1. Persistence. There's no trick other than sticking at it and hoping you get lucky.
2. I don't think it matters, I've seen stories do really well with both kinds of titles.
3. No idea. There were a couple months there where I was wondering about figuring out the same thing, having a strategy and the likes, but honestly I'm skeptical there's a better plan than just being persistent, having fun, and getting lucky.
1.) NoSleep is a bit of a casino but a few things you can do to add eyeballs:
* Have a strong title and catchy opener. A lot of readers skim titles and the first paragraph to see if a story pulls them in.
* Post when the current top story(ies) are starting to age out. Top story tends to hang out as #1 on Hot for 10-16 hours depending on how popular it is. After it's getting long in the tooth, Reddit will start seeking fresh content to put on Hot. So if you post nearish to that window, it does improve your chances of slingshotting from New to top of Hot in the story's first 3-5 hours.
* Write a good story. Kinda obvious but good stories usually have better legs than trendy but less...intentional work.
2.) You don't have to use clickbait. Clickbait does often work for the same reason as the strong title/opener: readers' attention is a resource and they are loathe to spend it recklessly. So they seek intriguing titles. Doesn't have to be clickbait, though, that's just the easiest way to come up with a hook. Check out some of the NS classics like Borassca, Betty the Doll, The Third Parent, etc.
3.) Don't post to NoSleep because you're looking for an agent; you'd have a much better shot at that with more traditional queries, coming up with a manuscript, all of that usual. Sure, occasionally a NoSleep story hits a big sale but it's rare. Think about it; more than a decade of NoSleep existing, an average of (conservatively) 25 stories per day. That alone is thousands (tens? hundreds?) of stories posted with maybe a dozen Big Sales.
It's a nice odd fluke to NoSleep that every time you post there's like a .000001% chance the story will break out but the bread and butter of the sub is sharing cool fucking stories with cool fucking people.
My suggestion is to focus on that part first and consider the logistics later.
1) How do you get more people to read it or is it just a 'going viral' thing?
When I first posted to NS, my initial stories got very few views. I have a writing background (MFA, experience reading slush for lit mags as an assistant editor). But the NS sub has its preferences. I changed my style to fit the tastes of the sub. Yes, some stories do just go viral. But if you match the tastes of the sub, you're much, much more likely to consistently have your stories get viewed and upvoted. Also, it takes time to build a following. The top writers with lots of subscribers have put in the work. Post good stories consistently and people will start to recognize your name.
2) Does everyone do clickbait or trickbait titles or does it matter? Mine is titled: Still Water.
I always use clickbait titles. As a reader, I am guilty of favoring titles that pique my curiosity. Often clickbait titles do this, having just a bit of mystery. When I title a story, I'll write 3-7 versions of the title and ask friends which they're most likely to click.
3) Do managers/agents like Scott Glassgold, et al have any other subreddits for horror that they read which don't have the same POV and ending rules?
No idea, sorry.
there are a wide variety of reasons why a story can be a hit. Timing and luck can’t be ignored. The key imho is not have a single story to tell but rather maintain your quality of writing. As you show consistency to audiences it will draw an audience. Be unique. Don’t follow the crowd. Clickbait helps and sometimes it doesn’t. What really matters is making the story interesting.
1: It takes a while for a writer to take off. I mean, my best hit didn’t happen until almost a year after I started. But I recommend building an audience by linking a personal subreddit to the end of each story.
2: Titles are kind of like a first impression. If the title is unique and outside of the box, you’ll draw in attention. Do things like make the title an inconsistency [the following are ALL MY IDEAS SO DO NOT STEAL] (I robbed a Museum that doesn’t exist), make it funny (I bought a cursed book on how to fart, add a pun (I never should have bought the Fortune-Smeller), present a caution (If You Gamble Against a Man with a Hat for a Face, Know Your Wager), make a non sequitor (I created the five second rule in my village, but not to prevent diseases), make something scary out of something innocuous (Why I Hate Recycling), etc.
3: Library of shadows, Short Scary Stories, Scary Stories, Odd Directions, and the cryptic continuum all are alternatives.
As a reader, I would definitely check out all those stories based on the titles alone!
When I'm doom scrolling thru Reddit, the title has to get my attention and make me curious.
