Blogging From Paradise currently has 6,848 approved comments.
My old blog was comment-free for many months.
How did I go from comment ghost town to thriving comment party?
By following the steps below.
Don't get it twisted; attracting an unending torrent of comments takes work but this happy toiling produces sweet benefits like:
- increased blog traffic
- greater visibility
- a strong blog community
- a big network of loyal, supportive, inspiring friends
Are you excited to generate a serious stream of helpful, valuable blog comments?
Follow these 8 tips.
1: Ask Questions
Ask 2, 3 or even 5 questions at the end of your blog posts.
Pepper in 1 or 2 questions mid-post.
Ask questions. Inquiring blog commentors want to answer.
Lisa at Inspire to Thrive does a great job asking questions:
- at the end of her blog posts
- in the comments section of her blog, responding to commentors
- in comments she posts on other blogs
She asks genuine, thoughtful comments which increase engagement in multiple spots.
2: Persist
I included this tip at #2 because most bloggers give up after publishing 1, 2 or 5 comment free posts.
I went months on my old blog before seeing a real, genuine, spam-free blog comment.
Between all of the blogs I created during my online career I have received over 10,000 comments.
But that 10,000 number started at zero and stayed at zero for quite a while.
Follow these tips persistently. The comments will come.
3: Press Pain Points
Bring the pain. Comments will rain.
Human beings have a tendency to share their thoughts on their sufferings.
If you press some deeply raw, difficult to feel pain point related to your niche expect a flood of comments to flow in.
Example; I may publish a post addressing a common blogging struggle. Like clockwork, the comments pile up fast because readers want to share their thoughts about me tackling the topic, said readers usually doling out sweet appreciation too.
4: Push Pleasure Buttons
Readers love to comment on their hopes and dreams. Or they enjoy commenting on their success. Or on the success of fellow bloggers.
My colorful, fun, pleasurable posts tend to generate a boat load of comments.
Check this post out:
17 Blogging Lessons I Learned on a 22 Hour Flight to Bali
Sounds fun, right?
Intriguing too.
Which is why the post netted 123 comments.
People enjoy sharing their thoughts if they are having a good time.
No need to draw analogies between blogging and flights around the world. Just share helpful, insightful tips to inspire your readers to live their dreams.
Again, people tend to comment in appreciation if you inspired them to take a step toward their dreams via your blog post.
5: Use Convenient Commenting Systems
Com Luv. Disqus. Your convenient bespoke system.
Heck, even the old school WordPress system works fine.
If readers can easily and quickly comment readers tend to comment.
I know Disqus requires a profile and log in but if a reader is too put off by 20 seconds of work to comment on your blog they were never your reader in the first place.
Please beware rogue CAPTCHAs and other spam killers which require more effort to pass than juggling 3 elephants while standing on a crocodile's teeth, on your tippy toes.
6: Respond in a Timely Fashion
If you are not asleep or flat out dead at the wheel folks are more likely to comment on your blog.
I respond to comments within 24 hours to show I am listening and to help keep the engagement train rolling through Blogging From Paradise.
If you are a pro – or aspiring pro – blogger be a pro blogger by responding to comments within 1 day. Prove that you're listening. Encourage other readers to comment.
7: Comment on other Blogs
Give. Get.
Commenting on a high volume of blogs related to my niche drives my blog commenting numbers.
Simple strategy to master; whatever you want, help others get it.
If you want comments, comment on other blogs. Post a 2-3 paragraph, helpful comment persistently on top blogs from your niche. Some bloggers will return the kind act. More comments.
Commenting on other blogs is also an awesome way to lose the fear of competition.
After reading this helpful post on WHSR:
15 Practical Ways to Improve Your Blog Today
I was pleased to see the tip advising you to connect with your competitors.
Blog commenting helps you to be *for* co-creating versus being *against* the competition.
8: Stay on Topic
If I wrote about grandma's goulash recipe last week and 10 commenting tips this week you would probably be confused.
Confused people rarely comment. Too busy scratching their head.
Stay on topic. So readers know what to expect. Give them clarity and they will give you comments.
Your Turn
Do you follow these tips? What other blog commenting tips can you add to the list?
Are you getting an endless torrent of comments on your blog? Or is your blog like a blog commenting ghost town? How can you better generate blog comments?