5 Reasons Why Nobody Comments On Your Blogs and Posts

By Andrew Ballenthin October 14, 2009 President, Sol Solutions Biography

Connect.Follow.Network.

The other day I was surprised to find a number of multi-billion and mega-million dollar companies that did not have much dialog on their blogs while I was doing my book research book on social media monetization. It was quite stirring to see companies that put effort into having a social media presence not having huge engagement. It's not what you would expect right?

I've also noticed that on LinkedIn and Ecademy that many group posts languish with little or no comment activity. There's a few that rise to the top and a vast majority seem to fade into oblivion. On LinkedIn I belong to 50 groups and and I usually see about 1 in 8 posts get feedback. Wow, not what I would have expected.

Myself, I see anywhere between zero to 15+ comments on my posts. Its been a long road to get any comments in LinkedIn discussions or on this blog. The first 9 months I had only about 200 page views a month and zero comments on my blog up until January 2009. It was only this year I figured how to work with LinkedIn and reach over 1.5 million group members. Since March this year this blog has grown to a total of 12 writers and we now see over 5,000 page views a month. Comments and engaging the audience always remain a challenge and focus with all our writers.

Over the past 18 months of blogging I've seen patterns on why some posts fail and why others become rock stars.I'd like to share what I've learned and learn from you too.

Following are 5 key reasons why blog and social network posts fail to engage and generate comments and dialog. These 5 points aren't the only reasons, please share your thoughts in the comment section below too.


1.  Not Enough Traffic. This past year I talked to an editor-in-chief of a major online national news publication site that has 40 bloggers. They suffer from low traffic levels and very low comment levels. I've also talked to solopreneurs who complain of lacking traffic too. Low traffic is an issue for any sized organization.

Suggested Solution - like all communications and marketing, if people do not know about your content they won't be able to participate. There are very few shortcuts to building significant traffic levels although the internet abounds with big promises when you part with your money. The most consistent solution is an email database. It's a significant investment to grow to hundreds or thousands of names but it puts you in control and helps build a focused loyalty.


2. It's Too Noisy. Even though your content may be highly valuable if there are too many people talking (posting content) at the same time you do it's difficult to be heard. The biggest problem with big social networks is lots of noise to compete with.

Suggested Solution - Experiment with different times, days and networks very methodically. Eventually you will see a pattern of when your information can rise to the top and get noticed. What have you seen work?


3. Too Boring. Journalists, PR and marketing people know only too well that your headline and introduction line must always be "WOW, Look at me". There are right ways and wrong ways of doing this. The wrong way of being "Wow" is to be arrogant, selling and self-serving.

Suggested Solutions - Take the time to study how great newspapers, magazines and marketing copy works. Top organizations do nothing by accident. Stunning headlines and opening paragraphs are a make or break for getting people through the rest of your content. If you are still not sure, get some great books on advertising and see what the best do.


4.  Not Thought Provoking- What might be exciting to you may not be exciting to your audience. How many times have you read content and been left with a mild, 'yep, that's interesting" and then quickly moved on in search of more information? At this point millions of people are sharing their thoughts online but that doesn't mean we all see them as WOW. They're great ideas for that person but not necessarily their audience.

Suggested Solutions - Learn how to be conversational, challenging, truly valuable, unique and worth having a conversation with. Take the time and ask, am I truly original or just recycling a version of what everyone is saying? What was one of your most thought provoking posts that generated audience participation?


5.  No Loyalty - The reality is that your audience may not know you yet and you may not have earned their loyalty. Whether you started posting content yesterday or a year ago you may not have found your niche of people that want to engage with you.

Suggested Solutions- Consistent is everything. Engage with posts and comments on other people's posts at least 2-4 times a week. After awhile people will see that you are regular and your name will become more familiar. Also take the time to thank people when they do comment, this etiquette is valuable for generating dialog and potential future relationships.

Another point, are you talking to the right target market? Just because there are potentially lots of audience members does not mean they're the right people who want what you are offering.

This is hardly the full list of reasons why people do not comment.
Share your thoughts below and help expand this discussion.

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Comments on this topic from LinkedIn Discussions


Normally people respond if they see any value or opportunity for them. If this aspect is kept in mind there is a possibility of huge response.This can be built in a variety of ways.
- Peeyush Agrawal


Dear Andrew, This was a really interesting question and topic, and it motivated lots of people to comment, So well done. Thanks for sharing. I was thinking about the same. Our blog page is visited regularly,s o tha tis good, but people don't leave comments, so that is not too interactive. Based on all of these, I try to think of what could work.
- Tamas Attila Nagy

Great post Andrew, and I would give the following sequence (by importance) to your reasons: [3], [3], [3] (yes, 3 times third reason) [5], [4], [1], [2].
- Franco Graziosi

Great work Andrew, also like to add one more point.
If blog content is more about advertising product or company name, it will not work. It has to say how it is beneficial to viewer. Then only viewer will develop interest in the blog and would like to comment.
- Prateek Samuel

Andrew - thanks for the post. Good headline and good insights. I will check out the full article and likely mention on Twitter too. ...btw, I like that you offer "suggested solution" as well.
- Andy Martin

Wow! this is good...
- Paul Katchings

Plenty of food for thought. Thanks, Andrew.
- Judy B. Margolis, MA

Thanks for such a great & informative article. They say that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And it shows from the number of comments on this article that you have certainly mastered the art of engaging your audience.
I think the point you made about having a boring blog is soooo true. If it doesn't capture the reader's interest within the first sentence then forget it! But then you have to make sure you don't harp on too much about the same points as that can also lose the reader's interest.

