Why readers don't vote

[LargoKitt]

I’ve done a lot of work in marketing and looked at a ridiculous amount of analytics…

When you’re targeting an audience like this… it’s very very important to understand their mindset at the time of reading.

More so than a lot of other industries, because of the changes that happen in our brain when we’re reading erotic material.

I’m trying not to get into the weeds so I don’t accidentally confuse you…

So if you want to discuss your strategy for reach, we should probably just do it privately… and don’t worry I’m not somebody who charges for that kind of thing… I’m retired, but I love studying business because it’s a lifelong passion of mine…

We don’t need to do that weird course stuff lol.

Sharing is caring

But this isn’t really a hard problem… super basic stuff, otherwise I wouldn’t want to be involved lol.

When I was doubling in production and marketing for an education company we would send out several thousand colorful, focused catalogs. But we only expected a 3-5% return. But we bought mailing lists and did make a list of purchasers and then we could focus more tightly any mailings to them. Now, of course, today online sales are grabbing cookies and tracking views and 'time on site' and basically 'making the customer into the product.' The puzzle on Literotica is that the 'customer' has chosen the product, often because it already addresses a 'need' and the objective is 'fun'. So, more like people you invite to a party, maybe a sex toy party, you would get lots of 'feedback' on where, and maybe how they enjoyed the product. But, like a sex toy party, maybe they are a bit shy about being there. They might share with their bff about how their purchase got them off, but they probably wouldn't email the salesperson or the company saying, "You know that Sona Cruise I just bought? Well I combined that with your 'Big Roger depthalizer' and wow...multiples into next week!' I few bold souls will go there but....

 

[Luci_nerdy_kink]

When I was doubling in production and marketing for an education company we would send out several thousand colorful, focused catalogs. But we only expected a 3-5% return. But we bought mailing lists and did make a list of purchasers and then we could focus more tightly any mailings to them. Now, of course, today online sales are grabbing cookies and tracking views and 'time on site' and basically 'making the customer into the product.' The puzzle on Literotica is that the 'customer' has chosen the product, often because it already addresses a 'need' and the objective is 'fun'. So, more like people you invite to a party, maybe a sex toy party, you would get lots of 'feedback' on where, and maybe how they enjoyed the product. But, like a sex toy party, maybe they are a bit shy about being there. They might share with their bff about how their purchase got them off, but they probably wouldn't email the salesperson or the company saying, "You know that Sona Cruise I just bought? Well I combined that with your 'Big Roger depthalizer' and wow...multiples into next week!' I few bold souls will go there but....

OK, great then I don’t have to teach you anything, because you already understand what you’re doing.

Now think about this professionally again with just some raw data not my opinion not your opinion…

You were at an ESTABLISHED company and still could only get 3-5%…

Your challenge now is going to be… staying focused on your craft… instead of letting vanity metrics interfere with the creative process.

Just breathe and relax… your next story may get better results so you should just test it

That doesn’t mean to ignore trying to improve… I’m only reminding you that it is a back-and-forth… because all of us get stuck on one side eventually… if that makes any kind of sense

You are doing a fantastic job. You’re gonna kill it.!

Remember… when you worked at another company… it may have been easier for you to not worry about the money side of it…

When it’s your passion project… it gets very hard to detach from the metrics.

TLDR: when confusion hits we seek out knowledge… you’re already an expert… BUILD

P.s. your brain functions ~30% better if you’re not worried. Try to have fun with it

 

[LargoKitt]

OK, great then I don’t have to teach you anything, because you already understand what you’re doing.

Now think about this professionally again with just some raw data not my opinion not your opinion…

You were at an ESTABLISHED company and still could only get 3-5%…

Your challenge now is going to be… staying focused on your craft… instead of letting vanity metrics interfere with the creative process.

Just breathe and relax… your next story may get better results so you should just test it

That doesn’t mean to ignore trying to improve… I’m only reminding you that it is a back-and-forth… because all of us get stuck on one side eventually… if that makes any kind of sense

You are doing a fantastic job. You’re gonna kill it.!

Remember… when you worked at another company… it may have been easier for you to not worry about the money side of it…

When it’s your passion project… it gets very hard to detach from the metrics.

TLDR: when confusion hits we seek out knowledge… you’re already an expert… BUILD

P.s. your brain functions ~30% better if you’re not worried. Try to have fun with it

Good pitch. Now here's a bigger puzzle; not why I don't get more 'play' vis a vis the number of views but rather why nobody does. Easy conclusion: voting just ain't a thing here. Yet we rate and sequence and award stories here based on a paltry few votes as a percentage of readership. I get more 'juice' from a few comments that say what that reader enjoyed. And they are not necessarily my best rated or read stories. I enjoy most the slightly critical comments that point in good new directions. Back in my production/marketing days that would be equivalent to a 'We are always looking for a..." letter that ignited a new product.

 

[Luci_nerdy_kink]

Good pitch. Now here's a bigger puzzle; not why I don't get more 'play' vis a vis the number of views but rather why nobody does. Easy conclusion: voting just ain't a thing here. Yet we rate and sequence and award stories here based on a paltry few votes as a percentage of readership. I get more 'juice' from a few comments that say what that reader enjoyed. And they are not necessarily my best rated or read stories. I enjoy most the slightly critical comments that point in good new directions. Back in my production/marketing days that would be equivalent to a 'We are always looking for a..." letter that ignited a new product.

