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One quick tip to improve your thread's response rate

Shiver

Shiver

Slaver Bait
Joined
Apr 26, 2019
Hey all, just wanted to share some unsolicited advice. This has been a common problem among those seeking critique on their RTs, and I see it all the time.

Thread title. You need a hook in your thread title. Tell potential readers what's enclosed.

"My Request Thread" or "Some ideas (new!)" or "Insert witty title here" just don't give anyone a reason to click. People are searching through those forums and need to be guided to your thread over all the others. As we all know, the bumping policy means you've only got a few hours before your thread is pushed back into the nether zone, so your thread title has to ensnare the right person into reading.

Hope that's helpful for some :)
 
I'd say it depends on the kind of thread. For a 'master' thread with a lot of information, pairings and plots a fun title that doesn't have anything specific or a hook in it is fine I feel, if you're looking for a specific plot or pairing though then being direct helps. Say what you want in the title in as few words as possible then the people looking for that know to open your thread.
 
Agreed. It depends on the content. Although in both cases, I think a personalized touch helps. "Insert witty title here" is actually a good example of a thread with very general listed ideas but still showing a bit of charm and personality. For mine, I went with a fun allusion to my name as being a description of the over the top content and it works very well for me.

Personally, I don't actually ever look at titles unless it warns against something I want, like a title that says "FxF"(I only play male main characters) or boasts a kink that I dislike, like "Non-con". Otherwise, vague title or not, I'll click on it.
 
If I were to do a nice big request thread it would probably have my name in the title too. I'm thinking 'Prepare to get Stained' or 'A Staine on your soul' or something stupid. I think my name gives me a lot of options for something cheesy. Crass too, but I tend to avoid that.
 
Even for a comprehensive post with lots of varied ideas, I strongly suggest that people note high-level preferences and style. I don't think anyone is so general and preference-neutral that they can't do that. If they were, they'd have no need for a request thread; they could simply answer any thread. Like a universal blood donor. ;)

"Billybob's big request thread" gives no reason to click. "Billybob's thread (romance plots, long or short term)" does.
 
Aye, but sometimes the name itself can be the hook! I maintain an unhealthy delusion that everybody loves my name and just seeing it on a request thread is enough to bring in droves of potential roleplayers eager to take a peek. I also don't really put up request threads very often and when I have it has been for a mostly singular craving and I have been specific in the title so take that with a grain of salt. I don't yet have a master thread.
 
Shiver said:
Even for a comprehensive post with lots of varied ideas, I strongly suggest that people note high-level preferences and style. I don't think anyone is so general and preference-neutral that they can't do that. If they were, they'd have no need for a request thread; they could simply answer any thread. Like a universal blood donor. ;)

"Billybob's big request thread" gives no reason to click. "Billybob's thread (romance plots, long or short term)" does. (unwarranted passive aggressive jab)
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I've never had an issue getting bites. So, I guess it matters what the content is, for most other people. I don't want to sit here and guess what type of writer would need to depend on a clickbait title or the type of person who won't click on a thread simply because they don't already know what'll be inside before they open it.
 
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The Goodman said:
I've never had an issue getting bites. So, I guess it matters what the content is, for most other people. I don't want to sit here and guess what type of writer would need to depend on a clickbait title or the type of person who won't click on a thread simply because they don't already know what'll be inside before they open it.
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It's not a matter of "I won't open a thread simply because I don't know what's inside it." That's a little glib. The point is that given the high volume of threads, it's quite likely that lots of people skim titles for what they're seeking, rather than read through every thread.

I'm glad you have a good response rate, but I suspect lots of people could draw more attention to their threads by making it as visible as possible to those with shared interests.
 
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My thread contains a multitude of kinks and ideas. The length of a title to encompass that would probably break the forum. So it needs to be short and concise without leaning towards one kink over another (IMHO).
 
Honestly, the best tip to getting more responses is to just have the right plots and pairings and kinks. The title, unless it's massively unappealing, isn't likely to affect it all that much imo and can actually have as much of a detrimental affect as a positive one if you overthink it. Advertising one thing specifically in the title of a master thread like 'come get your noncon here' may make people not interested in that skip the whole thread over when there could be a multitude of ideas in there that would be perfect for them whereas just a fun name or 'Come write with me, lots o plots inside'. The only basis I have for this is my own intuition and the way I think so do not take it as written in stone but in the grand scheme of things, a simple title is unlikely to lose you many peeks and those that don't click it are probably looking for something very specific, getting the correct prefixes and bumping at the correct time of day probably has higher impact overall. Once inside, if the thread is neat and readable and you don't come across like a cunt then the people who like your stuff will see it.