I also liked the way you used questions to engage with your audience. Again, well done on a great article!
Jason Linsey - Forward Vision Business Services

Some great points here, and something I really want to work on over the next few months. Being engaging can be a difficult task as a small business owner, but it can be done. Now it's just a matter of getting someone to add a few extra hours on to a day and we should be all set!
- Mariano Di Fabio

Loyalty needs be further defined. Last decade’s definition doesn’t work. Today, it goes beyond grabbing their attention with a witty message. You must improve their lives, add value to their lives or they will not participate. Give them what they need to make their lives better with no strings attached. They’ll reward you with participation.
- Chris Maniates

We published a book (with Sterling) called Blogging for Bliss and in it Tara Frey discussed at length the importance of comments (and being diligent about doing it yourself). Indeed, you should never leave a blog without commenting. Tough to do and still get your work done, I know. Bloggers in the blissful (artful, crafty) circle often stage giveaways to boost comments. Easy to do, and it seems to get results.
- Erika Kotite

Great points here, Andrew. Can you offer any advice on how to build an e-mail database of people who are interested in your blog's topics? I send e-mails to people I know when I have a new blog post, but how do I expand my horizons to include, say, hundreds of cancer survivors?
- Lisa Cunningham 


Hi Andrew,- I agree with all your points, and these are my solutions -
1. Not enough traffic - promote your blog post to your subscribers, promote it on social networking sites, book mark your content, deep link from your articles to your blog.. etc are few of the ways you could improve traffic to your site.
Other tip is to visit other peoples blogs in your niche and leave constrictive comments. When you leave comments, you can always leave your blog url.
2.It's too noisy - This is a great point Andrew. Some blogs looks like bill boards and people don't know what to click on.
So the answer I guess not to have so many affiliate offers etc on your main pages, but have them on a separate page as your recommendation.
3. Too boring - Agree with you again here. I am not an authority to give much solutions here as I am still learning this myself. What I learned though good head lines are - "How to", " #of tips" "#of reasons" "Review"
4. Not thought provoking - Your discussion here is a good example on how to go about it. Ask questions, so that people will want to give their opinion.
5. No Loyalty : - This is a major. I guess this comes by not providing quality content. I think it will take time to have a loyal following, but it will happen if you are providing quality content.
Like to know your thoughts on my solutions & please add yours.
- Damayanthi Jayasinghe

Just in case you need one more ounce of feedback...for me, a few months ago building social marketing presence was a secondary ploy. Today that is furthest from the truth. (I should have known better) How better to engage intelligent readers and decision-makers, and garner easy and fast feedback? It's human nature to want to be heard, and blogs and posts allow the platform to do so with no risk. I am a changed woman.
- Audrey Glenn

This is a great post--and the comments are good, too. It gives concrete solutions to some of the problems to getting noticed in the very noisy blogosphere.
- Carol Winkel


When I follow a link on LinkedIn I usually return to LinkedIn to make my comment. I do this because if it is brought up on LI, I believed the intent was to evoke and share comments within that particular LI group. I guess it can go either way.
- Barbara Miller

great suggestions. very helpful for me and what i am currently working on.
- Heather Iafrate

A Blog is a website. If it is not visually inspiring people will bounce. Also, make Blog posts short. http://girardbrewer.com
- Gary Brewer

You forgot to test your blog and no one can respond. :-)
- Arnel Soliman

I don't have a solution, merely an observation. People comment on sites that they view as theirs. They don't comment on sites they view as someone elses. So a company site or a personal blog does not get commented on, while the same content on a community/social networking site does get commented on.Rebranding a peronal or corporate blog as a community resource will probably go a long way toward facilitating more interaction.
- Wes Unruh

I feel many do not reply to post because they fear others will scold them for their points of view. Or maybe their facts are not thoroughly researched and someone caught them ill-prepared.
I am a long time member of Toastmasters and always write my own speeches. The joy of developing the story, adding humor, adding more humor until I am laughing out of control; the joy of writing needs to come back. I send hards with handwitten notes - I get cards with only a signature line - what is THAT all about! I was sending text on phone and then my writing skills decreased severely. That's it ! -- people-- prefer -- to write-- abbreviated words; get the thoughts documented before they forget what they were writing . HA.
- Elaine Jackson, PMP

Would it be better if you make your blog content as a question?
- Will Zhang

Hi Andrew -- this is a very important issue for me, and I would like to find out more. Unfortunately, China seems to have blocked access to bit.ly type links. Can you please send or post the full link. Terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but I would to read the article you've referred to. Thanks very much.
- Andrew Hupert

Andrew -- Thanks for this. The loyalty reason, I have discovered is tantamount to gaining credibility when it comes to eliciting comments. But what confuses me, are your 85,000 page views. These must be all unique visitors and if so, where are you promoting your blog? I want in.
- Stefan Pinto

Most do not feel that they pertain to them. Not interesting, dull, don't "POP" out at them. j.s
- Frank Leinbach

well i think it cuts 2 ways, many commenters don;t know how to post without offending. we are used to being in like minded company- so if i just say "I like politiciaan X and people who disagree with him are poopy heads," this will be fine to say in my immediate environment but will gain unexpected condemnation from strangers. but on the other hand there are a lot of hair trigger folks out there who use blogs and comments as a way of venting some other issue. I tried to get involved in some amazon disucssions but almost always there is one person who starts becoming self righteously abusive and people just get tired of having to respond to it. this is in the classical music discussion groups!
- Justin Locke

I concur - Competing and boring topics are at the top of my list.
- Patrice Alexander

It is true that nobody comments unless the subject is super boring. Perhaps the subject should stimulate its viewers. The writer should know who the audience is. Their likes, dislikes, interest etc.
- Le Juan Richardson

