HOW TO CONVINCE READERS TO LEAVE COMMENTS
True or False?
If your blog doesn't have any traffic you will not receive any comments.
This is true, of course, but some people don't see the connection between traffic and comments.
On the other hand, if no one is reading your blog then no one will leave comments either. Simply posting interesting content to your blog is not enough - you have to start marketing yourself and your blog to get readers to it.
How do I get more comments, you say?
- Write articles that reference or focus on other bloggers. You will get their attention and there's a good chance they will come to your blog and leave a comment as a result.
- Ask a question at the end of your post, this will encourage your readers to respond.
- Write about topics that stimulate conversation, such as current events (world situations, news, entertainment etc.).
- Be somewhat controversial in your writing. Voice an opinion - readers will respond in agreement or disagree with you. That is all good.
- It takes time, so wait and watch and keep blogging.
I was reading an article recently about "social proof" or the herding instinct. Have you ever noticed that when we see a few people stopping to look at something it makes us want to stop and look? Or if someone is looking up to the sky we can't help but look up too?
This is the reaction you want from your blog posting...you want comments and you want new readers to see comments and think, "Hey, I should read this and leave a comment too."
Be a good shepherd and herd those sheep to your blog. Baaaaaaa!
Also remember, if a reader has taken time to leave you a nice comment, it is common courtesy to reply to them in some form. Blogger's platform doesn't make it easy to reply, but you can still reply either by emailing directly or by "@readers' name" in the Comment box.
Keep up the great blogging!
This is a great post about a subject not often discussed. Thanks for the insight and encouragement!
ReplyDeleteSo true. The other thing commenting does is give us feedback to whether a post is relevant...thanks Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteAwesome tips! Thank you for posting!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post - I hope it garners many comments, as it should.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. I feel strongly that people should be attentive to those who comment. While it may not be possible to answer everyone, every time, it is important to take some time & at least do a few @commenter comments of your own. I've watched some bloggers become fairly popular & they have stopped responding to folks. I think they do so at their peril.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas love! Thanks for sharing. Kori xoxo
ReplyDeleteblondeepisodes.com
All great tips. I try to respond to as many commentors as possible...some days its harder than others, but agreed its common courtesy and its nice to make it personal too. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Susan's comment. I stop commenting when I'm repeatedly ignored on a blog. It's a two way street, if you expect comments, you have got to put in some time to respond to some of them at least.
ReplyDeleteVery good tips! I love it when by accident I learn something useful! :-) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! When someone takes the time to leave a comment we should take the time to reply, even if it's just to say thanks.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of writing about other bloggers like that so thanks for the tip as I do need some traffic help.
ReplyDeleteLove these tips! I'm just starting out and these ideas / guidelines are wonderful. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks .Yes I get sad when I don't get comments , is a learning thing, So we have to keep going !!
ReplyDeleteYour comments are awesome! Thank you for continually making our day!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! This is so very true. I try not to blog-stalk too much and actually interact with the bloggers whose sites I read, but inevitably I sometimes just don't make the time to comment. Hopefully mobile applications will continue to make it easier to interact on the go since I'm not usually at a traditional computer when I'm reading blogs these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see this post! I always try to comment on the blogs that I truly love or if it's someone that I want to do well! However...when people comment to me I'm never sure if I'm supposed to comment back to them on my own blog page or thank them directly! It's a bit confusing! thanks for these tips, though!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks writing about blogging. I am taking your words to heart, and when I next post on 'about blogging' I would like to include a link to this blog. I hadn't given enough thought to 'replying', I've been concentrating on 'commenting' on blogs I read.
ReplyDelete- Joy
i was inspired to comment b/c the picture of those sheep was so cute! i just love sheep.
ReplyDeleteI love the tips. And the social proof part. This is probably the hardest part of driving traffic into your site: blog commenting. People might visit your site, take a look but what's really the hard part is to convince them to comment on your post. Judging by the number of comments you have right now, I believe you have succeeded.
ReplyDeleteYep, you've got to love sheep! And Carol, thank you for such a smart comment...we did get quite a few comments on this post..who knew?
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