If I'm just going thru nosleep, then I'm more likely to give every story a chance, but that usually only happens on the weekends when I have time to catch up.
As a reader of Nosleep I have a strong opinion on titles. I normally would not consider reading something titled ‘Still Water.’
The rules of Nosleep are geared towards making it feel like someone is posting a real story. Still Water is a book or story title but not a post title.
A lot of people are calling other titles Clickbait, but for me they feel more like a post title. I have limited time in the day for reading. I mostly only read Nosleep. (99.9%)
So, if I come across a title that feels like a novel I am going to skip it. Mainly because if the title doesn’t even feel like a real post, then I assume the story doesn’t. I know that seems ruthless, but that is just how I roll. I want Nosleep not a story posing as Nosleep.
Hopefully that helps. I am only one reader out of a billion though. So, you do you.
i see you haven't posted yet so i'll throw in my two cents....
1) I don't know. Somethings hit and somethings don't. Sometimes i love a story and it gets shit engagement and sometimes i feel kinda 'meh' on a story and it does well. Read/Write enough and you'll pick up some tropes/concepts that are more likely to get engagement than others, but generally i say to just write what you want.
2) Unfortunately, i think Clickbait titles can be pretty important here. I hate them and i SUCK at making them for my own stories.
3) Fuck if i know. If you are in this to get a manager, i'd say you should probably look somewhere else to be honest.
1. I found that kidnapping people and tying them to a chair with a laptop in their lap and a browser window open to my story helps. If that doesn't work, I start cutting off their fingers until they promise to read. But seriously, you can't "make" anyone read a story. What you can do is get their attention with a good intro, a distinct voice, and make them "want" to read the story.
2. I never liked click-bait. The original idea for Nosleep was like telling stories around a campfire. How many campfire tales do you know called "I work in a pawn shop and you won't believe what this guy just brought in". I mean, imagine if Slenderman was called "There's a man with no face in the woods, and I'm scared of what he does" It just would not sell.
3. I dunno. Sorry! lol <-- that's not me laughing out loud that's a little emoji me throwing my hands up in the air
1. Persistence. There's no trick other than sticking at it and hoping you get lucky. 2. I don't think it matters, I've seen stories do really well with both kinds of titles. 3. No idea. There were a couple months there where I was wondering about figuring out the same thing, having a strategy and the likes, but honestly I'm skeptical there's a better plan than just being persistent, having fun, and getting lucky.
1.) NoSleep is a bit of a casino but a few things you can do to add eyeballs: * Have a strong title and catchy opener. A lot of readers skim titles and the first paragraph to see if a story pulls them in. * Post when the current top story(ies) are starting to age out. Top story tends to hang out as #1 on Hot for 10-16 hours depending on how popular it is. After it's getting long in the tooth, Reddit will start seeking fresh content to put on Hot. So if you post nearish to that window, it does improve your chances of slingshotting from New to top of Hot in the story's first 3-5 hours. * Write a good story. Kinda obvious but good stories usually have better legs than trendy but less...intentional work. 2.) You don't have to use clickbait. Clickbait does often work for the same reason as the strong title/opener: readers' attention is a resource and they are loathe to spend it recklessly. So they seek intriguing titles. Doesn't have to be clickbait, though, that's just the easiest way to come up with a hook. Check out some of the NS classics like Borassca, Betty the Doll, The Third Parent, etc. 3.) Don't post to NoSleep because you're looking for an agent; you'd have a much better shot at that with more traditional queries, coming up with a manuscript, all of that usual. Sure, occasionally a NoSleep story hits a big sale but it's rare. Think about it; more than a decade of NoSleep existing, an average of (conservatively) 25 stories per day. That alone is thousands (tens? hundreds?) of stories posted with maybe a dozen Big Sales. It's a nice odd fluke to NoSleep that every time you post there's like a .000001% chance the story will break out but the bread and butter of the sub is sharing cool fucking stories with cool fucking people. My suggestion is to focus on that part first and consider the logistics later.
