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6 Ways To Get More Comments and RSS Subscribers
September 29, 2008
Blogs to me are a 2 way platform for conversation between the reader and the Author of the given blog. Being able to comment on an article is not exactly what separates blogs from Websites, but it certainly has a lot to do with it.
Comments and the number of legit subscribers, can tell a lot about the blog you’re on. It gives you a sense of the popularity of the blog — traffic, PageRank, and Alexa and Compete ranks have nothing to do with it.
Not that Alexa is very important, but if you have an Alexa rank of 50,000 and under, then you have some mean traffic coming your way.
But does it mean anything? I’ve seen blogs with such ranks and when I take a look at the comment section I see tumbleweeds, tumbling along like there’s no tomorrow.
So much traffic, yet no interaction in the comment section — what’s going on?
There’s no community
Recently, I wrote about how to build a community on your blog. In that post I highlighted a few bloggers that have smaller amounts of traffic than that of an Alexa rank of under 50,000, yet they have tons of interaction in their comment section.
The problem with the blogs that I mentioned have tumbleweeds tumbling along, is that they are receiving temporary traffic — meaning the traffic shows up and never comes back. I really don’t know the why of this, because so much traffic should get at least a decent amount of comments — but that’s not the case.
What are they doing wrong?
I don’t think it has to with what they’re doing but what they’re not doing. And what they’re not doing is building a community. No community means little returning visitors. If you’re receiving 60,000 uniques a month, that might attract advertisers, but that does not make the comment section look very pretty in most cases. I’d prefer, on the other hand, 15,000 return visits.
If that were the case, I’d care less how much traffic the other blogs receive — my blog would kick their ass due to all the interaction I’d be getting. I’d get more comments and subscribers, and in turn a better community feel.
Advertisers would soon realize that advertising on my blog would benefit them more, because of my loyal following. My readers (return visitors), being they’re always commenting and interacting, are more likely to spend, join, or click through to a site I recommend more than a unique visitor.
So let’s cut to the chase. Here’s how you can get more comments and RSS subscribers for your blog
- Guest blogging – I wrote about guest blogging a while back and how it can benefit you. When you guest blog you get to include a link back to your site, and in most cases they let you include 2 links. I highly recommend making one of those links your feed — the other, obviously . . . your blog. As long as these blogs are of high traffic and relevant to yours, you WILL see a huge improvement in your comment section and RSS subscriptions.
- Return the love – the best way to get loyal readers that will comment and subscribe is to return the favor to those that already do comment on your blog. Whoever is nice enough to leave a comment on your blog, be just as nice and leave a comment on theirs. Be consistent, and the majority of the time you’ll become each others loyal readers.
- Let them know you subscribed – this might sound weird or funny even, but it works. Those same people you return the love to, let them know you subscribed. And most likely, they will too — it’s worked for me several times.
- Leverage social bookmarking sites – another way you can get more comments and RSS subscribers is by leveraging social bookmarking sites. You do this by, again, returning favors. Only this time you trade diggs, stumbles, or whatever the name is for voting up a post on your bookmarking site for comments.
- Throw a bribe their way – this is a great way to gain RSS subscribers. You can offer a free ebook, membership, or newsletter. The options are endless — be creative. Besides who doesn’t like freebies?
- Run contests – contests are the best way to get traffic, comments, and subscribers. Why? Because it’s your contest so you make the rules. Simply tell people they have to comment on whatever posts you want them to over a certain period of time, vote certain posts up on social bookmarking sites, and subscribe to your blog in order to qualify for the contest or be in the contest. This works like a charm.
You can also have them write about the contest and link to it with your preferred anchor text — great way to build links. When it comes to contests the options are endless — I even saw someone ask, along with a number of things, to be sent an email wishing them a happy birthday.
Why you WANT to do this
Using these tips consistently will increase the amount of comments and RSS subscribers your blog receives. In effect, increasing your blog’s popularity.
Getting comments and RSS subscribers is really what you want to focus on to grow your blog. These are the things that make a blog seem alive and make them seem like there’s a community. This in turn makes it easier to get comments and subscribers. For one, if a person sees a lot of comments on a post, they are usually impressed.
Once you get a lot of subscribers you can start displaying your reader count and be a showboat. Advertising that you have lots of readers will in turn bring more readers.
In a nutshell, these 6 tips set off a chain reaction in the long run that continues to grow and grow. Eventually, you won’t have a need to do the less important ones.
Of course, you need quality content, but that alone doesn’t always do the trick.
What do you have to say about all this?
What other tactics do you use to increase the level of commenting and the amount of subscribers your blog receives? Please, enlighten us in the comment section.
I am not really sure about bribing for subscribing… I am bit tired of “Subscribe now to win this awesome 5 bucks and don’t you dare to unsubscribe later!”. Such tactics make blogger look like he is at cold war state with his readers.
