Have you ever published a post, then waited a few days…and only heard crickets?
Feels a little lonely, hmn?
Well, if you’re looking to build your blog, you have to start with the most basic of all things: creating community. And the lifeblood of a thriving community is the discussion. Not only does good discussion enhance your readers’ experience on your blog – it’s also great for your search engine optimization (SEO). The tips I’m giving here aren’t just good for getting people to leave comments – they’re good practice for community building in general.
So how do you get more people to leave comments on your blog?
I’ve got 12 tips to help you get people talking:
1) Step out of the shadows and leave comments on other blogs. Not just “thanks for the post,” but actual, insightful comments. Ask questions and engage your favorite bloggers. Be a friend. When people see you commenting on their blogs, they’re likely to follow the link back to your blog and they’ll be more open to leaving comments when they get there.
The blogging world is fueled by generosity of spirit. Expect to give long before you get anything back.
2) Make it easy for people to comment on your blog – take as much hassle out of the process as possible. If you’re blogging on WordPress, let Akismet do your spam filtering and leave out the Captcha code. If you want to moderate all your comments, be sure to approve them in a timely manner. Don’t leave us hanging.
3) Take the time to reply to the comments you receive – even just a word or two. Let us know you care. If you want to take this a step further, then follow up with not just reactions to your reader’s comment, but further questions. Encourage your readers to share more. Bring them out of their shell. Just try engaging a handful of your commenters in a two-way discussion, and see what it does to grow your community.
4) Use a WordPress plugin like Comment Reply Notification to let commenters know you’ve responded to them. No one wants to “haunt” a blog after commenting to see if the blogger responds, and if you use this (free) plugin, they won’t have to.
5) Share the love – Some people use comments as a blog growth strategy, and why not make this easy for them? Use a plugin like CommentLuv (free) or CommentLuv Premium (which I use here) to add a link to your commenters’ latest blog post right below their comment. When other readers can see the titles of a commenter’s own post, they’re more likely to follow that link and check out that blog. What a great way to reward your readers for leaving comments! (Psst – wanna’ give it a try? Leave a comment below and see how it works!)
6) Feature another blogger’s work on your blog. When Jimmie (of Jimmie’s Collage) posted about her favorite homeschool blogs, people came out of the woodwork to leave their comments of appreciation. Generosity of spirit leads to conversation – and new friendships.
7) If you really want your readers’ input on something, create a poll that’s easy to participate in. We all love to share our opinions, so give your readers a good way to interact with you (and each other!), and maybe they’ll find it easier to leave a comment on your next post. You can create polls through a third-party site, but if you’re a WordPress user, Polldaddy has a plugin that brings their polls right to your blog.
8) Every once in awhile, take a stance on a controversial issue – it doesn’t have to be aggressive, just enough to “stir the pot.” Because whether people agree with you or disagree, they’ve likely got something to say.
9) Don’t make your life look too perfect on your blog; Share even your “bad days” that people can relate to. I recently saw this in action on Gypsy Forest, where Stephinie posted about a tough week she’d had. From the tone of the comments she got, a lot of people had the same experience. This is community building in action.
10) Request ideas for posts, or suggestions for things you want to learn more about. People LOVE to share their expertise, so let them.
11) Don’t sound like the ultimate authority. If you’re approachable, people will talk to you. Show your personality in your posts. You want to sound like a (very nice) person, not a computer.
12) I hesitate to list this last one because it’s so overdone…but it’s okay to ASK for comments. Just not in every post.
Twitter: Teje Karjalainen
says:
Hi Jeni! You are so right. I haven’t learnt to use comment-luv or even poldaddy, but I like to write comments like a small letters and I’ve seen that my blog friends like that and they also write more to me. It’s like sending short e-mails about our crafts and pets etc. In the beginning I didn’t answer to my comments and thought it’s better to visit their blog, but I realized my mistake, and now I answer all of them and that makes us all good friends. We share in comments our tips, funny happenings and it’s really nice!
