I can relate to this. One of my stories (5/Day 1/Month) has a lot of likes, but another (Attack on Titan Harem Generator) has basically none. Even in the new route which is basically just sex. At first I thought I was a bad author, or I needed to improve my writing skills. But then I realized that that's bullshit. We are both great authors. The problem is with the readers. They are either too stupid to understand us, or too dumb to appreciate us.
I don't know if you've actually read that story of mine that Gambio roasted the other day, but do you know what chapters got the most Likes? High points in the story. Satisfying conclusions to narrative arcs. Tender or upbeat moments. Like when the Hopeless Hotties return triumphant from their first successful Quest, and clink glasses in the Adventurer's Guild eatery, rebranding as the Debauchery Tea Party. Or when Shiroe comes home after scolding them and they present him with that absolute disaster of an attempt at baking an apology cake. Don't get me wrong. Make all the sex scenes you want. I encourage it. That's what we're all here for. But if you want them to click Like afterwards? Make them feel something.
So, uh... I read through some of your work, like I said I was going to, and... uh... let's say I got inspired. Yeah. I found your work inspiring. Sorry. Not sorry.
Try to take all the views, likes, comments, favorites, and bookmarks as an aggregate sign of interest. And like in all social feedback systems, try not to keep refreshing in search of a dopamine hit. The two things I’ve noticed deliver likes at a steady rate are to write to a focused set of kinks and to post regularly until you have built a following through that story. It takes time.
Also, if you can get 1 Like for every 100 "eyeball points," that seems like a pretty solid ratio. So if a chapter has less than 100 views, you literally don't have enough information yet. Maybe the one guy out of 100 who's going to click Like just hasn't seen it yet, because he only visits the site on Thursdays, or something.
One way to find out. Pick a popular story. Click on the Story Map. Scroll down the page, looking at the Likes. Click on the Chapters that have more Likes than the previous chapter, despite having fewer Views than the previous chapter. (Views *always* taper off over time.) Betcha some of 'em aren't sex scenes! That means those chapters must have some other source of appeal. Do your own research. Read it yourself form the start and figure out what the appeal is.
I agree, and I would add that having an explicit focus or pitch helps a ton. I think the difference between my really popular story, and my unpopular one, is that the popular one has a very easy-to-explain pitch. Nurses make you cum a lot vs. This is a tool you can use to generate your own Attack on Titan fanfiction.
