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.
Photo credit: dbdbrobot
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Before I leave a comment on a new blog I always check out the comments and look see if it’s just a place where people go to for an argument. Some blogs are like that.
Great post Jim xXx
There certainly are blogs out there Suzanne, which seem to have very hostile comments sections. Some get very out of hand, so I can see where you are coming from. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Jim
My pet dislike is the site that requires registration to comment. It’s too much of an imposition to ask for registration when possibly it’s my first time at the site.
Also, I prefer sites that have a tickbox for tracking follow-up comments. It’s easier than bookmarking myself and shows that the blogger wants people to have an involved experience.
Registration is certainly a considerable barrier to engagement for the casual commenter, Reeta. I agree with you also regarding the ability to track follow-up comments. Helps the conversation flow. Thanks for popping by!
Good question, and one I’m asking myself a lot these days.
I’m glad you’ve proved what does and doesn’t work on a basic level – I think beyond that, it’s when you discuss a very hot topic, an engaging subject, or mention people by them, and even then, there’s a certain degree of circumstance about the right people catching wind of the discussion
Do you agree?
Hi Scott. I like to work with the basics – making things over-complicated tends to create more issues than it solves.
A well marketed blog with valuable content will attract readers. Making it easy for people to give feedback and showing them that their feedback is valued, then gets the conversation rolling. It’s pretty basic.
However, I know people who could spin that message out to 3000 words or more, including diagrams, graphs, dozens of buzz words etc.
I like to comment on blogs but I wholeheartedly agree with Reeta. I hate those blogs which make it really difficult to reply and usually give up. I also like to get a response of some sort too. It makes for a connection between myself and blogger and encourages me to revisit.
Thanks for the post, Jim!
Hi Jane. I think we all like to know out comments are valued, and the easiest way is for someone to respond to them. Some are hard to respond to, as they simply thank the author for the post. In my experience, you tend to get a better response to a comment, if it’s actually asking something or making a point.
Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Jim,
I comment on blogs where the topic is really pertinent to me, either because I’m interested per se, or because it allows me an opportunity to “network” my point of view more broadly than my own blog. Beyond that, there are times when a topic just grabs me and I feel I want to contribute to the conversation.
Like other readers, I dislike blogs where you have to go through a big validation process to leave a comment. Also, it’s nice when the blogger or even other readers comment on my comment or even challenge what I say, but I ultimately avoid blogs where the blogger seems to want to just challenge for the sake of appearing more clever or having the final say. Don’t know if you’ve ever had that experience?!!
Thanks for that Christine.
Yes, I have seen a few bloggers who insist in trying to outsmart their commenters. Of course, there’s also plenty of commenters, who like to try and outsmart the blogger too.
As my friend Jim says, “where there are people, there are issues.”
In the “Make it easy for people to comment” you talk about using a captcha on an “average” blog. Some people resort to captcha because they get spammed with comments. I started a blog and made one post. Within hours, I had 4 spam comments. (comments made by automated systems offering their porn or other unrelated things) I seriously thought about using a captcha at that point, but I found a spam blocking plugin called “WP-SpamFree” which doesn’t require captcha.
I strongly suggest that new bloggers use something or moderation to prevent getting a ton of spam comments. Nothing looks less professional than having 50 people hawking their teen porn in your blog comments.
Hi Marvin. I thought I explained in the post that catpcha’s were used to reduce spam?
I use the akismet antispam plug in and it works really well – I’m happy to recommend it to people.
Thanks for the feedback sir.
I’ve been a Spam Karma fan forever. Almost zero false positives. Of course, the developer quit and turned it over to the open source community and I think development has ceased.
Do you get many false positives with Akismet? How much spam slips through and how many real comments get labeled as spam?
Hi Doug,
Thanks for the heads-up regarding Spam Karma. In my experience, Akismet is very good at stopping spam from getting through and avoiding false positives. You need to keep an eye on it, like all spam software, but it does a good job. Hope that helps – thanks for the comment.
Hi, Jim. I only comment when I feel I have something of value to add or I *really* want to acknowledge the bloggers post as a way to say thanks for great thoughts/advice. Nothing is more frustrating to me personally than to see a blog with a ton of comments from people who are just posting to post — to hear themselves type, so to speak.
You make a good point Kelly.
I’m lucky that I only occasionally get those kind of comments here. Most people comment here ‘on topic,’ but I know that this is a real problem for other blogs.
Thanks for the feedback.
My motivation to comment on blogs are:
1. If someone is asking for an opinion on something (it always seems everyone has an opionion, ha)
2. If someone has had a similar experience and how they handled it, whether it’s a marketing strategy they tried or results that were unexpected. Case-study type posts. (this one is my favorite)
3. Supporting fellow bloggers; sometimes with just a simple thanks for the great info or for answering a pondering question.
