScott]

It sounds like your offering in NC/R fits the same description. You probably shouldn't satirize a genre and post it to the category that serves the genre.

But it did quite well. Astonishingly well actually.

 

[FrancesScott]

@ElectricBlue thank you!

 

[PennyThompson]

You probably shouldn't satirize a genre and post it to the category that serves the genre.

I'm not sure I agree with that, I think a lot of genre fans enjoy taking the piss in their categories if it's done smartly!

Except maybe LW, I don't think they by and large have much of a sense of humor

 

[SimonDoom]

As others have said, though, you've only got a months worth of content, so it's far too early to judge your audience, or even to get one. Come back in a year, thing's will be different, I'm sure.

This is a good point. As you stay longer and pick up followers, views, and favorites, the views of all your stories should pick up over time.

 

[FrancesScott]

This is sort of what I’m talking about. Only one story posted in Fetish today is even close to reaching 1,000 views. I’m sure some of the other authors are better at titles than me and have also not posted NC/R satires. It seems a general problem.

Are these normal numbers?

 

[FrancesScott]

I think a lot of genre fans enjoy taking the piss in their categories if it's done smartly!

That was my experience.

 

[SimonDoom]

I'm not sure I agree with that, I think a lot of genre fans enjoy taking the piss in their categories if it's done smartly!

Except maybe LW, I don't think they by and large have much of a sense of humor

I think they do, too, although there are many who won't get the joke and who will argue it should be somewhere else, like Humor. The problem with Humor is that the readership is tiny compared to many other categories.

If you write a story that satirizes a category and post it in the category, I think you just need to accept that while it's probably the best place to post it for total response, it's also going to get some blow back. You just have to accept that.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

How many views are you looking for?

 

[Areala-chan]

I will never write incest. I’d rather have low views.

Twenty-two years ago when I posted my first story here, I held the same view, that I'd never write to that category.

The thing is, that was exactly when I started viewing it as a challenge to take up. Could I write a story to a category I wasn't interested in? I left it on the burner, but when the gremlin in my brain started prodding me to try it, I did. Twice. One of them is still in the category top list (down around #180 last time I looked), and I'm pretty sure it's responsible for the majority of the readers I have today. It's one of the best stories, composition-wise, that I've ever written. It ain't perfect, but I'm damn proud of it regardless.

I haven't written to the category in ten years, but that story still gets found and commented on today.

What's more, writing that story proved to me that if I could do it there and succeed, I had what it took to succeed in other categories I might want to try.

I'm not saying that you have to write to that particular category, especially if you have real-life reasons for not wanting to touch it. But I am saying that prematurely telling yourself you'll never write to a given category may be holding you back from a story you didn't realize you needed to tell, and getting the feedback that helps you realize your full potential.

 

[FrancesScott]

Could I write a story to a category I wasn't interested in?

I get that challenge. My latest story here focuses on a man with a pregnancy / lactation fetish. It was interesting to write something that has zero overlap with my own kinks / experience. It’s actually fun to try to do that.

But I won’t ever write I/T or actual NC/R. I’m probably going to use my Community Pool anthology series to experiment writing in other categories that aren’t my kink (as well as some that are), but I have personal limits on what I will write. I wouldn’t ever expect to impose those on others, but they are my own red lines.

 

[FrancesScott]

How many views are you looking for?

As above, a modest 5k would be nice, assuming that means something like 250 - 500 actual readers.

 

[ElectricBlue]

This is sort of what I’m talking about. Only one story posted in Fetish today is even close to reaching 1,000 views. I’m sure some of the other authors are better at titles than me and have also not posted NC/R satires. It seems a general problem.

Are these normal numbers?

You're "analysing trends" by looking at story stats that are maybe twelve hours out the door, which is a bit silly. I suggest you wait a month before you decide how a story is really doing. There's too much volatility in the first few days, scores-wise - the ups and downs don't really settle until you've got thirty or so votes.

I don't see a problem, I see typical results for the first day. Each story in your sample is tracking roughly the same, which is what it expect, and nothing has taken off yet.

What's your frame of reference? Literotica has the most traffic of any story site by an order of magnitude, the last time I paid any attention.

 

[NotWise]

View attachment 2548029

This is sort of what I’m talking about. Only one story posted in Fetish today is even close to reaching 1,000 views. I’m sure some of the other authors are better at titles than me and have also not posted NC/R satires. It seems a general problem.

Are these normal numbers?

For today, the site published just over 200 stories. None of the Fetish stories were very high on the list, and your story was one of the last. You probably didn't get much traffic from the New list, and most of what you did get came from Fetish readers.

