Story rankings are determined by a sophisticated algorithm which takes into account factors such as the popularity, trendiness and user engagement of a story, plus the relevance of the tags used and when the story was last updated by the author. If the support for the story trails off over time, its ranking will decrease. It's important to remember that the ranking system is just one of the ways to keep wattpad fun, interesting and different.

Remember to tag your stories to be eligible to rank!

Has the Hot List changed for broader genres, like Historical Fiction, Fantasy, etc.?

Yes. Now any story with that tag will be eligible to rank.

The rankings are designed so stories that are more relevant to a particular tag should rank higher on the list. This is an aspect of the lists that we are constantly improving. As a result, it is very important that you tag your stories accurately, as this will increase your likelihood of getting discovered by readers interested in your story, and keep the stories in each tag Hot List relevant.

How are Hot List Rankings determined?

We use a sophisticated algorithm which takes into account factors such as the popularity, trendiness and user engagement of a story, plus the relevance of the tags used and when the story was last updated by the author.

We take the accuracy of the tags that you use to describe your story into account, so be sure to use tags that describe the kind of story you are writing so that readers can find it when searching.

Do Story Rankings change my story's visibility?

Yes! If your story is ranked, you'll see it on the Hot List for that tag. Since stories can now rank on multiple Hot Lists, you'll have many chances to get discovered.

The 'most impressive' ranking is always shown at the very top of your ranking list. This is the best ranking achieved based on how many stories are also on the list.

Ex: #5 out of 500 stories is listed as more impressive than #1 out of 50 stories

There is a maximum of 25 tags per story. Now you have an opportunity to rank in all of them if your story makes each of the Hot Lists, so choose your tags wisely. Try to add the tags that best describe your story and are most relevant so that readers can find it when searching. You can see the instructions for how to add tags .