(Please note this post had to be re-published due to code conflict issue. Apologies but some prior comments will have been lost)
If you have a blog then hopefully you’re already doing what you can to encourage a blog comment culture from your readers since it’s not only essential for your blog’s appearance but it also counts towards improving your site’s SEO.
Now this is all well and good but you’ll also have heard that you must reply to all your blog comments ASAP too.
Blog Comment Reply Overload Appears…
Recently I’ve found myself falling behind with replying to comments.
When friend and fellow blogger, Heather Stephens told me she was also finding this a challenge and asked whether I had any tips for dealing with this, I knew it was time to give it some thought.
If you’re reading this and thinking, What are heck you talking about? I wish I had this problem, then this post is for you too.
Carry on doing what successful bloggers are telling you do and it will simply be a matter of time before you too could suffer from blog comment reply overload.
How to Deal With Too Many Blog Comments for Reply
I’ve come up with a few ideas and if you have any more to add then please contribute these in the comments section of this post.
1. Too Many Blog Comments? Careful What you ask for…
If your blog is attracting too many comments, it’s because that’s what you asked for via your thoughts and actions.
It’s not a bad thing. It’s a great thing. Rejoice! Celebrate! You’re doing something right! So it’s not a problem.
See it as it is, something excellent. Now all you have to do is manage it.
If you’re not doing this very well right now, you’re probably short of time. My first suggestion is that you help yourself by putting your subconscious mind to work on this. Afform the following empowering question during your day:
Why do I easily find the time to manage my blog comment replies?
Now leave it to your subconscious mind and get on with what you can do below…
2. Stop Replying to all Blog Comments
If you’re getting so many blog comments that you can’t keep up then it’s probably time to allow yourself to be the pro blogger you’ve become.
If you visit any of the really successful blogs you’ll see that most times these bloggers do not reply to every comment. They only reply to comments that warrant their attention.
Please note you’re not going to do this when you’re just starting out but when you develop an enormous following, you don’t need to reply to every comment.
So what if someone’s ego is offended and never comes back? You have enough other followers now don’t you? Be abundance and not scarcity oriented.
There are more than enough other commenters to replace those that leave.
Choose stimulating comments that are easy to reply to.
Stop wasting time trying to think about how you can reply with value to a comment that does not deserve your attention.
In fact if you only reply to the best blog comments, those who don’t have their comments replied to may be spurred on to leave better comments next time. Make your readers hungry for your attention!
If you really feel you must reply to all comments then maybe the next tip will help you…
3. Cut Your Blog Comment Reply Length
When a comment warrants a lengthy reply, go right ahead but keep these to a minimum.
Learn how to say or ask something significant in your replies in as few words as possible.
Remember time is your most valuable commodity.
Do not be fooled into thinking that all long replies equal value.
If you still feel you must reply to all comments then remember those that do not add anything of value to the discussion don’t require much else than a quick “thank you for your comment”.
4. Deal With Blog Comments With Discipline
Do not let blog comments pile up. Make time to reply to these every day. This way you will not create your own overload.
At the end of your reply session, do your best to have no comments left that still require a reply. Sub-consciously knowing that we always have unfinished work piling up leads to overload stress.
Your turn now and you know what to do…
Be Happy!
Post photo: Brage Vestmo
Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy your visit. May I suggest you...
Hi Marcus,
I’ve never seen anyone address this in a blog post before. I love that, after hearing someone else voice a similar concern, you sat down and thought up a plan. Your leadership shines through yet again.
I really enjoyed this post. It’s very helpful!
Susanna
Susanna Hess recently posted..Can Positive Thinking Affirmations Create Stress
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Hi Susanna,
OK now I feel great… thank you.
But seriously… sometimes it takes others to highlight a mutual challenge and challenges can usually be eased with some thought.
Pleased you enjoyed the post and thanks for your ongoing support.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Excellent tips Marcus. I stick with most of them as my blog has received more comments recently.
I keep the replies short and sweet and most of all, I celebrate. My presence is expanding, which is a great thing! So I tend not to worry about it, because *it* is working
Thanks for sharing.
RB
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..Is Your Facebook Group Hip and Happening
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:46 am
Hi Ryan,
I always appreciate your comments Ryan. Celebrating is what it’s all about…
Have a great weekend.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus, I know what you mean…with all my hundreds of comments (LOL) NOT!
Actually on a serious note, I have had the odd post attracting more input than others so I do know it can be time consuming.
Having said that, I find it a little arrogant when someone asks you to join in, and never replies to comments.
I can’t say it would stop me from returning if the value was there, but to ask then not acknowledge isn’t polite in my estimation.
Shortening the response is a great idea.
Thanks
Jayne
Jayne Kopp recently posted..An Example of Personal Strength & Gratitude Despite Heartache
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:45 am
Hi Jayne,
I think it’s important to acknowledge as many comments as I can and I do. I think it has a lot to do with how I was brought up. Manners were drummed into me from young age.
Have a great weekend.
~Marcus
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We must reply to the comments that we can learn from. Nothing else. If people in the real world want to be friends with people whom they can learn from, why just answer a thousand messages that do not lead to any kind of dialouge.
