Written on March 4th, 2010 at 12:03 am by Darren Rowse
The BEST Way to Generate Lots of Comments on a Your Next Blog Post
Last week on my Photography Tips site we published a guest post titled Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own.
The author of the guest post emailed me a few days later amazed at amazing amount of comments left on the post. While the average post on dPS gets a reasonable amount of comments this post is climbing up towards 200.
Why did it do so well in engaging readers?
There are a few reasons. The guest poster didn’t really set out to do any of them – but stumbled upon one of the best ways to get readers interacting on a blog post:
- He Expressed an Opinion – the post shares one persons opinion on which lenses each photographer should own. While the post itself did indicate that it was his own personal preference and that others would find other options more suited to their situations – whenever you express an opinion you’re going to get other people reacting with their own.
- He Made a Claim – the title was key in generating this discussion. It made a claim that every photographer should own 3 lenses. I’m not sure how intentional this was but make this type of claim and you’ll almost always get a reaction because you’ll almost always have someone who doesn’t quite fit into what you’ve proposed – and they’ll want to tell you why. Write a post about ‘essentials’, or ‘the best’ or something ‘everyone’ should do – and you’ll generally get this type of response.
- He Invited a Response – the post finished by asking others what they’d include in their ‘must own’ category of lenses. This is the perfect invitation for an ongoing discussion.
- He Chose a Topic People Had Invested Heavily Into – the last thing I’d say about this topic is that he stumbled onto a topic for the post that readers had strong opinions about because they’d invested into the topic. Camera owners carefully research their lens purchases and put up considerable dollars to buy them. As a result they tend to feel quite strongly about their lenses and often feel the need to defend/explain their decisions.
Keep in mind that while when you write these types of posts you will almost always get a reaction from people that you need to be willing and ready to hear some strong opinions back – something that are not always easy to hear.
82 Responses to “The BEST Way to Generate Lots of Comments on a Your Next Blog Post” - Add Yours
Robert Salceda
March 4th, 2010 12:38 am
Wow! nice actions.
ill apply those to mine, thanks for the tips
Regards,
Robert
Randy
March 4th, 2010 12:38 am
One more i want to say is, people will give their comment if they are understand what they read. In my opinion, people who read without understand seems won’t give their comment and just type ‘nice post’ or ‘great job’
GraingerKid
March 4th, 2010 12:39 am
Cheers Darren.
Great things to keep in mind when I’m trying to layout and plan a post.
G.
Stefan | StudySuccessful.com
March 4th, 2010 12:40 am
Controversial topics always help, state something on which almost nobody can agree with.
Ben Norman
March 4th, 2010 12:40 am
Saying something that you know will initiate a response is something I’ve done for years, in normal conversation as well as articles.
I find it’s a great way to find out how someone really feels about a topic. Instead of treading the well worn path chuck something into the mixer, if someone has a differing opinion great. In voicing it you’ve managed to involve that reader as well as getting them to add to the information on the page.
Getting comments is definitely one of the biggest aims for my blog. I don’t know what the consensus is but I’m usually about as interested in the comments as the main article when I read. I find it really useful to see what other people’s opinions are, it makes it easier to see the big picture.
Tim Brownson
March 4th, 2010 12:41 am
Prior to the 2008 election I wrote a post on the Palin/Biden debate. It wasn’t about what they said, more the type of language the used (something called the Milton Model) and how they delivered it.
My comments went through the roof as people jumped in to the fray wanting to talk politics. It was fun to begin with until I got an abusive e-mail telling me to **** off back to England and people started arguing with one another etc.
Similar stuff happened when I wrote a post on God and a couple on the Law of Attraction.
Now I’m struck between thinking it’s great to have lots of comments, but quality comments are much better even if they are fewer. It’s all about expanding the debate an adding value.
I have learned so much from my readers and I love it when they tell me I’m wrong and more importantly why, because it makes me think.
Whereas banal comments add nothing imho. I mean seriously, if I see one more comment along the lines of, “Great post this couldn’t have come at a better time for me” I think I’ll burst into tears.
GraingerKid
March 4th, 2010 12:41 am
@Darren would hitting on someone’s emotions help also?
