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Wattpad: the revolutionary app empowering writers on a global scale

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Introducing Wattpad, the hyper engaged online community with grandiose plans to ‘connect the world through stories’.

In a world where user-generated content is driving record engagement and threatening to overthrow conventional media platforms, savvy communities like Wattpad are starting to thrive.

This may be the first time you’re hearing of Wattpad, but it certainly won’t be the last. Emerging from humble beginnings in 2007 with a handful of faithful readers and contributors, today the site is a vibrant community of millions who spend upward of 23 billion minutes sifting through Wattpad’s content every month.

Wattpad’s purpose

Situated in the heart of Canada’s start-up central Toronto, Wattpad aims to narrow the gap between user-generated content and content from mainstream entertainment while providing lucrative career opportunities to amateur creatives.

Wattpad is a constantly growing digital library of literary works from fresh voices that utilises technology in ways we’ve never seen. This pool of user generated content (UGC) is predominantly interactive, which means readers can contribute ideas, votes, and suggestions to someone else’s story while it’s live in the draft stage. Granted, we’ve seen consumer feedback drive product changes in the retail world, but this is definitely a first for the publishing industry. In essence, each Wattpad story is a creative democracy and anyone can offer their artistic input.

Though you can opt to be the only contributor where your own work is concerned, over 350,000 authors have chosen to embrace the unique opportunities offered by interactive stories. Just think, Misery could’ve been a very different tale in 2020.

With upward of 80 million monthly visitors, Wattpad is currently the biggest social network of original writers and readers on the planet. And in the mobile age of apps and instant connectivity, it’s no surprise that the platform has garnered an audience mostly comprised of digital natives. In-fact 90% of the company’s whole viewership is said to belong to Gen Z and millennials.

How Wattpad is expanding

While Wattpad is still a way off realising its definitive goal, big strides are likely to be made in 2020.

The site already boasts affiliations with global multi-media powerhouses Sony Pictures, Hulu, and SYFY, as well as Macmillan publishers, Anvil publishing, and Penguin UK, but Wattpad isn’t keen to rest on its laurels just yet.

The long-term goal is to become the ultimate mediator between everyday creatives and big Hollywood productions, and to open up a ‘world of stories waiting to be turned into movies, TV shows, and audiobooks’. To eventually reach these lofty ambitions Wattpad is continuing to form affinities with influential brands and is giving advertisers the opportunity to target their engaged community of writers and readers. In it’s current state, the app is the eleventh highest grossing in the ‘books category’ on the app store and is eighth on the Google Play store. It’s safe to say business be good.

The introduction of ads has made Wattpad a lucrative venture for aspiring writers too. Placed between the chapters of interactive stories, these ads generate revenue based on number of ad views, and some of the platform’s popular authors are said to be making £1000 to £2000 a month. After all, there’s no more active audience than Gen Z.

Writing contests

In order to maintain its status as a steady content feeder for streaming services like Hulu (Light as a feather) and Netflix (The Kissing Booth) Wattpad needs to ensure its audience is constantly generating stories. This is where ‘writing contests’ come in.

In the last year Wattpad has come up with a savvy way to empower its storytellers whilst strengthening its rapport with existing brands. Owners of the app will see notifications popping up frequently for timed writing contests. Some are more subtle than others with their requirements, but often times these contests task writers with weaving a particular brand into their story. This way affiliates are opened up to a new and devoted audience and come away with a collection of original stories with aggregated insights about their brand. And at the same time, Wattpad keep their talent pool engaged and busy. It’s a win-win.

Wattpad country manager Devashish Sharma says: ‘We tailor brand campaigns to find the best way to reach the right audiences. Our partnerships align brands with stories that are unique, diverse, and have a massive built-in audience so they can always reach the right consumers with content perfectly tailored for them’.

 

Why Wattpad is doing things right

It doesn’t take a genius to point out that Wattpad are onto something pretty special here.

It’s not a revolutionary idea, but its greatest advantage is simply its scale and execution of key features.

Wattpad levels the playing field for aspiring writers who want to get their work out into the world for the first time – while offering monetary incentives, the potential to have work be adapted into other mediums, or just some affirmation and constructive feedback from likeminded creatives.

The utilisation of interactive stories is a particular feature that really strikes a chord with Gen Z. In the digital age new ideas rarely seem to flourish unless they provide their audience with the chance to be heard in a timely manner. And Wattpad seem to get that.

Here you have young creatives exchanging ideas minute to minute, with collective decisions driving the direction a story will take on a day to day basis. User generated feedback offers people the chance to have their say on the fate of key characters and plot elements and invokes a feeling of community. It’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll eventually be watching films and TV series driven by decisions we make together in the near future.

All things considered, the sky’s the limit for Wattpad. As the app continues to develop it could become a stellar example of how to hold the attention of the world’s most valuable audience: Gen Z.

Watch this space.

Tech Editor London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Editor in Chief at Thred. Keeping up with gaming and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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