5 Ways to Attract More Comments
One of the easiest ways to find out how well your blog is reaching people is to look at the level of comments. Are people interacting on your site? Are they actively participating with you and your content or are they just consuming (reading) and moving on? The comment level on this blog seems to mimic a wave but overall, I’m pretty happy with it. However, if you’re not satisfied with the current number of comments on your blog, here are 5 ways to Attract More Comments.
5. Make Them: Regular readers of this blog will probably eventually get sick of hearing this (if you’re not already) but commenting on other blogs really is one of the most effective and worthwhile activities in blogging. When it comes to attracting more comments on your blog, it once again makes the list. By commenting on other blogs you demonstrate that you’re an active participant in the blogging community. It implies that you see the value in the types of discussions that occur on blogs because, after all, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be commenting. Also, it’s basically an ice breaker. Even in this rather anonymous online world, people are often nervous about interacting with a new person. By commenting on other blogs, you initiate the conversation. Something as simple as “Hi, I just found your site via ____ and I’m really enjoying it.” can often lead to multiple comments on your blog as well as a new reader or subscriber.
4. Reward Them: Someone once said that to get anyone to do anything, you have to show them the benefits. I’m probably butchering some great marketing genius’ advice but the point is, if there’s a benefit to the action, people are a lot more likely to do it. So, applying that idea to blog commenting, it stands to reason that if you openly reward those who comment on your site, you’ll generate more comments! This can take all sorts of forms, but the easiest and most obvious is the Top Commentators plugin. The plugin has been covered at length on several different blogs so I’m not going to get too far into it but basically you reward your most frequent commentators with a link on your site.
Another method of rewarding comments, and something I try to do on this blog as often as possible, is to highlight a comment in your post. Whether you’re answering a question directly, or a comment inspired you to discuss a certain topic (This post itself is an example of that. Thanks Zane!), it’s a chance for you to openly thank and reward someone that leaves a comment. The more ways you can display this type of behavior, the more likely people will be to comment on your posts. Why? Because they can clearly see the benefit in doing so.
3. Bait Them: Take a quick look at the list of “Most Commented Posts” for this blog and you’ll see two examples of posts that inherently elicit responses from readers. Any type of controversial post or topic is a fantastic opportunity to generate comments on your blog. Not only does controversy generate more traffic and more links, but it almost always generates more comments. Whether people agree with you, or disagree with you, most will feel the need to weigh in on the issue. Once that happens, just sit back and watch your comment numbers grow. Not only will people begin to support or argue your point, they’ll also begin to engage each other and spawn whole new conversations and topics for debate. Despite what you may think of his blog, John Chow has been a master of this. He’ll throw a post out there and then some idiot like myself will decide to weigh in. Before you know it, you’ve got a handful of people attacking your point, and (hopefully) a handful of people defending you! Bottom line? If you can touch a nerve, you’re guaranteed to get a comment (or 20).
2. Respond To Them: This point seems fairly obvious but you’d be surprised how many bloggers seem to forget about it. If you want to attract more comments on your blog, you absolutely MUST let people know that you’re hearing them. If someone leaves a comment on your blog, respond to it! Thank them for it, answer their question, or just simply continue the discussion. However you go about it, let them know you read and appreciated their comment. Personally I try to respond to as many comments as I can, but I make it a point to interact with someone the first time they comment. The Comment Relish plugin helps with this by automatically generating a response to a new commentator, but I try to take it even further and respond on the blog as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve commented on a blog and come back to find absolutely now acknowledgment of it. Did the blogger see it? Did they not like my comment? Are they not actively blogging anymore? All those questions usually lead to me not commenting again and I’m not alone in that. If you want more comments on your blog, be sure to respond to the ones you do get.
1. Ask For Them: Once again a fairly obvious point, and yet, still the most effective way I’ve found to attract more comments is to simply ask for them. At the end of a post, ask for your readers’ feedback. Let them know their input is appreciated. If you can also highlight the benefits of commenting that we discussed in point 4, even better. This doesn’t have to be some big long plea for comments, it can be something as simple as “What do you think?” or “If I missed anything, let me know!” Darren Rowse of ProBlogger and Chris Garrett of Chrisg.com are experts at this. At then end of most posts they have some sort of call to action prompting their readers to comment and it’s easy to see the results of their efforts. I think of it kind of like a speech or a presentation. You write your post which presents the idea or the concept or your opinion, and once you’re done you open it up for questions or comments. If you never turn over the floor so to speak, you’re not likely to get nearly as many comments.
So there you have it, 5 Ways to Attract More Comments. As you saw there’s not some secret sauce or special formula to it. In fact, many of these things are common sense, but I’ve found a lot of times it’s the simple things we struggle the most with. For example, I’m sure other bloggers have written on this subject and I’ve probably read one or all of these points before. However, while writing this up I realized I’d done a poor job in a couple of these areas recently and the number of comments reflects that. So even if you’ve heard it all before, I hope you benefit from this little refresher as much as I did in writing it.
If you have any tips or suggestions for other ways to attract more comments, let us know in the comments below. After all, not only do I make use of the Top Commentators plugin, but you never know when I’ll turn your comment into the focus of a whole new post!
How’s that for practicing what you preach? 
This article has been submitted to both Digg and Sphinn. If you enjoyed the post, please consider voting for it.