Thanks for that list Anna – I know fellow bloggers will find it useful.
I especially like number 3, to support fellow bloggers. There’s nothing worse than hitting the publish button and nothing happening. I know this from personal experience. The first 4 weeks here were really quiet.
Hi Jim
I’m relatively new to all of this and very excited to be part of it all:
Here’s my feedback
I love to comment when someone asks me a question , like you often do. You wrote: “Making it easy for people to give feedback and showing them that their feedback is valued, then gets the conversation rolling. It’s pretty basic.” I agree – a question mark is an opener for dialogue and an empathic exchange where both sides value each other and there is an experience of being heard, which to my mind, is what we all want, no? (-:
Thanks- a useful and enlightening post
Yael
Hello Yael.
You make some great points there, regarding the power of a question mark and bloggers wanting to be heard.
I blog for business, and I blog about ideas that should be of interest to my prospective clients. Thus, the need for my message to be heard is a key part of my marketing.
Thanks for the feedback!
Good day everyone,
Very well, coming clean for 2010! I have been reading many of your content via subscription (emails) and must say that Mr. Connolly is a very inspiring person he provides very GOOD articles! Giving credit where it’s due!
great blog.. & I hope that Our past can come to a wonderful future & friendship!
Hi Straightalk.
Thanks for the kind words and I’m glad you find the blog useful. Like you, I tend to read blogs via email.
It’s always great to have positive feedback, much appreciated sir.
Hi Jim, I agree with the others on at least two points, it must be easy to leave a comment… and that means being able to see the box. I have to double check this on my own blog. I know that when I have to hunt for the link to open the box or jump through hoops, it discourages me. Like Christine, said my comments are given when the topic is of interest or I work in the field, or I just like the discussion (or the blogger).
I have been playing with a new ending… it goes, “talk to me, I talk back” which seems to amuse my real life friends and opens a door.
I do try to end with a question whenever possible.
The timing of a post has little to do with whether I will comment or not, because as you know, I sometimes visit your back links and comment there if I feel a desire.
I am constantly trying to encourage comments in the way I promote the blog with tweets or Facebook post or even as my e-mail signature with the current blog post. I like a blog with comments, it makes community and community builds friendships. Thanks, Jim!
I love the idea of ; “talk to me, I talk back.”
It makes you sound both interested and approachable.
Thanks for the feedback Julie, always great to hear form you.
I usually post if someone asks for an opinion (and I have one!) or if it’s something I feel passionately about – be it in favour or against. Occasionally, if I really like a post and have found it particularly helpful, I’ll post a quick note of thanks/recognition.
It’s funny you posted this actually because I was just thinking about blog comments today!
-Wendy
I think you are spot-on Wendy, about commenting if someone actually ASKS for your opinion.
It always amazes me how many bloggers fail to ask for feedback.
Thanks for stopping by the blog!
To address your question “What about the ability to get your comments published immediately – rather than having them held for moderation?”…
If you as the blog owner are always available, having the moderate option works well to keep the spam and junk out of the posts (while quickly approving comments). However, if you cannot be online a majority of the time, using a few spam blockers like Akismet, cookies for comments, etc… along with not publishing comments automatically with any links in them should work well to keep the comments pretty clean.
We all like instant gratification, but you have to weigh the options when it comes to how you want your comments section to flow.
Rob – LexiConn
Hi Rob.
Blog moderation is something that I believe varies from blog to blog and blogger to blogger.
It’s about freedom of choice, to pick the correct form of moderation for you. As you rightly said, if the blogger’s around all the time, unmoderated works fine, but for others, there’s a need for some moderation.
I believe you need to get comments ‘live’ as soon as possible, so the conversations can flow.
Thanks as always for some great feedback sir!
Thanks for this Jim. I have a comments capability on my website and was asking people to register with name and email and click to get varified. I don’t currently have the capability to remove comments and have already had some from a nutter. My comments system was very basic (I gave wrong spec.) I am getting it fixed in the New Year so I can delete bad posts and get informed when someone does say something. I am assuming that comments on articles on a website are treated the same way as those on a blog? Maybe I should stop asking people to varify their email address based on the comments from your readers above.
Hello Sue. If your website is built around (or includes) wordpress, you can literally tick a box in the admin panel, which will moderate comments. This means you get an email each time a comment is left, which you then have to either approve or delete.
Comments are probably the most valuable part of a blog, as it’s where you get to develop a sense of community. Websites were built as a way to broadcast – blogs are designed as a way to get a conversation going.
Personally, if comments are important to you, you need to make it as easy as possible for people to leave them. Each additional hurdle will cut comments back massively.
Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment.