**UPDATED: First, you should DEFINITELY be reading the comments on this posts. Lots of more great tips and insights. ALSO, I’ve updated some of the information in this post based on the comments. The updates are in italics.
Cause we all want more comments, right???
No matter if you get 3 comments per post or 30, you want more. Am I right? Or am I right? Comments are sort of like french fries — you can never get enough. So here are a few simple ways you can increase your comments, fueled by my own frustrations with leaving comments, mostly, and also a few tactics I’ve discovered that have helped increase my own. (This is my How To post for this week, incidentally.)
1. Don’t make your readers be logged in or signed in to comment. I left a blog in frustration the other day becuase I had to log in and I couldn’t figure out my WordPress loggin. Which is a bitter irony considering that I have FOUR WordPress blogs. I never could figure out what I was doing wrong, so I left without commenting.
UPDATE: In Blogger, go to Settings – Comments to change your sign-in requirements if you so desire. In Typepad, it’s under Configure – Feedback. In WordPress 2.7, it’s under Settings – Discussion.
2. For the love of all that’s annoying, get rid of the spam filters! On WordPress, there are plugins to help alleviate the spam problem, but when I was on Typepad, I did not use the spam filter thingy. And I rarely got spam. You can set your comments to close after 2 weeks, and that helps avoid spam as they often seem to attack older posts.
UPDATE: In WordPress and Typepad, you can set up your comments to automatically close after 2 weeks. In Typepad, that is under Configure – Feedback. In WordPress 2.7, it’s under Settings – Discussion. This helps to reduce spam comments GREATLY.
In Blogger, you can set it up to moderate comments that are over 2 weeks old. You’ll still get the spam comments in your email, but you can delete them before they go through to your blog, and this alleviates having to moderate every comment. To do this, go to Settings – Comments.
3. Comment, comment, comment! If you’ve read any of the sleep experts, you have probably heard that “sleep begets sleep.” And so it is with comments. If you sow seeds of comments around the blogosphere, you will reap a bountiful harvest in your own comments!
Now that’s a rare poetic moment, right there. I’ll pause a moment so you can savor it.
4. Ask questions. I get more comments on those posts where I ask questions. Everyone has opinions they’re just waiting to share so give them an opportunity. Which reminds me of the movie Parenthood, which contains one of my favorite movie quotes of all time regarding opinions. However, since I prefer to keep my blog G-rated, I will refrain from repeating it here. It still makes me giggle when I think of it.
5. Discuss a controversial topic. I hate controversy as much as anyone, but you can discuss controversial matters in a respectful way. Sometimes you might *gasp* actually learn something! Try it and see!
What’s your best tip for getting more comments?
(See there? See how I did that with the question? That’s what I’m talking about!)
UPDATE:
6. From the coments, someone suggested participataing in carnivals to increase comments (and readership). GREAT suggestion! Then someone wanted to know what a carnival is.
A carnival is usually a weekly event (it can be more irregular) where a blogger hosts a theme and other bloggers link to their posts. For instance, I host a carnival called What I Learned This Week every Tuesday. My hope is that it will begin to develop into a little community where we all read one anothers’ posts and share the comment love! 
Other popular carnivals are Wordless Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday, and there are TONS more. Find one hosted by someone in your niche and be active in the community and watch your community grow. 
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for the great info….now I’m off to see how my comments are set up ’cause I don’t even remember!!
I hate the word verification (spam filter) on Blogger and I never used it until about a month ago when I got spammed like crazy.
But you are right, all off the spam occurred on older posts. Thanks for the tip to close comments after two weeks. I’m going to give it a try!
Your tips are great. I have nothing new to add- but I totally agree about it being such a pain to have to be logged in to leave a comment. I’ve left many blogs commentless because I wasn’t already logged in. The spam filter is my second biggest pet peeve
.
good post! I agree with all of those points. I would also say be a consistent poster. I still don’t get a lot of comments but I notice if I blog more often I get more comments
I like to go for the awww factor at times. Cute stories and fun pictures seem to draw in the people. I also participate in a few carnivals. This always drives up the traffic numbers.
Lindsay, good one! Consistency.
Kellyn, carnivals is another great tip. Definitely. And yeah, I’m a sucker for a cute photo!
