How to get a hundred comments on your posts - A lesson from Maki
September 20th, 2008A few days ago I was reading a post on Doshdosh.com, and after I finished the article, I immediately noticed the huge number of comments following the post.
37 comments were already submitted. I thought: “Wow, 37 comments, I gotta learn how Maki does it!”.
So I analyzed the post a little: it was a great post for sure, but it wasn’t unusual on the blog, he always writes quality content, so that’s not an explanation.
Then I thought I’ll read through a number of posts to find out what’s the difference. So I went to the homepage, and that’s when I saw something incredible.
I thought 37 comments were a lot, but when I looked at the other posts, I realized it wasn’t much at all.
On the previous posts, there were an average of 50 comments, but it wasn’t hard to find some with more than 100 comments on them.
That means there are more comments on Doshdosh in a post/comment ratio than on Problogger.net and Johncow.com together! And Maki has about three times less subscribers than those giant blogs. Amazing!
After a few minutes of reading I also figured out the explanation: Maki does something that most bloggers are lazy to do on a daily basis.
He responds to almost every single comment by name, and gives a detailed answer to the commenter. It can be tremendous work for sure, but it looks like it’s worth the effort.
So if you’d like to get 10/50/100 more comments on your posts, you know what to do. Appreciate your readers and their opinions, treat them well, and it’ll pay off, more than you thought.
I find it very interesting that using such an easy and honest “technique” can improve your results significantly.
Go thank Maki for teaching us this valuable lesson, and don’t forget to leave a comment, you know he’ll be pleased if you do so 
This post is already submitted, all that’s left for you is one click if you liked it:
Tom - StandOutBlogger.com said,
September 20, 2008 @ 7:08 am
I have noticed a couple of bloggers that do this, and it is something that definately gets results! I will have to spend a couple of extra minutes each day doing this!
Yan Shall Blog said,
September 20, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Bingo! That’s what I have practiced on my blog. Fact is your readers are more likely to join the conversation when they see a big no. of comments. It’s just a game of perception.
Looks like you are doing great over here. Keep updating your blog daily for the next one month and promote your blog aggressively thereafter.
As I have said, it’s all a game of perception. Your visitors are more likely to stay on longer when you have the numbers to justify it.
Yan
Jani said,
September 20, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
@Yan: yes, that’s definitely an important factor, but I also think people just feel more comfortable writing a comment when they know someone is going to respond.
After all, who wants to speak to the air?
@Tom: welcome to my blog, I hope I’ll see you around in the future as well.
That’s a very good idea, better practise and make this a routine when your blog is still small, cause it can take much more time when you have tons of comments on each post
bloggingzoom.com said,
September 20, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
How to get 100 comments for your blog posts…
You wrote this excellent post. It’s so good, your hand is even shaking a little when you hit the “publish” button. And then you lean back and wait with lots of excitement to see what others will think about your masterpiece.Then you check your post …
Diesel said,
September 22, 2008 @ 3:42 am
I have to agree with the above, replying to those who take the time, and show enough interest to comment on a blog post is just about the best way of saying Thank You to those who read what you write.
I appreciate everyone of my readers, but those that appreciate me enough to comment are the ones I am blogging for the most.
I always reply to comments, and I rarely have to reject a comment (it does happen though, some people like to write nonsense for the sake of it ie. “JJ woz ere”) so I know that my readers are good, enthusiastic people.
Comments are the icing on the cake for bloggers, and far more important than any revenue generated from adsense and the like.
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 3:57 am
You’re absolutely right, Diesel. Connecting with people is what blogging really is about.
I even feel a little guilty when I read through a post on an other blog I like and don’t have time to leave a comment. Although it’s rare, I believe the author’s worth the minimum effort to drop him/her a line what you’re thinking about his/her post. Basically, every blogger is working for free. They don’t ask people to click on their ads. And if someone gives me some kind of value for free, the least I can do is to thank him.
And the best way to do that on a blog is to leave a good comment.
Diesel said,
September 22, 2008 @ 5:11 am
Indeed, it’s the kind of gratitude bloggers are looking for. Sure, if you want to click on my adds and help earn me a couple of pence, GREAT, but that’s not what you’re here for, nor what I blog for.
If i could get just one good comment on every one of my posts from someone who has found it interesting or helpful in some way then I would feel that I am doing something that is worthwhile. However, despite getting several hits a day, many from returning readers, I don’t get that and I occassionally lose enthusiasm for putting up new posts because of it.
For example, my last post took me quite a long time to put together, a guide on how to use Flock - the social web browser, but has thus far received no comments whatsoever. As such i don’t know if readers have found it interesting or helpful in anyway. This leaves the question “should I write more posts like this, or is this kind of thing NOT what my readers want?”.
Comments help fashion a blog’s future development. It helps the writer to learn and craft what his readers want to read.
Yan Shall Blog said,
September 22, 2008 @ 5:29 am
This leaves the question “should I write more posts like this, or is this kind of thing NOT what my readers want?”
@Diesel: Yes, you should. Then again writing a good content is one thing, promoting it is a different ball game.. You need to focus on what I call “smart promotion via blog commenting”.
Think about it, do you think John Chow would ever response to your comment? No, he won’t..because he is one (or two) class above.
My point is you need to pick the right blogs (read: the right audience) and you’ll see more people visiting your sites and leave comments in no time.
BE A GOOD LURKER ON POPULAR BLOGS AND GOOD COMMENTER ON THE LESS POPULAR ONES….till you have the numbers.