Thank you for your posts! They are always good and teach us something new!
Finnish wishes from Greece! x Teje
Teje recently posted..Baby Squares and cat-hair ball?!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It’s amazing the friends you can make through blogging, isn’t it? (by the way, that quilt you just finished is beautiful!)
Twitter: Teje Karjalainen
says:
… that CommentLuv is great! I would love to add it, but does it work if I’m not self hosted? x Teje
Teje recently posted..Baby Squares and cat-hair ball?!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
You do have to be self-hosted to use CommentLuv – when you’re self-hosted, you have many, many more options available!
Twitter: jimmiescollage
says:
Posing a question for which you want advice is another great comment generator. I had a question on a guest post I did, and I wanted to write an answer to it. But instead of offering all of my ideas, I asked my readers for their tips. My plan is to do a follow up post that includes my readers’ ideas as well as my own. I hope it works!
(Thanks for the mention.)
Jimmie Lanley recently posted..Three CM Curriculum Choices that are Perfect on an iPad
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
What a great idea – it’s two posts for the price of one.
I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out for you!
Twitter: SweetBookshelf
says:
I recently did a de-lurking post. I knew people were reading from my stats, but there weren’t any comments. Who were these people?!?! So, I just came out and told them that I wanted to gt to know them and I wanted to be friends. I asked them to answer a few questions in the comments. SO MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED!! I’ve been getting emails and making one on one friendships with my readers. It is so great! Now I know who is reading and who I’m taking to. I also feel like I can share more because I am getting to know them as well.
Mary-My Life in Scotland recently posted..lately…
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Wow, that’s a great story – I guess sometimes it pays to just come right out and be direct!
Good for you!
Twitter: sueminskey
says:
I love this idea! It’s a great way to get people to come out and introduce themselves, not only to you but to the rest of the community of readers. I think I shall work this in at some point!
Suzanne Minskey recently posted..Product Review- Real Techniques Makeup Brushes
Twitter: AlainaFrederick
says:
I know that when I shared about my emotional finding out of our baby’s gender I was ready for people to say things like my own family had but they didn’t. Not only did I get a bunch of supportive comments I also received a NUMBER of private emails thanking me for letting them know they weren’t alone in feeling that way.
I wasn’t even going to post that – but I felt convicted to do so and through it I know a number of people who are not Christians were touched by that post and through my difficult pregnancy post that were brought one step closer to the Truth.
Alaina Frederick recently posted..First Day of {Home} School
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It can be scary to share things that are so deeply personal, and it sounds you have a wonderful, supportive community that welcomes your experiences. A blessing for sure.
Twitter: gsheller
says:
Jeni, I just added the comment reply notification to my blog. Does the commenter have to check the “notify me of follow up comments via email button,” or are replies automatically sent to their email? What a great plugin. Thanks for mentioning it!
Ginny recently posted..epic
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Ginny, you can choose the default settings under Settings > Comment Reply Notification. You can set it to automatically send everyone a notification of comment replies, or allow them to choose (by default checked) or allow them to choose (by default unchecked) It’s pretty self explanatory once you get onto the settings page. Enjoy!
Twitter: gsheller
says:
Thanks! I set the notification up. But, do I need to add my blog name into the code below for the email subject line notification, or will it do that automatically?
Ginny recently posted..epic
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
It will automatically populate that for you – it just gets the info listed in your General preferences. So you should be good to go!
Twitter: waldorfmoms
says:
Jeni,
As a new blogger, I found your list of 12 ways to encourage comments to be so helpful. (I hope that we can do “comment luv” on the blog that you’re helping me with!) I don’t often read comments on blogs, but in reading the ones above, I got more great ideas. NOW I know to read comments and make comments.
Thanks and aloha,
Lori
Twitter: gypsyforest
says:
Thank you! I loved this post. I really liked the “de-lurking” idea in the comment above too. I might try that one
stephinie recently posted..~mindful monday~
Twitter: JOYFILLEDDAYS
says:
I agree with the commenting back on comments. It is hard sometimes to find time, but I try to “do unto others” in this area. Thank you.
