When somebody comments on your blog, do you make a point to reply to it?
There are two sides to this coin, and my thoughts on the matter have adjusted somewhat. In fact, long-time readers of this blog may recall a video I made where I jumped into a debate started on somebody else’s blog complaining that many pro bloggers don’t reply to their own comments. At the time, I argued that replying to every comment could actually hurt your blogging.
Today, I’m going to modify my position. Because, it has changed.
Completing The Open Loop
When somebody says something to you, it is an unfinished circuit – an open loop – if it is not acknowledged. Because of that, people can take it as a form of rudeness or invalidation.
We see it all the time in real life. How do you feel when you leave a voice mail for somebody to call you and you never hear from them? How do you feel when you make a point to praise somebody for something they did… and they just sit there stoically and never respond?
With this in mind, the importance of replying to comments (within reason) makes a lot of sense. It shows that you’re listening, and it closes the loop. That increases their affinity with you and your brand because you’ve actually interacted in a complete way.
These days, as more and more blogs are out there competing for attention, I think the importance of that PERSONAL brand is more important than ever before. See, when we hear the phrase “personal brand”, we usually think the cult of personality, where people are following you and, well, giving a shit. But, what makes people give a shit? Being PERSONAL. Really putting the “personal” into “personal brand”.
The Valid Counter-Argument
I’m going to make two points here… one is about the time factor and the other is more psychological.
It can be quite time consuming to reply to every comment on your blog. And, in the video I recorded way back then, that was my primary point. Once your blog gets to a point where you bring in a lot of comments, the considerations change. Whether it sounds nice or not, the simple fact of the matter is that you HAVE to practice a little judgement on who gets your time.
When you’re doing this for business, it is smarter to dedicate most of your time to people who pay you than to passers-by on your blog. That’s what customers are paying for, and you better provide it. If people on your blog want some personal dedication from you, then they pony up and become a customer.
In all seriousness, the only people who have a problem with that are usually the people who resent success.
Next, there’s a psychological factor at play that people know about, but a lot of bloggers don’t talk about it much…
Remember the “play hard to get” games when it comes to dating? The idea was that you don’t act super interested and that makes them want you even more, right? Well, it is true and it is basic human nature.
Human beings are attracted to a withdraw. Leave a little vacuum and they try to fill it. If you reach heavily, they have no need to reach back or, worse, they withdraw from you.
This can be used strategically in a marketing sense, in ways I won’t go into on this post. But, the point is… if you’re trying to sell something with higher access to you, and you’re all over the blog all the time and replying in lightning-fast time, then it reduces the reasons for them to buy. They won’t reach out to become a customer. Not as much, anyway.
Seeking The Happy Medium
There is no single, right answer that works for everybody.
I would recommend that most newer bloggers make a point to acknowledge and reply to every comment. It builds the community and brand affinity. Obviously, there are exceptions. If you really can’t think up anything to say as a reply, then don’t stress it. I don’t think anybody gets value out of a bunch of “thank you’s” as your comments. Also, I’ve seen some bloggers who reply to comments literally within MINUTES…. and that’s insane. If you try to do that on scale, you’ll never get anything done.
As your blog grows, decisions need to be made. I tend to lean toward replying to comments these days – when it makes sense. The “trick” is not to let it take up much of your time because the business side of things is more important. Replying to comments is a marketing activity – so it is important – but if customer service and product delivery suffer because of it, you need to scale it back.
Many times, it simply comes down to setting expectations and being up-front about what to expect.
What Say You?
Do you make a point to reply to comments on your blog?
Do you understand when bloggers don’t reply to you, or do take it personally when they don’t reply?
How do YOU handle this?
David has been blogging for 15 years, and generating a six-figure income at it for the last 12. He is the founder of Blog Marketing Academy. 
David Risley has been building and operating authority blogs for 15 years, and operating a six-figure business doing it for a decade.
I get few comments and I reply them accordingly. I’m hoping to get loads of comments and then use a software o automatically respond to people
Wouldn’t recommend that tactic.
I guess so too. It’s not the best ‘cos software are not as smart as humans when it comes to relationship. I just have to build a loving relationship with my readers
My blog is technical in nature so most comments are experiences of the readers
and very few require acknowledgement.
When I do comment I try to
reinforce safety and correct procedures when someone has gone off the
tracks.
Believe it or not you can fry a computer or hurt yourself if you
try hard enough…
I have two main blogs, one for my main profession and one for hiking. On both I respond to most comments as long as I have something worthwhile to say. Some comments don’t really add to the conversation, so I just let those ride. I check e-mail at 3-4 set times per day, and that’s also when I deal with comments.
