Which Post Got More Comments?

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a magic sentence that would unleash a flood of comments on your blog in hours?

Well, we’ve talked about it before, but I don’t think most bloggers fully understand how effective a “call to action” can be. So I did a test. Nothing too technical. I just wondered…

What Would Happen If I Got Rid Of My Call To Action?

I mean, I was pretty sure I knew what was gonna happen, but you never can be sure in marketing until you test. So a few post back I simply deleted my call to action entirely. I ran the post for a full day (more like 8 hours) without a call to action and was disappointed, but not surprised when I only got two comments.

The sad part is… one of the comments was mine! It actually made me feel miserable because I had grown accustomed to watching comments grow every day.


Feeling a little down, I decided there was no way I could wait a full 24 hours. I didn’t want to wake up to four comments on my post so I put a “call to action” in again. Before I knew what was happening. I was up to 9 comments in three hours. The only thing I changed was the last paragraph. That’s it, that’s all.




Of course, this wasn’t a true A/B split-test.

That’s really hard to do with a blog post because you can’t always control the amount of web traffic you’re getting. It’s not exactly like Pay-Per-Click ads. And If you send out a daily e-mail like I do then your traffic will spike a bit. But in this case, I only got two comments in my entire traffic spike. I got the rest during hours when comments rarely come in.

I guess what I’m saying is, this test showed off the power of a “call to action” or lack thereof.

My simple advice. Always have a “call to action” and if you’re wondering how to write one then click here for Seven “Call To Action” Secrets.

But Do Comments Even Matter?

Now maybe you’re wondering if comments are a big deal. In my opinion, they are. Comments are social proof. They’re evidence that your site is popular. They’re good for SEO. They boost your conversion rate. They build your list. They rock.

Yeah, I know a few people who block comments on their posts. It works for them. But they build their whole brand around playing hard to get. They have piles of testimonials, and hundreds of fans and there’s no way they can answer every comment or e-mail they get. Well, when you get there, maybe comments won’t matter much. For now, you should try to get as many as you can.

How To Get Even More Comments?

• Number one, write a call to action on every article you post.
• Two, comment on your reader’s blogs whenever you can.
• Three, build a friendly comment exchange with your blogging buddies.
• Four, go out of your way to help your readers when you can.
• Five, ask questions that get your readers involved.

Try Seeding Comments

This is a little strategy that I’ve seen bloggers do from time to time. But it only works if you genuinely care and enjoy talking to your readers. If you don’t then you should probably delete your nerve center or blog and get a job flipping burgers.

Anyway, whenever you ask a question in your article, consider answering it yourself to start the comment chain. Basically, comment on your own articles.

Reply to every comment you get. The ensuing conversation will spike your comment count. Which draws more people in to comment too. Because comments breed comments.

And this is really the best tip I got

Write an effective “call to action” on EVERY post. Reply to ALL comments as soon as you possibly can and encourage your readers to help each other out too. I mean, there’s nothing I love more than watching complete strangers help each other out with friendly advice. And a good article can really bring everyone together. Even if it’s only for a few minutes a day.

How Do YOU Get More Comments?

I’m a curious guy, and I would love to know what YOU do to get more comments on your articles or blogs.

Tell you what, I’ll even share one of my own tips that I didn’t squeeze into this post in a comment below. I can’t believe I left this one out but you won’t get any comments if you’re breaking this rule.

Talk soon,

Jason The “Better Networker”
The Jason Better Blog

P.S. Want to know the funny thing? Quite often the worst posts for comments are the ones about “How To Get More Comments”. I can tell you why too. It turns out that people feel like they’re being pressured to comment and nobody likes to be told or sold anything at all. It’s human nature.

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