Tiny writing, too many obnoxious rules that sound passive aggressive in nature and huge unbroken walls of text/very little text is what would put me off and that is subjective I am sure. Some people like the tiny writing.
 
Yeah, a focused RT title can be unintentionally limiting and accidentally turn folks away, especially if you've got more than one type of idea. It's why I said above, if titles matter to me at all, it's either if they specify something I don't want, I won't click, or if they have a personalized touch, like a funny saying or something, it can be attention grabbing. Even if it's vague, cheeky stuff like, "Don't Open This Thread!!" can make me smile and feel intrigued, especially if the first lines continue the joke a little, i.e. "Very disobedient and rebellious, aren't you? ;) I like that."
 
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I do like some hint of where a person's focus might lie, even a general one. I might briefly open some threads just because they're somewhat amusing or curious. In that case, it's a question of what various people find amusing exactly, and how many of those one really has time and energy to read. Just for example, there are probably quite a few "romance" or "one-shot" tags if you don't get much more specific.

Basically, when there's no particular point in common to look for, I'm likely to assume there's a lower chance of matching from the start and really zip through skimming fast. I don't expect the Wanted to necessarily have plot outlines or do all of the planning already before meeting someone. Mine certainly doesn't. I do want an "inviting" one to lead me to feel there's a reasonable chance of a good match, though.
 
Sadly, it seems like there isn't much that can be done if you're requesting for something very specifc. It already limits your potential audience and those that are into it tend to gravitate to wherever there might be a potential hit for them anyways. At least, that's been my experience so far. The tricky part I found was trying to come up with something that would hook people in that normally wouldn't be looking for something you're offering. But sadly, I have not much of an idea how exactly you're suppose to do that.
 
I'll look at a fairly generic titled request thread if there's a tag that says MxF or MxM, etc...I dislike clicking on something with a neat sounding title that doesn't tell you a lot, only to find out they are only looking for MxM or MxNB since I don't usually play those genders. If it had been in the title or on the tag then I wouldn't have bothered clicking.
 
If, as I do, you tend to focus on ideas with USPs, you have to repeat that USP (Unique Selling Point) - and save yourself a slot for 'I just wanna do X' - for me, that post has been much harder to write than idea for X, idea for Y - and in some cases, say ponyplay with a hoped for pair of ponies and mistress as USP - you can't expect a response from that, really. But it's there, you keep your top 2-4 ideas there, and then you try and make friends with people with similiar tastes by approaching them (which I haaaaaaaaaaaaate, even after 20 years) and building your community in the community, so one day someone in it goes 'hey, your pony idea - I've found player of a female who's willing to give it a shot'.

Also, despite being super-new, I have discovered the power of specific titles - make sure the _essence_ of the story is in the title, if you can. Sadly, I am awful with names and titles.
 
Yeah, having a simple yet catchy title would surely give your rt more views. If your ideas are interesting as well, it’ll attract more PMs. But I don’t think having a high response rate is always a good thing. Especially nowadays, whenever I bump my thread, I can guarantee pretty much half of the requests I get would consist of unclear one line messages or links to others’ request threads =) In my opinion, sometimes it’s better to distinguish your audience rather than going for more messages.
 
I actually search for partners who have similar interests first and then I hunt down their RT to see if they have any plots that pique my interest. I hate finding a great plot only find out that the writer won't want X to happen.
 
I feel like this advice is getting panned by too many people who aren't suffering from the problem it's trying to solve. Too many "Well I..." sorts of thoughts here that are anecdotes at best. If you aren't experiencing this issue, this does not mean you have found the solution. Maybe you've overcome a hurdle without realizing it. I only have a little experience with copywriting under my belt, but what's being offered here isn't an unsound piece of advice. There are definitely benefits to direct advertising. There's some pearl clutching over witty titles, but there's no reason your way and this way can't both work, and if one isn't working for someone, why not the other? What do they have to lose? Your witty title still works, apparently, so chill out. This isn't about you and your successful request thread.
 