Comments
Zane Dickens September 24th, 2007
Thanks!
The link love related to commenting re: the Top Commentators plugin definitely motivated me… Encouraging a competitive aspect really helps from my side.
At my site, there is more than one author (2 at the moment) so we have decided to cross comment on each others points. This may seem artificial, but if we are not even going to discuss each others inputs, work and views – why should our readers.
PS – I think I have managed now to implement all your suggestions in your review of Kung Fu Cabbage. Thanks again for the help.
Ben Cook September 24th, 2007
@ Zane, yeah I think the competitive aspect of Top Commentators can be a great motivation for people. I know when I find myself on the list of a site like John Chow or Marketing Pilgrim, I’ll often make sure I comment where otherwise I might not.
Another aspect I should have probably mentioned is holding contest for the top commentators or things of that nature. Maybe I should run one of those before too long…
Christopher Kata September 24th, 2007
Hi Ben,
Funny you should make this post because I recently did the following on our blog and it turned the comment tap on full blast:
1. Top Commentators plugin
2. Akismet for spam filtering
3. Allowed Anonymous Comments assuming #2 is enabled
4. Remove the No Follow on comments (pluging for wordpress)
5. Listed in the “DList” http://courtneytuttle.com/blogs-that-follow/
6. Blogged about the first 5 points
Cheers,
Chris
Ben Cook September 24th, 2007
@ Chris, numbers 3 and 4 I’ve not done but would imagine they would increase the level of commenting as well. Great additions and welcome to the Blogging Experiment!
Christopher Kata September 24th, 2007
Thanks! They really did make a huge difference on our blog. I’ll add your feed to my Google Reader too.
Sebastian September 24th, 2007
Dofollow the comments and make your comments form convenient (yours is better than most). Notify via email is a must have, and rightfully you don’t check it by default.
Ben Cook September 24th, 2007
@ Sebastian, I absolutely HATE it when people check the subscribe by default. You’re right about the comment form as well. Thanks for passing that link along, that’s a very good article.
It looks like there are enough good articles out there that compliment this post that maybe I should do some sort of authority list or something. I’ll see what I can do.
Sebastian September 24th, 2007
Thanks for the compliment.
Zachary Fox September 24th, 2007
Dugg and Sphunn. This is something I need to work on, and I’ll definitely be taking some of the advice here.
Brant Tedeschi September 24th, 2007
Every time i see a top whatever list I realize that its just a ‘common knowledge post’ that I already know. Yet I still go to them. . why is that.
Write your next blog entry about that.
Ben Cook September 24th, 2007
@ Brant, lol yeah, the Top X lists definitely have a certain allure to them. Also, even common sense can be helpful to see written out and discussed a bit. You never know when someone saying something in a way you’ve not heard or read before will trigger an “ah hah” moment.
At least that’s my guess anyway.
Nicola September 25th, 2007
Hi Ben, my blog’s been up and running for a few weeks now and I’m just taking my first tentative steps out into the big wide blogosphere looking for readers, so this has been a very timely post for me – thanks for all the good tips
Neil September 25th, 2007
Hey Ben, love your work … been following your site, keep it up.
Quick technical question, how do you reference your referal scripts by making them .php files. I notice on your wiki page you link to the php file which obviously has your referal text in there … in Google case this is quit a few lines. I cant work out how to do it. Any tips are welcome!
Neil
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ Nicola, glad I could help. Good luck with your new blog and let me know if you have any other questions.
@ Neil, basically I create what I call affiliate jump pages. That link will take you to a post I wrote about how and why to use them instead of direct affiliate or referral links.
polarizer September 25th, 2007
And may be
6.) Promote your discussion basis – an article or whatsoever – to a wider audience with social news portals as digg or reddit.
I came via digg
Noddegamra September 25th, 2007
This is a great post. I’ve used top commentators on my blogs and found that it REALLY helps encourage people to leave a comment.
nick September 25th, 2007
Funny, I was just recently writing about comments in other blogs and how they are in essence another form of spamming.
Joshua September 25th, 2007
Thanks, I hope that this will help me
come clean September 25th, 2007
For those looking for the top commentators plugin: Show Top Commentators
James September 25th, 2007
I’ve always maintained that “if you build it, they will come” in the sense that if you are blogging about something important, people will come and comment. If they’re not interested, they won’t blog.
I found you on Digg, and am subscribing.
Robert September 25th, 2007
Great write up. All great suggestions that can be used on virtually all blogs.
Jared September 25th, 2007
Well I guess I better say something after reading all of that! Ha ha, great advice though.
Tamer Mohsen September 25th, 2007
i made a reward on my blog by offering free domain names and it works great
Liz September 25th, 2007
Thanks for the info. Sometimes its tough to get past what your blogging about and think about soliciting interaction. Keep the good advice coming.
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ come clean, thanks for the link. I totally spaced on that one. I think there are a couple of different plugins that do it as well. I usually write about the plugins I’m using but I guess I missed that one during the redesign.
@ James, I don’t really agree with that mentality in terms of blogging but I guess in commenting it could work. However, there are definitely things you can do to help or hinder the number of comments on your blog. I mean if it’s a pain in the butt and difficult to comment, people just won’t do it. If you never respond and things like that, people won’t comment for very long. So, while I agree your content can often prompt people to comment, there are also other methods that can be used as well.