I wouldn’t argue that…

That’s the point I was getting at about understanding the audience in-depth

You’ve segmented your audience very well (well enough at least)

You’ve identified that there’s a problem here (for yourself)

I’m agreeing with all of that.

As somebody who is very-well trained in all of this… (VERY limited personal context though)

I think you’re seeing everything clearly, but you seem to be hoping to get a different result from your experiment somehow…

The results are just the results and we can work through that one step at a time.

This may mean you have to use this site as just… a place to syndicate content (copy/paste but not engage)…

Or try to find a gorilla marketing strategy for this site in specific to cheat your way to the top.

Otherwise, you’re just fighting a reality that you don’t have any control over… because you don’t control the site or the viewers.

Additionally, I’m promising you as a professional… you don’t need large amount of views.

Think about it the opposite way…

Get one view from the right person… to where they LOVE your stuff they can’t get enough.

Once you get there… you can just repeat and the number will grow.

Most people do it a different way where they’re just gambling with their content and then thinking that they’re strategic… because the analytics inevitably go up sometimes

That one “Super fan” or “brand ambassador” will do better marketing than you can for you.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, needs any help, just let me know.

God bless everyone!

 

[LargoKitt]

I wouldn’t argue that…

That’s the point I was getting at about understanding the audience in-depth

You’ve segmented your audience very well (well enough at least)

You’ve identified that there’s a problem here (for yourself)

I’m agreeing with all of that.

As somebody who is very-well trained in all of this… (VERY limited personal context though)

I think you’re seeing everything clearly, but you seem to be hoping to get a different result from your experiment somehow…

The results are just the results and we can work through that one step at a time.

This may mean you have to use this site as just… a place to syndicate content (copy/paste but not engage)…

Or try to find a gorilla marketing strategy for this site in specific to cheat your way to the top.

Otherwise, you’re just fighting a reality that you don’t have any control over… because you don’t control the site or the viewers.

Additionally, I’m promising you as a professional… you don’t need large amount of views.

Think about it the opposite way…

Get one view from the right person… to where they LOVE your stuff they can’t get enough.

Once you get there… you can just repeat and the number will grow.

Most people do it a different way where they’re just gambling with their content and then thinking that they’re strategic… because the analytics inevitably go up sometimes

That one “Super fan” or “brand ambassador” will do better marketing than you can for you.

If you, or anyone else for that matter, needs any help, just let me know.

God bless everyone!

Luci, you mostly seem to be selling you. Grand. Always a market for some kind of coaching when people want to augment their success. Of course, I'm not trying to do that. I'm trying to puzzle out why voting is not a more endemic part of the Literotica experience.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I'd kill for 3 - 5% return Well, maybe lightly maim. Hmm... Sacrifice any kids I don't plan on having? Yeah, last one. Let's do that.

Now, we wait for the vote/view ratio to improve!

Any day now... Any day...

 

[Luci_nerdy_kink]

Luci, you mostly seem to be selling you. Grand. Always a market for some kind of coaching when people want to augment their success. Of course, I'm not trying to do that. I'm trying to puzzle out why voting is not a more endemic part of the Literotica experience.

Have I tried to sell you anything?

I was literally just analyzing your business for free, which I usually charge a lot of money for, but I’m retired already

Good luck with your writing

I’m glad my services are good enough to sell though, I appreciate the compliment

I suppose I shouldn’t assume people want help just because… they are questioning the reach of a platform.

That wasn’t good science on my part, and I apologize for making assumptions.

 

[LargoKitt]

Have I tried to sell you anything?

I was literally just analyzing your business for free, which I usually charge a lot of money for, but I’m retired already

Good luck with your writing

I’m glad my services are good enough to sell though, I appreciate the compliment

I suppose I shouldn’t assume people want help just because… they are questioning the reach of a platform.

That wasn’t good science on my part, and I apologize for making assumptions.

I hope you get some serious paying clients, and perhaps some new friends who just want the occasional 'sidewalk consult'. It has ever been so, but being a creative artist of any sort most often requires a serious entrepreneurial spirit. Van Gogh didn't sell much during his short lifetime; but he believed in his work and sent it often to those who could make something of it. We all have benefitted.

 

[liliput1]

For my own part, I read stories in private windows, where I’ve opened two or three or let’s be honest, six windows as a todo list. And then I have to log in once for each vote. I’m trying to be better about it. I manage about half the time.

Long form writing is hard work. I don’t write for a living but I write at work and there are coworkers who should be paid to *never* to write long form because they… well their gifts lie elsewhere than with language. I feel like a heel logging in to give someone a vote that will lower their score. I would never give a 1, because if it’s not my thing then I will probably just close the tab. And most other things that would warrant a 1 star would also warrant the “report” button.

This phenomenon is not unique to Lit. It happens to all content, in every form. It's pretty much a universal law.

Chaptered stories, book series, web serials, album releases, TV shows, movie franchises all exhibit this.

I think it might be even broader than that. Participation is aspirational to most people. The largest project I ever volunteered for had a mailing list of over 3000 people and would get 80-120 showing up to any event. That’s ~0.3% participation, which is apparently high.

 

[Imstillfun]

I get between 1-1.5% votes per view.