Twitter: theblogmaven
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I like that idea – “do unto others.” I usually call it generosity of spirit, but you’re right: the golden rule really does apply.
Twitter: johannahanson
says:
Great post, with so much good info. I have to agree with the comment reply notification. As a reader, I really dislike having to go back and check if someone wrote me but I don’t want to have to subscribe to everyone’s comment just so I can read a reply to me. That was one of the first things plugins I added.
I love your idea for requesting ideas for posts. I have done that before on Facebook, but it would be a good idea to do it right in a blog post as well.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Do you know what’s funny? I actually won a giveaway somewhere this week – that I completely forgot about. But since the blogger didn’t have comment reply notification, I didn’t know I’d won…until a week later, when she finally tracked me down via my blog! So there’s another reason to have comment replies turned on.
I recently had a discussion with my hubby about how I was getting discouraged because since no one comments on my blog, I don’t know if anyone is reading it. To Mary-My Life in Scotland: How did you know people were reading just not commenting?
I am going to add the suggested add ons to my WordPress blog.
Loriann recently posted..Packing Up
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
I’ll add my $0.02 until Mary gets here (I tweeted her to let her know) – if you have Google Analytics set up, you can check out your page views and your number of visitors to your website. That would at least tell you how many people have been there.
Thanks, I have Adsense setup, I think Analytics will be easy to setup from there.
Loriann recently posted..Packing Up
Twitter: SweetBookshelf
says:
Thanks for chiming in Jeni! Analytics tells me how many people are reading my blog daily, where they are from, how long they stay on my blog, and what they are reading. If you use Blogger there is a STATS button and you can get some general information from there. No set up needed. So, I could tell they were there but no one was saying anything. But since I’ve de-lurked it has been SO much fun! Lots of emails and comments to enjoy. Not to mention I’m following a bunch of new great blogs and I feel like I’m making friends along the way.
Mary-My Life in Scotland recently posted..lately…
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Loriann, I just stopped by your blog and wanted to comment to say congratulations on your new little one!! But I couldn’t, because I’d have to be logged in to your blog to comment. That makes it really difficult for people to leave comments, and I think you definitely need to remove that barrier.
Another shortcut to viewing your stats (while I’m at it) is to install Jetpack and you’ll be able to see your stats right on your WordPress dashboard.
Thanks I’m soo excited! I had added the log in because I was getting nearly 100 spam comments a day even with Askimet setup and numerous sites / IPs blocked. I made the mistake in January to turn on that Google Ad thing. I do not recommend it.
Loriann recently posted..Packing Up
Twitter: MelissaTelling
says:
I’m always afraid to post anything controversial. I guess the middle child in me just wants everyone to get along. I guess I’d rather listen to the crickets chirping than be stuck in the middle of a debate, wondering if people are mad at me.
Melissa Telling recently posted..The Students of Lilliput Station
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
jeni recently posted..How to Encourage More Comments on Your Blog
Jeni, you shared such simple but basic ideas here – thanks! And from reading your comments to the comments, you demonstrate how wonderfully personal, specific and encouraging the dialogue becomes!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Thanks, Nadene – I try to be helpful, above all.
Twitter: HerHazelEyes1
says:
I completely agree with Nadene. Thanks Jeni. Being a new blogger & reading through these posts has affirmed how important it is to not only read through the comments (the content is great), but then to actually respond like you do… It builds a shared community. Lesson learned.
Desiree’ recently posted..7 days under a hazel gaze
Great tips Jeni!
I can’t even think of anything else to add, you covered it.
Taryn Kae Wilson recently posted..{this moment}
Twitter: afterlaundry
says:
I love your blog, so much great information. I just found you on no other that Pinterest. I plan on moving to WordPress soon and your site will be a valuable tool. I can’t wait to put all your advice to work.