Nick September 25th, 2007
You have some really basic, but great ideas here. There’s nothing worse that feeling like people aren’t participating in your site.
Thanks!
Tom September 25th, 2007
I am new to blogging but not the Technology behind it. Since my wife is a Real Estate agent and in a down market she needs all the eyeballs she can get on her site so that potential buyers and sellers as well will know that her business has that something extra that other agents in our area don’t. Blogging gets your niche clients to start talking. I really appreciate the tips and will take a closer look. I am doing much research on SEO and now we need to get people to comment on the topics on the site. I know the information is getting read as I get the pingbacks but not the comments.
So as you suggest I am visiting more sites and leaving comments myself in hopes to gain more exposure to our site. So if you know anyone looking for real estate in Tampa Florida or just want to know what the market conditions are like take a trip on over and give us a look over….and ah..don’t forget to leave a comment !
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ nick (comment 17), comments are spam? How in the world did you come to that conclusion? Spam is something that is unwanted, and most bloggers I know welcome comments. Now granted there are spam comments that drop links to all sorts of crazy stuff (which is unwanted) but I would certainly not make the jump that all comments are spam.
@ Nick (comment 25), having people comment on what you write can certainly be invigorating. I think Problogger wrote recently about what to do when it feels like no one is reading your blog, and while that’s a great post, I’d rather not have to use it.
I guess I should probably figure out how to work the MyAvatars plugin into the comments. Might help avoid the same name confusion.
John September 25th, 2007
Comment Getting Tip number 6: Write a post about commenting and get it onto the front page of Digg
Bas September 25th, 2007
Great post. I think I’m going to implement the top commentators plugin. Thanks for the tips.
Come clean — thanks for the link.
10668844 September 25th, 2007
The no follow comments + Dlist is a great thing to do – also, asking and participating are key – good job!
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ John, that certainly seems to help lol. This post is quickly climbing the Most Commented list.
scott September 25th, 2007
i felt obligated to leave a comment…
Caveman September 25th, 2007
Thanks for the tips. I try to write a humorous blog, but I can’t tell if ppl think it’s funny or not if they don’t leave comments. It’s kinda new still so I’m keeping that in mind.
DPalmer September 25th, 2007
Thanks for the great “simple”, but highly practical advice.
Some bloggers, IMHO, often and mistakenly underestimate the value of comments.
I think this post, when they read it, should open some eyes and help many bloggers become more effective.
Great work and I like your style. You’ve gained another loyal reader!
Nick September 25th, 2007
Hi – I found your site through popurls’ digg listing and like the look of it! I’m looking forward to reading more. Nick
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ scott, then my job here is done
@ caveman, humor blogs are in my experience, some of the toughest. I have one that I wrote and basically my family and friends read it and that was pretty much it. My problem even more than getting comments was coming up with funny stuff to write about. Now I update it like once every other month if I’m lucky and my friends harass me about it on a constant basis. I think humor blogs might fall into the category of something you just do for yourself for a while. Or maybe it just takes longer to grow an audience? I still think most of these things still apply though. The comment level might be low but maybe an extra 5 comments is a huge increase for you or something. Also, for even more feedback you could use a “rate this post” plugin and ask readers to vote on it?
Derek Eugea September 25th, 2007
Ben,
Good post. My buddy and I are just starting a blog and I am always wondering how to get people 1) to our site and 2) how to get them to comment or leave feedback. And from your comments it looks like I am not the only one, keep up the good work.
Roberto September 25th, 2007
Good stuff. I’ve been meaning to start posting more and providing feedback to other bloggers out there but always seem to get pulled away to other things. Possible ADD? Who knows.
Great info though. It is all starting to make sense and the more I dig around the more I find that interacting and networking, posting comments etc..it all works.
Consider yourself added to my RSS feeds. Cheers!
Caveman September 25th, 2007
@Ben Good advice… again. Thanks. I subscribed to ya.
I know what you mean about finding funny stuff to write about. My take on that is that everything can be funny, you may need to exaggerate to absurdity to pull it off tho. I’m still working on that whole thing.
Shiva September 25th, 2007
I ask for but still couldnt get them.
Carl B. September 25th, 2007
Thanks Ben! Good job in following your own advice, by commenting on my blog.
Keep up the good work!
Carl
Justin September 25th, 2007
Great article – Do you know if there is a really good “Top Commentators” plugin for WP 2.3?
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ Justin, you might want to give the current Top Commentators plugins a try and see if they work with the new version. I’ve only run into a few problems with plugins when upgrading and that was when jumping from a 1. version to a 2. version. Now I’ve not upgraded to 2.3 yet, but once I do, I’ll let you know if I run into any problems.
Vinay September 25th, 2007
Good stuff. Nice blog design, shall keep an eye on your blog.
Tyson Williams September 25th, 2007
Good points, does anyone know of Top Commentators plugin for the Movable Type 4?
You comments are welcome on blog!
Kamen Lee September 25th, 2007
No Comment……
Drahkar September 25th, 2007
I really appreciate this information. I have a slowly developing blog that is a semi-hobby and gaining readership is definitely one of my major concerns.
bmorse September 25th, 2007
Very interesting article. I will take this into though as I redevelop the commenting platform on classicwines.com
Brett Johnson September 25th, 2007
Of course, the easiest way to encourage comments is to remove roadblocks to commenting. Specifically:
- Forcing people to “Register”, become a “Member”, and “Login” – even if it is free. I never register for these sites – even if I really had something to contribute.
