Blogging can feel like a solitary endeavor. Sure, you may have lots of readers as evidenced by your statistics report, but when your comment section is glaringly empty and you get no interaction, it can start to feel like you are talking into a vacuum. This is one of the main reasons why bloggers try to get more blog comments, but of course, a lively comment section is also interesting for visitors to read, as well and can propel the success of your blog even further.
The following are a few things you can do to get more blog comments.
Make It Easy to Comment
Instead of requiring visitors to register before leaving a comment, consider allowing them to leave the comment and then posting a message that the comment will go live as soon as it is approved. This takes the hassle out of asking someone to register before commenting on your blog, but it also leaves you with some control over what makes it to your comment section.
Specifically Invite Comments
This might seem overly simplistic, but sometimes all you need to do is ask. It is amazing how just ending your blog post with an invitation to leave a comment or question can motivate readers to action. If you want comments on your blog, try asking for them.
Don’t Say It All
While it is great to write a thorough blog post that addresses all the angles, this also leaves very little for blog readers to say. Some visitors might think of leaving you a generic “nice post” message, but most people will simply read and move on. If you want to stimulate comments, try leaving some points out of your post and then ask readers to suggest some more ideas.
Respond to Comments
If you want to encourage readers to post comments on your blog you should show that you appreciate the comments you get. By engaging those who take the time to leave a comment or simply thanking them for their response it motivates others to do the same.
Market Blog Posts
Only a very small percentage of blog readers are inclined to leave a comment so naturally the more people that read your blog post the greater your chances that someone will leave a comment. This simply plays to the law of percentages so if you want to capture more comments it is important to spread your message to as many people as possible.
Ask Friends or Family to Leave Opening Comments
Have you ever noticed that the first comment is the hardest to get? It seems like as soon as one person leaves a message others feel it is alright to join in. To take advantage of this ask your friends and family to leave comments on your posts to open the floor for others who may be too shy to get the ball rolling.
These tips can certainly help any blog to get more comments and they are easy to implement.
