Bloggers tend to concentrate on site traffic – it’s easy to quantify and report the number of visitors and page views received. However if you talk to the most successful bloggers, many will report that the interaction and loyal nature of their readers is far more important than traffic.
Commenting is one of the number one ways bloggers can create community. With many suggesting comments are down, we’ve been talking about how to generate comments.
- Develop a comment policy and clearly post it. Understanding the ground rules will make people feel comfortable leaving their thoughts. There are lots of great examples of comment policies on the web. Do you have a policy on your site? We’d love to have you share it!
- Make your comment section welcoming. Have you ever noticed that before any comments are left, some blogs say “No comments?” How welcoming is that? Consider changing the language to something like, “Be the first to leave me a comment!”
- Feed your readers ego. Everyone loves to talk about themselves sometimes. Ask your readers to share something they’ve done or will be doing, ask for their “expert” opinion. Allow them to link to projects on their own site. Once they’ve left a comment, tell them how great you think it is.
- Respond to comments. When you’re building a community, it’s important to respond. Extending the conversation helps build relationships and a loyal following.
- Make sure to respond in your comment section and via email. A great example of comment responding to build community can be found at Our Best Bites. If you are using WordPress consider the ReplyMail plugin – type your reply in the comments and it will automatically email the original commenter. If you’re on blogger, copy your email response and post it in the comments.
- Welcome differing opinions. Let’s face it, the DIY community doesn’t necessarily foster controversy, but that doesn’t mean readers don’t have a different view point. As long as someone isn’t crude or making personal attacks, leaving a comment up is often far better than taking it down. Have you ever left a negative comment up? What was your experience?
- Write about something controversial. A heavily divided topic is bound to generate conversation. Here’s the real question though, would you write about something controversial just to generage comments and develop community?
- Hold back. Don’t cover every single thing under the sun in your post. Make it great, but leave something for your readers to share.
- Note the type of posts people tend to comment on. Be observant and watch for themes or trends. Are there specific types of posts your readers tend to comment on? Write about it!
- Take the comment challenge. There’s nothing worse than preparing a post that you really care about, something you really love and then receiving no comments. Some of our tips are probably pretty obvious, but there is one way we can all win. Will you take the challenge to comment on at least five posts every week?
What other tips and tricks have you tried to increase comments on your blog? We’re really interested to know and share with our readers!
Tauni Everett
Creative Director at Tauni Everett
Title:
A Few More Thoughts on Commenting
Authors:
Categories:
Mentions:
Blogging Tips, commenting, comments
Keywords:
Increase Comments
Last Updated:
September 13, 2011
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Love all of the tips! thanks!
Angie,
Thanks for popping over and leaving a comment! Let us know if you try any of these tips out and they work for you!
xoxo
Tauni
I’ve been commenting more, now that my kids are back in school 🙂 As well as emailing back a thank you, answer or follow up comment to people who write on my posts.
I try to click on a post or two from my reader each day now, and leave someone a nice comment.
I also comment on 2 or 3 posts from any linky party I add something to.
I think I’ve seen a bit of an increase in comments I’ve gotten, and I’m sure it’s not coincidence 🙂
Steph,
It’s nice to know things are on the uptick for you! We love your blog and I personally wish I had more time to keep tabs on it! I am honestly loving the Comment Luv feature, because the headline prompts me to come over and visit!
Really excited to hear about the efforts you are making and want to thank you so much for including us in your commenting!
xoxo
Tauni
Hi! Question on Blogger. How can I leave a reply to a comment that was made (I see this in other blogs where it reads like thread)… I tried Discus but must have not done it right because it doesn’t work. Currently I send a reply email to anyone that leaves a comment on my blog… I think it’s nice to acknowledge readers that leave comments on your blog and wish to readily and easily do so. Doesn’t seem so easy in Blogger.
Hi Anne. Thanks for the question. We agree, it is so nice to be able to acknowledge comments right on your blog!
We’re not aware of a fix that would automatically send an email to your readers if you chose just to respond in the comments, BUT you can create threaded comments. There is a great tutorial for this: http://artistutorial.blogspot.com/2011/09/threaded-comments-for-blogger-comment.html We’d love to know if it works for you!
xoxo
Tauni
What a great post!
I’ve noticed that as my blog has grown…comments have decreased in number.
Traffic has increased ten~fold…but comments are down.
Back when I had a little over 200 followers I had at least 30…sometimes 40 comments on a post.
Now with 6 times the followers and subscribers…I average about 20-25 comments per post.
This doesn’t bother me.
I want my readers to ENJOY Blooming on Bainbridge.
I don’t want them to feel it necessary to comment.
Just enjoy the read~
I feel the LOVE no matter how many comments! 😉
I do think it’s important to re~turn the LOVE and comment on other blogs~
Can’t wait to register for SNAP!
Hoping to participate in the Queen Bee Market!
Yeah!
This will be my first blog conference!
xo
Teresa,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. You have such a POSITIVE attitude about this. I only wish more of us could be so upbeat, because you are ABSOLUTELY right – it shouldn’t matter how many comments there are!
Things for SNAP! are really coming along quickly and we’re so excited about everything planned for the next conference! Despite all of the fun planned, the very best thing at each and every conference are the connections made and relationships established. I can’t wait to meet you!