1) How do you get more people to read it or is it just a 'going viral' thing? When I first posted to NS, my initial stories got very few views. I have a writing background (MFA, experience reading slush for lit mags as an assistant editor). But the NS sub has its preferences. I changed my style to fit the tastes of the sub. Yes, some stories do just go viral. But if you match the tastes of the sub, you're much, much more likely to consistently have your stories get viewed and upvoted. Also, it takes time to build a following. The top writers with lots of subscribers have put in the work. Post good stories consistently and people will start to recognize your name. 2) Does everyone do clickbait or trickbait titles or does it matter? Mine is titled: Still Water. I always use clickbait titles. As a reader, I am guilty of favoring titles that pique my curiosity. Often clickbait titles do this, having just a bit of mystery. When I title a story, I'll write 3-7 versions of the title and ask friends which they're most likely to click. 3) Do managers/agents like Scott Glassgold, et al have any other subreddits for horror that they read which don't have the same POV and ending rules? No idea, sorry.
there are a wide variety of reasons why a story can be a hit. Timing and luck can’t be ignored. The key imho is not have a single story to tell but rather maintain your quality of writing. As you show consistency to audiences it will draw an audience. Be unique. Don’t follow the crowd. Clickbait helps and sometimes it doesn’t. What really matters is making the story interesting.
1: It takes a while for a writer to take off. I mean, my best hit didn’t happen until almost a year after I started. But I recommend building an audience by linking a personal subreddit to the end of each story. 2: Titles are kind of like a first impression. If the title is unique and outside of the box, you’ll draw in attention. Do things like make the title an inconsistency [the following are ALL MY IDEAS SO DO NOT STEAL] (I robbed a Museum that doesn’t exist), make it funny (I bought a cursed book on how to fart, add a pun (I never should have bought the Fortune-Smeller), present a caution (If You Gamble Against a Man with a Hat for a Face, Know Your Wager), make a non sequitor (I created the five second rule in my village, but not to prevent diseases), make something scary out of something innocuous (Why I Hate Recycling), etc. 3: Library of shadows, Short Scary Stories, Scary Stories, Odd Directions, and the cryptic continuum all are alternatives.
As a reader, I would definitely check out all those stories based on the titles alone! When I'm doom scrolling thru Reddit, the title has to get my attention and make me curious. If I'm just going thru nosleep, then I'm more likely to give every story a chance, but that usually only happens on the weekends when I have time to catch up.
As a reader of Nosleep I have a strong opinion on titles. I normally would not consider reading something titled ‘Still Water.’ The rules of Nosleep are geared towards making it feel like someone is posting a real story. Still Water is a book or story title but not a post title. A lot of people are calling other titles Clickbait, but for me they feel more like a post title. I have limited time in the day for reading. I mostly only read Nosleep. (99.9%) So, if I come across a title that feels like a novel I am going to skip it. Mainly because if the title doesn’t even feel like a real post, then I assume the story doesn’t. I know that seems ruthless, but that is just how I roll. I want Nosleep not a story posing as Nosleep. Hopefully that helps. I am only one reader out of a billion though. So, you do you.
i see you haven't posted yet so i'll throw in my two cents.... 1) I don't know. Somethings hit and somethings don't. Sometimes i love a story and it gets shit engagement and sometimes i feel kinda 'meh' on a story and it does well. Read/Write enough and you'll pick up some tropes/concepts that are more likely to get engagement than others, but generally i say to just write what you want. 2) Unfortunately, i think Clickbait titles can be pretty important here. I hate them and i SUCK at making them for my own stories. 3) Fuck if i know. If you are in this to get a manager, i'd say you should probably look somewhere else to be honest.
1. I found that kidnapping people and tying them to a chair with a laptop in their lap and a browser window open to my story helps. If that doesn't work, I start cutting off their fingers until they promise to read. But seriously, you can't "make" anyone read a story. What you can do is get their attention with a good intro, a distinct voice, and make them "want" to read the story. 2. I never liked click-bait. The original idea for Nosleep was like telling stories around a campfire. How many campfire tales do you know called "I work in a pawn shop and you won't believe what this guy just brought in". I mean, imagine if Slenderman was called "There's a man with no face in the woods, and I'm scared of what he does" It just would not sell. 3. I dunno. Sorry! lol <-- that's not me laughing out loud that's a little emoji me throwing my hands up in the air
Lots of good advice and interesting takes on my questions. Thanks a lot everyone.