One of the biggest pet peeves for many bloggers is to get blog comments. Writing great content is hard, attracting readers is harder but getting them to participate openly in a conversation can be mission impossible sometimes. So here are 5 pretty easy ways to encourage your readers to comment on your posts.
Make it easy for people to comment
It may be obvious – but still, worth saying. Donβt close your comments section and donβt ask your readers to register with your blog to comment. (Almost) nobody will take the time to do so. You are not that great, sorry.
The easier you make commenting for your readers, the more comments youβd get. Remember though to set some blog commenting rules to avoid spam and frustration.
If you are up for the task, find out how to integrate social commenting through your favorite network (FB comments, G+ comments, etc.). Or better yet – make blog commenting with a one-click sign-in using social media profiles. Your readers will thank you for that – yes, with a comment π
To get comments on your blog, invite your readers to comment
Many bloggers avoid this tactic fearing they’d look desperate and begging for attention or others’ approval. It isn’t necessarily that way.
You can ask your readers to comment by saying just that – “Let me know in the comments what you think about [topic]”.
Or you can be more creative – ask a question in relation to your blog post topic; answering that question would be your readers’ chance to share their wisdom and show how smart they are π
Leave something out for your readers to add through their comments
That’s right. I know how awesome and perfect you want your blog posts to be. Truth is, if you say everything there is to say, you leave no choice to your readers but to thank you for your awesome content and that’s about it. You’ve said everything – what on earth they could add in their comments?
Leave something out of your post to let readers add to the discussion through comments.
Now, I donβt mean you have to publish your posts half ready. And of course, if you are writing a how-to post, do include all steps – otherwise it wonβt be a real how-to, would it?!
But when sharing your thoughts and experience on let’s say ‘how to attract comments to your blog’, don’t include in that post every single tactic you know of. List your favorites – the rest leave to your audience. Maybe they use other tactics and they will be willing to share them in the comments. (I sure hope youβd share yours in the comments below – who doesnβt need more comments ;-))
And if you really want to get comments – a lot and fast, just write on a controversial topic.
When there are different points of view, there is always a discussion (or a fight :-P).
Write up your post, hit the publish button and watch. But be prepared – it can get noisy! Which leads me to my next pointβ¦
Interact on your blog comments section
Thanking your readers for commenting and addressing their comments is paramount. Doing it in timely manner is superb. But even if you delay your replies for some reason – still, it’s good to drop by once every now and then.
It’s time assuming, I know. And there are a lot of so called pro bloggers out there who get an enormous amount of comments and never bother to reply to any of them (even those with questions?!). But please, pretty please, don’t be like them. It’s rude, if nothing else.
If you are that busy and cannot address every single comment on your blog, hire some help – or reply in bulk.
As a matter of fact, not all comments truly add to the discussion, including those readers who just stop by to say thanks. So those you can just be thankful for – with a bulk “thank you” note.
If this is the point you are at right now, you can turn off the reply-to-each-comment function and pop in from time to time to acknowledge and address any questions that might have come up; yes – in bulk, just like another comment in a row.
Bloggers helping Bloggers (LinkedIn group) introduced me to great bloggers who comment with intelligence and warmth. That made a big difference for me. Join the right group for your blog.
I have not heard about that linkedn group Leora. Thanks for sharing that π
Spot on addition, Leora – it IS a great group. That is how i met a lot of lovely fellow bloggers (including you π ) – i stopped posting my link there as i started getting a LOT of comments only for the sake of reciprocating and not so much because of what i write; but it definitely helped me get started.
Lisha – here is the link to the BHB group. It is a super cool place to hang out and meet like-minded peiple; and to get started on the comments. be sure to read the rues first though π
Diana, great tips–especially the first one! I know about a month ago something happened on my blog that made people have to login in order to comment, which I did not set on my blog, so thanks for emailing me to let me know. I really appreciate you for doing that Diana. I fixed it so that people can comment without logging in–and no, I didn’t think I was “that great” lol– it must have been some sort of setting that happened automatically when I updated wordpress or a plugin or something. Not sure why it happened, but I’m really glad you let me know! π
oh, you’re welcome, Lisha – i thought something like that must have happened as you have told me before you do want to have more comments – i am glad my email helped! thanks for stopping by – i too love comments π
Establishing a personal connection is important. When someone shares something about themselves, REMEMBER it and then take the time to reply to one of their later comments and make it relevant to what they’ve shared previously. This will show your reader that you care and are paying attention to them, and it will cause them to be more likely to leave future comments.
Naturally, this is done on the assumption that you’ve been successful in getting readers to comment in the first place. π
To help them start commenting, simply encourage them. In every post.
You also might want to say, “I’d like to hear from some of my new readers – please don’t be shy!” or something to that effect.
Great addition, Lorraine – i don’t know about inviting in the post new readers to comment (hm, will think about it) – but the part about remembering personal info and utilizing it later on to show appreciation – this is super good! I might have been doing it unconsciously (i hope i have – good old years as a travel guide paying off – i remember so much about different people without trying, my head hurts :D)
Great advice. Like Leora, I have found Bloggers Helping Bloggers a great help, but I also regularly invite friends and family to comment and I THANK them when they do. The comments are usually the best part of any blog, so I’m always surprised when I find a blog and the comments are closed.
Yes, i don’t get the closed comments section either. Debra, you make a VERY good point – why i have never invited my friends and family to comment on my posts??? English not being my mother tongue may have something to do with it but i certainly should try spread the word locally as well – thanks for the tip!
Hi Diana, As always, Even though we think we know what to do with comments it never hurts to review it. I agree with your thought. I admit I don’t remember to do it all but I do try.
I try to remember it’s not about me but about the writer and the information they’ve shared.
The type of comment we leave on a post or response matters as well. It shows we actually read the post/comment and that we really do care about the writer and what the writer has to say. Just my thoughts, π
true that, Susan – our comments really reveal if we have read a blog post and to what extend. Adding value through comments is just another way to be a good member of the blogosphere. Thanks for adding this last bit to the conversation π
Agree with your advice, Diana. The Bloggers Helping Bloggers group has been so help and I feel I’ve made some friends there, too. Another way to get comments is to leave thoughtful comments on other people’s posts. Try to add something new to the conversation and not just “…a great post.” After reading your thoughtful comment, the blogger is likely click on the link to your blog and leave a comment for you. Also GET RID of Captcha, if you use it. I can’t think of anything more discouraging. I usually have to try 2-3 times before I get the letters and numbers correct and can leave my comment. After that I give up.
Oh, i hear you about the captcha, Jeannette – i hate it, too! I think i once put captcha to my blog, too – trying to get rid of all the spam comments from bots i get. Didn’t quite stop them – so… i figure i should remove the captcha altogether. thanks for the reminder! π
Hi Diana; thanks for another fine post. I have no problem asking people to leave comments. I usually remind them of the SEO benefits of leaving a comment on a comment love premium enabled blog. I find that the best way to get more comments either on my post or on social media is to mention something personal about myself at some point in the post. so far my top comment performance was 20 on an interview post i did last month with the owner of a party rental company. I’m currently trying to find more people to interview because as they say once you find something your readers like you need to keep giving it to them. thanks again for the post and take care, max
Oh, this is a super good tip – when you find something you audience loves, give them more of it – it sure will generate more comments and higher engagement in general – thanks for adding to the conversation, Max! π