How To Get Comments On Your Blog

If you have a blog, receiving your first comment (that wasn’t spam), is pretty exciting.

Receiving a comment, validates that you are being heard. Comments can give you motivation to keep blogging. Comments can also develop into cyberspace friendships. Comments are also very important to fellow bloggers, so don’t forget to leave comments on other blogs.

My first comment on my OM blog, came within just days after I started blogging. It was a thrill. To make matters even more exciting, the comment came a girl, by the name of Jomay in the UK. I have no idea how she found my blog, but that was actually irrelevant.

Unfortunately, a lot of people may be reading your blog, but they won’t comment.

During all of my years of researching, I would often encounter, what I now know are blogs, but I would never comment. I would read the comments, but I never “joined in”. I was a typical “surfer”, who was usually “on a mission”, and would just move from one site to another. To me, time was of the essence.

Now that I blog, I realize the importance of comments.

During a recent email conversation with Ian, I became inspired to write this lesson.

Why don’t some people comment?

Today’s Lesson

12 Reasons why most people don’t comment:

Your reader….

1) May be shy
2) Doesn’t want to leave their real name. (And as we know, they don’t have to).
3) Doesn’t want to leave their email address, thinking they may get spammed, or have their email address sold (Get a free email address through MSN, Yahoo, or another service)
4) May feel their opinion doesn’t matter (maybe, due to low self esteem)
5) Has nothing to say on the subject…..just browsing
6) Has poor grammar or spelling, and is afraid of making a mistake
7) Feels you are competition, and is trying to learn “secrets” from your blog.
8.) May disagree with your opinion, but doesn’t want to be controversial
9.) Does not understand the topic you are discussing
10) Is on your site for research or educational information only, and has no time to write a comment
11) Does not want to be the first one to comment
12) Doesn’t understand the concept of a blog, and don’t know they can leave a comment.

Oftentimes, one comment will germinate into a slew of comments.

So, what can you do to get that first comment?

Today’s Assignment

1) Leave a comment on your own blog (use a different name, but don’t use your URL) This technique is kind of lame, but it may help to generate more comments on a post.
2) Ask a friend or colleague to comment on your blog
3) At the end of a post, encourage your readers to participate, by commenting
4) Visit other blogs and leave meaningful, traffic building, comments, and hope that generates traffic back to you, and those new readers will leave a comment
5) Write a controversial post that will hopefully initiate an exchange of opinions

Try these techniques, then come back to my blog, Leave me a comment, and let me know if they worked

BTW: Check out the other great comments on previous posts. Feel free to “have your say”.

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, spammed

Posted on October 15, 2007
Filed Under Archives, Blogging Lessons, Comments, Increase Traffic, Writing Tips |

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6 Responses to “How To Get Comments On Your Blog”

Ian Denny on October 15th, 2007 10:26 pm

Barbara,

That’s a great post and list of reasons why people don’t comment.

Out of all of them, number 12 strikes a chord.

People who have a blog will more naturally spot the comments section. Those who don’t may not even spot the interactive nature of a blog.

While it is second nature to someone who has a blog already, it isn’t to someone who finds it from Google or wherever.

When small businesses engage in direct mail, they often make the mistake of forgetting to include a “call to action”. In others, “to buy, simply call us and we’ll get one in the post for you straight away”.

It is the same in blogs.

You get into the habit of writing for the regular readers I suspect.

And you forget the “non-blogging” visitors.

I often end my posts with a simple instruction or opinion request, but also state the obvious to the regulars, but what isn’t to visitors - namely “Click the comments link at the bottom right to give your opinion anonymously or otherwise”.

I forget to do this myself, but I also think back to when I was new to blogs and didn’t see the comment options.
Catherine Lawson on October 16th, 2007 12:28 pm

These are great tips Barbara. When I first started my blog, I used to think nobody was reading, because I got no comments.

And I think Ian was the first regular commentor. Probably for a while he was the only commentor. But I think that eventually encouraged others to join in, which was brilliant.
Barbara on October 16th, 2007 1:11 pm

Ian and Catherine,

Isn’t it great to get comments? You then know you’re not just blogging to an empty cyberspace.

Comments, for me are so inspiring, and encouraging. Plus, they give me more ideas of topics to blog about.

Thanks again for your loyalty and great comments!
Ian Denny on October 16th, 2007 3:14 pm

And isn’t it contagious when you see more than one person commenting?

When I see a blog with lots of comments against a post, I want to see what the fuss is all about.

But then again, if I see the first few comments as “Great post” or “I agree, rock on!” etc, I sense that there are lots of transient visitors who just want to perhaps get links or click-throughs etc.

I agree with you Barbara. Quality is key. If people can agree and say why from their own experience that that adds something to the conversation.

If they can go further and add more than that - or better still disagree, then that aids a healthy debate which can help everyone.

Thought provoking and intellectually challenging blogs like yours and Cath’s fire my enthusiasm to keep on blogging!

One day I may even wake up at 3AM and pen a poem!
Barbara on October 16th, 2007 8:29 pm

Ian,

I’m looking forward to that 3 a.m. poem.
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