Be sure to register before the end of the month so that you can save a little money!
xoxo
Tauni
I have to say the best way to encourage commenters is to email them back. If I continually leave comments on a blog and get no response, I stop bothering. Now, this could be that the blog owner is commenting back in their own comments, but come on, get real, I read a lot of blogs, am I supposed to bookmark every single one I’ve commented on (I try to comment a lot) and go back each day to see if they’ve replied? I can’t see anyone doing this. OK, so someone’s asked you a question about the item in your post, of course, post a reply there as well as emailing back in case someone else is wondering, but other than that, i’d say don’t bother, no one will read it!
Wendy,
I think you’re right. Responding to your commenters is absolutely one of the very best ways to encourage future comments! Although we encourage people to respond in their comment string (it answers questions and shows a willingness to interact, right?), it is equally as important for them to send a personal email. For those on the WordPress platform, it’s as simple as installing a plugin, but for others it can be a bit more work…
We appreciate your thoughts on the issue and hope you’ll visit again soon.
xoxo
Tauni
I hopped over from All Things Thrifty. Great post! I need to be more diligent about commenting on posts. I read a lot of posts through my email or Google Reader. I know how much I love comments and I know they do too!
Jamie,
Thanks for coming over and leaving a note! We love Brooke from All Things Thrifty – what a talented girl, right? I adore the gorgeous wing back chair in her kitchen. Amazing!
It sounds like we’re a lot alike. I get stuck scanning through things in my Reader and sometimes it just doesn’t even cross my mind to hop over and leave a message. Like you, I know how much these sorts of things matter…I am working on it though!
Hope you will stop by again soon!
xoxo
Tauni
Thanks so much for linking to my blog comment policy post. You’ve created a great list of suggestions that would help any blogger improve their comments. And I totally agree with your statement that its about conversation and not traffic on my blog.
Keep up the great work!
Wow Charlene. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Your comment policy is fantastic – a great example that I’ve had bookmarked for quite a while.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Tauni
Thanks for continuing to write such amazing articles. I have learned so much by reading your posts the past few months. Snap has quickly become one of my “go to” blogs for advice and learning. I am still very new to blogging, and while I am finally getting on a bit of a role I constantly have questions and am seeking out advice.
One thought I have on commenting, and why numbers may be down is based on my own experiences with reading blogs. I typically will read all the blogs I subscribe to from my phone (usually while I am in line someplace, or waiting in the car to pick up my kids). A lot of times it is just not that easy to click over to the blog and make a comment. With so many using iPhones and Droids these days maybe it has contributed to comments being low. I always mean to go and leave a comment but honestly by the time I get home to my computer I am usually trying to catch up on my own company emails, blog, orders, etc. I usually just forget and then when I remember I am always a couple of days late (like with this post and the previous one on commenting, ha!). I do try my best though because I love to get comments on my blog and I try to spread around the blog love as much as possible to others!
Rebecca
Oh my goodness. Thank you so very, very much for the wonderful compliment. It is very sincerely appreciated!
Several people have made comments similar to yours regarding the use of reading on the go. To be honest, I rarely read posts in my reader while on the phone and I am still terrible at clicking through! AND, like you if I don’t click through and comment right there on the spot, it just isn’t going to happen!
Appreciate your thoughts and commend you for reaching out. I’ve seen your participation on several other blogs and in chats and think you will find the time spent well worth it!
xoxo
Tauni
I couldn’t agree with all of this more. I love the community feel I get and honestly the friends I have made from commenting on blogs. I love receiving comments on my own blog and responding back to those who do comment. I truly have made good friends just from taking the time to leave a small comment. I do not always have time to do so, but I try to as often as I can. I love what you have written here. You are always feeding us lots of great information.
Oh, and it cracked me up on how many comments you got on the other post about commenting. 🙂
Tasha,
You know, I would say that the biggest reason I am engaged in blogging is because I LOVE this community with all of my heart! Like you , I have made some incredible friends through blogging.
Thanks for the sweet compliment on our SNAP! posts. We will keep the information coming!
xoxo
Tauni
P.S. I got a kick out of all the comments on an article about commenting too 🙂
You know, I never really thought about what my comment section said. It says “leave a reply”. Not the worst thing to say, but maybe I can figure out how to change it and make it more personal. 🙂
Aimee,
I wouldn’t have thought such a simple little change could make that big of a difference, BUT I have a little message on my cell phone that simply says, “sent in a bit of a rush from my iPhone.” I get fun comments just on that alone all the time 🙂 I guess it just goes to show how much the details matter sometimes.
xoxo
Tauni
Great post on commenting! I agree with everything you wrote! Asking a question at the end of my posts seems to generate a great response.
Jamielyn,
It’s always good to hear from someone who’s tried things out…Even better to hear that it has worked! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. We sincerely appreciate your continued support. Your comments and tweets do not go unnoticed!
xoxo
Tauni
This was a great post Tauni. You are so right as usual. I definitely need to encourage more commenting on my website. I love a great convo.
Thanks again for all your brilliant advice!
NataLee,
You’re so sweet! Thank you for your comment. Generating conversation can be so easy and at the same time so difficult. If only we could transcribe our thoughts without wiggling our fingers over the keyboard 🙂
You’re the best!
xoxo
Tauni
Great Ideas! Thanks, after reading that I have got a few new ideas. People do love sharing about themselves, their blog, or their ideas its nice to grow readers and start a conversation. Do you feel like Facebook is more of a platform for Discussion instead of the comments?
I definitely have a hard time getting commenters. I comment on at least 5 blogs a day. I’m working on always including a good question in bold print at the end to encourage commenting. I also make it a practice to reply as well as possible to as many people as possible. I can’t seem to change the wording on my comment box, though. (I use WP.) Guess I’ll have to do more searching.