So, you want to win a Watty award. Wattpad's version of the Oscars has grown over the years. Now, the honor bestows upon its recipients more than bragging rights and a fancy sticker to adorn their story covers. Opportunities, such as joining the Paid Stories program and having stories optioned to Wattpad Studios and their partners, await those who put in the work.

We here at the Bootcamp Mentors have a few Wattys under our belts, and we would like to share some tips for getting your story noticed and showing the Wattpad judges just how much you're invested in your writing career. Obviously, your first order of business is to create an entertaining and engaging story, but an active social presence comes in right behind it.

Here is a checklist we have curated to help you :

ADVERTISE your story specifically to the WATTY AWARDS on Wattpad and social media. Many writers add behind their story title. Include relevant hashtags wherever they are most useful. Here are some tags that pop up on a Google search:

ENCOURAGE your readers to leave REVIEWS and COMMENTS on your Wattys story. Then fill a chapter with all that wonderful feedback, including usernames, and post it after your story. Be sure folks know their reviews could direct readers to their profiles as well. You can also throw in a couple of comments below the story description to entice more readers to check out your work. Heck, you may already have some great feedback to get you started!

ENGAGEMENT within the Wattpad community and on Wattpad-related Discord servers can be an excellent way to meet your comrades in arms, find and discuss Wattys topics, and possibly connect with critique partners. Use Discord's server discovery feature to type in relevant searches. And don't forget to interact with other Wattpad writers whenever you see a discussion about the Wattys.

GRAPHICS AND AESTHETICS tell a story through images. We all know an eye-catching STORY COVER is incredibly important to capture a potential reader's interest. Make sure your cover does not have a white background, is genre-accurate, and your title is readable in thumbnail size. The recommended size for a Wattpad cover is 512 x 800 pixels saved in JPEG or PNG format. We also encourage you to create story-relevant aesthetics to share in your chapter banners and on social media, perhaps with a quote from your main character. Canva is an easy and versatile graphics program that is free to use on the web and mobile.

RECIPROCATE by leaving votes and positive feedback for other Wattys writers. Sharing the joy of writing and the thrill of competition creates the perfect opportunity to show your goodwill. Create a Wattys reading list and fill it with stories by other Wattys hopefuls. If you have an AUTHOR WEBSITE or BLOG, use it to journal your Wattys experience. You may also want to interview your fellow writers about their Wattys journey and post it to your blog. This goodwill can translate to your social media interactions as well. Research relevant tags on Twitter and Instagram and engage with your fellows there. A little love and adulation goes a long way.

USE WATTPAD'S TOOLS to help your story stand out:

~ Is your STORY DESCRIPTION polished? (see our Wattys Bootcamp books for a chapter on blurbs)

~ Do you have a LOGLINE before the description that is 155 characters, including spaces? Does it include the protagonist, their goal, and the obstacle? (see our Wattys Bootcamp books for a chapter on loglines)

~ Do your TAGS reflect the main genre, theme, character type, setting and mood?

~ Did you know that 65% of readers lose interest when lengthy AUTHOR'S NOTES, IMAGES, and PLAYLISTS are placed before the story? Move them to the end.

~ How long are your CHAPTERS? 2,500 words is a good benchmark.

~ Is your story part of a SERIES? Mention this fact in the last chapter.

~ Finally, when your story is COMPLETE, mark it as such even if you plan to add images or relevant content later.

BIOS play an essential role in getting your AUTHOR BRAND and your WORK noticed. Here is where it becomes important to know your audience. What personal facts can you share that will help your readers relate to you? They need to know you're a human too. Of course, you also want them to know they can rely on you to provide quality, engaging stories. Even if you currently only have one completed novel under your belt, make a point of presenting yourself in a professional yet relatable manner. Building and maintaining a recognizable business model will tell potential publishers and partners that you're serious about your craft, while the personal anecdotes will help you connect with your readers. Best practice is to mirror your Wattpad appearance with your other social media platforms. Reusing your images will create a consistent and recognizable brand for you as a public figure.

👍🏽 👍🏽 👍🏽

We hope these tips have given you some ideas for how to approach the Wattys, and have motivated you to spit-shine your social media accounts to represent the best you. We wish you much success in your writing journey!

Photo credits: RuPaul American drag queen, Sherlock Holmes BBC production, Colin Mochrie Scottish born actor, The Simpsons TV show on Fox, James Franco American actor