I haven't published in Fetish and I don't read there, but I'm told that it's a catch-all for a lot of different fetishes. Fetishes that appeal to some people offend others, so the readership is low and the response can be ragged.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

As above, a modest 5k would be nice, assuming that means something like 250 - 500 actual readers.

I don't have a huge following, but my last story was in Romance (not a hot button category) and it has 6k views after a week. 331 votes, so I'd say at least that many readers.

 

[Rob_Royale]

1.3 million views for my stuff in less than three years. I'd say yes to the OPs question.

 

[GrantBricksly]

I've been around a while. And I can tell you that the only thing that has changed is we have a lot more stories being published per day than we used to.
The viewership has increased, if at all.
Beyond that, I have 3 pieces of advice for you, two have already been said:

1: Adjust your Titles, Descriptions, and be aware of the viewership of your category.
This makes a huge difference. Category is how people find the stories they want to read. So if it's not where it belongs, your readers won't find it. And worse, the people that do find it, will not read it, or will give it bad reviews/stars.
Your titles and descriptions are the first thing readers see when they find your story. If it doesn't grab their attention and make them want to read it... they'll move on.

2: Enter Contests.
By far, the best views I've ever gotten was stories I've entered into Lit sponsored contests. Not only is your story going to be on the "new story" list, but it's also listed on the "Contest list" as well. And you get a lot of views.

3: Story length.
This is from my own personal experience, and not everyone has had the same experience. But, the best views/stars I've got, on are my longer stories. Anniversary Gift has 57k views, 4.77 stars (with 313 ratings) 55 loves, and 12 comments. I got that many because A: It was part of a contest. and B: it was just shy of 20k words.
Your longest story is less then 10k words. And while there is nothing wrong with that, I have found that longer gets better results. My current series, each chapter has between 10-11k words. But they are chapters in a much larger story, so it works. And, I've already established myself here. Once you have got your followers, you'll be able to get a little more leeway on your stories.

Oh, also, put a link to your stories in your signature, and post them in the forums as well. That will get you some hits as well!

 

[HordHolm]

This is sort of what I’m talking about. Only one story posted in Fetish today is even close to reaching 1,000 views. I’m sure some of the other authors are better at titles than me and have also not posted NC/R satires. It seems a general problem.

Are these normal numbers?

I have an observation about those new submissions straight away. Bearing in mind I'm not a Fetish author or reader, however, most of those titles/summaries give me no indication at all regarding content. Now, in a narrow category like e.g. Loving Wives or NC/R or Anal, well, I can assume roughly what the content is likely to involve. But Fetish is very wide as a category - some people want to get off on bathing in baked beans whilst others want to be infantilised. How is a reader supposed to see which story, if any, tickles their fancy? Interestingly, the one story which seems to have the best response is precisely the one that makes the content clear. I see this as a huge problem if you are publishing in Fetish.

 

[SimonDoom]

I have an observation about those new submissions straight away. Bearing in mind I'm not a Fetish author or reader, however, most of those titles/summaries give me no indication at all regarding content. Now, in a narrow category like e.g. Loving Wives or NC/R or Anal, well, I can assume roughly what the content is likely to involve. But Fetish is very wide as a category - some people want to get off on bathing in baked beans whilst others want to be infantilised. How is a reader supposed to see which story, if any, tickles their fancy? Interestingly, the one story which seems to have the best response is precisely the one that makes the content clear. I see this as a huge problem if you are publishing in Fetish.

Definitely. I pay a lot of attention to titles, tags, and taglines, and they make a difference. You have a limited opportunity to snag eyeballs for your story out of the many other stories posted that day. You've got to catch readers' attention.

 

[Nynah]

I have an observation about those new submissions straight away. Bearing in mind I'm not a Fetish author or reader, however, most of those titles/summaries give me no indication at all regarding content. Now, in a narrow category like e.g. Loving Wives or NC/R or Anal, well, I can assume roughly what the content is likely to involve. But Fetish is very wide as a category - some people want to get off on bathing in baked beans whilst others want to be infantilised. How is a reader supposed to see which story, if any, tickles their fancy? Interestingly, the one story which seems to have the best response is precisely the one that makes the content clear. I see this as a huge problem if you are publishing in Fetish.

As an outside observer, I agree with this. I feel like Fetish as a whole suffers from having to cover such a wide breadth of interests. Readers can certainly look for stories that fit their fancy through tag & keyword searches, but that feels like a lot more effort the casual visitor to this site is willing to undertake. I feel somewhat fortunate that my particular area of interest (E/V) is a large enough fetish to warrant its own category so it is separate from the rest of the submissions in the general Fetish sub-heading.

All that said, I would probably read a 'bathing in baked beans' story.

