Photo by Tamelyn Feinstein

Comments – bloggers lust after them.  They make our day, and many times, it’s what we use to measure the “success” of a post.

But they can be hard to get, can’t they?

This may sound obvious, but a post won’t generate a lot of comments unless it’s a comment-worthy post.  And a blog that doesn’t publish a ton of comment-worthy posts tends to hear the crickets in the audience more than they’d like.

Does this sound like something you struggle with?  Here’s a few ideas to maybe generate more comments from your readers:

1.  Respond to the comments you do get. Even if you just get one or two, reply to every single one in the beginning.  This will show readers you want to interact, and it’ll be more of an incentive to them.

2.  Go to your commenter’s blogs, and leave comments there. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  They’ll appreciate it, and will probably be more likely to comment on your blog again.  This might start a blogging relationship, which could lead to a wider audience, and therefore – more comments.

3.  Answer their questions in a post. Many times this acts as double-duty, because it also generates another post idea for you.  Everyone loves to see their name in writing, and it’s icing on the cake if it’s linked back to their blog.  It’s also good practice to ask them via e-mail first if they’d mind youranswering their question in a post.

4.  Be humble in your post. If you sound like you know everything about everything, people aren’t as motivated to comment.  They might be afraid of a snarky response from you, or they might just not want to waste their time conversing with someone high-and-mighty.  Don’t be afraid to share mistakes, weaknesses, or uncertainty.  Don’t be afraid of the words “I don’t know.”

Photo by Rick Audet

5.  Ask questions, especially in the end. I end almost all my posts on Simple Mom with a question posed to the readers.  Many times, answering that question is specifically what the comments are about.

6.  Assume (in a light-hearted way) that you will get comments. Follow up your ending question with a phrase like, “I look forward to reading your answers in the comments section below,” or “I’ll see you in the comments section.”  It’s like inviting your readers to a discussion.

7.  Make it easy to comment. When a blog has a million hoops to jump through in order for my comment to register, I lose motivation to bother posting.  Make your comment form clear and simple, and if it’s possible, have the option for a reader to select their info to be remembered.  And if you have a blog with blogger, please enable non-blogger readers to comment without having to register for a blogger account.

8.  Use Wordpress plug-ins. If you have a Wordpress.org blog, there are a few plug-ins that encourage more comments.  Comment Luv allows commenters to leave a link to their last post on their blog, and Comment Relish automatically generates a thank you e-mail (that you write) to first-time commenters.  Easy Gravatars publishes commenters’ photos (if they’ve set them up with Gravatar), which helps establish a more personal feel.

9.  Be a bit open-ended. Don’t write absolutely everything you can on your post’s topic.  Let your readers pick up in the comments section – they can add ideas, stories of their personal experience, or maybe an opposing opinion.

10.  Write about things people want to comment on. Look at your past posts, and find the posts that have generated the most comments.  What do they have in common?  If you see a common thread, pull on it, and replicate.  It might generate more comments again.