Paul Swaney @ Stadium Journey
March 4th, 2010 12:42 am
Nothing is better than asking for a response. It;s amazing what a “what do you think?” at the end of the post will do for traffic. Thanks so much for the reminders on a very important subject.
Ivan Walsh
March 4th, 2010 12:52 am
I’m often surprised how Politically Correct many blogger are, especially women bloggers (I know, my opinion!), who go to great lengths not to rock the boat.
Not sure why…. but this PC approach stops their blog having an edge, a strong opinion… and in turn the feedback you’re talking about above.
Others, of course. go to excess to SHOCK but that can be a bit tedious after a while.
So, why are girl bloggers so PC?
Jewelry Secrets
March 4th, 2010 12:53 am
Making a claim. That strikes a nerve. I like it. I’m just trying to figure out how to weave it into one of my topics. Opinions and Responses seem pretty normal for most bloggers, nothing new. But that claim does sound like it would open the flood gates. I also like the concept of being heavily invested. That I can do, especially with my niche. Thanks for the tips. I love it when the rusty gears start turning… :)
Bret
March 4th, 2010 1:43 am
Great topic. These are all basic things but I certainly overlook them more often than I should.
Thanks for the tips!
Chris Pontine
March 4th, 2010 1:53 am
I feel over my time frame of blogging I have learned to Expressed an Opinion which creates that atmosphere where one leans with you and the others wants to lean the other way and let you know exactly how they feel. That is the great thing though, because next thing you know you have a very explosive article generating tons of comments.
Erica Mueller
March 4th, 2010 1:59 am
Funny, I just wrote a post on comments, and titled it 5 Ways to Reduce Your Comment Count. It’s basically the exact opposite of what a blogger SHOULD be doing. Writing it in this way, and then completely contradicting my own (bad) advice and asking a question brought the comments pouring in. People were quickly adding things I hadn’t thought of and responding to each other’s comments.
TheYoungLib
March 4th, 2010 2:07 am
What a horrible, limp dick of a post! Just kidding, but I love how people leave cheesy, self serving comments on the same blog that preaches not to do that!
“Wow! nice actions.
ill apply those to mine, thanks for the tips
Regards,
Robert”
What a d-bag
Nicholas Z. Cardot
March 4th, 2010 2:10 am
I’m completely in favor of lots of comments, but I do get tired of meaningless comments. These tips sound like they actually work to enhance the discussion around the topic and that is much better than just growing your number of comments.
I would rather have 25 comments that actually ask questions, share experiences, and interact with the author and other members of the conversation than to have hundreds that say nothing more than “Great post!”
Kosmo @ The Casual Observer
March 4th, 2010 3:03 am
Agreed – it’s not necessarily the QUALITY of the post, but often the way that the content is presented. On my own site, some of the content is much more suited to comments than others. One of my writers wrote a very nice review of Glacier National Park. It’s a nice article, but there’s nothing particular controversial about a review of a nice place to visit.
On the other hand, I have four political writers on staff – obviously their content is a bit more controversial.
Ms. Freeman
March 4th, 2010 3:17 am
I definitely think if you don’t invite folks to comment at the end of your post then they probably won’t. People like to answer questions and debate interesting topic, they only need to be incited to do so…:)
Lewis
March 4th, 2010 3:37 am
Fair play that’s some good info. Yea i can see how that plays out.
Wayne Vassell
March 4th, 2010 3:58 am
Good points there, as they say if you don’t ask, you don’t get. So the call to action really does work a dream.
JackNguyen.com
March 4th, 2010 4:04 am
It even doesn’t have to be facts you’re stating in your post, because often times your opinion will be challenged by others.
Another great way is to approve your negative comments as well, because often times your readers will back you up and leave rebuttals for you.
hokya
March 4th, 2010 4:29 am
good points
but i thought today reader have been understand that giving comments is compared to giving thanks to the author
Adib
March 4th, 2010 4:42 am
I guess this comes down to balancing between hitting a nerve and saying all the things that seem correct to the general public.Truth can only be one, and false can be many. Of course, you can’t please everyone, and get everyone to agree with you. As long as conversations are dealt with in a professional way so that truth is brought forth without being hidden. Although some may disagree to a certain truthful topic, others would have been searching about it for ages.