This is great. As a ad hoc blogger I'd concur and add most of these roll up to understanding what your audience wants to hear about.
- Paul Rosenfeld

Posting bad links is a tiny bit embarrassing, but nothing on the scale of the inadvertent "reply all"... :-)
- Brian Proffit

Many people just do not like blogging.
- Robert Horvath

Can I ask how these 85000 hits translated into dollar for you?
- Paul Spencer

All good comments: indeed reasons
* posting infrequently
* not thought provoking
* most importanly, IMHO, not timely enough to the buzz of the day--since info is everychaning by the minute!
- Terrence Young

I've recently started a blog, and was searching around for simple ways to increase traffic. A basic google search certainly helps. I also found an article called "99 ways to promote your blog for free"...while it hasn't helped me just yet, it has a lot of useful information.
Sascha's comments are linking your blog to other social networking sites is spot on as well...you might also want to consider adding the blog address to your signature line. Hope that helps!
- John Pabon

People read blogs for the same reasons they read news stories - the CHORTLE formula. If you want to know what that stands for, you'll have to sign up for one of my media training courses!
- Tony Coll

I see this very frequently with the high-tech clients/employers I have had in the past few years.
Besides the reasons you mention—most importantly non-relevance, boring, vanilla content—I also frequently see posts made way too infrequently, with sometimes gaps of a few months. This is a total killer for loyalty.
- Steven Soshea

Reminds me of my favorite (Roy H. Williams) quotes: The reason listeners jab the button on the dash at the beginning of every commercial break, the reason they crave to “get back into music” is because radio’s DJs are allowed to believe they are intrinsically interesting, that they need no preparation, no writing, no script to make them sparkle. They’re wrong.
Could the same be true of....
- Tom Killorin

I find the main reason I don't comment on blog posting (including yours) is that they want me to sign up. It's often not worth the bother, and often the blogger doesn't follow up and continue the discussion.
Blogs have to be conversations, you need to have an idea who you are speaking to and engage with your audience. I think we are still figuring out what this means -- blogs are supposed to be conversational -- but what type of conversation do I want to have with a brand or a corporation?
- Holly Munn

Have a sense of humor and use photos of cats with captions (known as 'LOLCats')
- Amanda Felderman

Thanks, Andrew, good topic!
I've also noticed that when I repost the link in other venues, like for instance to LinkedIn groups, people will comment there instead of on the blog, even when they've obviously gone and read the content. Perhaps that's "fear of signing in" freeze, even though mine doesn't require a signup to comment.
And not posting live links, which sometimes happens when you cut and paste, as I found out recently... geesh...
- Linda White

Just read your full article - great info and comes at a perfect time for me, as I'm getting ready to launch a blog next week at www.retirepreneur.com
Thanks Andrew!
This week, Chris Brogan modeled how to spark a flurry of meaningful comments on his "Overnight Success" postings - Short, Sincere & Passionate video message struck a chord with many - www.chrisbrogan.com
- Donna Kastner

Comments can often seem elusive and it's certainly not something that can be predicted. I've often spent hours on a blog post that gets little traction, but I can post a blog that took 10 minutes and the comments are crazy!
I think the tip is to not write a post with the aim of chasing comments, but thinking if it's something that you'd actually be compelled to comment on. Original content is the key.
- Lauren Fisher

Interesting post you must be doing many things right. If you were to invite me to join you on LinkedIn I would be please to do so. My email address is: stevejohnson77@msn.com Read more about me and Grocerants at: www.grocerants.blogspot.com
- Steven Johnson

All of them are true!
A few points to consider is how well is your blog connected to other online media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or Twitter (and others).
Keywords also play an important role, for people finding you via search engines.
I am not an expert, but I would think that you can have the best content, but it is unheard....
But as a said, provoking seems to be important, to make yourself sticking out. Have an opinion, stick to it - you can't please everyone.
- Sascha Kronberg

Many people are afraid to voice thier comments and opinions in fear of what others will think.
- Derek Stolpa

Maybe it's too thought provoking. No one wants to read something that will leave them scratching their head for a month. And other people can't stand to read anything that draws a contrast to their current train of thought.
- Maxwell Repplemeyer (LIGER)

Well I won't go into details but I have written opinion blogs in the past and it amazes me how many people think you are talking about them when you say you don't like something or you prefer one thing over another or how personally they take it.
I guess the hazard can come from if people you know read your blog. I have run out of fingers counting the times saying I prefer "A" over "B" or dislike "C" to have some one hate mail me because they think "C" is the best and there is something wrong with me. Or some one I know thinking my preference of "A" is a personal attack on them.
I did actually have some guy threaten me with physical harm over a disagreement on a BB over (of all topics) fishing!
- Robert Burton

Mine is probably not looked at because, well, there are millions of artists out there with blogs. Nevertheless, I pimp it whenever I get the opportunity, so I hope you don't think I'm too cheeky for doing it here. >;-) http://orlasart.blogspot.com/
- Orla Clancy

Thank you for the post.
- Stan Orlowski

As a blogger, the greatest comment I can receive from a reader is to click on one of my sponsors or affiliates and make a purchase.
- Todd Ambrose