Interacting with fellow bloggers works… But I know maybe dozen other bloggers who are subscribed (or simply make regular visits) to me and I have over 130 total subscribers. With more subscribers difference between bloggers and silent regualr readers is going to be even greater.
I guess my tactic for gaining subscribers is making it very easy to subscribe (well positioned and visible links) and letting readers decide if they want to.
I definitely know what you mean. I don’t use the “bribing” method here, but I’ve heard from several close friends who use it that it works wonders for their subscriptions — however, I see your point.
I’ve tried making it obvious to subscribe before, and I’m to the point where I can’t make it any more obvious than it is, without messing with the integrity of this blog
But it’s definitely a method, that if not already applied, can improve subscriptions. I noticed it when I applied it to this blog by placing the call-to-action banner after the post.
Glad to see you drop by again Rarst!
>Glad to see you drop by again Rarst!
Tactics 3, I am subscribed.
Good tips Louis. When I have time to do something besides get a post up (five minutes before I start snoring), I’ll implement.
Good stuff, Louis. I am a subscriber also, LOL!
Seriously, I haven’t been very successful at developing a community around my major blog with is on real estate investing, but I think the market is different. I didn’t notice this until I started building my personal site that is for Internet Marketers.
What is the difference? It seems like my readership in real estate investing are not as savvy about RSS, commenting, and community as the readers of Internet marketing sites. I find that I have to educate my readers of the real estate investing constantly about how and what these terms are. For instance, we posted a video on What is RSS and it gets a lot of views. That site has almost 400 subscribers, but they don’t really participate in the community. This is newer as well and I am sure it is going to change over time as I get more savvy internet readers.
On the other hand, I have about 10 readers on my personal Internet marketing site and they participate like crazy. Well, like crazy in comparison to there are only 10 readers. LOL!
Anyway, I think the markets you are talking to has something to do with it. Either way, you participating, encouraging, and interacting with the commentors seems to be a very big plus.
Cool post but I think the psychological element seems to work in other words Problogger can get 600 comments and people to basically do anything he wants.
Why is that? Because one the people are getting “something” out of it and they like the guy just like I do.
The “snob” role used to work where the person never visits anyone’s blog and acts all elite but people are getting tired of that.Verified by their stats…
I still feel like an “outsider” my stats are improving but sadly I think that you have to pass that threshold of notoriety then it becomes like a HURRICANE.
But we are coming into shore.People don’t worry about a storm until it’s right
up on them. It’s coming Luis. I bet by Christmas you will have all kinds on people
on your jock. Sadly it will be the snobs that ignored you/us today.
That’s ok cause someone is getting out of my seat.
If you look at the TOP 100 on Technocrati you will see that the competition is
lame,stale and vulnerable,Let’s blast those fools…..
Great post and timely like always Are you a psychic?
Another great list of tips here, Luis. I’m very aware of how “returning the love” via cross commenting works…it’s what has my blog popping right now. I, however, never gave much of a thought on how to bump up the amount of subscribers. I’m going to try out a few of your suggestions to see how it pans out.
I am also thinking about having a few contests to try to get some more readers. Hopefully they don’t just enter and then abandon the blog after they win or either don’t win (which will be most of them).
I don’t participate in other contests myself, because I don’t want to have to post about a contest on my blog – I feel that this interferes with and interrupts the flow and subject matter of my blog. i would imagine that there are other bloggers out there who feel the same. But I will try it and see what the response is on the other end.
Once again, great, informative post!
Great tips friend. I’ll definitely keep these advices in mind!
That’s good Idea, I will definitely implement
All good tips and as you said each cascades toward your goals. The one on social bookmarking may be the easiest for the newer bloggers. Find people with like interests and build a network. Some of the others do require skill you may not have, like writing an e-book, or require a time investment & commitment, like newsletter. Still no guarantee the subscribers will become regulars. They may just take the freebie and run unless you do attach strings, then it becomes ‘cold’. Others require ‘luck’ in getting a guest post on the right blog with enough readers who see your blog as complementary or just what they’ve been looking for!
On the idea of returning comments, if I don’t really find anything to comment on in the person’s blog, I at least send them a private message with any recommended improvements, a favorite article related to their subject, etc. This way I reciprocate different ways. Same thing when I see a new visitor, I visit their blog.
As noted above, most of our readers know exactly what the RSS icon is, and where it is. I see bloggers littering the page with opportunities to subscribe — I even tried reminding folks at the end of a few posts! It’s overkill. I’m not sure your most engaged readers will be those who subscribe because you subscribed. In that respect, I think content is more important, your blog has to strike a chord to make them want to come back and actually leave a comment.
Good tips. I was curious about the legitimacy of bribing comments out of your readers by having a contest, or something of the sort. I assume that once the contest is over-participation would wane. Unless of course you can get enough comments to entice others to comment as well.