- Captcas are tolerable, but not if they time-out if you take too long to compose your comment, or are implemented in some buggy javascript that doesn’t work in Safari.
- Two line, 30 character wide, comment text box.
- Super-cool editing features in the Text Box that redefine the keyboard map. Nothing pisses me off more than disabling my keyboard navigation and editing features, and substituting some alternate map.
- Requiring an email address. You don’t think I gave you my real email address do you? I don’t get tons of spam because I don’t give out my email address willy-nilly.
- Having to click another link to view comments – especially if they pop up in a separate mini-window with no controls and a tiny font.
street September 25th, 2007
#6. Make them angry! They will more than likely comment; but, they might not come back. (LOL.)
Jason Litka September 25th, 2007
I’ve got to agree with Sebastian in comment #6 with regards to removing the “nofollow” tag from links in comments. I think it provides a real benefit to those leaving constructive comments in that they may now receive additional traffic to their own sites due to increased attention from spiders.
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
@ Jason, I have considered a sort of in between option but from an SEO standpoint, I don’t think links from comments are worth much at all, whether they are followed or not.
Josh September 25th, 2007
Thanks for the tips. I have been posting on my site for about 6 months or so now and while I am not consistantly posting every day the content is fresh for at least 6 months to a year because it concerns deploying and managing enterprise networks. I see little spikes here and there but never get any comments. I’m hoping with some of your ideas that I can work towards a loyal base that I can then incent with free hardware offers on spare routers and switches from my test lab.
Anyway keep up the good work and I will definately keep reading.
Ognjen September 25th, 2007
I’ve started my blog few days ago and I just wanted to say thank you for these tips.
The How To Do Things Blog September 25th, 2007
How To Get Comments On Your Blog…
If even stupid posts begin to generate 15-20 comments on your blog you can assume you’ve arrived as a blogger. So comments are very important. The comments on your blog tell you
How interactive your blog posts are.
How relevant they are.
How we…
A-ron September 25th, 2007
Good points, simple, and yet true.
Is it a coincidence that this is the most commented post? I think not.
yigal September 25th, 2007
Great post! enjoyed & learned.
Darren September 25th, 2007
one more tip – write about how to get comments. One of my most commented posts gave 10 techniques for getting more comments on a blog – looks like it worked here for you too!
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
Darren, thanks for stopping by! I should have figured you’ve covered the topic before. Looks like it worked pretty well for you too with 297 comments. I’d love for ya to check out the rest of the site and let me know what ya think.
Grammar Troll September 25th, 2007
6 Steps to Attact More Comments
#6. Make subtle grammatical errors that have comic misreading potential, such as “posts that inherently illicit responses”.
This will usually elicit at least one pedantic comment pointing out the mistake.
Ben Cook September 25th, 2007
Bah, grammar troll, you’re correct of course. For whatever reason I screw that one up all the time. *Off to fix it*
Michael Yates September 25th, 2007
Thanks! I’ve recently discovered the importance of commenting myself and am trying to do it more often.
Oh, and I found this article through Digg.
Vanessa Salvia September 25th, 2007
Hi Ben,
Two months ago I started blogging for my employer, eCommerce website providers http://www.mightymerchant.com, and am struggling to get our clients to interact with the blog. (I have a personal blog too and can’t get my family to comment on it, but that’s another story!) I like your tips, something as simple as just asking for comments might help. And eventually if we get enough people reading it, I like the idea of rewarding them with the Top Commentator plugin. Thanks for some good tips for a blogger who is just getting started!
steve September 26th, 2007
Very nice. So true on the posting comments on other sites for more traffic, does help alot. I try to do the same with my corporate sites as well, definately helps.
mcrilf September 26th, 2007
I agree totally with your 5 points.
Commenting on other blogs has certainly helped me increase traffic to my blog http://itsanonlineworld.blogspot.com And you’re right to point out the “reward them” thing … as well as being polite and saying “thanks”. We’re all people after all who want to be valued and a simple “thanks” sometimes is all that’s needed.
Cool blog. And thanks for dropping by mine just now
(But I didn’t notice you comment 
)
Tim.Towner September 26th, 2007
These points will motivate me to do more of what you said. I guess increasing visitors to your site isn’t the only way to get more comments.
Prudence September 27th, 2007
I think leaving a question for commenters to answer is very effective. It opens the door for them to share similar experiences, like that you mentioned in the post, or for them to share their views on points that you’ve raised. Although the presence of a comment section should already tell readers that you’re welcome to comment, nudging them a bit with an open-ended question will push them to type that comment in your comment box.
Pops September 27th, 2007
OK, so maybe it’s not “ethical” but what about the possibility of commenting on your own posts (using a different name and email address) in order to get the discussion (or an argument) going?
knupNET September 27th, 2007
Around the Net – 9/27/2007…
Some high quality posts from the last few days. Read them if you know what’s good for ya!
Don’t forget to Ping [Crenk]
Link in or out? [muhammed saleem]
Become an efficient procrastinator [Entrepreneur Journey]
Double adsense earnings [Pa…
Derek Eugea September 28th, 2007
[Josh] I just wanted to let you know your post on this site got you a new reader, I probably would of never found your site staticnat.com had I not read your post on this site. I am also into computer networking (Cisco to be exact) like yourself and like to hear others thoughts and views on the subject. Consider yourself +1.
