The best time to promote a new story is after you have at least 3 chapters published. Promote too early and readers find an empty shelf. Wait too long and you miss the momentum window.
Share your story link on platforms where your readers already live: Reddit communities like r/worldbuilding, r/writing, r/fantasy. Discord servers for your genre. Twitter/X threads where you share a single paragraph that hooks.
Pinterest boards with your character aesthetics. Never spam — contribute to communities first, promote second. The 3:1 rule: for every promotional post, make three posts that give value — tips, lore, beautiful lines from your story.
Readers who discover you through generosity are readers who stay. Track which platforms send the most traffic using your Analytics page..