This is a guest post by Alfred Johnson.
Every blogger wants to have an audience that is engaged and cares about what the blogger has to say. A blog with lots of comments and discussions is the type of blog that visitors want to read, bookmark, and come back to because reader-engagement lends “social proof” to your blog, which is critical for attracting new readers. Unfortunately, many bloggers, especially the newbies, have a hard time attracting any comments from visitors. Most of the time, this is usually due to low traffic but sometimes, it can be due to mistakes that the blogger is making.
Here are 5 ways to make your blog attract more comments from visitors:
1. Reply to EVERY Single Comment: When you reply to every single comment that someone makes on your blog, it makes the readers feel like it is worthwhile to leave a comment because they know they will get a response from you. This will also make them want to comment on future posts. Even if the comment is just a compliment or a "thank you", you should still write a response because it lets the commenter know that their comments are being read and they’re not just talking to some random person online. This helps give your blog more personality, which is vital to the success of your blog.
2. Call to Action: After writing a post, include a sentence encouraging readers to give their opinions or feedback on the post. You’d be surprised by how this simple call to action at the end of your posts can increase the number of comments your blog receives.
3. Don’t Hold Comments for Moderation: After making a comment, it can get really annoying for the reader to see the message “Your comment is awaiting moderation” so it’s better to allow users to publish their comments immediately. You’re probably thinking, “Then how do I prevent spam comments?” This plugin requires the user to tick a checkbox before publishing their comment to verify they are human and not a bot – much less annoying than having to fill out a captcha, plus it will block 99% of all spam comments you will receive.
4. Be Controversial: This should be fairly obvious but I see a lot of blogs every day that publish boring, unopinionated content that doesn’t grab the reader’s attention. It’s best to sometimes talk about controversial topics and even take a stand on a debated issue. There are some tips you should follow with this approach though.
Firstly, don’t do it too often. Being controversial all the time will make you look like the boy who cried wolf and after a while, everyone will stop listening to you. The second tip is don’t be controversial for the sake of being controversial or else your posts will come out sounding awkward and people will see through them. And last but not least, don’t be TOO controversial – you should stick to debated topics in your niche, don’t talk about religion or politics just to get attention.
5. Hold Contests: This is an old trick but it still works better than ever. You could hold a contest where you tell your readers that if you get at least x amount of comments on a post, one of the commenters will win an a prize. This will definitely attract a lot of comments and it could even attract new readers to your blog. Alfred is a blogger, real estate agent, stock market investor, and a financial adviser. He is passionate about helping people solve their financial problems involving retirement savings, credit cards, bad credit loans, and social security.
Alfred Johnson is a blogger, real estate agent, stock market investor, and a financial adviser. He is passionate about helping people solve their financial problems involving retirement savings, credit cards, bad credit loans, and social security.
Photo: AndreaParins on Flickr
5 Ways to Get More Comments on Your Blog
This is a guest post by Alfred Johnson.
Every blogger wants to have an audience that is engaged and cares about what the blogger has to say. A blog with lots of comments and discussions is the type of blog that visitors want to read, bookmark, and come back to because reader-engagement lends “social proof” to your blog, which is critical for attracting new readers. Unfortunately, many bloggers, especially the newbies, have a hard time attracting any comments from visitors. Most of the time, this is usually due to low traffic but sometimes, it can be due to mistakes that the blogger is making.
Here are 5 ways to make your blog attract more comments from visitors:
1. Reply to EVERY Single Comment: When you reply to every single comment that someone makes on your blog, it makes the readers feel like it is worthwhile to leave a comment because they know they will get a response from you. This will also make them want to comment on future posts. Even if the comment is just a compliment or a "thank you", you should still write a response because it lets the commenter know that their comments are being read and they’re not just talking to some random person online. This helps give your blog more personality, which is vital to the success of your blog.
2. Call to Action: After writing a post, include a sentence encouraging readers to give their opinions or feedback on the post. You’d be surprised by how this simple call to action at the end of your posts can increase the number of comments your blog receives.
3. Don’t Hold Comments for Moderation: After making a comment, it can get really annoying for the reader to see the message “Your comment is awaiting moderation” so it’s better to allow users to publish their comments immediately. You’re probably thinking, “Then how do I prevent spam comments?” This plugin requires the user to tick a checkbox before publishing their comment to verify they are human and not a bot – much less annoying than having to fill out a captcha, plus it will block 99% of all spam comments you will receive.
4. Be Controversial: This should be fairly obvious but I see a lot of blogs every day that publish boring, unopinionated content that doesn’t grab the reader’s attention. It’s best to sometimes talk about controversial topics and even take a stand on a debated issue. There are some tips you should follow with this approach though.
Firstly, don’t do it too often. Being controversial all the time will make you look like the boy who cried wolf and after a while, everyone will stop listening to you. The second tip is don’t be controversial for the sake of being controversial or else your posts will come out sounding awkward and people will see through them. And last but not least, don’t be TOO controversial – you should stick to debated topics in your niche, don’t talk about religion or politics just to get attention.
5. Hold Contests: This is an old trick but it still works better than ever. You could hold a contest where you tell your readers that if you get at least x amount of comments on a post, one of the commenters will win an a prize. This will definitely attract a lot of comments and it could even attract new readers to your blog. Alfred is a blogger, real estate agent, stock market investor, and a financial adviser. He is passionate about helping people solve their financial problems involving retirement savings, credit cards, bad credit loans, and social security.
Alfred Johnson is a blogger, real estate agent, stock market investor, and a financial adviser. He is passionate about helping people solve their financial problems involving retirement savings, credit cards, bad credit loans, and social security.
Photo: AndreaParins on Flickr