So I’ve been seriously delinquent in the sphere of blogs lately. But I like the tip about turning off comments after 2 weeks b/c I do have that problem esp with my older posts. Good to know…
These are great tips, the more you share and comment, the more that will return to ou.
Ooh, I hate the spam filters too! Those darn captchas that sometimes take me five tries to figure out all the words because they’re all smooshed together! UGH! I just have my comments set to where I have to approve them all before they get published. That way no Spam ever gets through. I guess if you’re a pro-blogger and getting thousands of comments a day, that might not work.
You said french fries. Now that is all I’m going to think about while I’m pounding out my four miles on the treadmill. Thanks.
I will consider your tip on the spam filter/word verification. Perhaps I could lose it. I’m not likely to go back and close comments on old posts though. But spam on an old post wouldn’t bother me anyway.
Is not posting every Thursday a kind of consistency?
Very nice tips. One I need to work on is commenting more outside the core. In other words, get better at commenting on new blogs and avoid the plague that is complacency.
My comments have really dropped since requiring Open ID/Blogger sign in, but I couldn’t see any way around the anonymous comments anymore.
Thanks for the tips….. I would love to get more comments….. I feel regected when I don”t… crazy I know! I enjoy your blog.
OPPS can’t spell I should have typed rejected… maybe that is why I’m not getting comments… no one can understand my words!
On the posting more often thing… I have recently released myself from the bondage of feeling like I had to post something every day. I was getting overwhelmed as I looked at my google reader since reading blogs is not something I’m able to do daily. Anyways, I have found that without the need to post every day, I am more thoughtful in my posts and am getting more comments on them. Just an opposing view on that concept.
I have tried the question thing, and sometimes it works. Others, I hear crickets chirping.
Thanks for the advice! Of course, now I have to go figure out what a “carnival” is, and how to turn off the “sign-in” thingy for commenters. (Sigh) I sometimes wonder if I’m truly computer savvy enough to even have a blog!
Great tips, very needed and helpful. I guess I’ll drop the word verification deal on my stepparents’ blog. I’ll try anything. I’ve been blogging hard for a year and have around ten comments TOTAL! I know folks are reading the posts, cause I get emails about them, but why, oh why won’t they comment? They reply they didn’t think of it! ACK!
(BTW, what’s a carnival, I mean besides the thing that comes to town each year?)
Great post.
I turned off my spam filter also. I do this about every other month. I turn it on, I turn it off.
I also try to something else.
I visit at least one new blog a day and comment. I find people through other blogs, and/or Twitter.
Great tips! The question one is a good reminder – plus it shows that we blog not only to share what is on our minds, but also to learn about others.
I always appreciate how willing you are to share what works for you with all of us. You’re a generous blogger!
I just love coming over and reading all your posts….
love your tips….I love comments too and am always hoping for more. Will have to try some of your tips out. I do have the word verification, because another fellow blogger said that you should have it to keep out spam…maybe I will have to try geting rid of it.
Keep on giving us more tips, I love it… and unfortunately I have no wonderful tips for you…except I hope everyone comes over and reads my blog and gives me some comments…..LOL….
Great tips. I certainly don’t get many comments, except from close friends. Perhaps it is because they have to log-in and have to go through the spam filter. I’m taking them off!! Thanks!
Totally agree with the log in and word verification. So frustrating. Especially when you have to keep typing in the word verification over and over because the system won’t accept it.
I need to do a better job of leaving comments. I’m always in a rush, bouncing from blog to blog so I can read them all in the little time I have. But I’m going to turn over a new leaf. I’m starting by leaving you a comment.
Oh, thank you, Holly Browne, for being as illiterate at this stuff as I am. I have no idea what you mean, about not making people sign in to leave a comment–how would I find that on my Blogger preferences? I am DESPERATE for anyone to make a comment on my blog . . . or even read it. It’s getting a bit frustrating, but I sure appreciate these tips.
Donna – interesting point of view. Thanks for sharing that!
Holly – I apologize for not fleshing those out further. I take for granted everyone knows the lingo.
A carnival is when a blogger hosts a topic and other bloggers link to their posts. For instance, I do What I Learned This Week every Tuesday. My hope is that it will begin to develop into a little community where we all read one anothers’ posts and share the love! 