Brenna recently posted..I’m Going!!!!
I don’t reply in my comment section when someone leaves a comment. I don’t know if they will know if that I did, so I send them an email instead. Which is good and more personable, but it also looks like I don’t respond when people read thru the comments…I wonder if there is a plugin that you can hit reply and send them an email and have it show in the comment section. I use Disqus.
Love all your insights, and suggestions. Glad I found you.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Stephanie,
I use Comment Reply Notification here on my blog, and I love it. It keeps the reply posted in the comments, but also notifies the commenter (via email) when she receives a response. Hope this helps!
I’m on a learning streak this morning! I just installed (I think) the comment reply plug in. I tried to find the free version (our blog is on a fixed budget
) of CommentLuv but all I could find was the premium version that costs $67 – $97. I’ve only recently started commenting on blogs, thanks to your suggestions. I don’t know why I never did before, it really is fun talking to others! I am getting ready to go check out Jimmie’s Collage and her favorite homeschooling blogs. That is definitely going to be fun. Thank you ~ once again ~ for all your guidance and wonderful help.
Stefanie recently posted..Our Space Party!!
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Stefanie, you can download the free version of CommentLuv here. Glad you’re having fun!
Hi Jeni,
Have a great day I’ll be back, it looks like there is a fountain of information here.
I just started my writing blog this month. I learned some thinks here. I came to the site though Pinterest and the articles about pinterest and then I clicked on this one. I guess those things you mentioned work eh?
Peter D. Mallett recently posted..Trim the Gristle
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Peter, thanks for stopping by! Hopefully you’ll find plenty of useful information here. If you have a question or idea you’d like to see discussed as a post, make sure to drop me a line. I do take requests.
Twitter: zerodean
says:
Just wanted to say thanks. I’ve been getting a ton of traffic from Pinterest, but it’s mainly invisible. I think people are just looking at my pics and that’s it — no new blog subscribers, no comments, nothing…
So I was googling ways to fix this and came across your Pinterest posts… which then led me around to other things you’ve written, including this post.
In any case, it always seems rare when you can visit a site and immediately pick up one or two really useful (and valuable) pieces of information/advice (and for free!).
And I did just that today. You’re a rock star. Thank you!
Zero Dean
Zero Dean recently posted..Zero game.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Dean, glad you found what you were looking for.
Don’t discount all the comments on Facebook, either: if you’re counting “reach” for potential advertisers or another reason, you should include the activity on your FB page, as well. It could be that people feel more free to comment on FB for whatever reason. Anyway, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you if you implement any of the strategies I recommend. Thanks for stopping by!
Twitter: zerodean
says:
Thanks Jeni.
I may consider adding a connection to my facebook feed, but I feel I already have so many links to FB, it might be overkill… then again, most visitors from Pinterest visit once and are gone…
It’s not really my written posts that get attention from Pinterest, it’s my motivational images section…
http://blog.zerodean.com/post/motivational-images/
Although some are far, far more shared than others.
PS. Dean is my *last* name.
http://zerodean.com/about-the-name-zero-dean/
Thanks again.
Zero Dean recently posted..Zero game.
Twitter: aktraveljournal
says:
Thank you so much for this info! I’ve been struggling to get people to comment on my blog about Alaska. Hopefully this will help!
Scott recently posted..Hiking in Hatcher Pass Alaska
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Scott, thanks for stopping by! Glad it was helpful; when you try out some of the techniques in the post, I’d love to hear how it goes for you.
Warmly,
Jeni
Jeni,
Thank you for these awesome tips!! I can’t wait to incorporate these ideas.
Amee recently posted..New Friends
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Glad they’re helpful, Amee. Please stop back by to let me know how it goes for you!
Twitter: LittleKidsGrow
says:
Wow! So much great information!