Often, if blogs attract few comments it means that few people are reading them, at least on any regular basis. And often people aren't reading them because they're no fun to read. I second Jill's comment on self-importance/hard sell. When choosing a post topic and content, ask yourself, "Am I giving the readers some solid takeaway value, or am I thinking only of myself? Why should _other_ people be interested in this?"
Another reason for reader neglect may be plain sloppy writing. Although blog writing standards are rarely as high as those for books, no one really wants to plow through five paragraphs where there is no apparent logical progression of topics and where the text is loaded with glaring typos and grammatical errors.
Another reason might be that the posts are too long. When it comes to reading on a computer, after much more than 500 words people start thinking about what else they could be doing.
Really good writing is hard work (I say this as a professional writer whose specialties include blogs), so often the best approach is to assign the job to someone with a journalism degree or writing-for-pay experience, rather than trying to do it yourself. Otherwise, do study at least one book (I recommend Strunk & White's _Elements of Style_ for starters) on the basics of good writing.
- Katherine Swarts

There are a number of things that you can do to increase blog response. For instance:
* Include a ratings capability. People will rate a blog faster than they will respond to one. Later, they may get the courage to actually write.
* Pose a question. Maybe you're not getting a response because your blog doesn't require or suggest that one is necessary. Why not just ask a question?
* Retitle it. Perhaps instead of a blog about "10 ways to increase market share" you could write about "9 ways to increase market share." Psychologically, the readers will be predisposed to want to contribute another idea to round it up to 10
* Be bold or controversial. Say something that snaps people to attention!
* Creat a call to action! If you want people to do something, tell them what it is and then create a channel for that response.
I could go on and on but, you get the idea...
- Dan Holden

I certainly appreciate the post, Andrew. It serves as another reminder that I have a lot of work to do on my blog. My biggest challenge is keeping it updated. In a great book I finished last week, the author said for a blog to be effective, new posts should be entered at least three times a week. Mine have been like once every three months. I am getting better, though. And now that I'm working form home, I can really devote some quality time to its content.

All that said, I feel that Number 2 (listed in the topic intro) is the biggest reason why comments aren't left. I have visited a ton of blogs and even with the ones I really like, I can't remember the last time I left a comment. As mentioned earlier, maybe that's a major reason why I don't have any comments on my blog.
- Michael Howard

This is a great post--and the comments are good, too. It gives concrete solutions to some of the problems to getting noticed in the very noisy blogosphere.
- Carol Winkel

My blog is just 3 months old, and fortunately I have a good deal of traffic--600+ subscribers in just 3 months (okay, I'm thrilled). Many leave comments. However, I have gotten to know many of my regulars--those that leave posts. I've asked them via e-mail what they would like to see. I have a pretty set format for articles and there are some stories I won't write--product endorsements. However, I do listen to my readers.
- Michele C. Hollow

We post several video's and other information on our blog http://bit/ly/HPgs and we have little to no comments. We found this odd, because, quite frankly, we want comments! So, we contacted some of the people we know follow the blog and asked them why they don't comment. The answer from everyone we asked is that "they didn't feel the need. Our videos are entertaining and informative and they know what we do". Another weird thing is that we have many more followers than the blog leads on to believe. I just wish that they would sign up. Thanks for your info.
- Giovanni Calabrese

Good start Andrew. Here's a few more.
Don't forget reason number six. You don't understand netiquette and thus you are perceived as a spammer because you post your blog link in places where it is not relevant.

This is especially so for the people here on LinkedIn who seem to create discussions in every group they can find that say "Read about such and such on my blog here..." without any useful or relevant content within the discussion itself. and Don't forget reason number seven... Your site is cluttered and difficult to read or follow.

or reason number eight (which ties into your reasons 3 & 4). you do not have compelling content. It doesn't need to be attention grabbing, it needs to be compelling. Your content needs to be of compelling (and relevant) substance, not sensationalized. If you post useless content every day, you will annoy your audience and they will refuse to follow you. However, if you post compelling content once a week or once a month, they will follow you because they know when you do say something it will be of substance. If you can post compelling content more frequently, they will have more inclination to follow you. Don't post content just to post something.

or Reason number nine. You don't know who your audience is. It's marketing 101 - know your audience, know their demographic. Everyone/anyone is never the answer. Know your audience and deliver content relevant to them.

Or reason number ten. You assume that everyone uses the tiny urls and thus neglect to provide your full/regular URL for the people who can't use them or otherwise don't use them.

Lastly, don't forget reason number eleven. If you are a specialized site, don't post urls or content that is not relevant to your topic. This means if you talk about finance in your blog, don't post links and tweets spouting off about pop culture or other things that aren't relevant.
- Bruce Serven

truly helpful.
- Axiky M

One thing I would add (provided that people have done 1, 2 and 5) - don't worry about it. If being online is truly a conversation, then it will follow the rules of conversation. When you talk in a group or with friends, not every line you say starts a new and exciting conversation thread. In fact, conversations probably go through a lot of potential threads before seizing on an exciting one. So my advice to people is keep trying.

The other piece that I would add is that people are interested in you because you are interested in them. I stopped to read this thread first because it was Andrew Ballenthin and second because I found it interesting. When you listen to others, they listen to you. Funny how that works, huh?
- Jim Love

Andrew: Interesting topic, thanks for posting.
Holly and Karen: I echo your frustration with signing up.

My two cents: Having not researched this myself, and not knowing which specific companies were researched, I offer the following as possible reasons that contribute to a lack of dialogue on corporate blogs ("mega-million dollar companies with very little dialogue on their blogs").

1. Lack of conversational content and style - Many corporate blogs that I have read often provide nuts and bolts of their products or services, or are clear attempts at marketing and promoting their business. Professional blog writers (and readers) often find the style to be less than conversational, prompting a lack of conversational response.

2. Lack of human component - many of the corporate blogs that I have read are clearly written by a team of "professionals" and they often lack a human component. The Logo often takes place of a picture, it is written from a company perspective (as opposed to an individual), and many do not bother to encourage feedback (unless they are crowdsourcing). Comcast found that their humanistic approach to Twitter provided very positive results (@comcastcares); potentially corporate bloggers could follow the model.

