5 Tips For Building An Engaged Blog Community
Engaged blogging communities scream, “Party!” to new readers.
Think about it; why do you visit a blog? Hip and happening, vibrant communities make readers feel like:
- They belong
- They’re being listened to
- They’re part of something special
Motivating your blog readers to comment builds social proof, inspires trust in your brand and makes blogging a bunch more fun.
Photo Credit: Flickr
Trust is the #1 blogging currency. Casual readers become engaged readers if they trust your blog. Engaged readers become brand advocates, or clients, or customers if you build a chatty community through each of your blog posts.
Ask for Comments Explicitly
Ask for comments at least twice in your posts. Asking for comments goads your readers to comment. Most people won’t share their thoughts unless they’re asked.
Many readers assume that if you don’t ask for comments as a blogger you’re not interested in receiving comments.
Being explicit and clear in crafting your comments call to action increases your blog engagement quickly.
Ask for comments. Do so by concluding your post with 1 or 2 questions.
Relevancy Counts
Ask relevant questions to boost blog engagement. I’ve read some blogs where bloggers punctuate each post with the same generic questions.
“What do you think?”
“What tips can you add?”
Asking generic questions elicits either generic comments or no comments. Put care into your questions.
For example, if I wrote a post about how to use twitter to drive blog traffic I’d ask questions like:
“What specific strategies can you share for driving blog traffic through Twitter?”…or…..
“What sweet tweeting tips can you add to this list?”
Asking specific, relevant questions inspires your readers to comment. Inspired commentators build your blogging community pronto.
Please Don’t Fall Asleep at the Wheel
Unless you’re Richard Branson or Bill Gates, respond to each comment on your blog. Readers need to see that you:
- Are listening
- Care
- Want to grow a community
Think of the average conversation; the chat continues if both sides engage. If one person ceases to chat, the engagement dies, and if this occurs frequently enough the relationship dies.
Respond to all comments on your blog within 24 hours. Chat. Engage. Gain trust.
Be a live body. Prove to your readers that you’re listening to their problems, hopes and dreams to build strong long term relationships with your community.
Return the Kind Act
Photo Credit: Flickr
Try this little tip to build an engaging blog community: click on a few of your blog commentator’s links to read their latest posts.
Post a thoughtful, in-depth comment on their latest post. More often than not many of these commentators will return to comment on your next post. Some folks may not be regular readers or subscribers but they’ll return every time after you comment on their latest post.
This is not so much a “1 for 1” strategy as it’s a token of your appreciation as well as a powerful community building strategy.
Put simply, becoming friends by supporting one another through commenting helps each party build their blogging communities. Give what you wish to receive.
Feature a Commentator
If you really want to build an engaging blog community feature one of your top commentators. Skilled commentators who are blogging authorities in their own right may even warrant a guest post invitation.
Feature a top commentator. Write a post detailing their blog, their products and their successes.
Shine a bright spotlight on engagers to boost blog engagement.
Your Turn
How do you build an engaged blog community?
What do you do to increase the number of comments on your blog?
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Written by Catherine Holt
Catherine Holt is the founder of Blogging Tips 101. She has been an internet marketer since 2012. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google and Pinterest.
Hi Catherine,
Great post. You know, it’s amazing how many people still think that if you don’t ask for people to comment, they won’t comment. I know it’s true but it’s still amazing that people need to be prompted.
Asking relevant questions to your readers to get them to engage is a really good thing to do. Your questions don’t have to be anything difficult, the examples you gave are sufficient enough.
“Try this little tip to build an engaging blog community: click on a few of your blog commentator’s links to read their latest posts.”
I’m so glad you mentioned this because this is something I do all the time and I find that this really helps with building engagement. And if the content they linked, or any other older posts on their site is relevant to things you know, then writing a comment is a good thing as well. This is something I do all the time.
Great tips here, Catherine. Hope you have an awesome week.
- Andrew
Sometimes people just need that little nudge to leave a comment, so having some prompts is never a bad thing! You also want to make sure that you ask relevant questions in order to have some kind of conversation occurring with your readers. If you ask a generalised question, then you will receive a generalised answer. You get what you put in so to speak!
If you can click on the links of those that leave comments, it is a great way of building a community. Of course this will not be possible 100% of the time, but if you have it as part of your strategy, it will certainly pay off for you.
Thanks for sharing your ideas with us Andrew
Hi Catherine,
Giving freely is the easiest way to receive. I figure that anything you want, give it away, let go from outcomes and you’ll receive what you wish to have with less and less effort.
If you want an engaged community help other bloggers build engaged communities by commenting, sharing their posts, chatting with bloggers thru email and by building friendships.
Go above and beyond on the commenting front. People notice. BOY do they ever notice
Really, I’ve been blessed to be featured on so many blogs in a short time but I didn’t set out to be noticed.
I set out to help other bloggers. That was my primary intent, and although I appreciate the traffic, and new readers, and all that good stuff, I simply want to make an impact, to help my fellow bloggers and to build strong bonds with authorities.
Thanks so much Catherine.
I’ll tweet through Triberr.