While my site visitors have increased considerably over the last 6 months (I use the Statcounter plugin on self-hosted WordPress to keep track), and I get good pinning activity for some of my tutorials, I still get very few comments (even from my subscribers). I’m a community kind of gal, so I’d love to have more interaction with my readers. I’m going to try your poll suggestion. Maybe there’s something that my readers need that I haven’t considered.
You are to be commended for giving so much quality information to your readers. I’m a new fan!
Shannon recently posted..Pinterest Sewing Tip #2: Attaching Sleeves the Easy Way
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Shannon, thanks for your comment! If you try the poll, I’d love to hear how it goes. Please stop back by and tell me about the results!
Warmly,
Jeni
Twitter: ilovethatpurse
says:
Thanks so much Jeni for all of the information you have posted on your blog!! My on-line purse store will be opening within in the month and a lot of your tips will definitely help me to get my business going!!
Yours Truly,
Your new Pinterest and Twitter follower!!
What a perfect post to stumble upon! I am just building my blog lovers (aka audience, fans, stalkers – ha ha kidding) and I was brainstorming about ways to get followers and comments! It is a lonely world when you’re posting with no comments:(. Thank you for sharing, I will try some of these tips!
Jayme Madden recently posted..Inspiration
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Glad you find it useful, Jayme. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you!
Twitter: MyBreezyRoom
says:
I’m loving your blog! I just found it today and have wasted WAY too much of my work day on here! I’ve also added multiple new plugins from your posts and just added Comment Reply Notification to the list! Thanks!
Kala recently posted..Would You Enter a Giveaway?
Wow, this was very informative I will have to try this my blog has cobwebs .
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Cobwebs – ha! Thanks for your comment, Alicia. If you try some of these ideas, I’d love to see how it turns out for you.
Twitter: jasonventer
says:
Hilariously (to me), this post is a great way to get engagement and responses, to grow your community a tiny bit more. And of course, that’s because it follows the advice in your own post. I agree with what you’re saying, too; community building definitely is the key to a lot of comments, but sometimes it’s difficult to build the community if you barely have anyone visiting in the first place. These tips are great once you have dozens or maybe hundreds or thousands of people reading each article, but in the meantime what do you do?
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Jason, thanks for your thoughtful comment. You’re right, most of these tips would make you look foolish if you don’t have a lot of readers. There are two things I would do here: first (and most importantly, for a blog with a tiny following!), stop displaying your “posted-on” dates. If you’re focused on writing evergreen content that will still be fresh and useful five years from now, then you want anyone who happens on your site to feel like they’re finding timely advice. (You’ll notice I’ve done that on my blog, even though I have a larger following.) You want new people who stop by to think that perhaps you’ve just published the post they’re reading, so they feel like a comment they leave will be relevant. Second, I would make sure to continue to invite comments on each post. I created a graphic for my blog that shows up as my post signature. It says, “Warmly, Jeni. P.S. Please leave a comment – they make me smile.” I’m careful to engage new people who come by, to make sure they feel welcomed and as though I’ll actually be listening (and I am!) when they leave their comment. I’ve had to think on this one for a few days…it’s obviously a sensitive issue when you’re just starting out. Hope it helps! And thanks again for visiting.
~Jeni
Hi Jeni, thanks for this great post. I was really wondering how to encourage my blog (http://developmentsimplyput.blogspot.com/) visitors to comment and share feedback and your post gave me some ideas to work on. Thanks
Ahmed Tarek recently posted..Need Feedback
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
I’m glad it was useful, Ahmed. If you apply some of these strategies, I’d love to hear how it goes for you, so please stop back by!
Your suggestion to use the “Comment Reply Notification” feature is brilliant. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Twitter: momhascooties
says:
Hi Jeni,
Thanks for all these great articles. I just started blogging and these are helpful tips… though now I’m a little worried that I should have gone with WordPress instead of Blogger! I followed a pin to your site and now I’ve been here for an hour reading one helpful article after another.
Cortney D recently posted..Make Your Memories into a Board Game
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Cortney, I won’t lie – there are definitely advantages to blogging on self-hosted WordPress, but I still think Blogger is a fine place to start. After all, it’s hard to argue with free!
