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Aug 5, 2020

Five Ways to Get More Comments on Your Blog Posts



you know that post that you spent hours writing and taking awesome photos for and now you're anxiously waiting for those comments that just aren't coming?  we've all been there.

let's be real...we all want more comments on our blog posts!  comments show that you not only have readers, but those readers also think your blog or content is good enough to take the time to comment on what you've written.  in the midst of a sea of blogs (and lots of great content), it can be tough to get people to read, let alone engage, with your posts.

so besides the obvious (writing awesome content, posting fantastic photos, promoting like it's your job...), here are some practical ways to get your readers to engage more:

1. ask a question // end your posts with a relevant question!  posting about your favorite drink order at starbucks?  ask your readers what they typically order!  give your reader a reason to comment, and help them engage and enter the conversation with you as they respond to your question.

2. respond to comments // think of comments as a conversation:  if someone takes the time to read your post and then comment on it, shouldn't you want to carry on that conversation by responding?  i love getting an email saying that a blogger responded to my comment on their site, and i love when those comment trains actually do turn into a conversation!  i'm much more excited about commenting on a blog when i see that the author has responded to other comments and engaged with their readers!

3. utilize a comment moderator like disqus // it took me a while to make the switch to using disqus on my blog and i so wish i had done it earlier!  disqus is pretty common, so most people in the blogging world at least have an account as a commenter.  setting it up on your blog is incredibly easy and they'll import all of the comments you already have into disqus for you!  what makes disqus so great?  it's an incredibly efficient way of monitoring comments, keeping everything streamlined on your blog, emailing you when you get a comment, and emailing a reader when you respond to their comments!

4. comment on other blogs // if you're a blogger (and i'm going to assume you are since you're reading this), then chances are you have a few blogs that you read regularly.  my philosophy is that if i can take a few minutes to read someone's post, then i might as well take the thirty seconds to type out a response.  commenting on other blogs will make it more likely the writers of those blogs will stop by your site and leave some love back!

5. make it easy! // this is probably the best advice i can give you...make commenting on your blog easy for people!  you know that captcha code you have turned on?  or that little box i need to check to prove i'm not a robot?  ditch it, please!  call me lazy, but those "i promise i'm not spam" safeguards can make or break you getting a comment from me.  here's the reality:  if you're just using the standard comment moderator that is offered by blogger or wordpress, it should still filter most spam even without a captcha code being turned on.  and if it's not cutting it for you, then use a third-party plug in like disqus, which is much more sentient when it comes to filtering spam.

what do you think?  do you have anything to add to this list?  do you do anything special to engage readers with your posts?

want more blogging tips?  check out some of the other posts in my blogging series here:

96 comments:

  1. LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Thanks for sharing, Betsy!

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  2. I completely agree with all of these! Great tips. Responding to comments and making it easy to comment are two of my biggest things!

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  3. Great tips! I found that once I left a question and started regularly engaging with other bloggers, I was getting more comments. It can feel like a lot of work, but it makes it all worth while when you get a discussion going

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  4. Great tips! Tip number 5 is so important! I recently learned that having google+ comments on my blog was preventing everyone who wasn't on google+ from commenting, so I was getting plenty of traffic but no comments. Such a fool. But it's all fixed now.

    http://lilhm.blogspot.co.uk

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  5. totally agreed with #5...hate those stupid boxes!

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  6. I agree with every single one of these! Especially about responding to someone's comment on your post. I think that's really important. I know if I have been commenting on tons of posts on a certain person's blog, and they never seem to respond then it makes me a lot less likely to continue to comment

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  7. these are great tips, especially #5! i disagree with 3 though because disqus hardly EVER works for me (i always have to refresh because it doesn't load) and i have several friends that feel the same way. i love commentluv on WP though! either way, comment moderators are very important.

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  8. This is awesome, I always love your blogging tips! I have a question about Disqus.... do you still get no-reply commenters or is that pretty much fixed with Disqus? And then let's say someone who is not a blogger wants to comment... do they have to "sign up" to get Disqus?

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  9. LOVE this!! I used to ask a few questions to my readers at the end of my blog posts and then I stopped for some reason. I am going to start asking a questions or 2 again. Thank you for this! I am in love with all your blogging tips :)

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  10. Making it easy is a big one. I don't like to comment on sites that you have to jump through hoops to leave your thoughts.

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  11. I tried Disqus but it kept messing up on my blog. I really wanted it too. I always try to respond to my comments.

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  12. I love this- such a good reminder! I think making it easy is the best tip out there- we typically discourage all our commenters while discouraging spam :(

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  13. Very good tips, and I agree with all of them! I need to get Disqus back on my blog. I used to have it but it went all kinds of wonky so I removed it. I'm sure they've made improvements to it by now...

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  14. Great tips! I especially agree on the last one! Although.. people have been complaining about how slow disqus loads...

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  15. All wonderful tips! I have run into a few newer blogs that still have their captcha on and I always wonder if I should say something to them. I have never tried disqus, I used to use intense debate. I might give it a try!

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  16. Such good tips! Leaving a question at the bottom of a post always results in more activity for me. And YES to the robot box. Get rid of that mess!