If you're talking about me, I did say in two of my messages at the very least that what I said was not meant to be taken as the only way, that it's just my opinion on what works for me. My way is most definitely not the only way but I feel telling what i look for in a thread is the best way to get across what appeals to me and may or may not appeal to others, you know? Sorry if i offended you in some way.
 
Direct advertising works great, so I would definitely recommend it for an RT. I suffered for a number of years with the problem of not being able to get a fighting/martial arts RP going. I would approach other RT's and try to build one around their ideas, but they usually never took flight, and if they did, they were short-lived. I realized that I needed to get off my duff and make an RT requesting a fighting RP, since I needed people who actually wanted that. If that failed, I wasn't out anything but an RT named after one of my favorite movies, The Warriors. Plan B couldn't fail worse than Plan A.

As it turned out, making the RT was a success. I scored three awesome fighting RP's with great partners. If I bumped it again, I may get more. If you get what you really want, I don't see it as a problem if your title limits your audience. Just directly advertising what you want, witty title or no, could be a key to success. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a shot. The results may surprise you.

Note: I am not knocking or criticizing the use of a clever title to draw in partners. I just think you could have even more success by putting your biggest craving in the title box. If you can cleverly ask for what you want, you have the best of both worlds. I mainly want to share my experience so that others who have also had a hard time getting their biggest craving going don't give up hope. It happened for me. It can happen for you.
 
I'm not trying to offend anyone, but a lot of the threads I see sound like a business. Personalize it, talk to your potential partners, and use images if you can, staying as far away from general things as you can. I also do a little segment every Monday morning to enlighten potential and current partners with images of characters I enjoy, and a more interesting bump than just the word bump over and over.
 
Murdergurl said:
I totally agree with that. But I personally can't imagine having to hold out for weeks to get an idea started on. I will give any inspired RP idea a few days before I lose heart and drop it for something new. I guess I'm just worried that the rate of finding partners is going to take longer than my muse can hold out. Because I am definitely not going to be bumping the same thing 6, 7, 8 + days in hopes of someone biting. By that time, the idea has died for my OWN interest. And if you follow that pattern, it just means I'll be stuck in a circle of Creating>Waiting>Losing Interest>Creating>Waiting>Losing Interest....ad infinitum.

Anyhow, I might just be overly anxious. Like I said, I just barely posted my advertisement. But I've been working on the setting all week, so I'm worried that it might fall on its face.

And to contribute to the OP convo: I actually don't think a "witty title" holds that much weight for responses to a thread. I mean, it will get VIEWS. But to get a response, you're going to need more than just click bait. CONTENT is what's needed. A clear and concise entry of what you are presenting, and what you expect. Cut the fluff and get to the point. At least, that's what I look for in other's advertisements. Also, expedite the answering of questions that are going to be PM'd to you anyway by answering them in the ad, itself.
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Well, if the ad you're talking about is the dystopian wasteland idea, I can see why you're anxious. It's quite extreme, so you definitely are only going to attract partners who want to do that setting/idea. Add in the fact that you're looking for primarily butt stuff, and again, you are restricting it to a small base. Then you have only the one role, and that restricts it even more. You have it that your partner must be willing to play a male raider that loves butt stuff in a dystopian wasteland. That's not going to appeal to everybody; I myself passed on your idea because I don't want to play a raider.

I recommend offering more roles to start with. This way, a prospective partner doesn't feel locked in to a role. If that doesn't work, try offering a different character that's into more kinds of sex. Having more choices may improve your response rate. You know what you want and have it organized; that's great. But an RP needs to have as much wide appeal as possible within the confines of what you crave, and right now, yours is very narrow.
 
That's a good idea. That's what discussion is for, and you may find some cool ideas. Yeah, a group RP can be challenging to run.

It is reasonable, but making it too narrow will almost ensure it doesn't get off the ground. You can wait for the perfect partner, but that could take a while, and like you said, your interest wanes after about a week. Yeah, you are anal-centric, and lots of members here like that, but I was just pointing out how it can turn people away, limiting your audience, and a possible fix for that. Yes, I was impressed with your lore and reasoning for the anal sex preference.

That's a good idea. I myself wanted to play a hero, a colony guard or Mad Max/Kenshiro type savior, so to see Raider as the only choice turned me away. I was okay with the setting and anal, so I figured others might be like me and just not want to be a raider. Well, that's fine and understandable. Expanding role choice may be all you need.
 
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