I have two main blogs, one for my main profession and one for hiking. On both I respond to most comments as long as I have something worthwhile to say. Some comments don’t really add to the conversation, so I just let those ride. I check e-mail at 3-4 set times per day, and that’s also when I deal with comments.
I think you make a good point about batching when it comes to time management. Doing similar things at the same time. i.e. email and comments.
I usually make it a point to reply to all of my comments, with exception to my post yesterday where the comments are contest entries to win a new computer. But if it’s part of discussion, then I like people to know that the author of the post on my site (whether it’s me or a guest blogger) will respond to them. Seems to increase the engagement on my blog as a whole.
When I comment on someone else’s blog, I feel special when they actually reply to me. If I don’t get a reply, I just assume my comment wasn’t very response-worthy. I don’t take offense. In fact, I try harder the next time to leave a more engaging comment.
Feeling good now, then?
j/k
Victory!!!!!!!!!
My blog has died down but when it was more active I replied to almost every comment. I didn’t know much about the business side of things then though either. Now I’d probably reply to what’s most relevant and if I have time, others, but keep to business first and foremost.
I would if I got any, maybe that’s the problem? Actually I’m reading “Crush It” from Gary Vaynerchuk and he makes many of the same points. Good book for the aspiring entrepreneur. I highly recommend.
Yeah, that’s a good one.
Honestly, I try to respond to comments @mentions and comments on facebook, but I am not as popular as others…. I don’t write as much on my blog because I am developing actual businesses that make me actual money, I feel like I wasted a lot of time writing and commenting on a topic that wasn’t going to produce any money. Since I don’t write much on that site anymore…. no one comments either LOL
Yeah. Business comes first, then blogging. That’s the reason so many bloggers have a hard time making money…. they started the blog then tried to “monetize”. That’s the wrong order.
you are right David Sir, Commenting is very useful to make a genuine interaction with other bloggers or readers.We just need to use it properly should not make spam comment then I thing admin can reply for your comment.
Gotta love those SEO commenters.
#ugh
I’ve only just started a blog, and as yet haven’t had a single comment from anyone that I regard as genuinely contributing to my posts. But I have had literally hundreds from people like SEO Training XYZ, and Suede Shoes ABC, etc. Some of them do make quite an effort to write grammatically correct, if generic responses.
So far, I’ve trashed every one, through moderation. Do you have to do that, or do you use some automated tool to handle them? I suppose I could let a couple through, just to make it appear like I’ve got comments, but they add absolutely nothing to the conversation so what would be the point?
Many times, I would have deleted a comment like that SEO one. But, I decided to let it sit there so I could make fun of it.
I use Disqus, so I use their filtering. Otherwise, Akismet. But, regardless of what you use, some will find a way through and there is no other way to deal with it except manually.
I don’t get a lot of comments in the first place, but my response to them largely depends on whether the comment really adds value to the post or article. I will always at least say thank you for good comments, but not the mere “great post” comments. My own expectations as a commenter also determine to some extent which comments I reply to and how much. Sometimes I comment because I really want to know what the author has to say about my comment. Getting blown off is disappointing. Other times, while I always want to add something of value in my comments, I really don’t care one way or the other whether I get a comment in return. If I ever start attracting lots of comments, I will probably respond to any comment that invites dialog, but not so much to others. Some articles on HubPages invite vigorous discussion, but if the author’s contributions to it merely thank other commenters by name, they merely take space that I have to scroll past to find the next meaty comment.
Yeah, I think that’s the cut off. Do you have anything to say besides, “gee, thanks”?
As others have pointed out, I respond to most comments but I always try to add something new which is time consuming. I don’t respond to people who say “good post” but I do respond when the person commenting has asked a question and/or added value in his or her comment. I think it’s also acceptable to wait and do a response to several commentors at one time. Here is the dilemma: do people actually read other comments or should you email them. I’ve often emailed my comments and people were pleasantly surprised that I took the time. I don’t do that very often any more because it’s simply too time consuming.
Hey David. I have a universal gravatar. Wonder why it doesn’t show up on your site. That’s a first.
Might have been a delay. Its there now.
Since I view writing as a form of conversation, my blog is the same. I blog for the immediacy and the innate immediacy the form offers. Blogging offers the reader an opportunity to engage the writer, and, the writer the reader. So I do enjoy responding to my readers.
That said, I go back to it being a conversation. When a group of people are together and talking, do you respond to every single bite of dialogue? Probably not. Do I respond to each and every comment? No, but I do respond to most. For me it’s all about personal engagement with the reader.
I may not reply to every single comment, but damn near so. If you don’t put any effort into your comment I’ll either delete it outright or possibly not reply. Or reply with a level of snark equal to the laziness of the commentor.
