Lately across a few different forms of media I have noticed that many of the next upcoming bloggers are all asking the same question. How do I get people to comment on my blog more often. This aside from mass producing honest and quality content is probably going to plague you forever. Unlike the other issue which would be how to increase your rss subscriptions which we essentially just solved and with a twist of promotion as well.
Take a moment and search your favorite blogs. If it happens to be one you like to comment on even better. You will notice a few things that they all have in common or use to help people get motivated enough to comment on their own blog. An overwhelming amount of people who read blogs are essentially just not motivated to comment and are just as happy to consume your honest and quality material en mass. I believe this does not have to be this way and I want to share with you a short list of factors and motivators to help you to get the goal of higher blog commentation.
1. Be open ended – This is something that I was not very good at when I first started this blog and as you can tell where my commentation increased I started to not dictate the whole post but rather involve the readers and ask them for answers as well. This is great in the sense that everyone can contribute. Remember this every post and you will have taken the first step to motivating your readership and promoting them to commentators.
2. Be Humble – While I would like to think at least when it comes to this blog that I am not overly egotistical, especially in regards to blogging advice or internet marketing. Remember that if you upset a reader they may never post. A good rule of thumb when thinking of people in general especially those you want something from is that they may not remember what you said but rather they will remember how you made them feel. This is important so make sure they know you are greatful.
3. Make it easy to comment – Wow some blogs I have visited and use all these steps to promote commentation and when I finally am ready to post a comment I have to endure entirely to much crap in order to do it. And please do not ask me about losing a 2 page comment for someones blog.
4. Reward Commentation – This is simple and for me was made even easier when sezwho and EC joined forces. By awarding your commentators with a top commentators list and a weekly/monthly free link in a wrap up post you are providing an underlying motivation for people to post. While this by itself is by no means going to cause commentation remember that quality content that is honest will.
5. Interact with your commentators – Having written the post and being open ended as well as humble and making it easy to comment and then rewarding them you have forgotten just one thing, and this is sure to make someone never post another comment again if you do not. Make sure to take the time to comment back to all of your comments and try not to leave anyone out. Check back to your older posts to see if anyone has left updates and in kind return the favor. This is the quickest way to lose someone that would have otherwise contributed faithfully to your blog.
Essentially these are the five steps I employed to boost commentation. If you execute these on your own blog and stay vigilant you too will see an increase in your blog’s commentation. I am also curious to see if anyone else has overcome the commentation hill to see if you are employing any of the same methods as I or if you have found a different route to the same success.
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Yep, I try to use all of those methods! I make it a point to reply to every single comment on my blog. I just found out about the Comment Remix plugin, and I must say, this will take managing your comments to a new level.
It gives you an instant notice in your admin panel of how many comments you need to reply to and you can do everything you need to do right from the admin panel.
I suggest you check it out.
I think the main thing is making those that comment understand you appreciate it by joining in the conversation with them.
I just had a fellow blogger inform me that I did not have the ability to “subscribe to comments” on my blog! For some reason I thought this was built in and I didn’t see it because I was logged in.
Needless to say, it has be fixed!
JK Swopess last blog post..Secret classroom, Mark Joyner, and straight lines
Thanks for writing this article. I’m right there, I don’t know how to increase my comments. I will have to stay at it.
Tom Sawyers last blog post..Really Jesse, the Mic is Still On!
Wow, that is really great information! You have a BIG fan on Blog Catalog, so I came just to check you out! Glad I did. Great info.
I think this is a great post! My husband and I just started blogging and I try to respond to every person who makes a comment to the blog to welcome them. We’re going to have to try that Comment Remix plugin.
Kims last blog post..Really Jesse, the Mic is Still On!
@JK Subscribe to comments is really nice especially when an important thread comes along.
@TomSawyer Just dont give up and use the outlined techniques eventually once someone bites they will be hooked. It was the same going here as well.
@houseonahill Thanks glad to help out its why I do what I do, and whenever I find solutions to common or even uncommon problems for bloggers I try to pass them on so we can all enjoy some success.
@Kim I wish my wife and I had time to start a blog together that would rock. We do however play eq2 together so that will have to do for now as far as the electonic stuff goes
Big Ben Pattons last blog post..5 Steps To Higher Blog Commentation
I am currently following all of them except rewarding my commentators, which I should really do!
Rajaie AlKoranis last blog post..How To Get Rid Of The Annoying WordPress Update Nag
Good article. It’s really helpful for newbie bloggers like me. I’ll be digging your post.
Cheers
Avatars last blog post..The Way of the General – Part III
Comments that ask for help require a response (like on tech sites). Otherwise, I’ve a tendency to overwhelm others with comments on top of comments. I suggest keeping replies to comments to a minimum. Also, FRIENDS comment: I suggest building a loyal readership. Finally if I write a post that is confrontational or controversial I might get comments but because of the tone I might lose long-term readers! So, I suggest using a service like feedburner to measure readership and to NOT focus on reader comments overmuch.
Hooters last blog post..Loafers
Also, the design of the comment box matters too
Harshit Singhal´s last blog ..Argentina Coach Diego Maradona Sacked
and making the comments do follow is another way of attracting comments
Harshit Singhal´s last blog ..Argentina Coach Diego Maradona Sacked