One Simple Way to Generate More Comments on Your Blog

“And that,” he wrote, “is that.”

Doesn’t much make you want to pitch in with your own views, does it?

We all tend to focus on catchy headlines and gripping titles. That split-second interest grabber is important. Copyblogger’s great posts on headlines thankfully tell you exactly how to craft your words to create snappy headlines.

How you end your post depends on what you’re trying to achieve and what action you want the reader to take. When it comes to prompting reader interaction, how you wrap up your blog posts or articles may make all the difference between a handful of comments and an explosion of discussion.

Think about it: What urge grabs the reader and compels him to write his comments? What gets him to talk about your post? What happens when the show’s over?

Depending on how you’ve written your conclusion, there’s a good chance that nothing happens. The reader mentally nods and thinks, “Good post.” Then he or she moves on to something else.

That isn’t going to create much of a sense of community or generate tons of commentary.

A conclusion that is too tight, pat and firm might just be the problem. A good wrap-up is vital to a great read, sure. When you wrap up your content too tightly, though, you cut off the circulation – or in other words, you shut down conversation.

Across the board, those who coach individuals on social skills encourage people to ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions keep conversation going. These coaches promote getting the other person to talk about himself.

People loooove to talk about themselves. So be interested in what another person has to say.

Where can you show that interest? Where’s the best place for that open-ended question? Your wrap-up, of course.

Here’s an example to help understand how this all works:

Your reader: I’d like to know more about writing great blog posts that encourage people to leave comments.

You: Great. Do this.

Your reader: Oh. Okay. Thanks.

You might have handed the reader a great solution, but did you show interest? Did you ask that open-ended question to get the reader involved? Did you encourage discussion? Not at all. You handed them an answer and shut down conversation so nicely that getting more from the reader becomes almost impossible.

They’ve heard you. They’ve moved on. It’s the fine-line difference between talking at someone and talking with someone. Which action did that example fall into?

To help show how you might try a different tactic to get those discussions going, here’s another example:

Your reader: I’d like to know more about writing great blog posts that encourage people to leave comments.

You: Great. Do this. But can I ask what you’ve been doing up to date? Why do you think you aren’t getting more comments?

Your reader: Well, I haven’t tried what you just proposed, and I think it’s a great solution. So far, I’ve been wrapping up my posts nice and tightly but it feels like I’m cutting off the circulation, you know? I’d really like to create a community and get more readers involved… would you happen to have more tips about doing that?

You: Sure, I have tons of tricks you can use to build up a community. I’ll write up a series of posts to address just that. I think it’s great you’re willing to try new things. Speaking of which, have you considered…

And so on.

So the next time you write, pay attention to your headline—and then pay just as much attention to your conclusion. Wrap things up in a way that encourages conversation, comments and discussion. Get your readers involved. Learn about their experiences. Ask open-ended questions. Have them talk about themselves.

Don’t you think it just might make a difference? Yes or no, let me know.