Nobody likes to be the first one at the party. You have to sit their with the host breathing down your neck, trying to come up with some small-talk. And let’s face it, it’s just plain boring. But if there’s already a crowd there when you arrive, and they’re rockin’ the joint like there’s no tomorrow, then you’re ready to join the party.
Tired of that empty party-room at the end of your blog posts? Here are three tactics to kick-start your comments so your readers don’t have to worry about being the “first to arrive.”
Call For Back-up Assistance
If this is your very first blog and you’re just getting started, don’t panic. Comments will eventually come. But you can help speed up the process by “seeding” your blog with comments from your friends and family. Contact every one you know and ask them to visit and leave a comment.
Keep in mind, too, that most of your friends and family aren’t going to understand what you really need. You don’t want comments like, “Nice blog, honey. See you at dinner on Sunday.” And “Hey, dude! Cool blog!” won’t help either.
As everybody to read the blog post and ask a question or leave a comment relating their own personal experience. You want something that looks like a conversation. If they still don’t understand what you need, write it out and let them just copy and paste.
Contact Your Blogging Buddies
You’ll get better quality comments if you contact your blogging network and ask them to help you get a running start. Other bloggers already know how to leave comments that add value and they’ll appreciate the opportunity to drop a link.
Even after your blog starts getting lots of comment activity you still want to encourage those blogging buddies to stop by and join in the conversation.
Focus On Your Content
Honestly, you’re going to get comments eventually, so there’s really no need to worry. Contacting friends and family, and making sure they know how to leave the kind of comments you need, and then tracking down your blogging buddies all takes a lot of time. And that’s time that might be better spent working on your content.
Focus on creating killer content and include a call to action. A lot of visitors never even think about leaving a comment. Instead of just letting them leave your blog, tell them what you want them to do. Include a call to action at the end of each post that tells your readers to leave a comment.
You can help them along even more by giving them a reason to comment. Some folks just don’t think they have anything worthwhile to say, so ask them a question. When you go to a party and meet someone new you ask them a question to get the conversation started. Sometimes that’s all you need to do on your blog, too. Ask your readers a question and tell them to respond in the comments below.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!