[Pops] I would say you should go with your gut feeling on whether you feels this is ok or not. On my buddy’s and I blog we try to comment back and fourth on each others posts to hopefully generate some discussions, of course right now our site is still pretty new so it is pretty much just him commenting and then me commenting, but I hope once traffic starts building to the site our comments will help build the discussion.
Drexl September 28th, 2007
Great site! I never knew it existed till today and now you have my attention. You have some great advice and maybe I’ll learn something.
p.s. Your on Digg….congrats!
Zane Dickens September 30th, 2007
@ All of the above
Good grief… okay so I didn’t read that all, but it definitely says something about human nature that your post on attracting comments has attracted the most comments.
Wow.
@ Ben
PS. Did a colour change of my site – while not a complete redesign, I do think that it makes the site more approachable. Whats your take on it?
Neil Duckett September 30th, 2007
I see this book is featuring in Survivor 15 … must be worth a read!
Neil Duckett September 30th, 2007
@Zane …. site looks very “Organic” …. any intention behind that?
Zane Dickens October 1st, 2007
@ Neil – elaborate for me on “organic”
My intention though and maybe this will answer your question was to lighten the mood of the site, and make it look helpful and refreshing. That could possibly be termed ‘organic’ the grow of the site is intended to be organic though – it’s mentioned in the about section
Kungfucabage had a dark colour scheme which probably made it look to much like a geek / hardcore technophile kind of site, which I have a feeling might subconsciously drive ‘regular’ people away…
Do you think it works?
@ Ben Sorry for being so off topic.
simon October 4th, 2007
interesting techniques, i use some of them without even noticing i do…
Lizzie Flynn October 5th, 2007
Howdy, I’m new here and I realize this is an old post, but since it’s currently the most commented I had to come see.
I’m relatively new to the blogosphere and I really appreciate these tips. I especially appreciate that someone is acknowledging that it’s important for the blog author to jump into the comments. In my “travels” from blog to blog, I’ve noticed some higher-level bloggers get so many comments and yet don’t bother interacting with their visitors. That’s really disconcerting. I realize that folks are busy, but I think when someone (genuinely) comments on your work it’s a tad rude to ignore them. It’s refreshing to see that you’ve not fallen into that habit.
I’d also like to add that INAP (Inline Ajax Page) plugin is an awesome way to keep the comments organized when they seem to get too long. For instance, when you were speaking to Nick #1 and Nick #2 you could have more easily replied to both. And I’m pretty sure that’s one of the comment plugins John Chow uses.
I’m just offering that as an example.
Anyway, I really like your blog and I’ll definitely be back.
Ben Cook October 5th, 2007
Lizzie, first of all welcome to the site.
Secondly, yeah, I probably should do threaded comments or the INAP thing. I’ll add it to the list.
Tim.Towner October 6th, 2007
I always make the first comment on my posts but I usually try to incorporate some band/music/touring advice with the post.
At first, I didn’t think people would think it was ‘cool’ to do that. So I didn’t. No comments.
Now, I get around 3 to 10 comments per post. I had a 23+ comment post yesterday (although it had to do with a controversial topic).
I can’t wait to start using registered user comments. I have anonymous comments now but I almost never receive negative comments. I think the tone of the webzine/blog owner sets the tone for comments.
LucidAdmin October 6th, 2007
For someone like my self something that now seems obvious, needed to be spelled out.
direct response marketing October 9th, 2007
I think it’s important as well that people keep their blogs up to date and post or write everyday, but my questions is, is it ok to post as much as you want on your own blog, is that considered overkill?
doug m October 9th, 2007
this was really helpful. as a new blogger, without seeing people leave comments, it feels like no one is reading, but we’ll see how everything turns out
Girish October 16th, 2007
Thanks for the tip. I will certainly try to implement some (if not all) of your tips in my Blog.
Steve Mills October 17th, 2007
Commenting is the most worthwhile thing bloggers can do. You are on the right track here.
Speed Linking Saturday - 27th October 2007 | Carlo Selorio's Internet Entrepreneur's Journey October 29th, 2007
[...] I don’t get enough comments in my blog, so I decided to look for ways to improve the interaction in my blog… [...]
Drew Schimmenti November 20th, 2007
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the great advise! I have been troubled by the lack of traffic my own blog has been receiving and wondering why… However, I myself do very little in the way of commenting on the other sites I read so here I go! =)
gunnar November 20th, 2007
is it just me that find it hillarious that the post named “5 Ways to Attract More Comments” is the most commented on the whole site?
Ben Cook November 20th, 2007
Gunnar, I don’t know about hilarious, I was thinking more along the lines of “strangely appropriate.”
Harold Bohn November 24th, 2007
Nice information Ben. I am just getting started on this whole blogging thing and appreciate blogs like yours that help guide noobs like me.
Stephen Hopson November 24th, 2007
Ben:
I found you…..actually I can’t remember how, but that isn’t important is it? If I remember it, I’ll tell you. LOL
Anyway, as a result of this post, I ended up doing two things, thanks to you:
1. Installed the Top Commentators plug-in
2. Installed the Most Recent Comment plug-in
Why?