If we reply to too many messages we will be a wandering generality instead of a meaningful specific.
Lawrence Bergfeld
Lawrence Bergfeld recently posted..Learn How To Be A Mentor In MLM Today Just Like A Swimming Instructor Loves To Teach
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:39 am
Hi Lawrence,
Welcome to my blog and thanks for sharing your insights too. I think using your criteria makes sense.
Generally one gets to know pretty easily who one’s readers are that are worth networking with.
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus! Thanks for one more interesting post. But how many comments you think are a lot? 20? 100? per day? per week?
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:34 am
Hi Ron,
Welcome and thanks for the great question.
I guess this will differ from person to person and how much time you have to reply to comments.
I don’t always have an overload of comments yet.
It just depends on the post I have written.
For me I can comfortably reply in detail to about 15 comments a day and in less detail to about 10.
I do have days where I have to look at as many as 50 comments and that starts to become very labor intensive.
This is why posts on some blogs that get over 100 a day are simply not all replied to.
Hope this helps.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hey Marcus,
Great tips you’re sharing here. As a rule, I don’t let the comments on my blog pile up.
Now that my blog is overflowing with comments daily, I have created a schedule that I stick to, to avoid getting overwhelmed and it’s working well for me.
I believe in replying to every sensible and valuable comment. I trash spammy ones without mercy!
This post reminds me of my recent article on how to deal with your blog’s comments without feeling overwhelmed.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Marcus.
All the best,
Mavis
Mavis Nong recently posted..Breaking News – My Blog’s Alexa Ranking Creeps Below 50-000 in the World!
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 12th, 2011 at 6:53 am
Hi Mavis,
No letting comments pile up is a first stop excellent habit.
Schedules always work well when it comes to dealing with mass demands and I am sure as your blog is now doing so well that you have definitely needed to implement this.
Thanks for adding to the discussion here Mavis. I always welcome your shared leadership and expertise.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus,
Interesting but touchy topic. Touchy to the new guy that’s not struggling with comments because he actually opens a champayne anytime a new comments comes in:-)
First thing first, my spam catcher is VERY ACTIVE! Rarely allow a spam comment to slip away…that alone saves me valuable minutes which I could use for other things.
Another thing that help is the fact that I’ve incorporated replying to comments one of my ‘daily tasks’ so I deal with them as they come in without allowing it to overwhelm me.
You’re doing a great job here man. I love your content!
Tim
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 13th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Hi Tim,
Welcome to my blog.
You made me laugh with your champagne comment!
We all started at the beginning Tim so I am sure it won’t be long and you will have more than enough comments to process every day.
Sounds like you’ve implemented a great habit, that of dealing with comments daily. Well done.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus,
I am just beginning to have this “problem” and I am so happy
I find that keeping your answers short and to the point is the best way to answer all of the comments and not offend any of your commenters. And like you said, don’t let them pile up.
Thanks for sharing your insights and have a great day!
Ian Belanger recently posted..Are All Celeberty Endorsements A Good Thing What If It’s Charlie Sheen Doing The Endorsing
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:47 am
Hi Ian,
Yes it is a “problem” to be pleased about Ian so well done to you.
Not offending well intentioned commenters must be a priority. Thanks for highlighting this.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus… Once you reach that kind of commenting critical mass you can always encourage commenters to interact with each other. Maybe some kind of message right above your commenting area saying something like:
“Although this is my website, this is your community, and we can all be teachers to one another. If you can answer a question for another commenter, then please feel free to respond to them right here.”
This way the more active commenters will automatically take the reign in being more proactive in the commenting section.
Cheers,
Dahlia
Dahlia Valentine recently posted..86 Resources That’ll Help You Become a Profitable Amazon Affiliate
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:44 am
Hi Dahlia,
I love it when perceived problems become opportunities and don’t they always when we make the effort.
What a great idea to pass on, thank you.
~Marcus
[Reply]
WWhew– what a relief to see someone actually write about the rules of “commenting” and to provide some quick tips. Thanks, Marcus.
In my world of personal development, we’re always trying hard to be so insightful, kind, and to say something profound, that it can get overwhelming. I’m glad to have the validation that it’s OK to be brief and selective in response on occasion.
Wishing you well– Nanette
Nanette Saylor recently posted..I Believe… in “BE-ing”
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Hi Nanette,
Welcome to my blog. Great to have you leave your comment too.
Sometimes we are really too hard on ourselves aren’t we? A shorter comment as long as it’s genuine which I am sure yours always are will often do the job just as well.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Sending you big Hugs Marcus! I NEEDED this post! I’m trying to get caught up on comments, working backwards to the posts from before. I knew I was creating a nightmare by letting things pile up, but I also needed to stay focused on the project I was finishing. I hope that my readers will forgive me for being tardy.
I think the two biggies that I take away from this post are that it’s okay to not try to add value to a comment that just deserves a “thanks for your comment,” and I need to be more disciplined. When I’m in project mode I need to remember to pull my head out of my wordpress dashboard once in a while and connect with the people who give me a reason to do what I’m doing.
Thank you for your advice and friendship!
Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Lean Mean Email List Building Machine You Already Own but are Not Using
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Hi Heather,
Thank you for the idea to write the post.
I know what it’s like to have a backlog of comments. For two months I had 97 older unanswered comments that I could just never get to after answering that day’s new comments.
This happens when we are attending to new projects and you have been very busy doing just this so be gentle with yourself. You are a very busy human being. Your readers will understand. They all love you!
Eventually I decided that I was not going to sleep until I had answered them all. What a relief it was.
Please the post spoke to you too.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus,
I’m currently experiencing the opposite of this – getting comments to my site. I know This scenerio would soon be applicable to me. Thanks fro the insight into what I would be facing in the future.
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Hi Emmanuel,
Welcome to my blog.
I am sure you will soon have lots of comments to deal with.
I suggest you read and comment on a lot of other blogs which will bring more commenters to your site.
The best way to do this is to join an effective tribe. I will review this tribe soon on my blog but int he mean time go and read this post and join in. It’e free and very worthwhile.
http://clevermarketer.com/join-the-clever-marketer-mastermind-community-blog-commenting-tribe.html
~Marcus
[Reply]
Hi Marcus,
Thanks for the insight! I’m not there yet, but hope to be someday…just really starting out. I do get comments that have nothing to do with the content, which makes me crazy, but I do just ignore them, so that helps (ha!) I’m looking forward to following your blog and connecting on twitter and facebook.
God bless!
TK Goforth
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 5:40 am
Hi TK,
Great to have you here and thanks for leaving a comment too. Look forward to connecting more with you.
Very annoying all the irrelevant comments. Are you using anti spam plugins?
Take care.
~Marcus
[Reply]
TK Goforth Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Hi, Marcus! Thanks for your reply! The comments are actually legitimate, they are just not commenting regarding the post that I’ve made…Like I have a “giveaway” for my product and they comment “Hey, I’m following you, follow me back!” I’m still trying to find my “niche” and “audience” as my blog is quite different than many, but not a real “mom blog”, either… So, that’s my dilemma… I’m learning a lot as I go, and I see that your blog will be very helpful!
God bless you!
TK Goforth
http://www.chickyrama.blogspot.com
TK Goforth recently posted..Summertime – from my Demo
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 21st, 2011 at 6:36 am
Always pleased to be able to help others!
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Hey Marcus,
Cool that you brought this up.
I also noticed that pro bloggers don’t reply all their comments. They only do the ones that deserve their attention, which saves a lot of time.
This also means that anyone who wants to command their attention really puts out a super comment. Talk of leadership there.
I also advise that people who crave alot of comments should not be obsessed with it, they should just continue providing value and with some promotion comments will come. Guaranteed!
This is the first post I’ve seen on this topic. Bravo!
Thanks for sharing, Marc!
Tosin
Tosin recently posted..Blokube Review- How Blokube can Increase your MLM Business Exposure
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 5:33 am
Hi Tosin.
Thanks for adding more value here.
I particularly like your advice to those still growing int he comments arena. It’s a matter of not trying to manage the outcome but the actions that will get one there. Brilliant Tosin!
~Marcus
[Reply]
Marcus, you were speaking to me in this one! How ever did you know? I love the comments, likes and tweets that my readers share, but thanking and replying to every one does get put on the backburner at times. I like knowing that I’m not the only one out there!
Thank you!
Dani
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 21st, 2011 at 6:26 am
Hi Dani,
Great to have your comment here and pleased the post spoke to you too.
~Marcus
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If it happens, wordpress is definitely loved by everyone
Thanks.
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 5:37 am
Thanks for the comment Thomas.
~Marcus
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“Cut Your Blog Comment Reply Length” I like this one will try on my own sites
[Reply]
Hi Marcus,
I think your tips are great. Having a schedule or system is a very useful way but one needs to have the discipline to stick to it. I agree with Mavis, trying to make these tasks part of a daily routine works best for me. The other thing I have to do is keep reminding myself to stick to commenting rather than going off to read other peoples posts etc. One approach that sometimes helps is to imaging that I actually have a member of staff (wishful thinking!) that I can ask to do the commenting for me. How would I instruct that person to do the job? Once I have answered that question I try to do the job myself the same way. Thank you.
Allan recently posted..Nikon Coolpix P7000 Review
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
July 25th, 2011 at 6:22 am
Hi Allan,
Welcome and thank you for sharing how you approach keeping on task with commenting. It is true there are so many interesting posts out there that it is so easy to get distracted so one has to help oneself too stay on task.
I appreciated reading what you had to say about this. Thank you.
~Marcus
[Reply]
Pleased you found this post useful.
~ Marcus
[Reply]
Cutting the comment length seems to be a good idea. But what about those replies with open questions that need a lot of explanations? How do you deal with those? Would it be okay if you would just dedicate a new post for that?
– Ray, SEO Reseller
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
January 25th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Hi Ray,
My apologies for only getting to this comment now. It got lost in a whole lot of spam comments and so I only just found it..
I think your idea of dedicating a new post to longer type comments is a great idea. Thnaks for suggesting that.
~Marcus
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