How To Get More Comments On Your Blog

[caption id="attachment_401" align="aligncenter" width="601"] How To Get More Comments On Your Blog[/caption]

 

You put everything you have into your post, publish it, then promote the post as much as possible and wait for the hordes of raving fans to comment.

You wait and wait, but still nothing.

Then a few comments trickle through but you’re sat there thinking – is my content even being noticed?

Does this sound familiar?

You’re not the only one who has experienced this, we have all been there.

In this post I’ll share why comments are important and how to start getting far more comments than you thought possible.

Why you need  blog comments?

There are a bunch of reasons why blog comments are awesome.

They help you to:

• Increase social proof – I touched on social proof in my post last week, when a lot of people comment it makes your blog look popular.


• Gauge how well your posts are received – Feedback is awesome and blog comments are a great way to get post specific feedback.


• Develop relationships with your audience – Getting ahead on the web is all about developing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. Get to know your audience better through your comments.


• Give your readers a voice and help them become part of the conversation – Your readers want to be heard, give them a voice and watchengagement soar.

Blog comments are more than just a vanity metric and while they’re not the only metric you should focus on, they are one of the best ways to get closer to your audience.

It’s also important that I mention how certain blogs have been removing blog comments, Copyblogger did it and so did Chris Brogan.

And when you have a huge audience like Copyblogger and Chris Brogan do, the time required to moderate comments gets crazy – from a business stand point it’s a huge investment and it makes sense for them to switch off comments.

The truth is that while this may work for some blogs, it won’t work for all and I’m not quite ready to give up on blog comments just yet (let me know where you stand on this in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you).

The benefits are there; leverage social proof, get instant feedback, get closer to your audience, develop relationships and boost engagement.

Fitting blog comments into your blogging strategy

Despite the benefits of blog comments, you need to seriously consider how they will fit into your overall blogging strategy.

If you want to take things to the next level, it’s important to remember that every tactic or marketing channel you implement on your blog needs to be part of a cohesive strategy.

For example, there are some blog posts where I don’t actively encourage comments because I have different conversion goals (another idea I touched upon last week) such as encouraging email sign ups.

How to get more blog comments

Getting more blog comments boils down to two main things:

• Make it easy for your audience to comment (remove elements that cause friction).


• Engaging your audience better.

Removing elements that cause friction with your audience isn’t always easy, sometimes it requires design tweaks that not everyone can do – but if you can, it’s well worth doing if it fits with your overall blogging strategy.

Are you ready to start getting more blog comments?

Let’s dive in…

Disable spam prevention methods that cause friction with your readers

If you are using any type of captcha’s that your readers have to fill in before they can comment – remove them.

In most cases this just causes friction with your readers and doesn’t stop spam in the slightest.

For spammers, it’s easy to get past captcha’s and there are even services that will solve captcha’s for a small fee (we’re talking just over $1 for 1,000 captcha’s).

Avoid forcing registration

I used to see comments that required registration a lot more; thankfully I am seeing this less and less.

This adds far too much friction and makes it much more hassle than it should be for your visitors to comment.

Consider removing commenting platforms that make you jump through hoops

On a similar vein as forced registrations, it’s worth considering how the commenting system you are using impacts your visitors.

An example of this would be Disqus; it’s a great system that stops spam in its tracks but it’s another hoop for your readers to jump through (that’s if they aren’t a Disqus user).

There are positives to using a system like Disqus, which include:

• Email notifications are managed for you.


• You can earn money from the platform.


• You probably won’t need any other comment for blocking spam.


• Faster loading times.


• For those commenting, it’s easy to manage all of your comment replies from one place.

But despite these positives, it’s worth considering how using a platform like this could impact how many comments you receive.

Plenty of other bloggers have talked about why they are removing Disqus and why they avoid commenting on blogs with Disqus, Gary Korisko shared his thoughts here and the post generated some great comments.

I’ve been a Disqus user myself for a long time and some feedback I’ve received showed a dislike for the platform so I’ll most likely remove it when I re-design my blog.

My plan is to test how things go without Disqus, and you should too – testing is essential to find what works for you.

Link to your comments section at the end of your post

One of the problems with a lot of blog themes is that you have to scroll all of the way to the bottom of the comments to enter your comment.

And because one of the keys to getting more comments is to make it easy for your readers to comment, we need to do something to make this easier.

If you’re a WordPress user and you don’t have anything like Disqus installed, you can do this by linking to #commentform.

The URL will look like this to your visitors:

http://www.yourblogurl.com/post-permalink/#commentform

But you’ll only need to add #commentform.

Minimize distractions and put the focus on your content

I’ve talked about this before and its relevant here too.

When someone is given too many options, they will take the easiest option; no action.

Look at your blog and consider what you should remove – what is really helping you achieve your goals?

Hide low comment counts

I mentioned social proof earlier on and it’s an important one.

If you aren’t getting many comments on your blog yet, avoid drawing attention to your comment counts.

Go back to the drawing board and think about the audience you’re trying to reach

How well do you know your audience?