Because you emphasized the importance of rewarding readers/visitors for commenting. I’m having a great time with commentators and this is my way of thanking them.
You have a very nice site here and I want you to know I’ve just added it to my RSS feed. I really like your humor, style and layout along with good information. Bravo!
Stephen Hopson November 24th, 2007
p.s.
Ben, I noticed you have “Most Commented” – what plug-in is that? Thanks.
Ben Cook November 24th, 2007
@Stephen… it’s actually the Most Commented plugin. lol
Stephen Hopson November 24th, 2007
Ben:
Oh, haha, that’s funny. Well, I just downloaded it and will have to take a look at the admin panel to see where it is (widget for most commented posts). I didn’t see that there before. All I remember seeing in the admin panel was Top Commentators and TrackBack.
Thanks! Again, VERY NICE site, blog and everything else. VERY.
Xooxia November 28th, 2007
I can’t believe I’m just now finding this site. Thanks for the help on blogging. This site is a great resource! Definitely something for the clients to look at.
Steve! December 21st, 2007
Well you asked for it. Great post.
shoppinghaze December 29th, 2007
Just took the bait. Great article.
Sangesh December 30th, 2007
I like your blog. Your suggestions are also very genuine and down to earth.
Best of luck.
Jon Boyle January 2nd, 2008
I came in from an incoming link, so you’re on the right track! This is the first I’ve heard of the blog. I’ll definitely add you to the feed now
.
darksun January 2nd, 2008
Great blog overall. I really enjoyed reading about this experiment of yours first off, second this list really illuminates what I have been trying to “get” for the last year or so, which is How to get readers to read me”. I have had three or four blogs come and go, and always end up getting killed by spammers or lose interest. Now, I feel like I have a better understanding of this process (not just this post but the whole site helped).
Truly,
darksunstudio
axileon January 7th, 2008
hey man.. just found out about your blog today. you have some really interesting posts around. Great job!
Homeboy's Skiing Blog January 8th, 2008
Very good points, Ben. Personally I like number 1 and 2. Anyhow, I just wonder if commenting is more important in these “how to make money blogging” blogs. Check out Gawker (http://gawker.com/). There are lots of comments but no widgets such as “most commented” or “top commentators. May be Gawker has just reached a critical mass after which they don’t need to work with comments.
CatherineL January 8th, 2008
Thanks for the tips. I can see they obviously work well for you.
I’ve been meaning to get a comment plugin for ages, so this has given me a reminder to get one.
David Bradley January 9th, 2008
I posted a “Why don’t you comment” item on Sciencebase once, because I felt the readers simply weren’t engaging with the site quite as much as they seemed to on similar sites. One commenter emailed me to say that they simply enjoyed the blog, and they were probably typical of the readership. They just wanted to read and didn’t feel like commenting on what I’d said as it was good enough. Moreover they wondered why I was so worried that few people commented.
I should point out that I have 1200+ posts on Sciencebase and about 700 comments that aren’t my responses to readers’ comments in the archive, so it’s not desperate. But, it does beggar the question again and again, why do bloggers with a decent readership need their readers to be interactive?
db
darksun January 9th, 2008
Response to: David Bradley
“…why do bloggers with a decent readership need their readers to be interactive?”
I think you have a valid point here, and I don’t think it’s as necessary for certain types of blogs. In one case, you would encourage feedback by nature of your blog, for example if you were actually “begging a question”, had left your comment open ended, or if you were controversial in your discussion…those situations would elicit a response from your readership. So, we see how the way we comment in our blogs, or the way we lead a discussion has a direct relationship on how many comments we get, and the types of comments we get.
Leaving things open in the end of our writing, or asking a question a reader could answer (i.e., not rhetorical in nature) would get more responses.
David, your post may not have been something a person felt they could improve or expand upon. I have seen this with one forum I ran during school as a help group for statistics. I thought I would get more responses, but instead I got many people simply reading how to solve problems but not adding substantive content.
Adding substantive content would be my aim in creating anything online like a blog or forum…I want readers to give feedback….and not just the “good job” or “I agree” kind either.
But, as for your post…I agree. lol
David Bradley January 10th, 2008
You’re dead right, again Ben
db
Denver January 14th, 2008
“What do you think?” or “If I missed anything, let me know!”
These are gold!
darksun January 14th, 2008
I don’t know if David B. was saying my post was “dead right” or if he thought I was Ben? In any event, Denver you are correct, I think there are several phrases we can use that will garner similar response – and that is where psychology meets business or “the rubber meets the road” as my grandpa always said.
Today, as business people, we have to be smart – we have to use some so-called manipulative techniques to gain some ground against the competition, especially when the competition has a bigger ad budget.
The beauty of the internets is that we are all playing on a somewhat level playing field, if we use the knowledge that is out there to our advantage – Google what you don’t understand, and ask others for insight about the rest. It’s what I did – and almost overnight, I went from a PR rank of 0 (really, zero) to PR4. I’m no technology wizard, and I did not pay for a single ad, yet my store is recording traffic upwards of 15,000 hits just in the month of January!
Now I have to translate that into sales, and that is where I need to do more research, ask more questions and put my nose to the grindstone.
I refuse to pay for – what I believe – I can do myself. I guess I feel I’m in the business of making money, not spending it. Also, I have NO backlinks as of yet, and not ONE paid or free advertisement on the web. All of the ranking and traffic is from SEO I taught myself.
