5 ways to get more comments and make you smile
Everyone likes comments.
There are bloggers who put comments above visits when judging their own success. I’m always pleased to see in the morning several comments stretched over my blogs. In fact nothing makes the process more enjoyable for me than reading a new commenter and seeing them come back.
Over at Jakob Nielsen they determined that reader participation often more or less follows a 90-9-1 rule:
- 90% of users are lurkers (i.e., read or observe, but don’t contribute).
- 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time.
- 1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions: it can seem as if they don’t have lives because they often post just minutes after whatever event they’re commenting on occurs. (source)
Now it’s true that this ratio is something that you’re just going to have to accept, there will always be a much higher percentage of lurkers. It doesn’t matter who you are. There are some ways to improve upon them though. I’ve sifted through a lot of them and here are what I consider the best ten ways to squeeze those comments out of your readers and of course in doing so make you smile (go on it’s ok - at least a grin).
- Ask for the comment. Invite your readers to leave a comment or participate. For new readers to your site they may feel a little out of your community. This is your chance to say ‘hey I want to hear what you’ve got!’.
- End your post with a question. This gives a springboard for your readers to know what they can say if they want to comment but not sure what to say.
- Make it easy to post a comment. If it is too hard to leave a comment who is going to bother? You’re already batting against the 90:9:1 ratio. Don’t make it so your readers have to a particular account to leave a comment. I’m not against the verification text myself to stop spam either.
- Make friends with other bloggers, by leaving comments and striking up conversations you will often get loyal readers in return. It’s never a good idea to go out of your way to be negative on someone else’s blog because you’ll only hurt your own reputation in the long run.
- Interact positively with your comments.ÂIf someone takes the time to leave a comment you should respond! Even if you don’t agree with what’s said you can always discuss it like an adult without turning it into a negative conversation. Others will see you responding and be encouraged themselves.
As with anything some of these will work for you and others may not. Why not pick one and force yourself to do it for at least 2 weeks to see what difference it makes to the comments.
We’d love to hear how you go so leave a comment! Or if you have your own suggestions please feel free to add them here too.
February 24th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Thanks for choosing my blog!
It does indeed feel good to see a lot of comments on you rpost. Sometimes, even one is good, specially if its the first!
February 24th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I’ve noticed on a lot of blogs that there is a rush to be the first lol!
February 24th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Thanks for the tips. They should be very helpful!
February 24th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Well, here you go. A comment
February 24th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Always happy to be of service Michael and thanks for commenting! And Suzi thank you too!! Anyone who even casually looks at this post you should leave a message and at least get a link to your own site! We’ve gotten around 615 visits on this story in the last couple of hours so at the least it may be some good exposure for your own blog!!! Come on it only takes a minute!
February 25th, 2007 at 7:00 am
I have read a lot of blogs where the author has wrote a masterpeice, either humorous or whatever - and I’m left speechless at the end.
That happens more times than not. A lot of people just ‘leave a comment’ without a lot of thought into it for the simple reason they feel they ’should’. I never feel like I ’should’ leave a comment. I would rather go away statistically as a lurker rather than leave a comment that isn’t sincere.
February 25th, 2007 at 7:24 am
According to your experience, Ryan, I leave everyone speechless 99% of the time
I dont think 99% of my work is a masterpiece, but I will hang on to that hope as I stare at comments boxes reading zero.
Hey Lee, some good ideas that I will try to implement.
February 25th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Another method I’ve recently seen is to answer each person’s comment separately. This increases the number of comments making the casual commenter more inclined to comment.
I have to say I’m not a fan of this myself, it does help for readability. But I find the following method just as easy to follow:
Ryan - LOL someone has to make up the percentage . Although even a casual ‘hi I read your article’ can be enough to keep a blogger going. 0 comments is the loneliest number…
Ed - That’s a great way to look at it!!! LOL I’m going to try and keep that in mind as I stare down my zeros.
March 1st, 2007 at 5:42 pm
You have been cited in my blog, as you have an interesting perspective to visualize comments.
And, in my another blog I have commented on reviewing (under the caption: Reviewing a blog - benchmarks? ), and cited your review technique as a sample. Hope this will be reciprocated.
Best wishes
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I’m using Blogger. Readers can only comment on the posts. How do I get a separate comment page for Blogger?
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:54 am
To be honest Culture Shiok I’m not sure if there is a way to have just comments on the entire blog. I think you’re stuck with post comments.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:03 am
[…] 5 Ways to Get More Comments and Make You Smile by Lee […]
April 24th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Great tips! Since becoming a blogger myself, I really try hard to leave a comment (sometimes brief, other times lengthy) on the blogs that I visit.
May 11th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
That first comment is so nice, especially when you’re just getting started on your blog and building a community.
Comment away everyone, keep the spirit of the blogosphere alive!!
May 13th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Hi there:
Thanks for stopping by the Garden recently! Things have been so hectic . . . just now getting a chance to get out and do some visiting. Great suggestions about comments. We try to respond to each comment received eventually, although time constraints sometimes make it challenging. But it is the least we could do . . . we value each and every visitor to the Garden, want the visits to be meaningful and hope that our visitors will return. That includes YOU!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Hi,
I really liked this post. Very detailed (constructive tips on what to do to get more comments). I give out too much information without asking any questions. Thanks for the insight.
Stephanie
June 13th, 2007 at 1:46 am
Very informative post. I love figure, (being in academic sector)and your post is very useful and informative. Hope to see more posts relevant to blogging topics.
August 5th, 2007 at 3:34 am
[…] 5 ways to get more comments and make you smile The 5 tips are really good and I especially like the 3rd one. […]
August 12th, 2007 at 8:52 am
I love to learn how to attact comments to my blog. I appreicate the help. Your advise will inspire others to blog and create an interesting blog for others. Thank you
August 12th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Oh you sound so true… Sometimes, we might have overlooked the idea that new readers might feel out of place when they first visited our blog..
August 20th, 2007 at 7:13 am
You said it. Zero is a very lonely number. Do you have any suggestions on how to make your comment box more inviting for people to comment? I saw a plug-in that allows people to automatically put in their own blog address which I think might encourage people to post. What are your thoughts? Nice post. I will try some of your suggestions on my site.
In my terms and conditions, I tell people to post their websites because if I can give someone free advertising, that is fine with me. Plus the more info the better.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
I’m thrilled that I’ve just found your blog, after browsing around on AdSense Tracker’s blog. As a relatively new blogger, I really appreciate helpful advice and suggestions such as yours, and I look forward to continued reading and putting your suggestions into practice. Great blog!
December 29th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
I wonder how a writer knows they have a masterpiece post if people don’t comment on it? I love comments. They let me know people are actually reading the posts and not just passing through. Thanks for these great tips!
December 30th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
I’ve become bummed as my blog has gotten more popular my comments have gone down. Not sure why that happened. I have the readers. I think I even have the occasional great post, lol.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Hey Lee,
As a new blogger I am sorely lacking in the comments area, but have learnt alot from your blog already. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your brain with us.
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 am
Just to prove i’m not a lurker, i’ve added this comment to your wonderful blog. One thing I would add is to ooze personality from your blog. People still like to interact with people and in a strange way they will feel like they know you if you put yourself into the way you write and hopefully will comment more. All the best, Meanna
March 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Great list! Thanks for sharing this with us!