Other popular carnivals are Wordless Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday, and there are TONS more. You can google any of those (put them in quotes) and should find them.
As far as the “sign in” – that is in your comment settings.
Also, in Typepad and WordPress, you can set up your blog to automatically close comments on posts that are 2 weeks old (you set the time). Does Blogger allow that? Does anyone know?
I absolutely love it when bloggers and commenters can discuss something controversial in a polite manner! it is one of my favorite things about blogging.
I finally turned off my word verification. I haven’t gotten spammed at all and it has been months.
I still wonder if most non bloggers figure out that the CAN comment on most blogs, though…
Actually, I disagree with not using a word verification. I use Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam and it allows you to choose your own words. Plus, it is very easy to read, no smooshed up letters, no wondering if its a capital letter or not. Once when upgrading my blog, I forgot to un-disable the word verification and by morning I’d been flooded with nonsensical comments with nasty links. They got through, even though Askimet was working.
What is very helpful to combating spam is to not allow pingbacks. 90% of the spam I was getting were pingbacks.
Lorri – Interesting. Thanks for the input! I haven’t had that problem. YET. But if I do I will have to look for something like what you have. I do hate the extra step, no matter how easy it is to read. HOWEVER, the ones that are easy to read are MUCH better than the nonsensical ones.
I love to leave comments, but if it is a pain in the buttinsky, it really is becomes more trouble than it is worth, and that is sad.
GREAT POST…
Oh and one more thing..
It makes me fee bad that people will leave a comment for a giveaway but not for a great recipe, or a great post that really touches them in some way!
So this is a GREAT POST!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
I’m a new blogger and these are great, practical tips. Plus, it beats calling all my friends and begging them to read my blog!
I’ll have to check my settings when I get home to see how my comments are set up! Thanks!!!
Thanks for the great suggestions! I always love to hear what people think on my blog and I had not thought of a lot of these things!
Those are great tips, and obviously you know what you’re talking about. I find it baffling *which* of my posts get an insane number of comments, and the ones that get none. It seems so random! I guess I can’t figure out what my readers are thinking or what’s important to them until after they comment.
I used to get worked up about comments, but stopped worrying about it when I noticed that some bloggers I admire who I know get insane traffic but who don’t get tons of comments either.
And if your motive for blogging is to make money, comments aren’t nearly as important.
I wish I had been able to talk with you at Blissdom
So I get extra brownie points since your blog makes me completely log-in and won’t prefill from the last entry every time I leave a comment – LOL? See how much I love your blog?
These are some good tips. I do get more comments when I link up to carnivals and when I make the rounds, commenting on many other blogs. That really works and helps build relationships. I’ve also had many new visitors that came by just because they saw my comment on someone else’s blog.
Yes, which posts gets the most comments is CONSTANTLY baffling to me. And others, as I heard that same sentiment expressed more than once at Blissdom. But for me, I’ve discovered that people generally comment more on my “real” posts — the ones where I’m basically just talking.
Lisa, I don’t require commenters be logged into WordPress. I do require an email addy, though, b/c it makes responding so much easier. And also, with giveaways, they don’t have to leave email addys in the comment itself.
BUT it is INFURIATING to me that my form won’t remember people’s info. I know that cuts down on my comments, and comments is WHY I BLOG.
Thanks for the tips! I’m still figuring out this blogging thing, so I found a lot of what you said very helpful. I’m definitely guilty of not commenting enough on the blogs I read, sometimes out of frustration with the time it takes to log in, spam filters, etc. – but also out of sheer laziness. I need to do better.
These are great tips. I don’t get a TON of comments at this point, but my numbers have increased as I comment more on others’ posts, especially through carnivals.
Good post! Welcome back from blissdom – I was watching the twitter feed fly by that weekend!
Cathy
Well, I just had to post a comment to your “comments” post! I have another tip; make sure your blog hosting site doesn’t go down at least once a week and then your husband is too busy to fix it and life takes over and your blog is down for like days at a time. That really hurts your comments, readership, blog status and credibility. It’s just plain annoying! But, my blog is back up and running and due for an overhaul on all levels.
) Hope you’re doing well!
Everything I know about comments, I’ve learned from you!
I am turning off the spam filter now. I forgot it was still on – thanks for the reminder!
