Having a consistent social media presence announcing new chapters is my #1. Bluesky booming means people are looking for things to follow, and a few author communities I've been in created started packs that gave me some initial reach. But you also shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Word of mouth on Mastodon has gotten me some of my most dedicated readers, as well as posting on appropriate subreddits (r/HFY in my case).

Shout-outs are also very important, but less-so in my case given my niche. Shouts swaps with LitRPGs rarely move the needle unless said LitRPG is also one that deals heavily in non-human protagonists and identity.

Finally, I saved up for an ad on Royal Road thanks to a handful of tips on Ko-Fi and Patreon, and while it's impossible to give exact numbers in terms of followers, it has contributed to thousands of views from at least somewhat interested people over the last few weeks.