I would agree with your tips and enjoy building my blog readership and community by asking for reader input. I do have to scratch my head when other blogs seem to gain a huge RSS subscriber base in just a matter of a few months, while others who seem to be doing everything right only have a few hundred subscribers.
I’m also interested if the contest will bring temporary traffic only and not sustained traffic with quality comments. Maybe a contest that rewards total number of comments over a 30 day period. But, again you would probably get spam comments or people just writing “cool contest”.
Great article.
Thanks for the tips. I think the comments are the best for getting comments. I never thought of letting blog authors know that I subscribed to their blog to try to get return subscribers. Thanks for that great tip. I don’t like bribing for subscribers because I know whenever I’ve subscribed that way, I never wind up reading the feeds.
Rarst – I just subscribed too!
Writer Dad – Great! And thanks!
Freddie – I just subscribed to your blog as well!
I definitely see what you mean. The real estate niche is a good one. And the reason your readers don’t comment that much is because they’re actual leads. In blogging, if you notice, we tend to get people just like us commenting — bloggers.
But it doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. You have more subscribers in that niche and believe-you-me they’re reading from their inbox or their reader. I suggest you continue with the niche as it can definitely be more profitable. They are most likely unaware of affiliate links and you can make some good money recommending ebooks on the topic.
Thanks for stopping by Freddie; I appreciate it.
John – Yeah, I know. LOL@ “people don’t worry about a storm until it’s right up on them” — so true. You know the game so well John, and it’s definitely true. Popular blogs get comments so easy and it’s based on the fact it’s so popular. It’s the chain reaction thing I was speaking of.
Once you get a lot of comments, for whatever reason, it just starts coming in like a flood. People are attracted to people who are liked. They’re just drawn to them. But it’s like you said John, our turn is right around that corner!
Thanks for stopping by John — you’re a star!
The Fitness Diva – Hey, good to hear from you again!
I think you should do the contest as long as it’s related to your niche — fitness. As long as it’s related, everything should work fine. And your niche isn’t “blogging about blogging”, so if your giving away fitness books, and/or 1 month memberships to gyms, I’m more than positive the people who show up for the “contest” will stick around.
A lot of people say readers you gain from contests don’t stay around long, and that holds some truth, but it’s only because you didn’t grab their attention well enough. Contests drive huge amounts of traffic, and the point is for people to be introduced to your blog. They probably would have never gave it a chance until the contest, so now it’s the time to “show-off”.
The aim is to get all the contest participants intrigued enough to come back to read your blog for their needs. So you should have good content on the homepage, so those new visitors who came via news of a contest can say, “Hey, I like this blog. I might come back again”. If they don’t, consider the contest a failure.
Eddiego – Thanks!
Kristrr – Thank you.
SBA – Your argument certainly holds up. In this case, the freebie is usually taken and the person never comes back. I feel that’s a lack of quality content on the site. If I give away a freebie, whether ebook or anything else, I can assure you the quality will be so well people will want to come back.
I’ve seen plenty of blogs do it and then complain, but I think they’re not coming back simply because the ebook or “freebie” didn’t do what they thought it would. If you’re going to have a gimmick, such as giving away stuff to get attention, then make sure you’re fully prepared and your content is up to par.
Otherwise, why would anyone want to stay?
Since I’m in the “blogging about blogging” niche, letting other people in the same niche know I’ve subscribed works pretty well for me, and they actually read my blog. I guess it’s not the same for everyone. In the online world, nothing is absolute, but I seriously think it’s because of content that’s just not “good enough”, if you will, to the person it was introduced to — whether via contest or “freebie” .
Thanks for stopping by again! I appreciate it.
Scott – like mentioned above the “bribe” or “trick” to get people to subscribe is just to get them to look. And they will once they’re on your site. If the content doesn’t interest them or they feel it’s not what they’re looking for, they won’t stay.
It’s worked well for me and I say it’s because my content is up to par. They stop by because I left a comment and when they click back to see what my blog looks like, they’re drawn by a headline and click and end up reading it.
That’s usually how it works out for me. Rule of thumb is: don’t just run a contest, prepare your blog for the contest with content that will appeal to the visitors that will come for the first time.
Jennifer – Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I agree, commenting works well to get them returned. And you should let someone know you subscribed in a pleasant way and see what happens. It never hurt to try.
I’m going to start right away!!
Geoff.
I find the best way to get feed subscribers is with competitions.
These are great tips. No fluff here.
“Return the love – the best way to get loyal readers that will comment and subscribe is to return the favor to those that already do comment on your blog.”
I do subscribe to this notion, definitely. However, I am only really totally loyal to a few, that always comment on my entries. So I prioritize, I guess you could say.
If I were to comment on everyone who leaves a comment, every time, it would be very time consuming.