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  17. I love disquis. It makes responding to comments so much easier. Great tips!

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  18. These are some great tips! Leaving comments on others' blogs is one of the best ways I've found to receive comments on my blog (and to make friends!)

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  19. These are so great and exactly what I needed. I am a freelance writer, but new to the blogging world and I am so grateful that you posted this. Thank you x a million!

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  20. Great tips! I've been debating changing my commenting layout.... Disqus it is! Thanks for the info!

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  21. You're welcome! (and welcome to the world of blogging!) :)

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  22. Right?! I hate when that little captcha box pops up...pet peeve! haha

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  23. i definitely had that captcha code on when i first started....i guess i thought i'd get sooo much spam...haha. i'd rather see that my comment needs to be approved than have to fill one of those out! i get a fair amount of spam now, but even the blogger comment moderator caught most of it!

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  24. yeah, i feel like i've heard a lot of complaining about that lately, but i never notice it...hmmmmm

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  25. i love it! i hear mixed reviews, but i really have never had an issue!

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  26. sad! i hear a lot of mixed reviews about it, but i have nothing but positive things to say! i think responding to your comments is a HUGE thing you can do to boost interaction on your blog!

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  27. awe thanks girl! the no-reply thing is pretty much fixed...people can simply log-in with Facebook or twitter (or sign up with email), and then they're notified of your response...i think there is an option to comment as a guest as well, but i don't see much of that! and they get your reply whether you respond via email or right from your blog page

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  28. additionally, i don't know too many people who are avid blog readers/commenters who have never logged into disqus in some way...it's pretty streamlined and a very common plug-in, which is why i chose it over other options

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  29. I couldn't agree more! its a total turn-off when someone doesn't engage back if i've left a really thoughtful comment. i totally understand someone not responding if all i've said is "good post!", but as a blogger who likes to get more engaging comments, i try to make sure to return the favor and leave real comments on other's posts!

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  30. ah...that is so tricky! glad you caught that and got it fixed...blogs can be sneaky like that! haha

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  31. thanks girl! i feel like those are the top 2 pieces of advice i can give...respond and make it easy!

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  32. i couldn't agree more! it's so important to engage with other bloggers and show them that you a) took the time to read their post and b) have something to say about it!

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  33. me too!! it's an awesome tool and i am SO glad i made the switch to using it!!

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  34. amen! so well-said....and the reality is that even the built-in comment filter is probably strong enough to catch most of the spam you'll get, so the whole captcha thing isn't really even necessary!

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  35. thanks! i try to always ask a question...it helps people get involved in your post who might not otherwise comment!

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  36. oh, so sorry you haven't had a good experience with disqus! did you have to refresh on this post? If you did, I'm sorry!! i've heard such mixed reviews about it, but i have had an awesome experience!

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  37. you're totally right, it can feel like work! but if you like blogging, then it's totally worth it :)

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  38. You nailed it with this list! I always try to respond to my comments because I want my readers to come back :) I also comment on lots of blogs when I can!

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  39. You hit the nail on the head with this blog post for sure -those are the tips I'd give people too if they wanted to grow their blog a bit more (esp with commenting).

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  40. Great advice. Making it easy is key. I hate capcha with a passion.

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  41. amen girlfriend! so do i...readers don't need to work to comment on your blog!

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  42. awe thanks chelsea! me too...i always want my readers to know that i appreciate them taking the time to read and comment!

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  43. so so so true! i want my posts to spark conversation, and asking questions and replying to comments is a huge part of that! plus, isn't meeting new blogging friends the best?! it such a fun community to be a part of!

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  44. I hatttteeeee capcha! When will people catch on that it isn't cool!? Also. I always ask questions and then all my comments never have anything to do with it. Oh well. I will take what I can I guess!

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  45. I love disqus! It makes commenting and interacting so much easier!

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  46. I have to agree with you there! Easy commenting like Disqus makes it a quick process to leave some love! Great advice! <3

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  47. i couldn't agree more! i love when commenting is made easy :)

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  48. me too! i think its an awesome plug-in!

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  49. Seriously! Haha...I definitely used it when I was first starting out, but took it off pretty quickly...I think some bloggers don't realize how good spam filters actually can be...I rarely have spam slip through! I don't always get people responding to my questions either, but hey, it doesn't hurt!

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  50. I think I'm going to switch to Disqus soon too - it really is easiest. I'm all about #5 - especially when I can't even read what the captcha is... takes me longer to figure it out than it did to type my comment! and the 'please check the box' error when I didn't notice it... annoying!

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  51. I could agree more, I get so annoyed and usually leave if I have to be asked one more time to enter some characters which half the time I can't even read

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  52. This is a really great post! I think ending with a question is a great way to get more interaction.

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  53. Always fantastic tips and things I do most of the time. When I have time. I don't like it when I do leave comments and no one every replies.

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  54. agreed! it definitely takes time to get around and comment, (and especially to leave thoughtful comments!), but it's so worth it!

