This is a topic that Jason and I discuss all the time. Back in the day when blogs were really the only social network out there, comments were abundant. It seemed like all you had to do was put up a blog, post content on a regular basis, find some relevant blogs to comment on, and boom you’ve found yourself a nice little community of commenters.
Today, things aren’t so easy. In fact, you can’t rely on doing one thing like you got away with in the past. Things have changed and in order to be successful you really need to do a lot more to get traction. But we’ll get into that later.
Comments on blog posts is great because it shows you that people actually listen and care. It also is a great sign of community. However, blog comments shouldn’t be the end all of measuring a successful blog. First of all, it takes time to build a community and readership. We’ve been blogging for about a year and a half and now we have a great readership. Thank you. 🙂 But it does take time. It’s worth every minute though. Believe me.
Regardless of how long you’ve been blogging, I urge you to keep with it, even if not many people comment. Here’s why.
Segmented Community
People comment all over the place and not only on the blog post. They comment on the Facebook post you shared, the Facebook post someone else shared, the Pin, they might have replied to a tweet, or on your G+. Because the Internet and the social web has allowed people to hang out online where they like, they will also be commenting where they like and hangout. Don’t be discouraged.
How To Encourage Comments On Your Blog
1. Write the first comment yourself
When you look at a blog post and it says 1 comment it takes away the fright of being the first to comment. You can help your readers by doing this for them.
2. Ask a question at the end of the blog post.
People like to be asked questions. I’m serious. It gives them something to say and shows that you care about their thoughts. It also makes your blog post more of a discussion.
3. Comment on other people’s blogs
Blogging is a still a community and a social network. Go out and make some friends with other bloggers. They are in the same boat. Comment for a comment is a good way to start a relationship.
How do you get people to comment on your blog?
