Ever wondered why some blog posts get lots of comments and other posts get very few?
I have one post on this blog with almost 700 comments and others with just a few, so why does this happen? Well, there are thousands of posts around the Internet, offering long lists of what to do in order to encourage comments; however, in my experience, it’s easier than that!
Here are what I have found to be the primary things to consider, if you want to encourage people to comment on your blog.
Ask for feedback
The first thing to do, if you want people to comment, is to ask them. People like to know that their feedback is welcome.
Show you value feedback
There’s a world of difference between saying you want people to comment or share their feedback with you and showing you value their feedback. A blogger who really values reader comments, gets into the comments section of the post and communicates with the people there.
I switched from using a website to using a blog exclusively for the comments. I ‘chat’ with just about everyone who comments here, so people can see for themselves that I am reading every comment and listening to them.
Make it easy for people to comment
In an effort to reduce spam, some bloggers force their readers to use what are sometimes called a captcha, before they can post a comment. This is where the reader leaves a comment and then has to look at an image, with a series of heavily distorted letters or numbers, which they then have to enter into a box. It’s a pain in the rear end and many people just won’t use them.
I also question how necessary captcha’s are for the average blogger. There are some amazingly powerful anti-spam plugings available, which will catch over 99% of all spam.
Leave the conversation open
If you write a blog post, which finishes by closing the conversation, you make it hard for anyone to find something to add. I did this in yesterdays post, by finishing the post with a series of links (more on that in a moment.) The post was intended as a resource rather than a conversation piece. This is NOT the way to encourage comments, so try to use this approach sparingly, if you want people to give you their feedback. I’ve only every used it a handful of times here.
In advance of today’s post, I wanted to be able to show you what happens, when a blog that gets regular comments breaks these rules. So, I wrote yesterdays blog post in such a way that it did not ask for comments. It also closed the conversation and ended in a series of links. So, there was nothing there to respond to.
24 hours later, it’s attracted just 1 comment!
What makes you comment on a blog?
What things either encourage you to comment on a blog or stop you from wanting to comment?
Do you think the relationship you have with the blogger is important?
What about the ability to get your comments published immediately – rather than having them held for moderation?
A lot of my readers are bloggers, so your feedback here would be of enormous value to them as well as myself. Please take a moment to share your feedback.
IMPORTANT: If you want to make more sales, boost your profits and grow an amazing business, this will help you!