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  55. it's the worst when you can't read them! haha

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  56. I love how streamlined it is! it's so nice to be able to reply to people's comments and have that response emailed to them! i agree with you about the box...i NEVER see it and the pop-up is so annoying! haha

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  57. Such a great post full of tips. I think interaction on blogs is so important and a great way to introduce yourself to the community.

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  58. totally agree! it's super important to engage!

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  59. Those are great tips. I try to respond to comments but I need to get better at doing it for every one.

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  60. thanks Karissa! it definitely takes time, but is completely worth it! i don't necessarily respond to every comment, but getting into the habit of responding in general is helpful in my opinion!

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  61. glad that these types of practices work for you! they've been instrumental in helping me increase interaction on my blog

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  62. thanks neely! i agree...gotta give your readers an easy way to respond!

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  63. These are some great tips! I try to, but sometimes it's so hard to respond to every single comment.

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  64. great tips! i definitely agree about replying to comments, especially when people ask a question. i hate when i've left questions for bloggers and never hear back!

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  65. Great tips! I agree with all of the above. I try to make sure I respond when there is a question.

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  66. i totally agree...i think you're awesome at responding! i love getting those emails that say you've responded to my comment :)

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  67. you're totally right...it can be really time consuming!

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  68. No.5 is so true the amount of blogs host on blogger I just don't comment on because of the silly captcha code that's to difficult to work out :-)

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  69. right...and it's so easy to take that off! its really not super necessary...

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  70. thanks girl! that's an awesome habit to get into...it's especially important to answer your readers' questions if they took the time to ask!

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  71. great suggestions! i love comments! they are my fav!

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  72. Oh I'm so glad you like those! I always wonder if they're obnoxious. I'm behind on responding to comments so I find it ironic that I'm even saying anything about it, ha!

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  73. ha...well for the record, when i published this post, i thought "oh shoot! i better be extra good with responding to comments now!' haha...we're all human and it takes time to do it, so i always try to give myself some slack :)

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  74. These are all really great tips. I don't know that I'd use Disqus though. I enjoy it as a blogger going to comment but I want to allow anyone (without registration) to comment on my blog. :)

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  75. I love commenting on disqus because you don't have to enter any of your details and it just goes straight through without reloading the page, so I was super keen to install it on my own blog!


    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  76. Disqus is really wonderful I completely agree… Also I just love the format of it. I'm guilty of giggle at a post or thinking "Amen!" but never pass that on to the writer.


    Pay it forward people!!


    www.ohheyblog.com

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  77. Same here! I love that once you're logged into it on one blog, you're logged in on any blog that uses it!

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  78. that's a good point. I suppose I could be missing out on comments from people who don't have an account, but I feel like most bloggers/readers find logging into it really easy since you can use a social media account to log in. It's been a while since I had to log-in, but I don't remember it being much more work than most wordpress blogs require with typing name/email/blog url. There's definitely pros and cons to all comment moderators! ...as a blogger, I love how streamlined and easy it is to respond to comments!

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  79. I totally agree with turning off the Captcha code!!! I think a lot of bloggers don't realize it's even on. I didn't on my blog until I read another blog post about it, then I immediately turned it off.

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  80. Perhaps someone else already asked this, but this is my question: How do you get people to comment on your actual post, rather than the link you share on Facebook? Everyone leaves a comment on the post where I link to my blog on FB, but not on my site. Does this bother you or should I get over it? :)

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  81. yes! i totally hear that....i've gotten much more intentional about taking that "amen!" and typing it out! :)

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  82. same here! when i realized it was there, i left it on for a while because i thought i needed it...but the reality is that it's probably not as necessary as you would think...most comment moderators have a pretty good spam filter!

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  83. thanks kerrin! me too...getting comments is great!

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  84. Hey Carissa! I honestly don't really have that issue...I find that I don't get a whole lot of interaction on my Facebook page....I don't really know why that is! I'd maybe suggest posting a small excerpt, like a really great quote or something, from your post, that gets readers to come to your blog. But if you're getting a lot of interaction on Facebook, I'd count that as a win!

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  85. Yep! Asking a question and turning off captcha (or that little box or whatever) usually works for increasing comments. I HATE captcha and the little box, a blogger has to be someone really special for me to put up with that.

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  86. totally agree ashley! i hate seeing that box pop up!

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  87. Codie Louise AustinAugust 24, 2020 at 7:20 AM

    I really appreciate ease of commenting. If I have to be linked through to a registration page for one comment, I often won't bother, so that's something I considered when building my website :)

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  88. I'm just starting to take blogging seriously and I appreciated your post because I just don't know this stuff ... yet. :) Thank you.

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  89. Betsy, this post was super helpful! So I just had to leave a comment and let you know! ;) I so appreciate the time that you put into these "blogging help" posts!!! I am a smaller but growing blog and am looking for ways to increase interaction and a sense of community! :)

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  90. Captcha! Ugh I always have to do it like 3 times too! Thank you for voicing your opinion on those too! I liked all your points, I feel like as bloggers we probably only use one or two of these but having them all in one place is useful! ;)

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Hi! Thanks for reading! I read every comment posted here. Your thoughts are valuable to me! Thanks for taking the time to contribute!

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