PREACH IT. I couldn’t agree with them all more but the first two especially. There’s this new system blogger uses and I simply cannot comment for some reason…and others have the same problem. My advice is switch back to the other blogger system because otherwise you’re losing comments.
Nell
I TOTALLY agree – commenting on other blogs help increase comments on your own blog!!!
I’ve also been really trying to comment back in my own comments – it makes it feel like a continuation of your blog post!- and makes your readers feel like “she’s really reading my comments” – don’t you hate when you go to some of the “big” blogs that get TONS of comments and you never hear a word from the blog author? kind of makes you feel like your comments are not important, especially when you have questions – but even an occasional “thanks everyone” is nice to!!
~TidyMom
On blogger, I don’t think you can close the comments after two weeks, but I have mine set up to moderate comments on posts older than, say, 14 days.
Thanks for sharing on this topic. I am new to blogging and felt like you took an honest and practical approach to the subject. After posting, you try to not focus too much on the stats or if someone likes your post enough to comment. Although at the same time you are encouraged when they do. It makes you feel like the time and effort you put into the post was worth it. Commenting or not commenting will not keep me from posting because I enjoy the process but it sure does help drive the passion and engage the commitment.
You have a wonderful blog and I’m so glad i was directed to it.
Blessings,
Peggy Reeves
@peggyreeves
What gets me is the “no-reply@blogger.” So many of my comments come in that way and then I can’t email the person back. Sometimes I reply in the comments. I don’t like seeming unresponsive and I know many people don’t come back to a post to read the comments. Grr!
I didn’t know what a carnival was, either, and I was too embarassed to tell you. I was hoping there were caramel apples involved.
And I am the same way with, Wow, really? THIS is the subject people are gonna comment on? Like, I’ll mention what kind of gum I like and when I wake up in the morning (I usually post at night), I’ll have 29 comments as opposed to the usual 8.
That said, I think you are right about (a) controversy and (b) asking a question. People like to give their input. The most comments I ever got was when I asked the simple question, “Where are you?”
Sometimes I do the “Come out of the closet” post where I ask people who have lurked to just say hi. That usually garners quite a few.
Oh! And don’t make the mistake I made and tell people that you’re picky about spelling! People are afraid to comment when you do that! Plus, they go stampeding to point out when YOU make an error in your post!
I will stop taking hostage now.
Such a great discussion.
One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve watched friends start up blogs in the past few years. If MOST of your audience is friends/family who do not blog, you may not get many comments. In my experience, people who don’t blog don’t get how important comments are to bloggers. My best friend started a blog last year and after that she said, “Now I totally get why you always wanted me to comment!”
If most of your audience is people you know who don’t blog, the best thing to do is start making the rounds in blogville and comment like crazy. Other bloggers will more often than not reciprocate.
Thanks for the tips!! I find that the posts that I get the most comments on are the ones where I find myself laughing as I try to type.
Thank you for this post. I didn’t even know I wanted comments until I read it! I plan to make it a personal goal to do all I can to start bringing comments to my blog. I’ll let you know how it goes!
XOXO
Great comments! I have been so frustrated lately with lack of response in all areas of social media. I found a new weekly carnival to participate in and got zero(!) comments from other carnival participants. Zero! On Twitter, I haven’t been getting much response to my tweets. I reply often to tweeps, but it’s not reciprocated. same on Facebook. I am frustrated that I take time to comment and reply, and don’t get anything in return!
Sorry for complaining in your comments. I try to do all of the above. Sometimes I don’t get to visit other blogs as much and have to catch up on my favorite blogs, but I still try to comment when I’m reading a blog. Golden Rule. But I haven’t seen much return on that lately. Again, sorry. I’ll quit before I turn your comments sections into my own personal tirade!
great tips. Experienced bloggers will tell new bloggers that getting comments takes time. I have found that you really need to invest time, and it will come back to you (like you said).
I HAD to come back and tell you that I rarely get spam – just one once in a while which I delete. Then, a few hours after commenting on this post I got 7 spam comments at once – each on a different older post!! I had to go around deleting them and then changed my setting to where I have to approve comments on posts older than 14 days (which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t read this post!). Crazy! But now I think it will be taken care of.
great tips!
Thank you so much for your tips and suggestions. I’ve been using most of your Design Tip posts to set up my blog and appreciate how simple and easy you make it!