It might not be a major gain in anyone else’s eyes, but to me – to go from nothing to something like that makes me happy.
Chris January 15th, 2008
I’m trying to follow darksun’s path, though I do have one free add (of my hosting provider) and I’ve yet to see PR of at least one
darksun January 15th, 2008
Hey Chris,
If you want to see what the spider’s see when they crawl your site, download the iWeb extension for Moz Firefox…it’s an amazing tool for all it does, and it allows you to see your site the way spiders see it…that helps you arrange content, and add content for the spiders to see. I can’t live without it.
Hope it helps, I have some other tips, I’ll probably start writing about all of the stuff I’ve learned.
One thing I think is funny is most of the SEO sites I come across have PR ranking of like, 2 or even 1…sometimes no ranking at all!!
That is too funny for words.
Ben Cook January 15th, 2008
We’re getting a bit off topic here but you all do realize that toolbar PR has absolutely nothing to do with rankings in the search engines right?
darksun January 15th, 2008
You mean the “ghost bar” that Google messes with all the time? Yeah I hate it, but I think it could help you in that the many, many people who believe it does something, means something, they are willing to pay to advert on your site, and let you link to their site, and for that it works – not much else at all. So, basically it’s a mind game you could use if you were inclined to sell ad space – because as soon as the bar started moving, I got offers asking for paid space on that front page – so it may help generate some small income for some site owners.
I do think the only way to tell if your site is really effective is traffic. Has traffic increased, where is it coming from and what pages are accessed and exited from while they are there.
One funny thing, and I don’t know if anyone has seen how ridiculous the “bar” is for this reason alone, SEO sites, that optimize for a living have NO rank! That alone for me, was reason to ignore the Google toolbar and use iWeb, which is free – I was confusing (and rushing) in my last post so that thought is disconnected, but that is the connection I was striving to make.
Knowing how spiders see my site has helped me quite a bit. I don’t trust Google, and I think they get a kick out of messing with people when it comes to ranking. imho.
Thanks Ben for letting us rant on here, sorry for the long posts, and off-topic discussion. You have a good, good blog here. Take care all.
Scott Sweeney January 20th, 2008
Since this is your most commented post I decided to post here that I absolutely love your website. It has great information and I have learned a great deal from you. Since this is my first comment it is a little of the topic but deal with it
Cheers!
Scott
Identity Guy January 21st, 2008
Great post, lot of great tips that I’m going to start using them on a daily basis
David Lano January 23rd, 2008
Ben, excellent post. It looks like you’re accomplishing your goal. Well done! I just started a blog, so I’m looking for all the help I can get. These tips are great, thanks for sharing. I am definitely subscribing.
Music Site January 24th, 2008
I really wrote a lot before, and may be sometimes wanted lots of comments on my blogs, but never thought on how to get them, I always just got in those moody feeling to write something, well, I stopped for a while but sometimes I miss it,
Anyway, remember that with too many comments come big responsibility too.
Regards.
SimplyWebtastic January 25th, 2008
Nice article. I recently just started my blog and I’ve been wondering how to motivate visitors to open up and leave their feedback.
I’m going to take your suggestion about the Top Commentators plug-in and apply it to my site. Like you said, I think it helps motivate them to comment so they can get a link back to their site. The more links, the more potential visitors. The more visitors, the more comments…you get the point.
Keep the tips coming!
Interwebhunt January 31st, 2008
Making comments on other blogs is I think the best way to get more comments back. Being involved in the particular community that you have a blog about is fundamental to making networking connections from other bloggers as well as readers. For that matter most readers are bloggers themselves.
Recent comments plugins are always a good idea as well
cheers!
John Lockwood March 9th, 2008
Well, I just HAD to comment on the most commented post, seeing as it was about getting more comments.
Anything less would be impolite, I thought.
Tom At The Home Business Archive March 11th, 2008
Nice article! My suggestion is to remove the “no follow” from the comments at your blog.This will increase comments as people get a link back to their site.
Pugsley March 11th, 2008
Great post, these are the kind of ideas and comments that people can really use to help their own blog. Thanks, I really like the Top Commentators idea.
Udit March 13th, 2008
Many a times people comment to generate backlinks for their sites, in such situations the comments are not even on the topic in the post. I normally delete such comments, is this a good idea?
Durkin March 18th, 2008
Great post, i basically use them all but this was a good reminder
Stephen April 24th, 2008
@udit: Yes I’d definitely delete your post
Jeri-Lyn McCrea May 27th, 2008
I am totally new to blogging and really don’t know the concepts yet. I am just eager to get my information “out there” but am amazed at all the “tricks” of the trade. I appreciate your tips and will definitely try to use them!
Make Money June 21st, 2008
You’ve definitely done a great job here. Commenting is a great reflection of readership and in some markets shown/taught your readers how to be apart of your community.
And AskANinja is so funny. I first saw him on the Yahoo! talent show last year I think it was.
Kenney
Nate Moller June 28th, 2008
Hey man,
I found your site via SU and Muhammad Saleem. I really like what you have to say about blogging, testing things, the importance of commenting on others’ blogs to get the ball rolling, etc.
I look forward to reading more and making comments that relate.
Claudia June 30th, 2008
And here I am doing what you just said I have to do
Nice post, nice blog!
Alvin July 2nd, 2008
For me comments begets comments!
