Question: I have over 500 hits and over 200 people that read my feeds…and only 1 comment. What do I do to get more comments on my blog?
Comments are great, don’t get me wrong, I love comments. I mean, that’s one of the best things about having a blog is people interacting with you, and you talking back to them. The discussion…
But, and a big BUT. (hehe). There’s something you need to know, and that is…
Comments are fun and good and all, but they don’t make your blog.
In other words, don’t worry so much about not getting comments. It isn’t the measuring stick for how successful your blog is. I’ve seen gigantic blogs with thousands of visitors a day get only a handful of comments. It just depends on the readers, and the content you’re developing.
That being said, here are some of my personal tips to getting more comments (If you must have them) :)
1. Get negative. People like to complain and commiserate. If you want lots of comments, complain about something and see how many people come quick to help you.
2. Ask questions. This is too easy. Simply ask your readers for their opinions. At the end of the blog entry write “What do you think?”.
3. Comment frequently on other blogs. Sometimes I go out of my way to participate in discussions on my friend’s blogs because they do the same for me.
Happy commenting!
Should I Delete or Not Approve A Visitor’s Comments?
While you might like to believe everybody who visits your blog has the same opinion as you do, you will quickly find that is not the case. But should you delete or not approve an opposing opinion’s comments? It depends.
Contrary to popular belief, people do not have a “right” to post on your blog. Your blog, your rules. That being said, you need to be very careful if you start deleting or not approving comments.
You elected to have comments on your blog for a reason – to invite discussion. People with different opinions are visitors to your site too. Deleting comments just because you don’t share their point of view is a slippery slope, and one that can make your readserhip plunge once people find out. People come to your blog to be informed and participate, so let them.
Unless a comment is obvious spam, or simply posted to stir things up , let people voice their opinions. It will usually spark even more conversation, which could mean more visitors to your blog. If things get out of hand, you can always close the post to new comments.
Remember – it is your blog. But it is also your visitor’s blog. Finding that line is key to keeping the conversation going.