Have you ever posted an informative and well-written entry to your author blog only to have NO ONE comment on how amazing it is? It’s enough to make you want to throw up your hands, punch your keyboard, and give up.
Don’t get discouraged—it’s not necessarily your writing that’s creating the lack of commentary. Try these six simple, interactive steps to help turn your passive blog readers into active commenters (and you back into a happy blogger!).
How To Get People To Comment On Your Blog
End your blog posts with an engaging question. Prompt a response from your readers by closing your blog posts with a question related to the topics. Even if your blog post is as simple as “3 Books I Read Last Summer,” you can still benefit from asking your readers, “What did you read last summer?” YOU have to be the one to get the ball rolling.
Respond to readers’ comments. Interaction is key. Once your blog post is live, you should check back regularly to see who’s responding and how you can interact with them. If someone leaves a question specifically for you, it’s imperative that you reply promptly.
Treat your readers’ blog comments the same way you’d treat a face-to-face conversation with a friend: It would be rude to ignore them!
Host a contest. Because who doesn’t love to win something? Host a contest on your blog from time to time to encourage visitors to comment. It can be as simple as encouraging readers to leave a comment to enter to win! Choose the winner at random and give them a copy of your latest book, a free ticket to your next reading, or maybe even name a supporting character after them! Get creative!
Write blog posts on varying topics. Monotonous posts can drive comments down. Who wants to talk about the same thing all the time? Switching it up and writing on a wide variety of topics can help spur conversation and keep things interesting.
If you’re having trouble coming up with new ideas for a post, check out our 40 blog post ideas! And to find out how you might be self-sabotaging your blog posts, take a look at these 6 blogging sins.
Ask friends and family to break the ice by commenting first. So you’ve asked an engaging question and even hosted a contest, and still no one’s commenting? Keep in mind that people are still people in the virtual world, and sometimes they’re a little shy. Ask your friends and family to leave the first comment on your post, thus breaking the ice and getting the conversation started.
Make people feel good about commenting. Letting your commenters know that you’re happy they’re on your site and that their contribution means a lot to you will help build a sense of trust and community on your blog.
So before you trash your dreams of becoming the next big blogger, try these steps to promote interaction and increase the number of comments on your blog. Let your visitors know you’re grateful for their time, entice them with a contest or giveaway, and interact whenever possible. You just might find that once the spark’s ignited, it’s only a matter of time before the fire’s burning.
Photo by Marc Wathieu
QUESTION: What steps have you taken to encourage interaction on your blog?
Thank you for your post. Very helpful hints. I do know that my blog is read (have site meter on it), but they only get one or two comments. I’ll be sure to give your suggestions a try.
Exxxcellent…and to the point. Will make use of this straight away! Thanks.
I’ve just started a blog with 7 other writers and we’re novices at this. Your advice is most welcome and I will definitely follow your suggestions (and your blog).
I agree with those insights. There have been so many times I’ve asked a question on a blog and never got a response, so I looked elsewhere for an answer. It’s all about building a community with your readers. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing, very helpful tactics to get involve visitors in your article. Thanks
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That is excellent advice I think. So I am writing three blogs throughout August with photos and offering a free signed copy of my sequel to anyone who can guess which character I am talking about in the blog. Along with the question, of course, they are also getting a hint of a bit of that character’s part and/or personality in the sequel (without giving away too much)! The first is out there, the second will be mid-August and the third the end of August.
I learn so much from your site and your staff that I can trust. Thanks for this great tip, which helps me realize I am taking a good step with this.
Thank you for your kind words, Gippy! We’re so glad to be able to help you. Your blog post idea sounds great, and we hope you have good luck with it!
Hey,
Thanks for writing this post.
I was looking to publish 4 posts in the next two months. i am working on both the posts and one of them is ready to publish, i am using some of the pictures in that as well. I haven’t write any question at the end of the blog post but after reading your blog, i think it would be a great idea to put question in the footer of the post.
Yes, indeed I really find this posts very helpful. I am also trying to build some web design Gold Coast and I find this one really helpful, I will make sure to bookmark the authors posts. Thank you!
Blair | rent-a-website.com.au
I’ve never really worried about how people comment on my blogs get, I’m more interested in how many people see my blog and share it with others.
Excellent information! I have just started as a blogger and these tips will go a long way to help. Thanks
Great I appreciate your posting. Very good advice and so helpful. I’ll be sure to test out your recommendations. Thanks for this.