If you aren’t getting many comments (yet) or you are getting the wrong sort of people commenting on your blog, it’s worth taking a look at who you are really trying to reach.

Are you reaching the right people?

Once you get to understand your audience better and focus on the right areas, your comments will increase.

Write content that deserves comments

I’m sure you are doing this already, but I’ve included this for completeness.

Take a look at your content and ask yourself if you would leave a comment, if not – what’s stopping you? And what can you do to change it?

Leave an unanswered question at the end of your post

One of the best ways to get your readers to comment is to ask their opinion.

Ask an open ended question at the end of your blog post but most importantly ensure that it’s not a question that would result in a yes/no answer.

Your aim should always be to develop a discussion within your comments – the more discussion, the more it will get other people talking.

Email your list and ask them to leave a comment

Your email list is your new best friend.

Your email subscribers are the most likely to share your content and the most likely to comment when you ask them to.

Try signing off your email with a call to action that simply asks your subscribers an open ended question or asks them to leave a comment.

Don’t write everything that can be said about a topic

If you write everything that can be said about a topic, you won’t leave much room for discussion.

Admittedly, this is one of the biggest reasons why I don’t get as many comments as I could. I write mostly resource intensive posts which leaves minimal room for discussion.

This is worth considering, but you should also consider how this would fit in with your overall blogging strategy.

I find that I get more social shares and traffic when I publish more comprehensive posts – I take a hit on the comments in favor of broader visibility.

I may change this up in the future to see how it plays out – let me know your thoughts on this in the comments.

Say cool stuff about other people and tell them about it

I’m big on influencer marketing – saying cool stuff about people and linking to their blogs can help you get more shares & traffic, but it can also help you get more comments.

When I say cool stuff about people and link out to them in a blog post, I get more comments – more often than not, these are comments from the people I mention and this brings them into the conversation.

Respond to comments and encourage more conversations

Engaging your audience is essential to not only getting more comments but also growing your blog in general.

One of the best ways to do this is to respond to comments and encourage more conversations – ask questions, get to know your readers and take the conversation further.

Don’t lose your voice to blog contributors

Chances are that people follow you because they want to hear what you have to say – that’s one of the great things about having your own blog.

Your readers want to hear from you.

So, let them hear from you.

Accepting blog contributors works great; it can expand your audience, increase your traffic and email subscribers too.

But, the moment that the majority of your posts are from contributors, is the moment that you start to lose your voice.

Your readers want to hear from you – let them and it will help to forge a stronger bond with your audience.

Make an announcement that you’d love for feedback on

People love to feel cared about.

And you should care what your audience thinks, they are the reason your blog is where it is now and they’ll be largely responsible for getting your blog to where you want it to be.

If you’ve made a change on your blog, find out what your audience thinks – make an announcement and ask for feedback.

Contribute to other blogs that have an active community

When your blog’s community grows, you will get more blog comments.

One of the best ways to expand your own community is to contribute to other blogs within your niche that already have an active community. This could include contributing guest posts or contributing engaging comments.

You will get more email subscribers, increased traffic, increased visibility and if your new subscribers like what they read – they’ll comment (as long as you make it easy for them).

Why People Aren’t Reading Your Blog Posts

[caption id="attachment_397" align="aligncenter" width="601"] Why People Aren’t Reading Your Blog Posts[/caption]

Do you ever look at prolific blogs and get frustrated by how easy they make it seem?

Thousands of people read, comment and share each new post on the blog.

It can be discouraging, especially if you’re a new blogger.

In contrast, your blog may only get a few dozen hits each post. And the only shares that happen come from your own social media accounts.

“Why aren’t people reading my blog posts?”

This same question may have popped into your mind. I know it’s one I’ve struggled with before. Every new blogger has struggled with the concept of traffic, audience and building a successful blog. And that’s why many give up on their blogging before they see success.

Don’t be another one of these failed blog statistics.

Identify the reasons people aren’t reading your blog. Then take strategic steps to improve.

These 27 reasons will help get you started on your quest:

1. You haven’t identified a strong audience persona

You can’t create compelling content without an in-depth knowledge of your audience. Personas not only help you create better content, but they also help guide your topics, strategy and monetization efforts.

2. You don’t know how your audience searches for content

This requires a deeper step into your overall persona.

• What does the audience search for?


• What kind of things do they need to learn?


• How can my content serve those needs?

Answer those questions and you’ll not only have a path for content creation, but you’ll know exactly how to optimize for SEO.

3. Your content’s style and tone don’t align with your brand

If you have a serious brand, but write in a laid-back, silly fashion, you create a brand misalignment. And when this happens, you confuse readers and detach them from what you’re saying.

4. You focus too much on products, services and promotions

People don’t always want to read about you.

The occasional announcement is okay, but you shouldn’t always be promoting something. Make your content about the reader – not you.5

 

5. You aren’t creating content that provides enough value

Time is a precious thing. If you don’t offer immense value, why should someone waste what little time they have consuming your content?