Wonderful content, Darren. :)
Hulbert
March 4th, 2010 5:21 am
Hi Darren, I’ve also noticed this trait among blogs that have high amount of comments. The writer usually express an opinion of the topic their writing about and invite a response from the readers like asking a question to them. It usually seems to be a good strategy to generate stimulating conversation between the writer and the readers.
prince
March 4th, 2010 5:22 am
I must say i was attracted to this post by the header, That’s the most important part on any writing, if the topic is not captivating, then there is no real incentive to read further, firstly capture your targeted audience with a great opener, then go further in engaging them, and you are sure to get a tremendous amount of remarkable responses.
Sarah Baron
March 4th, 2010 5:38 am
Very helpful. Yes, you make a claim. Yes, you cause some controversy. Yes, you ask for opinions. But what do you do if your topic is a little embarrassing? How do you get people to get over their shyness?
When I talked about tips to spice up intimacy (especially with altoids), I may not have gotten a lot of comments, but those that did really had a lot to add.
Thanks for the post.
Sarah Baron, member of the Anonymous8
Are Morch
March 4th, 2010 5:48 am
Hi Darren.
Some great and very easy points to adapt for my blog.
This is something I am working on now, to learn more about how to create better interactions on my blog.
Working on trying out a different comment plugin, and some other techniques I read about. So will try your suggestions here out also.
Cheers.. Are
Living with Balls
March 4th, 2010 6:08 am
I’ve been trying to make effort to write more engaging posts lately in an effort to generate more comments.
I run a men’s humor blog so I’ve been trying to write more blog posts that feature a debate on a topic men are interested in.
John Paul Aguiar
March 4th, 2010 6:40 am
Great tips.. pissing people off is always a good way to get people talking..lol
You either want comments, or quality comments from people that will come back.
Surgery Houston
March 4th, 2010 7:52 am
Asking people to comment about things they enjoy is always a winner.
Monique
March 4th, 2010 8:24 am
It’s interesting that it didn’t matter how controversial the opinion was (the poster wasn’t recommending people throw out their lenses), just that people cared about the subject.
Methinks it’d be a good idea to try to figure out what your readers are invested in. Where have they spent their money? What do they care about?
Joshua Black-The Underdog Millionaire
March 4th, 2010 8:28 am
Another thing to think about is the actual format of the blog. If your bog is designed in such a way that it seems hard to figure out where to actually make a comment, it can deter people from leaving there opinion. This is something that I have found with my own blog template and am going to be re-arranging for just that purpose in the newar future.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Wilson Usman
March 4th, 2010 8:31 am
I like what he did. I think that these are very actionable steps and I am going to apply them on one of my next post tomorrow just have to restructure my post.
Thanks for putting this together will see how my comments go. Well I don’t have many readers so I am hoping for some comments at least.
Gerry Faehrmann - YourLawnAndGarden
March 4th, 2010 8:33 am
@Joshua I would be deterred from leaving a post if you’re gonna talk about your bog and all.
Richard Johnston ReMax Tarzana
March 4th, 2010 9:51 am
some posts are more contriversial than others. Some deserve a comment based on what others say.
daydreamin
March 4th, 2010 11:10 am
This is interesting. I started my blog Sep last year and it is getting more popular and it is slowly getting more readers. While I do get people occasionally commenting on the blog, I have written opinion pieces, I have asked the reader direct questions, I have blatantly asked them to comment yet people still are not commenting as much as I would like them to. I have provided very clear call to actions – I even offered a free book to my readers to encourage more comments on one of my posts. Yes some people did comment but I expected much more than what I received. So this is still a mystery to me. I know blogs take time to grow and for people to trust you and to consider you credible and to respect you as a blogger but it is still an area that is baffling me. I believe I write engaging posts although I do acknowledge I break some of the “rules” eg my posts are too long, I need more subheadings etc
I also get people commenting to me through personal email and facebook. I have also asked everyone politely to please make any comments on the blog rather than email/facebook but people still do :) Also people tell me to my face they have read my latest post and what they think of it but seem to hesitate to make comments. Interesting…
Vanjo
March 4th, 2010 1:52 pm
Hi there Darren, I followed these recommendations after reading your e-book (31 days to build a better blog) and I can attest that it works well for my blog.
