How to get followers to "make a comment" and hopefully even "have a conversation"
People comment on posts depending on context and their individual motivations, it is your job to set the scene.
5 quick and easy steps to encourage people to engage on a post with a comment:
- ASK AN EASY TO ANSWER QUESTION - one strategy is to simply ask easy questions. For example, when getting a conversation started for an art blog consider an "icebreaker" question like: would you buy this painting for a friend?, where would you hang it?, what memory does this painting bring back for you?
- SOCIAL PROOF - make your audience feel that this is a safe place to engage. There is always safety in numbers so consider directly asking the members of your audience who are the most loyalest to make a comment first. These are the people that have followed you through all the good and bad, so they will most likely be ready to help. Get their comments before you share with your wider audience.
- SHARE - share your post in your email newsletter, on social media, in personal emails, on direct messenger, on forums, on the phone, etc. etc.
- ASK - be ready to continue to ask key people in your audience for engagement. For example, send a personal email asking "we are considering a series of posts about this topic and would value your thoughts", or direct message people that you know will care for their opinion.
- ENGAGE - to show that your are interested, engage authentically and promptly with your audience's comments.
Reflect and learn from what motivates you to comment, then lean into the same with you audience.