Getting More Blog Comments (Warning Explicit Content)
When I first started blogging I hated working several hours on a 2,000 word article only for it not to be seen or commented on.
The sad truth is I was doing nothing to advertise my blog posts and I knew nothing about SEO and other Internet resources for getting my content to the world. One thing I have learned is that with any web project it takes time. Time to go viral and time to get noticed. Another thing I learned is that creating epic content that readers will love is probably the best way to go about going viral.
One thing I would like to touch on today is getting readers interested in your blog post and almost forcing them to comment. This will test your marketing skills. Are you a good copywriter? Lets find out…
Getting more blog comments seems tough especially for a newer blog that only receives a few visitors a day but it doesn’t have to be. Even popular blogs with high PR and traffic I frequent get less comments than some of my newer blogs. The simple fact is that they are not engaging their readers. They are not asking questions or involving the reader at all. The only involvement the blog post has is the comment form at the bottom of the post and nothing more. That is not always enough.
Through my years of failure I have learned lots of great techniques which I am sure you will be happy to learn. Some of these techniques are “duh” kind of techniques that will make you say to yourself…”Why did I not think of that?’.
Before I get into some simple techniques to engage your readers and get more comments on your blog post I would like to share with you why you want more blog comments.
Comments are a way of telling Google and other search engines your content is being read and you have social proof. Social proof does not have to always be from Facebook or other social networks.
It can also be from your own site. Having comments can often be the cause of higher ranking articles in the SERPs. Not only do search engines notice the comment numbers your readers do as well. Having loads of comments gives the reader the idea that your blog post has some sort of value inside and results in a much lower bounce rate.
Inviting Your Readers to Comment
This is probably the first thing you should have done at the end of your blog post. You can be sneaky about it without sounding desperate. Simply ask a question then invite them to share their opinion or answer in the comments.
You probably know this but are you actually remembering to do this? You should be…
Ending your Blog Post with a Question
Questions in your blog posts are ways of engagement.
Asking questions tells your readers that you want their opinion. This gets them eager to answer and post their opinion in your comments. Ending with a question is something I do on every blog post. It has been the reason my blog posts get more comments than most.
I have always considered a good blog being a blog that is talking with the reader not at the reader
Respond To Comments
If you never respond to comments left on your blog posts you will probably lose a few readers here and there.
They don’t like to be ignored and find it offensive when you do not respond to their comment. This could go either way but when you do respond to comments you should rarely leave short comments. It is not engaging at all. You should be replying with more detail not just thanks, awesome or that was nice of you. These types of comments are not good enough. Show you care about the reader’s comment and give further help by linking to further content on the subject.
Not only responding to comments but responding to comments further engaging your audience. This will further the conversation in your comments resulting in well…more comments. How do you do this? Simple…ask more questions in your comment replies. This will go further than you think. If someone responds to your post with their opinion just ask why they feel that way or why they see it like that. This is not rocket science…
Limiting your Outbound Links
This I see quite often in a blog post. Too many links that take the reader away from the post.
This is good for SEO and internal linking but not always great for the reader. I find myself right clicking the link to open in a new tab but not all readers know that trick. Think like a reader. I think it is good to further your blog post by linking to other content which is similar or keyword related but limit those links to 3 or 4 max.
Write Epic Content
Haha… this one is a given… are you writing content that is engaging that has value to the reader?
Content is key they say… but not just for search engines. It is the key to growing a successful readership. You want your readers to dive into your content not laugh and never return. If your content sucks you may not get too many comments and if you get lots of comments they will probably be comments bashing your article.
Provide value to your readers and they will comment more.
Touching Emotions a Marketing Technique
Are you a marketer? You should learn a few marketing tricks. This will help you in creating converting content.
Conversions are not just for sales pages. They can be used with anything that has a reason. Example: Your blog post has a reason. That reason is to grab the attention of your readers and get comments…right? Touching on an emotion or fear will almost always attract comments.
A Tricky Value Adder
I have seen this done on a few blogs I frequent but I have not yet done this myself. I noticed it and I know the reader who posted this comment was happy to see this judging by her response in the comments section.
What you do is quote some comments in your posts that your readers have posted. This will tell your audience that you care about what they have to say. You should probably only post the comments that you can give value to in some way.
I know a blogger who takes his comment questions turning them into post ideas. This gets his readers to engage. They ask questions and the questions become the life of the blog which is a whole lot of value. People come to blogs for information. He is really giving that information with that method.
Reward your Commenters
This is a great way to boost comments. You simply reward them by having them publicly displayed with the Latest Contributors plugin. This will link to their blog and show their face on your blog. What a great way to reward your readers who comment.
Conclusion
I could write for days on this subject but the above suggestions are probably the most successful in my experience and research. Getting more blog comments will take a little time but don’t give up. Keep writing EPIC content and promoting it. The readers will do the rest.
Do you have a technique that you use to get more comments on your blog posts you would like to share? If so post your information in the comments below. I look forward to the responses.
Image © bloomua – Fotolia.com
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