I’m getting a lot of additional comments although some of them are just simple kudos and stuff. Maybe I can let my readers post more sensible comments if I try building posts around numbers 2 and 4 on your list. I’ll let you know how it went.
blog for dollar
March 4th, 2010 1:59 pm
i agree 100 % that choose the right topic is important and invite a response will make the readers fill welcome.
Bojan
March 4th, 2010 3:39 pm
Hearing people’s comments is always good because you can get a lot of info from them.
As I wrote in one of the other blogs that I visit often
Hearing negative things from people is something that I love.
The reason why I love it is because:
a) It just shows me that I am not perfect (which nobody is anyway) and that I need to work on some things to become as perfect as I can be :-P
b) Some negative feedback can also encourage me to fix things so than I can ” cut down ” the negatives and increase my positives which is always good as well 8)
c) Negative comments are usually the ones that bring out the discussions which increases the popularity of whatever I am doing :-P .. and who does not like to be popular :)
Justin
March 4th, 2010 4:53 pm
Thanks Darren! I am very new to the blogging scene but am soaking up everything i can from experts like yourself :-p
I’ll try to start implementing these.
proson
March 4th, 2010 6:02 pm
It is interesting. It’s kind of viral marketing you post here Darren. Controversy. May be I should write something about this as well. :P
Best Coffee Beans
March 4th, 2010 6:37 pm
Everyone has opinions and everyone wants to be heard. This is a great tutorial on just plain communication. It really gets the mind to brainstorm on ideas for posts that will induce at least some passion for readers to say what they think.
It’s definitely a good outline for us bloggers to use… sort of a reference when we really want some good user interaction.
Thanks!
Ami
March 4th, 2010 7:50 pm
Hi Darren,
I think what attracts people is the list concept; something about naming a number in the title makes people wonder what that number represents.
I think people intuitively look at lists as winning lists, something like “the world winning 3 best lenses are…”
Ami
Be a Blogger | REAL-TIME Blogging Report
Amish Furniture
March 4th, 2010 9:46 pm
A timely post! What you say makes great sense. Thanks for the article.
sudharsan @ technoskillonline
March 4th, 2010 11:28 pm
Its intresting..
Right topic and giving a chance to make online discussion like post question related to topic will surely works
Cebu Tech Blogger
March 4th, 2010 11:51 pm
We have different perspective on how to convince readers leaving a comment on a blog post. What he did was actually right.
Harrison
March 5th, 2010 12:24 am
Open ended blogs are always preferred by people and more so in cases where the author communicates with the people who put their comments out there.
Very rightly put and we all know that this is the correct way if one wants their blogs to exist out there on the web.
KS Chen
March 5th, 2010 12:31 am
Yes! We should be ready to accept any comment from the readers. I have a blog related to cancer. Sometimes, my readers will ask me to give them the medical advice. Yet, I will ask them to refer to the medical doctor for proper advice.
Samantha Milner
March 5th, 2010 12:38 am
Hi guys
i really enjoyed reading these tips into generating more blog comments. Though if you could wipe out my spam comments over night i would pay a lot for it!!!
kind regards
sam
X
Hear Mum Roar
March 5th, 2010 12:59 am
I agree with all of these. Another I’d like to add that worked for me recently, was to write a piece in humour that others found themselves able to relate to quite strongly.
Syed Hyder Ali
March 5th, 2010 1:30 am
For a general purpose, any Controversial or debatable topics will work to get lot of comments but when it comes to your business point of view, it will not work.
I found very tough to make an attractive title than writing a blog when my business is something like Training. Your blog should give good and useful information then only good and relative visitors will comment on it.
Hyder
http://www.winwinmantra.com
Wayne John
March 5th, 2010 2:58 am
Another way I’ve found is to write a post about comments. Everytime I see a post about comments, be it how to get them, how to increase them, how to control them, whatever, it seems that people have a comment to make about comment posts.
abercrombie milano
March 5th, 2010 5:56 am
the last thing I’d say about this topic is that he stumbled onto a topic for the post that readers had strong opinions about because they’d invested into the topic. Camera owners carefully research their lens purchases and put up considerable dollars to buy them. As a result they tend to feel quite strongly about their lenses and often feel the need to defend/explain their decisions.
there’s no easy way to achieve this, isn’t it?
