Most people want comments on their blog. There is the odd person who does not see the benefit of the engagement that comments show on a blog. On our blog, we largely do products reviews, brand ambassadorships and sponsored posts. Our partners want to see engagement with readers when we’re talking about their brand. Thus, comments are a GREAT thing.
Now that I have convinced you that you need them, how can you get them? These 5 steps will help:
- Make it easy. Am I the only one out there that can NEVER get the CAPTCHA lettering correct? It is also frustrating to have to take the time and sign up for an account on the page, just to make a comment. To be frank, I won’t do it. My time is precious and unless it is something that I am VERY passionate about, I will not take the time to do it. I know we do not like spammers, so a nice little tick box ‘I am not a spammer’ works just great for us here at TOTS and TOTS: Family.
- Ask a question. Once you have a dedicated, or vocal readership, you will get comments on some topics. One way of encouraging this, or encouraging discussion on a specific topic is to ask a question. As an example my business partner, Katrina, asked a question in this post and 12 people replied. Not all of them answered the question, but it certainly helped generate comment ideas. If you are anything like me, if someone asks me a question, I will answer it.
- Ask for comments. Sometimes a few comments will get the ball rolling, either because they make people believe that commenting is a good thing to do, or it sparks some interesting conversation that your readers will want to get involved in. Asking for a comment from a blogger group, or on your Facebook page is a great way to get the ball rolling.
- Create some controversy. People love to debate topics they feel passionate about. I was excited to see the comments in response to one of our contributor’s, Kelly’s post on bedsharing that came out a few months ago. I expected that parents who bedshare, or feel strongly against co-sleeping will want to share their opinions with our readership. Sometimes a little (and in my opinion, ONLY a little) drama is a good thing for a blog.
- Reply to comments. Taking the time to reply to almost all the comments you receive on your page will make people feel heard. This is important. Asking another question in your reply, or even just making a statement may also encourage them to reply to your reply, which obviously adds more comments to your page. It is also just polite, in my opinion.
Side note: Using CommentLuv on your blog will allow you to see posts that your commenters are posting, which is a great way of getting to know your readers and supporting other blogging mamas.
Those are what I consider the top 5 ways to encourage commenting on your blog. Do you agree? How do you encourage engagement on your blog?
This entry was submitted by one of our community members. If you are interested in submitting a social media/blogging related article, email assistant [at] thenicheparent{dot}com with subject line “Guest Author Submission.”
About the contributor: Catherine, a mom-erce promotion whiz is the mommy of four awesome boys and a beautiful baby girl. Lover of cupcakes and all things kid related (except video games). A serial mompreneur, Cat currently owns Bundles and Buzz and FlipSize Canada as well as being co-owner of TOTS: Business and TOTS: Family, FREE resources for busy, modern parents!
