11 Reasons Why Readers Drop Your Webtoon

Keeping your readers engaged in your overall story and art medium is not an easy task. With so many webtoons competing for the attention of fans, it can be easy for your work to get lost in all the noise. Understanding what is causing you to lose followers is important for any creator’s success.

Here are eleven common reasons why readers drop your webtoon:

1. Inconsistent Updates

Setting an update schedule is extremely important in building a thriving webtoon. Readers want to know when they can expect a new installment of your story. If you update weekly for a full month then only update sporadically for the next three months you need to expect to lose readership. People, especially in the 21st century, have short attention spans. If their interest is dwindling, then the chances of them sticking around are slim.

However, this can be avoided if you set a regular update schedule to keep your readers looking forward to more while also keeping organized. Make sure to create a realistic schedule to accommodate your outside responsibilities with family, friends, work, and yourself. You come first over your webtoon, always. Don’t worry about an update schedule if its too overwhelming. In time you’ll be in a better position to release your webtoon within a scheduled time frame.

2. Lack of Communication

Along with everything else in life, you can’t expect your webtoon to take off if you don’t communicate with your readers. Fans are more understanding if you give them a heads up if something personal has come up and you won’t be able to update as you had planned. If you leave your readers in the dark, for weeks on end with no personal updates given, people will assume the webtoon isn’t coming back anytime soon and drop it in the process.

I understand life can throw some curveballs and you can be forced to make unexpected changes to make it work. There is nothing wrong with finding yourself in a difficult situation. Just be honest with your readers when it comes to your situation and give them an expected date you hope to return. If the date rolls around and you still can’t return to your webtoon, give them another update.

I’ve waited an entire year for a creator to return to Webtoon after they suffered some type of ailment. I waited because I believed in their work and they let me know what was going on, so I wasn’t left in the dark. Readers will wait for your return if you give them a reason to stay.

3. Readers Lose Interest

Readers often get pulled into a story for one reason or another. They can just as easily lose interest in the plot, characters, design, and pace of the story. I would say the majority of reasons readers lose interest in your story is out of your control. Readers can get easily distracted by other webtoons and the daily happenings in life.

4. Inability to Connect with Characters

The ability to form connections between readers and your characters is crucial. If no connection is made, readers are going to start asking themselves why they are viewing your webtoon.

A connection can be made through character identity, morals, goals, trials, appearances, personality, etc. The list goes on. You want your readers to resonate with who your characters are and/or what they are trying to achieve. No one wants to follow a story that has bland characters with no depth. Give your readers memorable characters.

5. Art Style Differences

Art acts as the main medium in portraying your story. It is essential you find an art style that works for both you and your readers. If you’re in the learning stages of building your art skills, know this could cause your readership to be low.

However, this should not deter you from continuing your story and growing your artistic abilities. Everyone has to start somewhere and your skill will get better over time with constant dedication and practice. Other times your drawing style might not be what readers are familiar with.

I am not going to lie, it took me three tries before I was able to get into Lore Olympus. Rachel Smythe’s art style was not what I was used to reading in webtoons so I was a little skeptical at first. But once I dove deeper into the series, I realized the story was very enjoyable and I fell in love with her art style.

6. Too Wordy

Webtoons are a very visual form of storytelling so portraying everything through your art is necessary. Words used in dialogue are important as well but it needs to have a good balance with your art.

Try to avoid cramming a lot of words into one dialogue box or panel. Instead spread your characters’ dialogue through the use of numerous panels. The use of different character angles can also make the panels flow better while making your episode appear longer. In the end, readers are wanting to read a comic, not a novel.

7. Updates Too Often

Readers are delighted when a webtoon updates twice a week. If it’s a special episode, Q and A, or just a simple life update that’s great. However, depending on the genre of your webtoon, I would stay away from updating your main story more than once a week.

The only genre I’ve really seen this strategy work well for is the slice-of-life genre. Most slice-of-life webtoons are meant to be short, sweet, and to the point. Depending on the complexity of the art style, more than one episode can easily be produced and published in a week. Other genres that are more plot-centered need more time, care, and planning to execute well.

If you post all of the time you could not be giving your story as much love and care as it deserves. You also could be overloading your readers, making it difficult for them to catch up. Remember, readers generally prefer quality over quantity.

8. Short Episodes

The last thing any creator wants to hear is fans complaining about an episode being too short. You spend so much time and energy on each individual panel so you want your hard work to be appreciated. I agree, however, for the sake of your creation, you need to step back and evaluate if the length of your episodes enhances the flow of the overall story.

If your episodes don’t have enough panels to move the story along, readers are not going to wait long for something to happen. Consider combining two or three short episodes to make one longer episode. Will this cause you to update less frequently, maybe? If it helps your story thrive while keeping your fans happy, what do you have to lose? If you’re worried about how your readers will react to such a change, why not ask them for their input?

Another tip to remember is not to add too many blank panels to make your episode seem longer. All you’re doing is messing up the pace of the episode, which can cause delayed reactions from readers. Short episodes can work for the right genre, otherwise, stay away from short episodes if you can help it.

9. Confusing Storyline

Nothing is more frustrating to me than trying to understand what is going on in a webtoon when the storyline is all over the place. From the very beginning, it is your job, as the creator, to set the stage for your readers to step into your story and immerse themselves in it completely. If readers are constantly left scratching their heads, you have a problem. You could have the most gorgeous art style on the platform but until your storyline makes sense, it is worthless.

There have been a handful of webtoons from both Canvas and Originals I have dropped due to the confusing storyline the creators have depicted. I don’t want to waste my time on a story if it leaves me constantly confused and frustrated. I’m sure other readers feel the same way.

Does this mean you should throw in the towel and cancel your webtoon? No! I do highly recommend you give yourself some time to recollect your thoughts, ideas, and plans for your story, to review and revise them before moving forward.

I have seen creators put their webtoon on hold to refocus on where they want their story to go. They notify their readers so they are kept in the loop about a potential hiatus. I have seen creators do this and come back stronger in their storytelling skills. Don’t be afraid to give it a try and see where it leads you.

10. Inconsistent Pacing

Pacing is another key element to keeping readers interested. Forcing the story to go faster or slower than needed can be a real problem. Too slow and your story loses momentum and readers. Too fast and you’re rushing to the finish line without slowing down to appreciate the important moments. Make each panel hold meaning so you’re not creating unnecessary filler panels to speed up or slow down the story.

11. Rebooting the Story

Revamping or rebooting a webtoon can be good if done well, but if executed poorly it can hurt creators in the long run. I understand creators are trying new avenues in their creativity with some phases lasting longer than others. If you’re no longer feeling what you’re creating, it is okay to reboot your series or completely drop it.

This is fine only if you have a game plan in place. Don’t just hop from one unfinished story to the next unfinished story. Lock down a story you really feel passionate about and stick with it until the end. If you can’t follow through with the story you promised your readers, then they will go elsewhere to find someone who can give them what they promised. Really consider if rebooting, revamping, or dropping your webtoon is a good idea for yourself and your readers.

Final Thoughts

I hope these reasons gave you some food for thought as to why you are losing readers and how to better keep them reading. Ultimately, do what works best for you in building your webtoon and maintaining your followers. Just remember to keep on growing in your craft and to learn from your mistakes. You’ll keep those readers coming back for more before you know it!

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