WAHGO
March 5th, 2010 9:50 am
It was stated that the title was key to generating this many comments.
The title really has the most influence on the success of a blog post or article. If someone doesn’t click on the story, there will never be an opportunity for them to read and comment on it.
THANKS for the tips! You can learn something new every day and still crave more.
Tablet PC charger
March 5th, 2010 8:54 pm
Online Marketing Blog receives the majority of it’s traffic from search engines.Blog software with category features allows the aggregation of content according to themes. This makes it easier to algorithmically categorize content.
Annie Infinite
March 6th, 2010 11:34 am
Having an opinion and stating your case eloquently has always been a great way to engage others – people always have an opinion themselves and it is totally human to want to get in on the debate :)
Playing devils advocate using someone else’s blog post and cross linking them can also grab readers attention! Bringing lots of readers across from the other blog and gaining notoriety for both bloggers :)
John
March 7th, 2010 4:03 am
If you don’t like to hear some potentially unwanted reaction, don’t ask questions. Since question is on the table everything can appear.
Shelley Gable
March 7th, 2010 5:13 am
Thanks for sharing this! The ideas are so simple, really…but so true.
As a relatively new freelance writer, I’ve noticed that the posts I write for one of the companies I blog for sometimes receives a bunch of comments while my other posts do not. I’ve wondered whether it has to do with the quality of the writing or maybe interest in the topic…but upon further reflection, those comment-attracting posts seem to fit the model described here.
Thanks for helping me clue into this!
chandan
March 7th, 2010 5:32 am
Thank you, yes if we write some opinion or write some thing new then we get more comment. For me when I write any new article on SEO or link building I ask people to leave their opinion on the comment and It help me to get more comment.
Pyerse
March 7th, 2010 10:19 am
Wow, this is an great article. It might be challenging to do this is a fictional blog, but it’s worth trying. Thanks again.
How to Blog Tips
March 7th, 2010 3:30 pm
Inviting people to leave their comment or join to discussion can really help to get more comments to your blog.
herocious
March 7th, 2010 4:45 pm
I recently wrote a post on TheOpenEnd that I like enough in terms of content and appearance to wonder why it didn’t generate a response.
In it, I express my opinion on the most expensive paintings; I claim that our culture is on the decline; I invite a response; and it’s all on a topic people have invested millions into.
Here it is. Don’t let the silence scare you :-)
http://theopenend.com/2010/03/03/most-expensive-paintings-ever-sold/
Shiko
March 8th, 2010 3:46 am
Nice. I own a small and growing blog (Hebrew only) and I wrote about my opinions and ‘the best’, but it seems like most of my readers prefer to comment on the “about me” post.
What is the reason for that ?
abercrombie milano
March 8th, 2010 7:08 pm
Truth can only be one, and false can be many. Of course, you can’t please everyone, and get everyone to agree with you. As long as conversations are dealt with in a professional way so that truth is brought forth without being hidden. Although some may disagree to a certain truthful topic, others would have been searching about it for ages.I found very tough to make an attractive title than writing a blog when my business is something like Training. Your blog should give good and useful information then only good and relative visitors will comment on it.
Tony
March 9th, 2010 8:06 am
Inviting a response seems like the most easiest idea. Why didn’t I think of that?
Thanks for the tips!
Dave Higgs
March 9th, 2010 8:44 pm
Thanks Darren for another great article.
Another post about engaging the reader I found very valuable was a guest post (here on proBlogger) by Cori Padget from Big Girl Branding. Read the post here
Diabetic Dogs
March 10th, 2010 3:06 pm
I think that people are much more inclined to leave a comment when they are invited to do so.
Killer Ab Workout
March 11th, 2010 6:47 am
If your write a very good post that is the major way. I wrote a post once that got 6 comments yet i was getting 30 visitors a day. That said it worked out great because spinns featured the post.
Barbara Swafford
March 11th, 2010 8:02 am
Hi Darren,
I agree. Controversy can increase our comments, but it can also bring out those who want to shoot the messenger instead of only disagreeing with the message.
When I first started blogging I remember reading this was a great way to gain attention. I tried writing controversial posts, but quickly found out that wasn’t who I am. I’ve since settled into writing from my heart. Although I don’t get a ton of comments, those who do show up take the time to leave meaningful responses that not only make me think, but help my other readers as well. THAT, to me is more important than a high comment count.
