Top 5 Comment Tips for Bloggers

Do you love getting comments? Do you wish more people left comments? Here are some easy steps that bloggers can take to increase the amount of comments they get. While a few of these are aimed at bloggers on the Blogger (blogspot) platform, most of these are helpful for all Bloggers.

1. Turn OFF Word Verification Many people use word verification to cut out spam. It's not necessary. Quite often I do not leave a comment at all on a blog with word verification on because it's hard to decipher. If I do try to leave a comment and don't get the words correct on the first try then I just click away from that blog. Don't make it hard for people to leave comments! Turn off word verification and turn on comment moderation. Comment moderation gives you full control over which comments to publish. Tutorial on Blogger comment settings can be found here.

2. Leave Comments People will want to come see your blog if you leave them comments. Invite them to your blog or tell them something that might interest them. ie: I love this pumpkin recipe. Come check out the recipe I just posted for pumpkin cheesecake. You can even leave your blog/post URL in the comments.

3. Respond to Comments When people leave comments for you, respond to them. You can do this via email or responding to the comment itself. If you have your settings such that you get emailed when comments are published then you can just click reply to comment via email if they have their email enabled on their profile*. You can also go to the actual comment and click the reply link and respond to the comment. If they leave a comment inviting you to their blog, then go visit and leave a comment. *I'm getting feedback about bloggers who are No-Reply Bloggers. Please change your settings so that people can reply to your comments via email. Instructions here.

4. Ask for Comments Don't be shy! Ask for comments. You can even post a question at the end of your post to facilitate comments. ie: What are your favorite holiday traditions?

5. Follow The more exposure your blog has, the more readers you get, which means the potential for comments goes up. Not only should you follow someone's blog, but follow them via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or other ways they have listed on their blog. Leave them a comment letting them know you are a new follower. ie: I am now following you on Facebook & Twitter. Then interact with them beyond the blog.

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