Just like your name identifies you, TAGS and BLURBS do the same thing for your Wattpad stories. Using the most accurate story tags and including high search keywords in your blurb will help to catapult your title to the top. That means more reads, which means more potential for reader engagement. And for many Wattpad writers, reader engagement is the secret ingredient to success on the platform. A well tagged story with a great blurb also tells everyone that you're here to get serious.

TAGS

So you think tags are only there to trigger algorithms and rankings, eh? Think again. Humans see these tags too. Tags are bite-sized billboards for our story. Wattpad has given us 25 opportunities to target and entice our readers in a single word (or phrase). Don't assume a reader is only looking at the story blurb to find out what your story is about.

Let's say you're publishing a mystery that takes place on a houseboat in the Mediterranean where the main character falls in love with the sexy captain, you will want to include tags like these: #romance #mystery #houseboat #mediterranean #sexy #captain. There is no reason not to take advantage of all 25 tagging positions. And don't worry if you've used all 25 and wish you could add more. You can combine tags like this: #sexycaptain #mysteryonthesea

Consider these popular categories when creating tags for your story. We have provided examples for each and how many tags are recommended.

🏷️Main Genre and subgenres (horror, scifi, steampunk). 3 - 4 tags

🏷️Age Genre (teen, ya, na, adult). At least one tag

🏷️Lifestyle and Cultural (bxb, french, cult). 4- 5 tags

🏷️Main Character Traits (badboy, secretpast, wallflower). 5 - 6 tags

🏷️Historical Timeframe (80s, regency, modern). At least one tag

🏷️Setting and Location (bookstore, nyc, themepark). 2 - 3 tags

🏷️Event or Holiday (beachread, halloween, worldsfair). At least one tag, if applicable

🏷️Relationship Tropes (enemiestolovers, fakelove, firstkiss). At least one tag, if applicable

🏷️Concept or Premise (heist, royalscandal, faewar). 3 - 4 tags

🏷️Themes (foundfamily, overcomingguilt, celebritylife). 3 - 4 tags

BLURBS

What the heck is a blurb?

When we say 'blurb' we are talking about the story description on Wattpad; like the ones we've all seen on the back cover of our favorite books. This is where we learn the who, where, what, and when. These four points should give a reader enough information to decide whether they want to know the why.

When consulting a blurb, a reader might enjoy a clip from the story, or some juicy dialogue between characters, but writers should not rely on quotes alone to sell their story. There are certain plot points that should be included in blurbs so potential readers can decide if the story will appeal to them. Here are our top four.

WHO?

Include MC's age or give information that alludes to their age. Perhaps the story takes place around high school graduation, or they've just made junior partner at a law firm.

Is your MC a mother of two? A yacht salesman? The president of a magic carpet company? Let your readers know this.

Include something about the MC's personality and/or physical characteristics that will help readers relate to them. Are they obsessed with getting straight A's? Are they a down-and-out detective who lost their sight during an arrest?

WHERE?

Include the main setting of the story. Does your MC live in Rome, or is perhaps visiting there with a tour group? Have they just been sent to prison? Did they crash land on Pluto?

WHEN?

Include the time frame of the story. Is it present, future, or past? Does the plot revolve around a real historical event? Is it set during a holiday or a time of war?

WHAT?

Your readers need to know what kind of shenanigans your characters get up to in the story. Is your MC the only person who can save the company from bankruptcy? Or perhaps it's their marriage they need to save. Are they a public figure caught in a scandal? Did they bet the rent on an ill-conceived comic book wager?

And don't forget those keywords.

As mentioned in our opening paragraph, it's important for your blurb to include popular keywords for better searchability. Think of these as frequently searched words that help describe your story, like setting, genre, tropes, concept, etc. The easiest way to do this is to organically incorporate a few of your tags into the blurb. For example, a love story might include the phrase Charlie had been looking for romance since the sixth grade. 

THE BEST ADVICE YOU'LL GET!

Take a look at the huge selection of genre and themed profiles that are managed by the Ambassadors  You'll find these in the Profile Directory linked in their bio. Consult these profiles, and use the themes and reading lists as inspiration for tagging your own stories. 

Wouldn't you love to see your story pop onto someone's reading list because they learned that you've written about a space yacht salesman from the future who gets demoted to a station near Pluto, acquires the power of the gods, and builds a fleet of impenetrable yacht robots to take over the cosmos? Well, wouldn't ya?

If you do nothing else after you click away from this chapter, go into the tags of your story and make sure you're following the tips we've shared here. Your potential readers will thank you.

WRITE,  TAG,  REPEAT