I am certain there are many factors that contribute, but these are two that I find compelling. Again, these possible reasons are specific to corporate blogs, and may not generally apply to individual bloggers. Then again, maybe they do!
- Jay Johnson

I think in every blog there should be a moderator. I feel that in every conversation/blog/exchange should be someone engaging the bloggers/readers to participate. Many people are still struggling to grasp the idea that blogging is pretty much a written conversation between many. To me blogging is like going on a date, if the conversation isn't interesting or engaging, there will not be a second date. Keep your bloggers interested by responding in a timely manner to their input; participate by questioning their statements, by agreeing or disagreeing that way you keep them engage and them interested. Companies should ask bloggers for input on what sort of topics they would like to discuss. It doesn’t hurt to know your followers and/or how they like to be engaged.
- Mahalia Maria

Although my blog is primarily geared to management consulting/business development, I find that a 'sense of humor' coupled with 'edgy sarcasm' gets a few 'hits' and 'comments'.... such as: "I;ve Been Attacked by a Free Range Chicken". In this case, the "medium is the message". And least, I think so.
http://rwcarsia.blogspot.com/2009/10/ive-been-attacked-by-free-range-chicken.html
- Robert Carsia

Bottomline: someone, somewhere, will disagree with you. Whether they do it in a respectful manner or not is another question entirely. If they can't be civil, the best you can do is ignore them, because there will be no possible constructive discourse with those people. If they disagree with you in a respectful manner and even contribute examples and facts to the argument, then the debate will certainly be worth it as long as you maintain an open mind and a strong sense of self. You may find yourselves discovering new ideas along the way. Controversy can either tear people apart or it can make them stronger and/or more creative.

As for your blog entries being controversial, that's up to you. If you're a news blogger, it really depends on your audience. It used to be that the pinnacle of journalism was reporting the facts with little or (preferably) no bias and no underlying stance on the topic. These days, however, it seems that many readers prefer to read the news coming from people whose views align with their own, and thus don't mind if the news is biased. Or they may seek out news stories written by someone of an opposing view JUST for the drama.

And that's where blogging becomes really interesting. You can either choose to be a journalist, or choose to be an editorialist. If you choose the latter, you MUST expect that the feedback you get will be equally as opinionated as your entries, if not more so. If you choose to be a journalist, however, feedback will be either very tame and non-constructive, or it will be non-existent. For the most part...because what you write will not be infused with a particular perspective or opinion, and dry facts are not what speak to people. You may get the occasional comment from someone who is willing to make their own analysis about the facts you present, but I imagine those would be few and far between.

There is always a chance that even if you write opinionated pieces, no one will respond. That may be more an issue of whether people know about your blog or not, and if they do, whether they're the right audience (meaning the audience that cares enough to read and maybe comment). If the only people you market to are your existing friends and family, i.e. the people who like you but don't necessarily give a darn about the things you write about, then you might want to extend your marketing to other venues.
- Michelle Comeau

I love blog comments - getting them and reading them. I am often more interested in what the commenters say than what the bloggers say, particularly places where scores/hundreds of comments are received. I have gotten some incredibly good, high-quality comments on my new site ( http://www.musicafter50.com ) and, of course, lots of silence. Sometimes people comment on a post to me via Twitter. I've chosen not to make people wait to see comments - ie, They are posted in real time. I tend to only make comments on sites/blogs that don't require you to register to comment. That could be one reason why some people don't see as many comments as they would like.
- Leah R. Garnett

Great topic and the more relevant and interesting the blog the better. Making sure that the subject is continually reflective of informative conversations presently going on in the media is another good way to gain an audience--Be current!
- Bob Cavagnaro

I vacillate between having and not having comments on my personal site. I often wonder if there is any value in allowing comments on blog posts. There are better places to hold discussions, the handful-of-word comments like "you're great, Ilike this!" and "this is dumb" provide no value. Additionally, it becomes a numbers game, where blog owners feel slighted if they don't have lots of comments on every post. It becomes more about the quantity and less about the quality. I'd rather have one though-provoking comment than 100 sycophantic mumblings.

I do think that if your site is a business site and it doesn't get much comment regularity, it is better to disallow comments than to keep seeing that zero.
As for negativity in comments... it's sadly unavoidable.
- Joshua Wentz

Invite your readers to participate. Ask them what they think, tell them you are open to their suggestions.
And if at all possible, do not require your readers to register and log in to your site in order to comment. That is a huge turn off.
Good luck, and make sure to let us know what works!
- Lisa Pecunia

Another reason is poor spelling, grammar or punctuation, as in "there's too many competing options for your audience." It should be "there are", not "there is".
Still, I make errors all the time, but that one has been a recurring bugbear of mine
- Tim Gander

Oh dear! Think the list may apply to me! But also agree about signing up...it's an extra hassle...I got some followers for my http://www.Ozblog2008.blogspot.com last year but I also mailed e-postcards to let people what I was up to as teasers...this year my blog http://www.thebigamist'sblog.blogspot.com has a good topic, frequent radio coverage and a BBC Berkshire blog and no followers or comments - what's that about! But is a blog a diary or a conversation? People still have different views about blogging I think...
- Karen Kimberley


I think the amount of traffic is way more important than the number of comments. People often read and then see that someone has already commented in the way they would have. They don't want to take up any more of their time to look to others like they copied something already there.
Going back to my days in radio, we were told that "one letter represents hundreds of listeners", and the same holds true with blog comments. The idea is to be seen - not always to be directly reacted to.
- Dave Kohl