Hah.
I love this debate, David.
I once posted a guest post on DailyBlogTips why it’s wise to reply to each and every comment, and I was doing that for about 6 months and saw massive appreciation for it, and I’m sure it contributed a little bit to the rapid growth of my blog, because not everyone was replying (and some probloggers just don’t take the time to even respond at all, which is sad).
Fast forward 6 months after that post, and I’m getting 80-100 comments on every post now and it’s just impossible for me to reply to all of them without sacrificing something else that is better ROI for my business and time spent. Not saying that one shouldn’t reply to comments, and I always strive to reply to as many as I can in a given time slot, it’s just way too difficult after a certain point, and now I pick and choose based on if there are any questions asked, or counter points to my arguments that deserve a rebuttal.
Good stuff David, and I hope all is well buddy!
Thanks, dude.
And, yeah, I’m in the same boat now. I don’t get 80-100 on every post, but still, so much stuff going on these days that I can’t respond to everything.
What I try to do these days is be around for the first hour or so after I launch a blog post so as to respond in a faster way (like I’m doing now). But, after that, it slows down and I move on. Might come back and cherry pick.
What’s funny is I posted about blog comments and interaction on Monday, and one of hte ‘models’ I used was called The Pat Flynn Model.
I theorized that Pat no longer had time to respond to every comment. Nice to see my theories confirmed!
(good post btw).
Paul
I respond to most comments on articles. Comments on deal posts don’t generally get a response unless they require them (for example: “what a great deal!” wouldn’t get a response from me usually. However “I can’t figure out how to stack these coupon codes, can you help?” would most definitely get a response from me.
I have to admit though, I love when a “big” blogger responds to my comments. It makes me come back most definitely. Sometimes all it takes it acknowledgement that I’m a human being and not just another bot to make me hit the subscribe button. I try to keep that in mind when people take the time to leave a genuine comment on my blog.
That last paragraph is the important part.
Its that open loop I was talking about.
I am a newer blog, and I reply to all comments for now. A lot of comments don’t necessarily warrant responses, but I am, as you pointed out, building a community. However, I don’t think people always read my replies (I know I don’t for other blogs I comment on), so I question the value of the replies a bit. I think in the future I will probably not reply to every comment, but I’ll still apply to as many as possible.
If you have a system which emails the commenter when you reply, then it can foster that interaction alot more and they’ll see you replied.
Hi Dave,
I make it a point to respond to reader’s comments. This helps the readers to “feel” that they are in a conversation and I am listening to them. Moreover I have the comment reply notification plugin installed which sends an email every time I reply to the comment. This helps me to engage with my readers even when they are “away” from my blog.
However, there are about 40% of comments that need no reply; like the ones that simply thank me for the post, “excellent tips, have a great weekend”, or comments that actually have nothing valuable at all. I don’t reply to those comments; my time is precious.
Cheers,
Jane.
Funny.. I was going to reply to this with a ” you need to reply to comments.always view” Then I read a few of the comments first and now I see both sides… but for me I am still at the point of replying to every comment, big or small.
I think replying to all comments helps build that relationship. Even a simple TY can go a long way with a new commenter. Like Pat mentioned, many big bloggers just don’t take the time to reply to comments on a regular basis, so being a blogger that makes the effort, I believe helps you stand out.
Now, if I was getting 100 comments per post like Pay then I would be quickly moving to the.. “reply the comments that best add to the conversation” side of things.
You just have to find the time to fit it in.. one of those things that you really can’t see the ROI.. but you know it can’t hurt.
Agree … but then it’s easy for me since I don’t get too many comments ! I also take my time …. when I can get to it etc( FT working mom with 3 kids …including husband that is … No way I can reply ” as soon as” ) Sometimes I club answers to 2 or three comments in one reply, but mention all names to make it more personalized kinda. Don’t really know how bloggers who get too many comments manage…. but I think there are some good pointers in this article to help prioritize !!
I reply to most of my commenters. My problem now is writers block!
David, I think it’s important to reply. If it’s not important to bother replying, then why bother writing the post in the first place. It’s a lot easier for the reader not to bother commenting, so if you want readers to keep coming back and commenting, I think it’s worth the time to reply. If you’re that busy, you could hire an assistant to help out.
Connie
Hi David.
You get so many comments it would indeed be time consuming to reply to all. I think too for you, it would almost seem silly to reply to every single comment because you’d get so redundant. I do not get as many comments on my blog, so replying to all of them is not that time consuming. I usually reply to every single one by name. Often, my readers are asking me direct questions and not responding would be worse than rude. Plus, I personally rely on SEO generated traffic and I was under the impression that comments and replies were beneficial for SEO.