Answer: They shouldn’t.

As an example, take a look at a recent Currency Liquidator post on the Iraqi Dinar. Clocking in at nearly 2,500 words, the post offers the kinds of in-depth statistics those interested in foreign currency need to make investment decisions:

6. You don’t test different types of blog posts for engagement

There are numerous types of content that drive traffic.

 

That should keep you busy for a while. Test out different post styles to see what type of content your audience actually wants to read – not just what you think they want.

7. You’re not infusing any personality into your writing

Bored!

That’s what people think when your content lacks personality. Even the most serious brands can allow their personality to shine through. Don’t be boring.

8. You don’t include enough images throughout the post

We’re visual creatures.

Including images throughout your post creates natural breaks in the content. This keeps readers engaged and reading, instead of distracted and leaving.

9. You aren’t formatting your posts for reading on the web

Please stop writing posts with huge blocks of text.

The online world has its own style for writing. If you don’t adhere to these guidelines, people will leave the page without ever reading a word.

10. Your content doesn’t add a new perspective

If you don’t have anything to add to the conversation, don’t say anything at all. There’s no reason to regurgitate the same thing hundreds of others have already said.

Position your content from a fresh perspective for best results.

11. Your posts don’t stick to the intended topic

Try to avoid veering off topic in your posts. If you’ve ever muddled your way through a post that jumps from one subject to another, you know how frustrating this can be.

When I feel myself getting away from the subject at hand, I make a note of the digression and use it as the springboard for a new post.

12. You use poor grammar and make spelling errors

This should be obvious, but I see so many mistakes online that I’ll say it anyways. Do your best to avoid mistakes, even small slip ups here and there.

 

The online world may seem forgiving, but that’s not an excuse. Major syntax, grammar and spelling mistakes throughout are always unacceptable.

13. You only use cheesy stock images in posts

The visuals you use in your content influence your overall. tone, style and branding. Most stock photos are cheesy. They’re staged and unnatural.

 

If you only use stock photography, it may be doing you and your brand more harm than good.

14. You have an outdated or unprofessional blog design

In many ways, design – not content – is king.

If you have an outdated, unprofessional blog design, would-be readers will leave your site before they ever give your content a chance.

15. Your blog isn’t optimized for mobile reading

More and more people are using their mobile phone to consume content. It’s also increasingly important for SEO.

A responsive design ensures that your website is optimized for mobile viewing. Don’t overlook this key design aspect.

16. Your blog takes too long to load

By nature, the Internet gives us information as fast as we want it.

If your website takes too long to load, readers will abandon their quest to get information from your site – and they’ll quickly find it somewhere else.

17. You haven’t optimized for social sharing

Publishing solid content is only half the battle.

Getting people to read it can only happen if they know it’s there. Social sharing optimization makes it easy for the readers you do have to help you spread the word.

18. You don’t optimize every post for SEO

You don’t need a full-time, in-house SEO expert to make strides in the search engine rankings.

Plenty of tools make it possible for you to rank well from the content you post. Take advantage of them and watch your readership soar.

19. You aren’t crafting compelling headlines

The headlines you use could mean the difference between dozens of people reading your post and thousands of people flocking to your blog.

 

Spend as much time on the headline as you do for the entire post, if that’s what it takes. It’s that important to the success of your blog.

20. You aren’t testing new headlines using social media

You know you need to create compelling headlines. But have you tried using social media to test different variations?

Formulas and the success of others don’t guarantee your success.

Use your social profiles to test several variations of headlines to see what kinds work best to capture clicks from your audience.

21. You don’t promote the post on social media enough

Don’t post just once.

That’s a huge mistake that many bloggers make. People consume more information in a day than most of their ancestors did in their entire life. Go ahead and promote your new post a few times. You might just be surprised by the results.

22. You haven’t reached out to influencers about the post

No man is an island.

Successful bloggers are always leaning on the influence of others to gain readers. If you want readers, reach out to the people in your industry that already have them. A few ways you can build a connection include:

• Adding immense value to influencers by providing your assistance.


• Asking for their input or expertise on an upcoming post.


• Interviewing them for their new book release.

23. You aren’t building a targeted social media audience

It’s great if you have thousands of followers. But if you’re running a marketing blog and you’ve bought a bunch of fake followers, what good will those bots do for you?

Ultimately, it’s better to have dozens of highly-targeted followers than thousands that don’t care about you.

24. You spend more time writing than promoting

Some people really like taking an 80/20 approach to their work.

And if you’re applying this concept to your blogging, you’ll want to spend 80% of your time promoting and 20% of your time writing. Don’t get bogged down by the writing. Go find your readers.

25. You don’t update your email list about new posts

Anyone who’s starting a blog needs an email list.

But if you don’t do anything with that list, it won’t do you any good. Set up your email marketing service to update list members each time a new blog post releases. This can typically be done automatically, giving you a quick and easy way to get more people reading your blog posts.

It’s frustrating when people don’t read your blog posts, but it doesn’t have to be that way.