Signing off from paradise.
Ryan
It’s certainly true Ryan. The more you help others with their success, the more you will receive yourself. It’s a win win situation for all. By helping others with their community building, you have to comment and share their posts. As we discussed, this also then usually leads to reciprocal sharing and commenting. Everyone is happy and everyone’s community is building.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today Ryan
Hey Catherine
Great tips here. This is one thing I am trying to focus on right now. The asking questions is great–and like you said, relevant ones, not just something generic. I think answering comments is so important. I understand that some bloggers do not have the time to respond to each one based on the volume and other tasks required of them, but like you said, until you are a major hot shot in your niche it is probably a good idea to check in. There have been many times where I have commented on blogs with very few comments and never got a response. Naturally, I don’t take this personally but it does make me more likely to not bother leaving a comment again or even visit the site unless it really blew me away.
I agree Kelli….I think twice about leaving a comment on those blogs that havn’t responded to me too. Giving a reply just shows that you have appreciated the comment provided and encourages further conversation. If you don’t give your readers the time and attention that they deserve, why on earth would you expect them to return?
Like you said…unless you are in the hot shot blogging spot….it’s a good idea to spend a few minutes and reply to all of your comments. This is one of the best ways of building an engaged community.
I appreciate you sharing here Kelli…have an awesome week.
Great article and spot on with each tip. A commented blog truly does feel more inviting and is also more likely to generate further comments. I started mine at the beginning of the year, and still have a hard time getting many more than 5-10 comments + my responses. But that’s still better than 0! Something to work on for sure.
I also agree that commenting back (unless you’re overrun by 100s of comments (what a nice problem that would be)) is very important. One thing you mention is noticing a top follower, that’s something I haven’t done, and it probably doesn’t make much sense to do now, but is a great idea for the future.
Along those lines, a fellow blogger Enstine Muki has a plug-in that totals the comments of each reader and sends a mail at the end of the month + he creates a “report” post giving thanks. It seems to further inspire readers to comment the following month in a race to become the top comment writer. Pretty cool idea I think, check it out: http://enstinemuki.com/august-report/
Thanks again for the nice article, happy to have found it (via Kelli).
Take care,
Zac
Everyone has to start somewhere Zachary, so be positive with your 5-10 comments. The fact that you are getting comments is a good sign…there are so many blogs that struggle to receive one or two! It sounds like you are doing all the right things to move your blog forward and engage with your readers, so I’m sure it wont be long until you see those comment numbers rise!
It’s great when you receive that email from Enstine, and your right, it does help readers feel involved with the blog. It’s certainly something to consider if you want to drive that interaction with your readers.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today. Have an awesome week!
Catherine,
I’m happy to be a part of the party on your blog! I always love the things I read here and this post is no exception. I never thought of asking for comments in the middle of the post, I just ask at the end, but that’s a great idea, thanks!
I definitely agree with you on asking a specific question, too, although I’m not always the best about that. We do the best we can. But it totally makes a difference, you’re right.
Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned with me!
Brittany
Love having you partying on the blog too Brittany
It’s always worth experimenting with your blog to see what works well for you and your readers. If you try something and it doesn’t quite give the results you were expecting, what have you lost? Not a great deal!!
If you havn’t ever asked questions in your posts before, give it a try and see what happens. Also try and ask those specific questions and watch whether this increases the engagement. Most importantly…..have a bit of fun with it!
So pleased you loved this post Brittany, and thanks for sharing with us
Hi Catherine,
Party!!!! I love a good party. You are so right about comments and social validation. I have been really blessed with comments on my site and it has helped me tremendously both online and offline. The credibility and validation has helped me grow my business time and time again.
I always ask for a comment at the end of the article. But it’s kinda funny, I never thought to put it in the body somewhere. That’s a great idea!!!!
I also like the idea of asking a specific question to illicit comments. I can see where this would be a really beneficial strategy to get things going.
One of the things I’ve been debating doing is inviting a weekly or bi-weekly writer to contribute a guest post on my site. I don’t put myself out there to guest post on other sites. I think if someone really likes what I’m doing or they think I can benefit their audience they will invite me. But I don’t solicit. I’m pretty busy with consulting and coaching and with all my public speaking opportunities on top of my daily online activities.
It just goes to show you, we don’t know it all and I’m so thankful to be following people such as yourself that can keep teaching me something new. I learn something every time I visit your blog!!!!!
Thank you so much!!!
~ Don Purdum
It’s funny how we often ask questions at the end of our posts, but we think twice about asking them during the body of the post. I don’t always do it myself, and of course it has to be in context, but it’s certainly a new strategy worth trying.
I think your regular guest poster is a great idea Don. It’s actually something I am starting on one of my sites, where I have 4 guest posters lined up to do one post each a month, so basically one post a week is taken care of. It’s great as it means that it is one less post you have to write meaning you can free up your time, but it also provides some fresh ideas on the site and also a new audience. It takes a bit of work to get up and running, but I think the benefits far outweigh this.
Thanks so much for your positive feedback about my site Don…I really appreciate you taking the time to leave thoughtful comments too
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