Make Money September 16th, 2008
It looks like this article worked.
Mike October 9th, 2008
Excellent article, some very good ideas. Thanks!!
How to Blog October 30th, 2008
Great article, and this post has proved your point, 133 comments not to shabby at all lol. I do all of those on a regular basis except for the last one, asking for comments, do you really think that helps? I guess it depends on the article, I suppose there’s no harm in trying, maybe I’ll start doing that.
Jonathan Muller
Haruyoshi November 7th, 2008
Very valuable suggestions, thanks!
Shon November 15th, 2008
wow this was a golden post….great information
Vic Nagy January 20th, 2009
Hello Ben, I have read his blog over I see you’re very learned in this field. How do I go about getting people to join me on my blogs?
I started blogging a few weeks ago and seeing any reviews yet. I want to start a blog where people ask me and I’ll answer them on all kinds of residential and commercial painting work. I am a painting contractor and have a painting website, I installed WordPress.org onto my site in its own folder in a subdirectory. But from what I can see no one has seen it yet after two weeks. If someone goes on to my website how do they know I even have a WordPress blog on that site?
savings February 24th, 2009
I should be using the fourt point,seems really catchy.Great post, lot of great tips that I’m going to start using them on a daily basis
iPhone March 22nd, 2009
The top commenters and link love plugins work well for attracting comments. I have both installed on my blog but I have the problem of no readers!! I want comments on my blog!!
Michael Clements June 25th, 2009
Great post. Thanks for the tips.
door knobs June 26th, 2009
Great post! This post itself proves and the most important thing that you stated here is mostly bloggers do not keep in thier mind. You must hear those people who come to your blog and make a quality comment on your good post. This is really helpful tip for gathering good comments to your blog.
Gardening ideas July 23rd, 2009
Wherever you can, you should put a link to your blog. Your profiles (including Yahoo! Answers), your signature in personal e-mails, and etc. You should do this without spamming sites and people though. Send a link to your 360 space to all your contacts (friends and family) and encourage them to pass it on.
paul July 27th, 2009
you are the comment king!
Imprezy August 1st, 2009
Cool tips. Thanks for sharing it!
Dyski August 13th, 2009
You are right – to get more comments you just need to be active and show people that here they are a part of something important. Some specific society or an idea that you write about. This is psychologically true and I think that everyone would agree with you. You give tips that really can be used – that is something that I like about blogging – with your experience you can give tips of practical use taken not from dry theoretical book or sth like that but from your own experiences which makes them more valuable.
Kalina August 19th, 2009
This has definitely been an enlightening and helpful read, thank you for making these 5 points, I think you’re right and will be testing them out myself!
Gardening ideas August 20th, 2009
what you can do though, if you don’t end up figuring it out, is hide your comments and then post a link in your profile so people can read your comments.
Gardening ideas August 20th, 2009
Then other people after me leave their own comments. Problem is, every time one of those people leave a comment, I get an email saying “So and So commented on your friend’s status.
Web Address September 4th, 2009
Great post, yes if a blog does not use the nofollow attribute, many visitors will wants to post their links because they know that they can have a valid backlink from your site though dofollow can attract visitor and spammer. But if we use captcha or moderate comment also use akismet I think this can make your blog safe to an extent!
Demara September 5th, 2009
I’m wondering if in the last 2 years, since people have been commenting on this post, if you’ve had to trim down the comments at all? lol
Kyle September 5th, 2009
@Derma – There’s always a little comment pruning you have to do now and again…mainly just dealing with spam. It is nice to see that a post on increasing blog comments has in fact remained the second most commented post on BlogEx.
Wayne Key September 6th, 2009
Geeze… its hard to know what to say after all those comments, but the treatment of the topic demands it… lol. Maybe my old psyc teacher said it well enough, “to have a conversation, start one.”
Great post and Great comments, nuff said!
Foto Video September 9th, 2009
Thanks for the tips. To be honest i was agree that commeting on others blogs will make a good advertise but didn’t knew this detailed methods
Health blog September 19th, 2009
This post certainly has attracted a LOT of comments haha !
List Building Articles Blog September 25th, 2009
Amazing! You really attract a lot of comments. Great post. !!!
kam September 25th, 2009
askismet seems to be the most efficient in combating spam
Managed Services September 30th, 2009
Great post.All the tips of this post are so much useful for me beacuse i recently started my blog & ihave been wondering how to motivate visitor to open up and leave their feedback.Thanks for the help on blogging.
Abol Joe October 6th, 2009
Comment to others blog with good contents , win win situation !!!
tony koay October 26th, 2009
impressive write up. good suggestions that can be used on all blogs.
mersin tüp bebek merkezi December 8th, 2009
Hello, beatiful site. Thank you.
Imprezy December 10th, 2009
Yes. Top Commentator plugin is very good way to attract comments in blog.
A.B December 22nd, 2009
I have noticed that posts on Controversies, Hacks, Creative posts, Group Projects, Humor, and Personal stories usually attract more comments.
Kazanç Yöntemleri December 23rd, 2009
That looks so great,I will use this method and write on my blog,thank you very much
Samanyolu dizisi December 27th, 2009
Very useful article. I want to use on my blog. When I use it I can give you backlink. Thank you admin.
shlema January 13th, 2010
Amazing! You really attract a lot of comments. Great post.