10 +1 Ways to Get More Comments on Your Posts
Posted on January 20, 2008
Filed Under Blog Tips
Beginning bloggers always tend to sweat the lack of comments in the beginning. They tend to think that because the blog is on the internet and they show at least some traffic that someone would inevitably comment.
This however is not always the case and in order to get a regular stream of comments, you might have to work at it.
Here are 10 ways to get more comments on your Posts.
1. Invite Comments - This might sound simplistic but ask your readers what they think? Invite them to offer their opinion. Many newer bloggers hesitate to leave comments as they don't want to sound stupid or invite ridicule. you can overcome this by asking them to participate.
2. Ask Questions - If you don't have all the answers, ask your readers to help. If you include specific questions in your posts then of course your comments will go up. Everyone likes to have the answer.
3. Leave Room for Development - This may not sound right but don't cover the topic to the Nth degree. If you answer every question imaginable or cover every base then their really isn't much left to comment on. Write your posts so they are thorough but leave room for discussion and topic development via the comments section.
4. Interaction -Be active in your own comments section. Answer your readers and take an active role in the discussion in your comments section. By being the blog admin you have some sort of authority on the topic and your readers will enjoy interacting with you.
5. Spam Control - Make sure your comment thread isn't overcome with spam or pingbacks. If you are being linked to on a regular basis then consider separating your pingbacks from your comments.
6. Don't take it personal - Inevitably you will find readers that challenge your thoughts or even downright disagree with you. Sometimes they will do this in a manner that can be very easy to respond to harshly. Don't take it personally and be above all that stuff. Being humble and mature is the way to go.
7. Humility - Show your readers that you appreciate them. Thank them for the comment, offer to help them with a project or offer input on something that is important to them. If you show an interest in your readers, then they will show one in you.
8. Controversy - Everyone loves controversy but not everyone likes Jerry Springer. It's a fine line between being controversial and just being ridiculous. It never hurts to challenge the status quo and play devils advocate but make sure you don't push too far.
9. ‘Reward’ Comments - There are many ways to reward comments and we will discuss one of them below. Many of the steps above will reward commenters but you may also consider a "Top Commenter" type plugin. People are competitive by nature and like to see how they compare.
10. KISS - Make it Easy - Keep your comment section simple and easy to use. If it is laid out well and is self explanatory how it works then your readers will be more tempted to use it.
I mentioned a plugin above that would help you to reward your commenters. This might sound difficult but as usual Wordpress makes it a snap via a simple plug in. The plug in is Comment Luv and what it does is seek out the last post written on the blog of the commenter and it posts the title and link right under the posters name. This is a simple and easy way for a commenter to include the title of a post without coming across as Spammy.
Well what do you think? Anyone have any other tips to use? Go ahead and feel free to try out my Comment Luv plugin, it's as easy as leaving your opinion in the comment thread.
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8 Responses to “10 +1 Ways to Get More Comments on Your Posts”
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Ok - I confess I am guilty of a few of these. I really appreciate that you post topics that pertain to me - “noob.” I’ll let you know how your suggestions work out.
I only get some 10-20 comments per article on my blog.
You’ve got some good tips here. Worth trying a few, to try to jump-start my comments.
Jack Payne’s last blog post..Legal Thriller Author warns of Scam Artists’ Inheritance Fraud–Do Not Make these Deadly Mistakes
Very good tips here! I don´t get that many comments at the moment, and the ones that make it to my comments area have been mostly positive.The comments have increased after I removed the “no follow” tag.
Tom Lindstrom’s last blog post..Generate Traffic And Income With Hubpages
You have given good tips it really good 10+1
Maldiveslive’s last blog post..President Gayoom officially inaugurates Gan International Airport
thanks for these tips! I am a new serious blogger and i truly appreciate stuff like this. Thanks!
HotMama Mathe’s last blog post..Your One Moment in Time
I’m also a new blogger, and really appreciated these tips. By the way. I love your “clean”-looking layout.
Tamera’s last blog post..Sy’s World
Wow!
But, I still think why am I writing a comment ???
Oh, ya u missed a point:
Write tips…
it works!
nabin’s last blog post..Bayesian Spam filtering
There might a hundred posts telling people about ppc programs and blog traffic. But people still love them, no matter what!
Loved the post!ENjoyed reading it!