George of Quick Money Online
March 12th, 2010 1:14 am
The other way to get people to comment on your blog is by commenting on other people’s blogs. To attract comments one has to add value when commenting on other blogs. People will also comment when they are reading something they were looking for, for me this has work when people visit my blog and found information they were searching for they automatically leave their comments. After one has comment I always follow up and read their blogs or article online and often leaving my comments that when others reading they are likely to check my blog
Bounce House
March 13th, 2010 2:52 am
I agree with many in that writing a blog with a claim or controversy will increase comments, but you may not want to clutter your blog with too many arguments and even hatism. It’s always nice to read other persons’ opinions but we should always stay focused on the main topic.
At the end, people will judge your blog by quality of contents not by number of posts.
Faiz Suberi
March 15th, 2010 4:09 pm
These tips are great. It will work but has to be done the right way. If not the article might come out somewhat controversial don’t you think?
Aglolink
March 16th, 2010 3:52 am
Applying your suggest, perhaps got luck!
popupbooster
March 17th, 2010 9:01 am
In order to make a bold statement, you need to have some expertise in order not to make a fool out of yourself.
drt
March 18th, 2010 11:02 am
After posting my last post and reading this post, I thought, may be I have to explicitly put down at the end of my post to ask those people whose lifes have been affected by Robert’s books on fighting high cholesterol and high blood pressure to leave a message to acknowledge his great work.
http://www.atanone.net/the-link-to-robert-e-kowalskis-book-is-broken/
Leesa Streed
March 22nd, 2010 9:21 pm
Appealing idea. I can find it be the outcome regardless not generally. I actually tend not to post but I wished to chime in this moment and let you know I enjoy the blog. It got very good layout but header fails to lign up anytime looked at on few portable smartphone. Have a great day
Daniel James
March 27th, 2010 10:38 am
To get comments you need presence on the Internet. Unfortunately I have exceptional posts but little presence on the search engines. I have tried every available technique possible with no result. I only wish I could find out what I am doing wrong. I have done SEO and completely rebuilt the HTML code.
I would like to be successfully online just like Darren. Not financial but in popularity because I enjoy helping people.
Because of the sites popularity it helps people share their thoughts on the subjects.
Thank you Darren for the insight
Daniel James
R.J.
March 27th, 2010 3:11 pm
I’m kind of lost to the purpose of attracting “lots of comments.” I assume everyone wants a lot of comments because comments equal more search engine content and page impressions. But if you’re just attracting self-serving “Good post!” types, I don’t think the content of the article matters all that much.
And if you allow that kind of commentary, then the people who enjoy reading comments, like me, get pretty turned off when every time they go to your comments section it is filled with that kind of garbage.
On the other hand, if you’re actually trying to attract a committed readership, surely there are better ways to do that than provoking readers through controversy?
Dan Fitchette
March 27th, 2010 8:21 pm
Thank you very much, I did really like the response to my thread, and post replies have been really awesome. It could have never been better. Even hiring someone for this could have never met the experience all posters here have, thanks for saving dollars and adding really good information to this post to make things really easy and workable for us. Thanks again and great work.
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey
April 4th, 2010 1:58 am
I read a comment above that controversy always increases the comments and that is so true. I mean look at Tiger woods and Sandra Bullock.
Whether you intentionally stir up controversy which in their case it wasn’t their intention, you’re always going to get strong opinions. This is food for thought and something for me to keep in mind in the future as I write articles.
Great article and thanks for sharing!
Kyle Webs
April 8th, 2010 7:33 am
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! I’ve been slacking a lot on my blog and these tips have given me some new ideas..
Also, use a website that doesn’t force readers to sign up to comment. I never read blogs that don’t allow comments. AND make sure readers can leave a url.
Those are just a couple tips I just thought of.
Lou
May 17th, 2010 3:41 pm
Great suggestions. Thanks for sharing with us. I’m going to work on being enticing and provocative now.
Mike Barie
May 20th, 2010 9:40 am
I even now could not realize some of one’s thoughts after examining this post. Saturday for me, undesirable morning, due to the fact yesterday I worked all time of day. great luck
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