I've read a study that 90% of Internet users are just lurkers, people who float around from site to site and don't really participate with comments on blogs or posts on forums. Out of the rest, 9% interact only a little, while just 1% of all users are active participants in the Internet community. This means that if you run a small blog and aren't getting very many comments from your readers then you shouldn't find it all that unusual. However, there are ways to increase the interaction between yourself and your readers with just a few simple tips.
Write About Controversial Topics
If you write about topics that everyone has an opinion about then your readers are more likely to voice theirs. If you write about a controversial topic and voice your opinion a little too strongly you can put off a lot of readers, so use this method with caution.
Posting Frequency
If you write fewer articles then you are going to get more discussion on each one that you do write. If you post 3-5 times a day then readers are less likely to read every article and will think that any comment they do post will go unnoticed with new visitors reading the newer posts. Posting frequently has a lot of other benefits, but generating discussion isn't one of them.
Comment Yourself
If you aren't posting your own comments in the comment section, then why would your readers? If they ask a question, answer it. If they make a good point, make sure to give them a thank you. Another related item is to comment on other sites. You won't see all of the other blog owners visiting your site and posting comments, but some of them do and you can get a lot of traffic from cross promoting each other via the comment section.
Ask Questions
If you ask a question then you are going to get some readers who feel compelled to answer them. Using the questions in your headline seems to be particularly effective. Even if you just add a "what do you think" to the end of your post, it tends to encourage discussion.
Link Out
When you link to other blogs it shows up on their dashboards. If you link out and visitors are clicking through it will show up in their stats. A lot of those webmasters will stop by your blog wondering what you said about their site and why people are clicking through. If you say something negative, they might decide to try and defend themselves in the comments section and if it's something positive, they might want to give you their thanks. This is also a good practice if you are referring your visitors to other worthwhile posts, they'll love it and won't leave your site for good, but come back and look at you as an authority. Plus, if you link to other sites then there is a good chance they will link back at some point.
Share and Enjoy:
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
How To Get More Comments On Your Blog
I've read a study that 90% of Internet users are just lurkers, people who float around from site to site and don't really participate with comments on blogs or posts on forums. Out of the rest, 9% interact only a little, while just 1% of all users are active participants in the Internet community. This means that if you run a small blog and aren't getting very many comments from your readers then you shouldn't find it all that unusual. However, there are ways to increase the interaction between yourself and your readers with just a few simple tips.
Write About Controversial Topics
If you write about topics that everyone has an opinion about then your readers are more likely to voice theirs. If you write about a controversial topic and voice your opinion a little too strongly you can put off a lot of readers, so use this method with caution.
Posting Frequency
If you write fewer articles then you are going to get more discussion on each one that you do write. If you post 3-5 times a day then readers are less likely to read every article and will think that any comment they do post will go unnoticed with new visitors reading the newer posts. Posting frequently has a lot of other benefits, but generating discussion isn't one of them.
Comment Yourself
If you aren't posting your own comments in the comment section, then why would your readers? If they ask a question, answer it. If they make a good point, make sure to give them a thank you. Another related item is to comment on other sites. You won't see all of the other blog owners visiting your site and posting comments, but some of them do and you can get a lot of traffic from cross promoting each other via the comment section.
Ask Questions
If you ask a question then you are going to get some readers who feel compelled to answer them. Using the questions in your headline seems to be particularly effective. Even if you just add a "what do you think" to the end of your post, it tends to encourage discussion.
Link Out
When you link to other blogs it shows up on their dashboards. If you link out and visitors are clicking through it will show up in their stats. A lot of those webmasters will stop by your blog wondering what you said about their site and why people are clicking through. If you say something negative, they might decide to try and defend themselves in the comments section and if it's something positive, they might want to give you their thanks. This is also a good practice if you are referring your visitors to other worthwhile posts, they'll love it and won't leave your site for good, but come back and look at you as an authority. Plus, if you link to other sites then there is a good chance they will link back at some point.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: