A while ago our blog was in the same boat as many other blogger’s–posts, but no comments. If you look back at 2006 and into 2007, nada. No one responding, it seemed.
I’m thinking about this, because the wonderful Corrina Gordon-Barnes wrote in (by email, not in a comment :)) with this question:
Amazing Mark… A question for you:
When I write a blog post that resonates, I receive a lot of direct feedback from people via email, Facebook messages, texts, Twitter, etc. I LOVE to hear about their experiences and to know their perspectives on the topic, AND what they write is often so good it should be shared. (Plus as you can imagine, replying to each person individually can be pretty time-consuming!)
My ideal would be that the blog itself becomes a buzzing forum for this kind of feedback and that there’d be a sense of community and solidarity where people gain insight from each other as well as from my replies.
I notice that you have a ton of comments online and I’m wondering what top tips you might have for inspiring people to comment directly on the blog itself…
Thanks and with eager anticipation,
Corrina Gordon-Barnes
www.youinspireme.co.uk/blog
Well, I’m honored to be asked. The truth is, I’m astounded at how some of my friends and admired colleagues have many, many more comments than we receive. Like Havi, Chris Garrett, or Naomi Dunford for instance. Dozens and dozens of comments. Holy cow!
That said, I’m really touched by how many people do respond on the Heart of Business blog, and having gone from zero to what we have now, I do have a few things to say about it.
Comments Are On a Public Stage
So many people are absolutely thrilled and excited about the interconnectivity of social media. “It’s all about the conversation!” people gush. Well, yes, and…
How many conversations do you have while hundreds or thousands of people are listening in on your every word? Does the cold, creeping chill of stage fright shiver your spine at the thought? Don’t forget, public polls still report that people rank “speaking in public” as their number one fear.
It does help that writing online is one step removed from actually speaking on a stage. But not a lot. Unless your audience is made up of professional speakers or other people accustomed to presenting in public, then know people are shy.
It IS About Numbers
Whatever number of people read your blog, a certain percentage of them will want to comment. A certain small percentage. A certain tiny percentage. Get more numbers, and you’ll probably get more commentators.
People who tend to comment most are those:
- Who know me well from interactions in classes, are on our membership site [link: http://heartofbusiness.com], Twitter pals, or other bloggers I’ve commented on or emailed.
- Who are comfortable speaking or showing up in public.
- Who are actively wanting to network with me (I’m not saying they aren’t being genuine–they are. And, they want to show up in my space. I love them for it. 😉
- Who are, for reasons unknown, inspired to do so.
How many of these kinds of people hang around your blog?
The Four Things to Increase Comments
If you want more comments and community, then let me reiterate some things that top bloggers recommended over and over again.
1. Writing content that both attracts attention and creates intimacy. I really try to write how I talk. I try to open my heart and be vulnerable, as well as share my expertise. I’m not always as successful as I’d like. There is an approach that I use that helps.
2. Invite those closest to you, clients and colleagues, to your blog. Show up on their blogs. After you blog, send private emails (more emails!) or tweets to folks telling them you’d love to hear their insights.
3. Create a “culture of intimacy” on your blog. When someone emails you, invite them, if they feel comfortable, to repost their thought or question on the blog. Give them the link and instructions on how to do so right in the email. (Something I’ve only been moderately good at.)
As more people post questions on the blog, it will become more normal for others to do so.
4. Grow your readership to proportionally increase the numbers of people who like to comment.
You’ll Still (Hopefully) Get a Lot of Emails
It’s really tempting to prefer having conversations through comments and commenting simply because, in some cases, it’s easier. And having more comments definitely brings a sense of aliveness to your blog in a way that can really help.
However, don’t poo-poo those private emails. When someone reaches out to you through an email, instead of in public and on the stage in the comments of a blog, there is a chance for much deeper intimacy. There is a chance to really care and respond to that person.
And, in that connection, they just might feel safe enough to become a customer or client.
Being high touch with a business is time consuming for the business owner and feels amazing to the client. If you try to be too efficient, people can lose that feeling of being treated as special.
When someone feels special, truly seen, they are on their way to becoming a raving fan. And a raving fan is someone who will hire you and purchase from you, who will recommend you to others. Raving fans will, in general, include you in their trusted community, which is not only a great and humbling honor, but it also helps to expand the reach of your business.
While it’s possible to do that to some extent by receiving blog comments and replying to them, it does not contain the feeling of a private, one-on-one conversation. People have told me things in private emails that they would never post in a public space. And I’ve responded similarly.
I love people commenting on the blog. I’d love to see even more activity, with people meeting each other and learning from each other. And at Heart of Business, we cherish the private messages we receive by email and elsewhere.
I’m curious–if you have a blog that gets comments, what have you done to nurture that kind of online responsiveness?