 

[FrancesScott]

This is all very helpful. I’m trying to summarize:

1. Use clickbaity titles / sub-titles
2. Publish in the big categories
3. Align your content precisely to category expectations
4. Avoid Fetish as a category
5. Don’t do anything that has the slightest chance of upsetting or challenging readers
6. Enter site competitions - less so the unofficial comp things
7. Put a link in your profile signature
8. Write longer stories
9. Write stand-alone stories
10. Wait a year

Did I miss anything? Anything else?

 

[filthytrancendence]

All that said, I would probably read a 'bathing in baked beans' story.

 

[onehitwanda]

my particular area of interest (E/V)

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/66/7e/57/667e573184c17880f988c6a9b852431b.gif

 

[filthytrancendence]

This is all very helpful. I’m trying to summarize:

1. Use clickbaity titles / sub-titles
2. Publish in the big categories
3. Align your content precisely to category expectations
4. Avoid Fetish as a category
5. Don’t do anything that has the slightest chance of upsetting or challenging readers
6. Enter site competitions - less so the unofficial comp things
7. Put a link in your profile signature
8. Write longer stories
9. Write stand-alone stories
10. Wait a year

Did I miss anything? Anything else?

I can't resist being baited by a numbered list. You have discovered my kryptonite.

1. Not clickbait. Interesting. "The CP - Gravid Games" is an inscrutable title to most people. Maybe everyone? What makes your story unique or interesting? Paint an image with your title. Or at least telegraph what the story is about.
2. If you want lots of views, sure. But writing something compelling is always going to be more important than any other factor.
3. No. Just do some reading on what the expectations are so you don't violate them on accident.
   1. https://www.literotica.com/s/love-your-readers-categories
4. Unless your story doesn't fit anywhere else, yeah, probably. See above.
5. Upsetting? Yeah, probably a good thing to avoid if you're expecting something like mass appeal. Challenging? Don't be silly. People like to be challenged. It just takes a lot of finesse to challenge a reader in a way that's not off-putting. You've got to decide if you've got that level of finesse, and even if you do, accept you're never going to have the same success as somebody that's straightforwardly pandering to the audience.
6. I don't have personal experience here, but it's very common advice and supported by the data. Readers like the contests.
7. The formus are siloed from the story site in a weird way. It's hard for people to find your stories directly from the forum unless you put the link in yourself.
8. If you want lots of views, yeah. But longer for the sake of longer is a recipe for a filler episode. Longer stories get more views generally because they represent more effort and have a greater payoff, on average.
9. Yeah. You can see in my catalogue how large the dropoff is from chapter 1 to chapter 2+ of anything. It's just what it is.
10. A month is probably good to collect meaningful data. Data from one day is too random to be useful.

What I'd add:

• Posting consistently makes a huge difference. There's a feedback loop of people liking your stuff and scanning through your back catalogue, which gets your older stuff more attention, which gets it more views, etc.
• If you want actionable feedback with which to improve your craft, make a post in the feedback board and ask for it. You're not going to get a lot in the comments beyond many permutations of "I liked this" or "I hated this"
• While there are a lot of viewers here, it is a janky site. Randomness is a huge factor in how many views you get. That's why a single day's or week's data, or even long-term data from a single story is not that useful in terms of feedback. When you do get a story that hits in a big way for you, it's a wild ride, buckle up. The dopamine is real. Just watch out, because the next one is bound to miss for some reason that might be beyond your control. That's life, and that's Lit.

 

[FrancesScott]

I really appreciate the wisdom and experience that has been shared on this thread.

I’d still very much like to see something like average views per story per category over time. And average number of stories posted by category over time. But I guess that’s not avaialble, or would require programming / site-scraping skills to compile that I don’t possess.

 

[SimonDoom]

I really appreciate the wisdom and experience that has been shared on this thread.

I’d still very much like to see something like average views per story per category over time. And average number of stories posted by category over time. But I guess that’s not avaialble, or would require programming / site-scraping skills to compile that I don’t possess.

8Letters has done some number crunching in the past. Here's one thread he posted a while ago, with some data: https://forum.literotica.com/thread...and-alone-lite-stories.1488161/#post-89907551.

One other thing: Advice only means something if it is geared toward whatever your goal is. There are some authors who intensely dislike getting bad comments and votes, and they actively try to avoid them. I'm not one of those authors. If you want to maximize views, then do NOT follow the advice that you should never offend or challenge the readers. That's bunk. If you publish a story about a wife who has fun having sex outside marriage in Loving Wives, it is sure to draw a lot of hostile commentary and bad votes. But at the same time it may receive many views and favorites. You have to pick your poison.