Just my 4 cents
Yan
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 5:37 am
“Indeed, it’s the kind of gratitude bloggers are looking for. Sure, if you want to click on my adds and help earn me a couple of pence, GREAT, but that’s not what you’re here for, nor what I blog for.” - this part is not true for me though, since my non-secret goal with this blog is to make lots of money. And it’s not only a must for me, it’s a must towards my audience too, after all, who wants to learn from someone who can’t do what he’s talking about?
But I absolutely agree with the last part, it can be sometimes frustrating to put a lots of effort into a post just to see that no one’s interested, it happened to me with my last post for example.
But I’m always positive and won’t get depressed because of such little things
It’s very important to not loose your enthusiasm. That’s a killer. So cheer up, man, it’s not that bad, you’ll write another 100 excellent posts for sure, with 44 comments on each, just keep doing it and improving day after day.
And don’t worry, I’ll read that post tomorrow I promise, so you can’t say it was for nothing
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 5:40 am
Yan, I’m glad you’re here, really, my precious loyal reader, you almost help here more than I do
And I think I have some good ideas on how to find out what your audience wants, maybe I’ll write a post about it next week…
Ernst-Jan Pfauth said,
September 22, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Exactly! I think this idea will really catch on. I just wrote an article about how you can build a community by tracking your visitors activity and leave comments on their blogs as well. This is actually one step further.
So you should take two steps for every comment you get: comment on your own blog AND on the blog of the commenter.
Say goodbye to your spare time
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
Well I’m not afraid of that
Commenting on other blogs is a part of my promotional strategy of course, but my rule of thumb in blogging is honesty. So I comment only blogs and posts I actually read and find interesting, and I’d do that anyway…
Kaarakainen said,
September 22, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
Interesting entry. I found your blog from BlogCatalog where you added me as your friend, thank you!
I’m sure this is a point that many bloggers don’t think about enough. Replying to every single comment is hard work for sure, but I agree, it’s worth it. One important thing is, though, that it’s necessary to reply honestly to the comments and think about the replies and what you really want to say, not just write something because you have to. Giving the kind of blahblah-answers is what really kills the credibility. So in other words, regardless of the amount of replies you post, the quality of those replies shouldn’t drop below your standards.
By the way, you’ve done good work here, keep it up!
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
Thanks Kaarakainen! I definitely agree. And of course the same goes to the other way too. Just as authors don’t want “nice post” comments, commenters also deserve meaningful responses
Btw, welcome to my blog, I hope you’ll find it interesting!
Jani said,
September 22, 2008 @ 10:15 pm
I’ve just found an interesting article titled:
The 8 Most Obnoxious Internet Commenters
It’s worth a look it has almost 3000 diggs and 650 comments! I’ll be more than happy with only a fraction of that
mastersofseo said,
September 23, 2008 @ 12:23 am
Very interesting article. It says alot about the importance of never being too important for your readers. Which people like John Chow and shoemoney are. They never reply to anything. We can all learn from dosh dosh, I really need to get started as well. Because I find it hard to reply even though I only get like 7-15 comments a post. Thanks for the good post!
Jonathan Muller
http://mastersofseo.com
Make Money Blogging
Jani said,
September 23, 2008 @ 12:40 am
I don’t blame John Chow, it’s your own choice whether or not you respond, but I believe if other bloggers can do it, then I can do it too.
And above all, I love to connect with my readers, I don’t want to be isolated, cause blogging for me(and for a great number of other bloggers) is about providing value, and I believe it’s not fair to give some and then shut up. Then go write a book or a static website, but blogging is definitely not for you then.
Nick Grimshawe said,
September 23, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
Well with mine, 18 comments, not bad. I will work on improving my feedback to my readers. I all ready answer all post but I will attempt to add more detail.
Thanks for the insight.
Nick
Jani said,
September 24, 2008 @ 3:47 am
Nick : you’re welcome, just keep at it, you’ll be amazed by the results. This blog isn’t even 2 weeks old, but I had so much comments most small bloggers only dream of
It’s probably due to some luck as well, but I believe treating your readers as they deserve was a key element achieving this.
And also note that half of the comments were me
Random Reflection said,
September 24, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Great advice - looks like you are analyzing what you see in the blogging world and will soon be making a living from your blog! I am going to subscribe now and learn from your discoveries.
Jani said,
September 24, 2008 @ 10:15 pm
Exactly.I love to do this stuff. Just observe the pros, notice the patterns, tweak it to your own style, and then achieve the same results. Originally it’s called learning. But the teachers in school do a great job for us to forget that…
And of course I do a lot of experiments on my own, to see if they’re working or not (see next post), and I’m always looking for better solutions. Once again: I love it!
Michael Aulia said,
September 28, 2008 @ 7:32 am
Another part of it is to make comments on other blogs too (especially with the “U comment I follow” tag)
Hm my own remark above actually gives me some inspiration for a new blog post
Posting on weekends | Blog for a living said,
September 29, 2008 @ 2:31 am
[...] Saturday I finished the week with a quite popular post (How to get a hundred comments on your posts) that got a lot of comments and attention. This Friday I wrote the Do you still think Analytics [...]
Starcasm said,
October 23, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
I like the new layout of the site! Looks great!
tivitune said,
October 29, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
i agree. If your post was great and your content really good. No wonder people will leave comment and said something. So, just do it like what your readers want.
Jani said,
October 30, 2008 @ 1:52 am
Well, yeah. And that’s 25 with you already