There are loads of good reasons for creating a company blog.
So having spent so much time and effort writing a high quality post, seeing no comments come in can really feel like a massive disappointment.
Does it mean that your content isn’t good?
That you’re doing something wrong?
That no one likes your stuff?
Nope, it doesn’t mean that.
Usually comments are a function of a few things.
The biggest, of course, is the size of your blog audience. Some of the “big guns” of the world get hundreds of comments per post.
Now that doesn’t mean that their content is miles better than yours, most of the time it just means that they have a much bigger audience and reach. If a site sees a million readers or more a month, then having a few hundred comments is par for the course.
So, does that mean that because you don’t have a ton of traffic, you’ll never see comments?
Absolutely not.
No matter the industry, size of the audience, or even age of the blog, there are always things you can do to increase the number comments you see on your blog.
In this post, you’re going to learn three strategies you can employ today to start seeing a ton of new comments on your blog.
#1. Develop Relationships
If you’re not getting comments on your blog then guess what. You’re not alone.
Most business blogs struggle to get engagement. That’s just a fact of life.
So one way you can start to build up regular engagement on your blog is by developing relationships with other blogs in complementary niches, i.e. non-competing blogs.
Obviously you need to do your homework first to identify them. Check sites like alltop which is a blog directory.
Also look in blogs that do get comments and look at the people who already leave comments. Check them out – normally there will be a link to their blog.
Add their blog to feedly and check when they post some content and start to leave a comment. Now you don’t need to go crazy here, the aim is just to get on their radar.
Also reach out on social media and begin a conversation with them.
Look for opportunities where you can link to their best content and drop them a line to let them know. This is the perfect opportunity to ask them to leave a comment or share with their audience.
#2. Make it Easy for the Reader
Ever read a blog, love the content, and want to post a nice comment, only to find out you have to jump through seven hoops to actually make it happen?
Now, how often do you actually follow through and leave a comment when that occurs? For most people, the answer is never.
You need to apply this concept to your own site as well. Take a look at your blog from the viewpoint of your reader.
Is your site easy to read?
Do you have a comment box?
Is it really easy for people to leave a comment?
If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then you’re already ahead of the game.
For most of the blogs that have issues with comments, the answer to one or more of those questions is no. And when that happens, it means you’re going to have fewer comments. People are turned off by barriers, the more you ask them to do online in order to accomplish a task, the more people are going to drop off along the way.
So that goes for blogs that have things like multiple forms to fill in, CAPTCHA fields, or even require registration to comment.
If your big concern is getting swamped with spam comments, there are a number of WordPress plugins that specifically target spam comments and blocks them, giving you the opportunity to remove some of those barriers for visitors.
To make commenting really easy, use a plugin like CommentLuv which can actually help promote your blog across their network.
#3. Respond to Comments
Everyone wants to feel heard, it’s a universal human emotion. Yet, all too often when readers take the time to leave thoughtful comments or even critiques, they go unanswered.
A survey of bloggers from a few years ago found that just over 50% responded to every comment. That leaves a massive opportunity for your brand to jump over the competition.
One of the best ways to get more comments on your blog is to actively participate with your readers. That means more than writing great content, and when someone takes the time to leave a comment on your site, it’s always a best practice to respond do it with a thoughtful answer.
Doing this is a great way to build rapport with your commenters, and show the other people who visit your site (even if they don’t comment) that you care. Don’t be surprised to see the same commenters popping up again and again after you start responding, which can help drive even more people to comment.
Yes, that means that even if the comment isn’t positive. Your brand can learn quite a bit from the comments of your readers and potential customers, and responding to these comments can be a very effective way of providing a personalized form of customer service.
Plus, at the very least, responding to each comment automatically increases the amount of comments on your blog, it’s an easy trick, but it works.
#4. Improve Your Headline
If you don’t have a compelling headline that captures attention, there is little incentive for readers to click, even if your content is absolutely amazing.
Famous advertising man and copywriting expert David Ogilvy once said:
So, if you don’t have a headline that immediately attracts eyeballs, you’ve already put yourself in a hole.
Solve that by improving the quality of your headlines, make them irresistible to your readers, so that they cannot wait to click the link to read your posts.
More engaged and interested readers are going to be far more likely to comment on posts at the end of the day, which is exactly what you want.
There are a couple of things you can do to improve your headlines:
- Don’t just go with the first headline that pops into your head
- Don’t write your headline as an afterthought
- For every post you write, come up with 5-10 additional headlines to see what is the best
- Test headlines, if one doesn’t drive traffic, change it up and try another
These are just small steps you can take that can lead to a massive improvement in your headlines, which in turn will lead to more readers, which in turn leads to more comments.
All those things can not only help increase your comments, but they can be a huge boon for your business overall.
Final Thoughts
While it’s hard to build up a ton of new comments overnight, if you put these three things into practice, and stick to it, you’re going to see a slow but steady improvement over time.
The more attention you pay to your blog content, headlines, and readers thoughts and feelings, the better off your brand is going to be.
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