Are you tired writing “epic” blog posts that fail to get any reader comments? Are you secretly envious of blogs that attract dozens of heartfelt comments with every post?
Friend, you’re not alone. Blogs with active comment sections attract more readers, get retweeted, and find it easier to turn random readers into loyal subscribers and customers.
Why are comments so powerful?
When people browse the web, they’re looking for evidence that the websites they visit are legitimate. Blog comments act as such evidence because people assume “if other people are sticking around this blog, I probably should too.”
It’s called engagement evidence, and if you want a sure-fire way to grow your blog, increasing your engagement evidence by getting more quality blog comments is a must.
But there’s a catch.
Getting More Blog Comments Isn’t Easy
Most bloggers find the task of getting quality reader comments devilishly difficult. Even on blogs with gobs of visitors, it’s common to see only a few comments per post.
Did you know that this is typical, too?
It’s called the 90:9:1 Principal:
- 90% of readers lurk on your blog quietly while consuming your content
- 9% of readers are editors and comment regularly
- 1% of readers are the fanatical people who leave page-long comments after each post.
The question is, how can you find and encourage 10% who comment to actually comment on your blog?
How to Get More Blog Comments
Before people write blog comments, they’re looking for two things:
- Comment-worthy Content – You already know that you must write great content, but you should invite conversation by being open-ended and conversational.
- Proof of Life – Your commenters want proof that you care about your blog. They also want confirmation that you care about your readers and their opinions, too.
While writing exceptional content can be difficult, showing proof of life is easier than you think and it works!
The Simple Comment Attraction Secret
Here’s how you show “Proof of Life.”
Respond to comments, ideally, as quickly as possible. And don’t write a simple “Thank You,” but instead, respond as if the person was in the same room with you. Read what they wrote and then offer them value in return.
Remember, you want those who comment to think “wow, this guy/gal really cares!”
You can pile on the value by:
- Expand on a point you made in your post to give a commenter more insight into your strategy.
- Empathize with your commenter and give them a word of encouragement or advice to their specific situation.
- Refer the commenter to another resource and blog that could offer them more help
- Ask your commenter a follow-up question to encourage them to open-up and engage further.
The Bottom Line
If you show your readers that you actively participate in your blog, they’ll show up and comment regularly. It’s a proven formula that has worked before and will work again.
Not only should you reply, you should kick your comment replies up a notch because you’ll demonstrate to your readers that you care about them and that will also encourage more blog comments.
By the way, you don’t have to answer every comment with a 100 word reply. Some comments are just quick acknowledgements, so feel free to reply with a short shout-out where appropriate.
