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Comments are the life blood of any blog. They let you know that people are reading. They engage you in discussion, and they take any topic and make it come alive.
Few blogs can exist for very long without them, but some blog writers do not know the joy of having a really successful post and seeing a lot of comments pour into that post.
To that end, we here at MInTheGap are going to live 5 MORE ways to get comment conversation on your blog in the hopes that you too will have the joy that is 50+ comments.
(Disclaimer: 50+ comments is great from time to time, but if you get this all the time you should either check with a doctor or run AdSense…)
1. Write a Post on How to Get More Comments.
Nothing says “here I am, comment on me” than writing a post about how to get more comments. Everyone wants comments, and for some reason we all think that someone else knows how to get more comments (or can think of some way that we haven’t already tried) and therefore people come by and talk about what they think, what they know, and what’s worked for them.
2. Write about some recent funny occurrence in your life that everyone can relate to.
We’ve seen it all before– some mommy goes to the store with her kids and comes back with a set of pokemon cards and a great story, and before you know it, her auction gets some crazy attention, she has more feed readers than she can possibly imagine, and we all wonder how did she do it! At the same time she’s wondering, “Why are they reading my stuff?” and “How do I keep them all interested?”
It’s simply that she wrote something that touched a nerve in people. People could empathize with it. They reacted to it on a personal level. It sounded genuine. It was funny. This may be something mommy bloggers can do easier than daddy bloggers, but there is a precedent for it. You just have to get creative, and think outside the box. eBay auctions seem to be a good launching pad for some blogs!
3. Make sure that you visit sites that disagree with your audience.
If you can find someone passionate about the opposite belief that you have, maybe you can take him home with you. You see, people are passionate about some issues, but the tricky part is getting them to come back to your blog. If you invest time in anyone’s blog, they’ll certainly visit yours. You just have to make sure they’ve been around a while and then launch into a controversial topic and watch the fun.
This one works especially well on very polarizing issues– I’ve been sucked into a few of these because of how passionate I am on some issues. I’ve helped get people into the 50s without even a word of thanks. :sniff:
4. Become a Famous Blogger.
This one goes without saying. If you’re a big name blogger, all you have to do is sneeze and you’re up to 25 comments. I sometimes marvel at the common sense stuff that Famous Bloggers can write, and I think “I could write that” but if I did, I’d get two comments and people would move on.
While this one is probably the most difficult to do, it’s definitely the long term way of getting and maintaining a high number of comments.
5. Mention and Link to Bloggers in Your Posts.
While you don’t want a majority of your posts to be taken up with links, making sure to link to people who give you ideas is a great move. It shows people that you’re reading their blog, you get a trackback, and people come to see what you’ve said about their post.
In case you’re keeping score at home, we’re up to 10. Any more post topics that you can think of that will get you more comments?
I haven’t tested this theory yet, but I think that even you if have someone who disagrees with you on those controversial subjects, if you treat them with respect even while “sticking to your guns” they are more likely to return and continue discussion. If you show your readers you are willing to listen and consider as well as explain your point of view.
LET ME CLARIFY…when I say I haven’t tested this yet, it doesn’t mean I do not abide by this (treating others of differing views with respect)….it only means I have not had but two instances when this has come up and so far one has returned to leave comments and the other hasn’t, so I do not have any solid data or statistics to base this on.
I love pictures, so if you have some type of picture up I’ll most likely comment. Although not a “post-topic” but at times I’m more likely to continue responding is when I get an email with an update. At times, people post so regularly it’s difficult for me to keep up, the emails help and I’m more likely to continue a conversation that way.
Isn’t that Pokemon story incredible? And she’d previously sold an ordinary baseball on ebay for over 1,000 bucks with another crazy story.
Some blogs pull in the comments like crazy, even with a one liner about a disgusting grocery item, they might get 30 or more comments. The comment question is a fascinating one.
Mama Archer, a month ago I would have agreed with you, now I’m not so sure. I think it all depends on the personalities that are hashing things out…
Mary, you are probably correct.
I have had people that disagreed with me come onto my blog and it got very heated.
I was dealing with homosexuals and it was not a pretty picture. The ones I dealt with were quite hostile and filthy.
I do get very excited when I meet a new visitor and I love getting to know them. I also try to answer each comment and visit the visitors. Hee.
I guess it just really depends on if the visitor who disagrees is willing to offer respect as well.
And that hits the nail on the head. It’s so important to use tact when commenting, especially when you don’t agree. But sometimes even the heated conversations are my favorite! (as long as they remain in good taste!)