Just as invited speakers don't get a handshake or thank you from everyone in their audience, in this environment it is easy to overlook the niceties of participating and move on without registering appreciation.
- Madi Meisner

Those are all good points - I see them all the time. Another common problem is blog posts that fail to be interactive, invite comment or questions. A good blog post shouldn't necessarily be a finished thought or an essay.
- Brad Shorr

I think, as you alluded to in #1, that many blog entries aren't optimized for search engines with catchy, keyword-driven headlines and relevant keywords within the content. Perhaps even more importantly, blogs have to present a unique perspective on a business opportunity or challenge. If they're simply self-endorsing or "vanilla," as you put it, no one's going to weigh in. I think too that it's sometimes important to challenge the status quo with a blog or make a bold statement -- that will certainly get the conversation going!
- Stacey Holleran

All of the above can be reasons.
I had a lot of comments on my blogs at one time. They are business blogs and the commentary really didn't do much for the top line.
The one that's strictly commercial almost never has comments but it produces income as well as can be expected. And yes, it's primarily as an SEO tool and it works.
- Steven Bowman

I have personally found that very often, no-one wants to be the first to comment, especially on topical subjects.
- Kate Webb

To let my two cents fall into the hat. I think many corporations or corporate-minded people still carry the mindset that every piece of content for external audiences has to be throughly polished, approved, and then rewritten again before its released before the public's eye.
This method does not work in the social media age because communications moves too fast. Social Media is about contributing thoughts and ideas right then and now, not approved and refined pitches that take days or even weeks to produce. Social Media content needs to be refreshing expression. One must not fear if it's wrong or right. The intent is to contribute accurate, relevant input and become a part of the discussion.
- Doug Fleischli

you mean blogs need some thing like this?
Problems with marketing (A provoking subject!)
Marketing: An American Concept
Marketing is confined to marketing department!
Marketing is even separated from sales department! (I was surprised when a recruiter from a well-known agency said this to me. According to him, Marketing people are the ones who sit in the office!)
Marketing is all about use of metrics/data/formulas!
Decision making is based on In-depth analysis of numbers (all possible permutations/combinations) I WONDER WHO CUSTOMERS ARE. ARE THEY LIVING BEING? OR, REPRESENTATIVES OF NUMBERS?

Marketing is highly specialized! And of course is highly complicated too!
Knowing customers is an event and they call it market analysis! (I was surprised again when a product manager asked me ‘what tool did you use to analyze the voice of customers?!’ (Well, I wanted to tell her that I used my brain, eyes and ears! And in my view, knowing customers is an ongoing process not just an event)

Over emphasis on segmenting (no matter even the market is hyper fragmented!)
Well, at one end you see marketing is a highly specialized department and at other end you realize no clear job clarifications (for example, please look at job advertisement for product manager, marketing director, marketing specialist and VP of marketing of some companies. You see the job profile is pretty same. No wonder even if it is cut and paste!)

You hear lot of marketers speaking about the word ‘bottom line’ in their speech. However, what is the bottom line?
In my view, the bottom line is a single word. It "SUCKS!"
So what is the remedy?
Allow mutations to old marketing genes? No, that is not a possible solution! Because, these old genes are the one responsible for hiring/strategy planning/decision making, well at least for the next five years. Somehow they reached this decision making positions by practicing their old mundane theories and at this moment they are not ready for a change!

So, what is the bottom line again?
Better you answer this time!
- Paul Dany

As an occasional commenter but frequent reader, I agree with Conrads comment to some degree but #2 above is starting to be come a problem. www.yourmarketingguru.com
- Andy Jarabak

Too much text or self importance/hard sell are culprits. Mind you, many people are using blogs in an SEO move - replies don't matter to them as much.
- Jill Blake

Respectfully, your first of five thoughts is quite obvious; and therefore somewhat semantically redundant. That's why nobody is commenting anyway ...
Since you said that "this list is by no means complete", please, note that in your thoughts, you missed out the abiding fact that one has to be interested in and commenting on other people's blogs and topics too.

Visiting other people's blogs and objectively leaving your word-prints and opinion is also a sure way of getting traffic, comments and conversation going on one's blog. And it's advisably a smart way to build a group of returning visitors who share your vision; and will in turn get new followers to your blog.
These positive points I've raised work for me elsewhere and on my blog in the Red
Room Where the Writers are: http://www.redroom.com/member-blog/Ugonna - with just eight posts so far - and over 13,000 views and commendable number of inspiring comments and conversations around my topics.
Accordingly, Andrew, thank you so much for raising this issue. Have a wonderful and refreshing day!
- Ugonna Wachuku

Since I have vastly far more visitors to my postings than comments I am led to believe that most people sign up for these discussion groups to "receive" vs "contribute" information.
- Conrad Mangapit

I absolutely agree that the quality of the response plays an important role in engaging loyal and frequent bloggers. the fact that most people are hesitant about instant reply makes it difficult and some how how time consuming for others as its described in think-feel-do marketing model. when it comes to the third part of the model, the instant behavior needs daring and confident bloggers.
targeting interested confident bloggers is the key point i guess.
- Zeina Shennak

I think good posts need to do three things:
Make human contact
Break the boredom barrier
Answer the question: What's in it for me?
- Alex A. Kecskes

blog.windycityparrot.com is beginning to get some traction - we're up to over 4000 visitor per month. We post alot of content from cutomer service tickets that have relavence to OUR audience.
I also write reviews that I refer phone call questions to which helps us with credibility. Conversions (sales) directly from the blog are coming slowly but they are indeed coming.

