Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

The Secret To Attracting More Comments On Your Blog

February 6, 2009 | Blogging, Feature

Blogs that don’t get any comments from the readers look rather dead. It is negative social proof. If somebody comes to the site and they see no comments, their impression is likely to be that the blog must not be that good. So, how do you battle this? What’s the secret sauce?

conversation Well, I’m REALLY hoping that you don’t fly to Tampa and kick my ass when I tell you. Because it is very much common sense. The problem is that a lot of people just don’t do it. So, are you ready?

OK, then.

ASK THEM TO POST A COMMENT!

OK, the cat is out of the bag.

Look, there are two simple facts about human nature that you can use to your advantage:

  1. People usually do what they’re told.
  2. People like to finish things.

No, you cannot order people to post a comment. They’re likely to think you’ve lost your mind if you try. However, if you take the initiative of simply ASKING them to post a comment, a lot of them will respond by doing it. Not only that, but if you ask a question, they’re going to answer it. Now, they might only answer it in their head. But, if you combine a question with a direction to answer in the comments – presto! – you get more comments!

You will notice that I will often end my blog posts with open-ended questions. I will spend the entire blog post talking about a topic, but at the end I will involve the reader. What do YOU think? What have YOU tried? Do YOU have any other advice for the community? And, oh yeah, post it to the comments!

Another tactic (and a slightly more under-handed one) is to deliberately leave something out of your post. Now, I don’t usually do this, but I’ve read about other bloggers who have. They will deliberately not include every possible thing in their blog post. Leave it unfinished. And it could provoke readers to comment with a “Oh, you forgot about….” comment.

So, you’ve got some people posting comments using the tactics above. How do you leverage that and build up a sense of community?

  1. Use comments in future blog posts. Actually quote the commenter and use it to motivate another post.
  2. Reply to commenters. Comments should not be a one-way flow. If somebody asks a question, try to come back and actually answer it by commenting on your own blog.
  3. Use an Active Commenters plug-in. A lot of blogs will list active commenters on their sidebar. It adds to the sense of community. Additionally, it may lead some to comment jus to see their name and link on your site. Be careful, though, not to let useless comments through because some WILL post just for the link juice. On this blog, I am using the Show Top Commentators Sidebar Widget plug-in.

Every blogger should work to EARN comments. Realize that it is a lot more than just seeing nice numbers next to your blog headlines. Every comment was a person actually taking the time to post something. At that point, they’ve invested a little something into your blog. Don’t waste it! Turn them into a member of your community by involving them, responding to them, and making them FEEL like part of your fold.

You do these things, you’ll get comments.

OK, so I practice what I preach. So, here goes! Do YOU have any ideas on this? How do you attract comments on your blog? Please comment.

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  • definitely man, you gotta ask! Otherwise they won't respond lol. And once they respond you have to make them feel welcome. People are really surprised when you show actual interest in them...they get excited.

    That's because so many people don't do it! It's very simple, just be real and treat them like people and not just statistics in your analytics dashboard :)
  • Novel ideas. It's really very true when it comes to comments... no comments is a sign of a dying blog... and i just realize my blog is almost in that stage... Thanks for the blood... i think it just needs some transfusion for revival...
  • Great post.
    It sound so simple, I have to try if it really works
  • This is a rather amusing yet true post you've written. I agree completely. Here is a tip that has significantly increased my RSS Feedburner subscribers. I write a post that really pulls the reader in, but leave it somewhat open ended. What I mean is that I may write about a topic and then let the readers know that I will also be writing another post about XXXXX Topic which is related and relevant to this post - so to be notified of when that is posted, subscribe to my RSS feed here (with the link provided). I noticed a MASSIVE increase in subscribers when I leave the post - informing readers that there will be a continuation and they should subscribe to be notified.I just recently started "telling" the readers to do things and it really works! You're right - people need options and direction. Seems simple but it works.
  • Interesting post David. Funny thing is that I get comments and don't hardly ever bother asking questions or leaving parts of my blog post out.

    Now I do respond to practically every single comment that I get so that may be part of it. The other part might be that I get very personal in my blog about myself and what I am going through and from what I have been told my story is downright interesting to some of my readers.

    My "blog" is actually part of a much larger forum where I was at one time real active. So some of my readers may have come to my "blog" that way too and have stuck with me as a result of personal relationship built up before I started "blogging".

    Problem is that I talk about all kinds of things at my "blog". Christianity, best internet and software that I find, great TV shows, politics, funny things, interesting people encounters, the list is almost endless. Whatever I want to talk about.

    This is a problem in that I am not sure I can take my blogging out into the real world of the internet, set up my own independent blog, and still have a readership. I don't want to be focused on just one topic. I still want to talk about whatever I want to blog about.

    I will set up an independent blog sometime this month or perhaps several such blogs. Or I may just write my own PHP backend to allow readers to carefully and fully pick only those categories that they want to be notified of at only one blog. I don't think I will use RSS. I subscribe to lots of newsletters and other RSS type stuff and most of it goes into an email folder and never gets read. I've never seen a blog that allows readers to pick and choose categories to be notified of.

    Carlos
  • One word: Disqus.
  • Ask and you shall receive! Yes, "asking" is polite and of course, it works.
  • Love it :)

    Timely that I found this post - someone asked me just yesterday to comment on their blog. I didn't know people actually did that! Was surprised and impressed as well at them ASKING for what they wanted.

    Someone who includes community in a BIG way is @goodvibecoach check out her blog http://goodvibeblog.com. She is brilliant at keeping the flow going and has a very dedicated following.

    That's the ultimate honour for a blogger (along with monetary benefits) I reckon. And great Alexa rankings hehe.
  • Nice post, I can not pass it with out comment :)
    following your step David!
  • I've just started a blog and appreciate the great info I get from you, David. I do often post comments on what I read -- but thanks for reminding me of the basic "doh!". I won't forget it: Ask!
  • For me the most important thing is, to get a answer on a serious comment. Even if it is just some "I agree with that" or "Thanks for your input".

    And the 2. thing is the "Notify me of followup comments via e-mail"!
  • Srinivasan HAS to come back and post some comments on the wicked tips. (!)
  • Asking a question at the end of the post usually works good to get some comments.
    Oh, and that's a great plugin you listed there, i've been looking for something like that.
  • This is a great post man, thanks for sharing this great tips, actually I now visit pro pages trying and reading comments trying to learn more about this as I think it's a great way to gain traffic!
  • Srinivasan, I'm a little curious what you mean by "wicked". :)
  • It's true, if you ask people something, you get responses. I often ask a silly question on Twitter / Facebook, and often I'll end up with a slew of responses.

    Asking for comments is so simple, even better, maybe set it up in the article title, ask them right from the off, and always ask a question that's not a yes or no answer, but needs more than that.
  • You got me here!. I couldn't help but post my comments. On a more serious notes, the post got me thinking with some more wicked ideas on how get comments. I'll try those and come back to post those ideas.
  • Post something over a controversial topic. People always like to make their point.
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