I don’t get a lot of comments so it’s pretty easy to reply to all of them. I hope I can scale this for a while. I enjoying engaging with my readers.
I always try to respond to comments, because they took the time to read and comment on my blog!
I like the points you bring up about withdraw and with staying conscious of activities that put money in your pocket.
This is why I think I suck at Twitter. I take a set amount of time and lay out all of my tweets, awesome stuff I’ve found that I want to share, for the week on Friday or Saturday because I know I’m not gonna be sitting around Tweeting during the week. But I think I’d develop more relationships there if I would just dedicate a set time where I was going to be there everyday for 30-60 minutes.
I think the same could be said for responding to comments on your blog. If you let it be known that on a day that you post, you’ll be spending 3 20 minutes sessions through out the day responding, people who get off and being replied to could feel like they were heard and by spreading out the time you respond, you don’t discourage people who missed the cut off. And, you’ve managed your time so that you’re not just parked hitting refreshed or feeling pulled because you know there’s comments waiting to be responded to the day after your post is published.
This is such a grey area. I love every comment I get. But sometimes it seems like I’ll spend an hour each day responding to comments. This is time that can be spent on creating content and information products. Moving forward, I’m starting to think I should only respond to direct questions and any comment that REALLY stands out.
I do agree with you that there is a happy medium. Interact with your audience. But don’t freak out if you can’t get to every last comment.
Genuine post!!! link building via comment really makes difference…
I just came across this post and since I’ve been struggling a bit on the subject of replying to comments I was anxious to see the concensus. I see a lot of replies from people saying they respond to every comment on their blog – here’s what I’m wondering. I comment on a lot of blogs and I quite frankly I rarely (seriously, hardly EVER) get a personal reply – I’d say 98% are standard automated replies – which frankly I find really irritating. I still open each one in the off chance it’s a personal reply, but I’m getting to the point where I’m going to just start deleting them as they come in. In any case, this dialogue has helped me to decide how to handle replies to comments on my own site – and it won’t be with automated replies. Thanks!
Hey David,
I am definitely in the middle, similar to Pat Flynn’s strategy. Although I haven’t exactly needed to implement it as I am about 100-150 comments behind on my posts as Pat’s:) I have read that regular commenters aren’t the ones buying from your site. I have also read about sites that make a lot of money but have few comments which again adds to the whole debate. Most of us are in this thing to make money, so I think in the end, tweaking until the right profit model is met would be the most expedient.imho.
I reply to any questions that are directed at me, but I don’t reply if I have nothing interesting or useful to say. Sometimes a comment thread turns into a conversation between the people replying so I don’t need to get involved. I decide whether to reply or not based on the individual comment, rather than having a blanket policy.
I’ve also discusses this point on my blog and it really worked. Atleast I’m agree with it.
Hey,nice post. Interesting article. This is an informative & impressive article.Well written article.I will appreciated your writing skills.I think its really important to reply the comments. If you
want readers to keep coming back and commenting, I think it’s worth the time to
reply.
people who get off and being replied to could feel like they were heard
and by spreading out the time you respond, you don’t discourage people
who missed the cut off. And, you’ve managed your time so that you’re not
just parked hitting refreshed or feeling pulled because you know
there’s comments waiting to be responded to the day after your post is
published.
When I first started my blog, I would reply to everything. Now I very rarely reply, and I find the psychological factor plays a big role for me. At first when I would reply, people would show mild to moderate interest. Now the same people will make comments on almost every post, and I’ve developed quite a following. When I do acknowledge a comment, the reader perceives it as a big deal and they are very respectful of my time. That said, I find ways to interact with my readers more personally in other ways, such as through Facebook. It’s an interesting line. Like you said, I don’t think there’s one right answer for everyone.
I
always use to reply to most of the comments of my blog.Its good in order to
keep update your blog.Well I really liked your article.Thanks for sharing and
keep sharing in future too.
Great post.According to me most newer bloggers make a point to acknowledge
and reply to every comment. It builds the community and brand affinity.Thanks for sharing this article with us.I like this.Keep sharing with us.
A reply approach for your Page that offers the greatest
benefits for the level of resources you can devote to your Facebook Page’s
community, and explain how it can improve brand loyalty, avert customer service
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I think we should have to give the reply of the comments.It help to make your conversation more interesting & expanding your comfort level with your reader.
The responsibility of a blogger is to respond to comments.
This encourages current interaction and even more comments. Getting a lot of
comments is a good thing – it means people are interested in your content, they
want to interact with you and they want to be a part of the discussion. The
last thing you want to do is to discourage your readers by not
replying to their comments.
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