We will get emailed with relevant blog content that I then post as comments to the appropriate post.
We deploy our own videos and upload favorites with is also a draw
I'm trying to get my vendors to post comments which is like pulling teeth but have made some inroads.
- Mitch Rezman

All great tips - there is still much to learn!
-even w a "rank", I def experience #1, and likely guilty of #2
-have recv'd both many thumbs ups, and also thumbs downs.
-some of the acceptance or "rejections" depend on the "eyes of the beholders" and what the expectations are for the visitor
-but, at the end of the day, it is all about traffic
- for me, the blog is a terrific point of contact for networking and potential new clients, and current clients use as a resource for info and links to other sites, relating to publishing - soc media.
http://heinleinpubservices.blogspot.com
- J A "Jay" Heinlein

www.prontomize.com gets me quote requests daily. Can you comment on what is working? In advance, thank you for your wise feedback.
- Eduardo Ramirez

Lets not forget the #1 killer (besides traffic) RELEVANCE! =)
- Beverly K. Garvin

Only interested in promoting one self not looking to enhance other peoples views unless it is of material benefit. A trait that is part of modern man.
- Gerry McElney

Don't forget requiring the commenter to register in order to reply.
- Peter Ireland

I think , most bloggers just seem to read the post and keep their comment, i believe that blogging is about establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. It’s all about who you know. Really!. research indicates that the majority of people just watch the action and never take the initiative to one. In addition the status might not have triggered the thought for an action.
If you want people you dont know to comment on your status, the content plays a vital role, common interest, consistency of the post.
- Zeina Shennak

I agree - thought-provoking material requires some time - to absorb and to respond to - likely people have found a post interesting but then either hesitate about commenting. They either want to think further about what they want to say and since the ability to respond in real-time really is in fact real-time, perhaps they worry about the quality of their response given the expectation that it should be an incredibly profound observation. I would think this behavior would match up against those people who are prone to just subscribing and joining (groups, pages, forums, etc) vs. those that truly participate by having a conversation in some capacity. I would think that the key is to connect with those who do truly enjoy engaging through the insights you provide on your blog, and then the next step is to look at those who are still loyal followers but still seem to keep quiet
- Maneesha Sharma

I think , most bloggers just seem to read the post and keep their comment, i believe that blogging is about establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. It’s all about who you know. Really!. research indicates that the majority of people just watch the action and never take the initiative to one. In addition the status might not have triggered the thought for an action.
If you want people you dont know to comment on your status, the content plays a vital role, common interest, consistency of the post.
- Zeina Shennak

If everyone (or even 25%) commented on every blog or post they read this media would soon die from excess tediousness and boredom.
{note that I am keeping up my end of the bargain by commenting regardless of relevance, but I do like to hear myself write!}
- Jim Russell

My approach is psychological. I look at the blog or "transmission" medium and analyze the psychology. What is the persona of the firm? What is their explicit message? What is their unspoken message? That last question is key in determining the firm's "Hidden Identity."
So, with that in mind, the reasons blogs get little participation is that their hidden identity of point in, not out. They are more comfortable publishing data about how great they are, rather than appealing to their target market's values. They are not practicing the "pay it forward" approach to business. Finally, they are probably not facilitating the discussion, but just throwing out uninteresting sales pitches.
Them's my thoughts and I'm sticking to them.
- Michael Lovas  www.aboutpeople.com

With information overload these days, my guess would be #'s 3 + 4 are at fault more often than the rest. Creativity, imagination, humour and spunk are hard to come by these days, especially if you're of the many who are overloaded with a million other things to do, these qualities don't always just flow readily from the fingertips at the moment they're needed.
One solution that might help - try to think of something completely abstract (I encourage it to be non-work related, or "light" in content) and illustrate how similar principles, strategies or solutions are applied to XYZ at your company.
We all know how easy it is to get distracted with non-work related content every day, but doesn't it feel much better when you get to the end of it and realize that there was some pertinent, hidden "work" content after all?
One other quick tip - be careful not to sound like you're lecturing. No one likes to feel like they're being talked down to. Plus, then how is there any room for comment if you seem to know it all already?
Thanks for sharing Andrew~
- Keri Ann Lutz

I agree, bloggers look for topics that are engaging, topics that provoke a reaction.
- Mahalia Maria

Clean and simple, but attractive I think works. That and making the headlines pop.
- Wanda Woodard

Business blogging is perceived differently. People generally don't care about providing comments to company blogs. Sub-consciously your willingness to comment/share feedback is based on what people think about the [enterprise]. When people think business, they generally think [profit]. And why would anyone share feedback when they know that their comments will profit the company without getting back anything in return. With non-enterprise/consumer blogs, there is no such perception or expectation to make a buck from others - It's all about learning, sharing and helping others usually not to make a buck.
Enterprises need to think of either incentivizing comments, or changing people's perception of the company in order to increase external dialogue.
- Avinash Jhangiani http://youarenew.blogspot.com/

I can see how some people would be reluctant to post on a mega corporate blog for a couple of reasons, the most important being fear of being marketed to and/or being data mined.
Additionally, people are inundated with information and have so many hours in the day. I think the blog "industry" is very fragmented and even if you have compelling content, one should not expect to get an enormous amount of traffic. For these situations, you are better off building relationships with those that are loyal to your blog.
- Ralph Winters

I've just launched a new group on Linked In and because I trust your work, I would like to invite you to join my group. I'm interested in building a network of small business owners, consultants and contractors, who can collaborate and help each other grow through knowledge sharing. In essence, I am not a Networker or Marketer or IT person but you are, your expertise is needed!
- Heidi Burkley

