Advertise as much as you can:
1. Blog about it
2. Put a link to it in your signature
3. Tell all your friends
4. Enter it in contests (if possible)
5. Put it up for a comment swap
If it's a chaptered story, definitely try to stay on top of your updates. Too much time in between updates can make your readers lose interest.
A catchy title and summary is always helpful. And I personally happen to be a sucker for a pretty layout, but the deciding factor on whether I read a story or not is usually an attention grabbing summary.
Give kudos to your readers/commenters! I even PM these lovely people from time to time
Be patient. Even if you don't get the response you were hoping for after the first chapter goes up, keeping working at it. Chances are the reader just wants a little more to go by before they can critique and offer their honest opinion.