If you decide to move to WordPress later, that’s always a possibility, but for now it’s probably good to get your feet under you where you are. I’m glad you’re enjoying my blog – hope to see you here for awhile!
Twitter: Brebysmommie
says:
I’m finding your blog so helpful. I love all the handy wordpress plug ins you provided in this post. It really does spruce up my site. Thank you so much Jeni!
Julie Jones recently posted..Is it OK to Color My Hair During Pregnancy?
It’s funny how much I can relate to the “take a stance” point right now. I recently took a stance on an–apparently much more controversial than I thought–issue about commercial music studios and independent piano studios. However, all the stirring is happening at another really big piano forum because somebody posted a link to my post there.
Also, from one of your comment replies, so THAT’S why I some of the big blogs I visit don’t include posted dates. Thanks! Haha.
Kevin Kao recently posted..Piano Performance Coming Up? DO THIS
Thanks for the tips. I am finding that people comment more often on the Facebook link then the actual post. Not sure why this is though. How do you gently encourage them to comment on the blog?
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi Leslie, if you find that most of the discussion is taking place on your Facebook page, then that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it can be helpful if you ask a question right there, at the end of your post so that they feel compelled to answer it immediately and not go back to Facebook to leave their comments. The other thing is to make sure that the links you’re leaving on Facebook are going directly to that one post (not to the whole blog) because that way, when they get to the bottom of the post, the comments form is right there at the bottom and they don’t have to go through extra steps to get to it. Hope this helps!
Twitter: Robbiebago
says:
This has been very insightful. I think I am much too small at this stage to encourage sponsorship which is the keyword I search under to find you. however some of your other tips are helpful, to encourage comments and grow my blog. I have never heard of comment luv and an very curious how it works
Michelle recently posted..Bus Conversion: Frustration sets in
Twitter: measuredmom
says:
This is really great, and I’ve installed some of the plugins you mentioned. I’m so glad to have found your site. Thanks for all the terrific articles!
Anna recently posted..Scrabble Addition – an addition game for your 5-8 year old
Twitter: BrightBeautLife
says:
Hello. I really appreciate all of the information you are sharing on your blog. I’m new to blogging {about 4 months} and I have a lot to learn. Your tutorials on sidebar images and all of your shared knowledge of how to get and keep readers reading have been so helpful. Thank you. I’m subscribed and will check in often. Have a great day.
Hi, Jeni,
I have to be honest here. I have an ulterior motive, namely to test Recommendation No. 5 about commentluv. It sounds like a great suggestion. (It hooked me, as you can see.)
Other great suggestions as well. I intend to try to some of them. They sound promising.
Comments are the lifeblood of a blog. They prove not only that people are reading what you write but that they care about it. And the interaction and discussion are just added bonuses.
One thing I’ve done, with rather limited success, is to ask people with some impressive credentials to leave a comment. These are people I know, in some cases only in passing. While it didn’t create a domino effect of more comments, it gave me some nice endorsements to use on Pinterest.
I truly appreciate not only the ideas you present but the how-to’s of implementing them. I will be reading a lot more.
Twitter: theblogmaven
says:
Hi David, thanks for your note – despite the ulterior motives.
I think that once a blog has a healthy amount of interaction in the comments, it helps feed the blog’s further growth and success. That’s one reason I’m not big on incorporating Facebook into your blog – people tend to leave their comments there instead of right on your blog posts. Also, people want their comments to link back to their blogs, and not to their Facebook profiles. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
Twitter: wantthatwedding
says:
Hi Jeni,
Just wanted to say a HUGE thanks for all your wonderful support, advice and tips. I have just spent a very enjoyable morning trawling through your blog in search of the all the answers I need to run a better blog! Thank you thank you thank you, you have an avid new fan!
Sonia recently posted..New Year’s Eve: Intimate Cornish Beach | Real Wedding