Talking to wrong audience...
- Michael Hong

I recon that, most of the users who do comment, ususally divert from the topic of discussion and one loses track reading the thread and does not feel like commenting. Deep down every user wishes to comment but most of the things r either talked about.
- Rohit Khot

Oh, I was just about to leave when the content of this post sank in!
So I thought I had better leave a comment, even if I could not think of any of value to contribute at this time, as I am stuck in the same position, trying to get a thousand hits and around a hundred comments on this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFPnTH0UKgA
and my other videos on You Tube.
- Gavin Bryan-Tansley

I would say having to register to post is probably the top deterrent...What a pain...Not only is it time consuming..but you have to remember another sign in name and password...Plus...with all the spamming and hijacks..who wants to give their email address out to a blogger they really don't know..
- P Mills

I agree... lot of people just come visit and leave even if they have found the post interesting.
- Shantanu Deshpande

6. It's all about you (the company) and not about them (the reader).
7. Probably the most significant : Received wisdom says 5% of people create and lead, in life. 5% of people comment, critique and support. 90% of people just watch the action from the sidelines.
- Andrea Caldecourt

Another reason is that if you want to use your real name you have to suffer slings and arrows if your topic(s) fall to far from non controversial 'vanilla' topics and if you want to have 'edge' then sit back and enjoy the ehatemail...or worse.
- Robert Burton

6. All your loyal followers subscribe via RSS feeds and it's too much of a hassle to click through to the blog and leave a comment.
- Dick Margulis

Comments

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[Adam Sherk]

It's good to see that this post attracted a lot of comments :)

[Amir Homayoun Rafizadeh]

Some pretty good comments. Thanks for sharing and bringing these to our attention. Great job!

[C. Black]

Very interesting reading. Inspires us to think deeper and be creative. I like to keep it short and keep readers wanting more.

Thanks for posting.

[Dennis van der Spoel]

I am just wondering how to gain any sort of income. You suggest to publish at least twice a week, but more is better. So let's say I were to write 3 posts a week. To give these posts enough quality this would probably cost me 3 working days as well. I am not a professional writer nor a native English speaker and to get it right I need to go over it again and again until it has the required quality. That leaves me with only 2 working days a week. I would probably go bankrupt. That's why I post in Dutch and only 5 or 6 times a year.

[Conor Neill]

I have had a blog for about 4 years, but received my first comment this year - and then had my first post with over 10 comments last month. I think a key element is persistance and engaging the conversation once it does start. Thanks for the thoughts.

[Bay Jordan]

I'm another who is trying to jump this bar and so found these thoughts helpful.

All your points are undoubtedly validity, but I think there is a different spin on the "noise" factor. Based on my own experience of trying to keep up with all the good stuff out there - I suspect it is just a question of time; the demands on our marginal time are so many that it is impossible to even get to thyem all,let alone respond.

Commenting on blogs could itself be a full-time occupation, and in order to evoke a comment the post needs to:
1. Really make the reader stop and think;
2. Feel that he has a worthwile contribution to make to contribute to the duscussion.

It can be great if that happens, but perhaps the real measure is not the number of comments but the contacts make as a result of the comment. After all building business is the whole point of writing in the first place - isn't it?

(Don't worry - I haven't got that right either yet - so any tips on that would be gratefully appreciated!)

[Saundra Washington]

I'd like to suggest reasons #6 & #7.

#6: Not only does the article have to be thought provoking and not boring, it also has to be original. Too many bloggers are just rehashing what someone else has already said. When I visit a blog and realize that I've read much of this before, I usually move on without finishing the article. That brings me to...

#7: They won't comment if they don't read it. Blog posts must be well written with a grabber headline and journalistic style that puts the main information at the beginning of the post and then uses the remainder of the post to elaborate. Bullet points, numbered lists, subheadings all make it easy for readers to get the point quickly and therefore make it more likely that they'll read the article to the end and leave a comment.

I really enjoyed this article, Andrew. Thanks, much.

[Jon Wollenhaupt]

Isn't it funny how success in "new" media ultimately depends on how well you execute on traditional marketing communications practices like creating relevant and thought provoking content.

[twitter.com/AlDenteWrites]

Great post - hits the mark perfectly.

[Paul Katchings]

Yes I must agree with all of the positive post. The orginality of the information clearly shows...

[jim Gilbert]

I like to mix up the content on my blog between info/how to articles and opinions Sometimes I even stir up a little controversy with a provocative headline or material. I try to strike a balance. If I put stuff on the blog that is too far out of my sweet spot, I notice that my bounce rate and time on site change for the worse.

By the way, I've also found Plaxo and Friendfeed useful in promoting blog posts.

Thanks for a great article.

Regards,
Jim Gilbert
jimdirect@aol.com
http://gilbertdirectmarketing.wordpress.com/

[NicholasYe]

A very nice informational post. It's time to think outside the box and start thinking conversational. This will definitely help people when writing their blogs, I know it will make me think before I actually post. Thanks for the tip!

http://discoverycomm.com/

[Craig Anderson]

As a fellow LinkedIn poster who frequently engenders no comments, I feel compelled to respond if only to let you know that someone actually read your post!

[simon levy]

Great post Andrew.

Having launched a s/n site for an international publisher I can relate to your points, some of which we were aware of already. Good to know we are not alone out there.

Point 2 is probably our biggest challenge, which can be drawn more from design of our widgets than anything else.

[Tosin Ojumu]

This is a great post Andrew, and I hope that you see success with your efforts. Tosin Ojumu, Great Sites

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=558280784]

Not sure how I stumbled across your blog this morning, but I've read the top two posts and have found them refreshing, informative and valuable.

Thanks for your hard work. It shows!