Across various writing groups on Facebook, I’ve seen a lot of people talk and ask about engagement on their blogs and other projects. “How do I get people to comment on my posts?” they ask. “Why are people reading and liking my posts but not commenting on them?”
I get why these questions are asked so often. With a goal of trying to reach more people or start conversations or share information, it can become frustrating when you feel you’re continuously creating content that no one seems to be interested in.
But many people forget that counting comments — or lack thereof — doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your content or that you need to drastically change what you’re doing to increase engagement.
To be clear, tracking engagement on your work is a great way to tell if people are resonating with what you’re saying. But it’s also important to remember that just because something you write doesn’t get a lot of likes or comments doesn’t mean it was terrible or that it didn’t make a difference to someone.
In grad school, we talked a lot about internet culture and why some people engage with content online while others rarely bother. In a nutshell, there are — generally — two kinds of people: those who desire to actively participate in things, and those who sit back and observe.
In terms of creativity specifically, there are people who feel the need to physically create things, and there are people who prefer instead only to consume the things other people are making.
I, for example, am primarily a creator.
Of course I say “primarily” because these parameters are just generalizations. You can be both a creator and consumer — and in fact, many people who create largely benefit from consuming other creators’ content. You’re not necessarily only one or the other.
But these boundaries do explain why there are people who will read your content religiously and never say a word. Some people either have no interest in engaging with people online. Others don’t even consider it — they read a post or watch a video and immediately go on to the next thing, even if that piece of content made them think or had an impact on them somehow.
There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to actively participate in a movement or experience some type of media with other people. Don’t let a lack of conversation surrounding a blog post or something else you’ve written discourage you. It could just be that those reading your work aren’t the kinds of people interested in talking about it.
Of course, it also could be that you’re just starting out and no one’s been around your stuff long enough to feel comfortable commenting on it. I probably blogged for five or six years before I got my first comment. Or that’s what it felt like, anyway! Keep writing. When it comes down to it, that’s really all that matters, isn’t it?
I’ll leave you with this: If this isn’t the first post on Novelty Revisions you’ve ever read, and you’ve never left a comment before, go for it! Say hi! There’s no pressure to tell your life story or ask questions if you’re too shy or don’t have any. But sometimes it’s fun to introduce yourselves to fellow writers even if you never meet in person.
Observing can be rewarding. But so can being part of a community of people who can openly discuss things and connect with one another,
(Honestly, I don’t count comments or care whether or not I get them. But I’m always looking to connect with new people. It’s always been a goal of mine to make this a community and not just a place where I talk at you. Let’s work on that together. Or not! Carry on!)
Meg is the creator of Novelty Revisions, dedicated to helping writers put their ideas into words. She is a staff writer with The Cheat Sheet, a freelance editor and writer, and a 10-time NaNoWriMo winner. Follow Meg on Twitter for tweets about writing, food and nerdy things.
Meg Dowell Writes 
*waves*
I read all your posts, and the ones I enjoy most I share on Twitter and give a mention to in my “writer Wednesday” posts on my blog. But I don’t comment. I don’t comment on most of the posts I read in general.
I see your mentions! And I appreciate the love. Thanks for being awesome always <3
:)
Hi 👋🏻.
I’m a non commenter too so I understand why people don’t comment on my blog, but likes are always appreciated because I can see people have engaged with the content. I guess our socialisation benchmarks have changed with social media and we have become less engaging and more passive in our information uptake.
I enjoy your posts. Keep up the good work 👍🏻
Hi! :) I totally agree, I mean how many times do you hit ‘like’ as you’re scrolling and keep on scrolling? I do it at least 20 times a day. Unfortunately, I find myself often prompted to comment more often when something triggers a strong reaction which isn’t always good, but I’m definitely not alone in that. Hey, thanks for leaving a comment even though it’s not your thing. And thank you for reading and engaging too. As you said, every little bit helps. :)
I’m FAR more likely to comment from my PC than my phone. And I know plenty of people are reading the WordPress App on the treadmill or something like that. Hitting ‘like’ is easy, swyping a comment on a treadmill is trickier.
Or at least that’s what I tell myself. #rueLackOfEngagement
Hello! I often read your posts. I like receiving comments on my own posts now and then, since that feels like much more of a connection with others than just seeing the “likes.”
Reblogged this on Ann Writes Inspiration and commented:
Hi Meg,
I’ve even asked questions on some of my posts and got no comments, however, I have gotten tuns of likes. Although I get more comments onposts that I shared. For example, the post you published yesterday, I got a comment from someone saying that he has a passion for writing and the person thanked me for sharing. I was glad to respond back. However, a simple thanks may or may not get a response back, because there’s not much to respond to. Thanks for publishing these posts. If I find them helpful, I’ll share them, if I simply find them funny or delightful, I’ll read them and move onto the next thing. It’s not that I’m shy, it’s just there are some things that don’t necessarily need a response, while other posts do.
I do a little of both. Sometimes I really want to comment but then stop myself or delete what I wrote because I am not sure how it will be received. I feel like, often these days, that if you say anything it becomes something negative even when it’s not how you thought it would go down so I just don’t unless I am pretty sure it will be light.
But I do read a lot and sometimes, even when I am reading someone I really like and often “like”, on some things I don’t because I don’t want to give the wrong impression about my “likes”.
I think that other people feel that way as well.
I find it hard to comment on posts. After fighting to get signed in, I have to find where the links end and the post begins. Being almost blind, I have to use a screen reader program to hear the text read aloud through the speakers.
There’s also the time factor. I find so many posts tempting to reply to but the time it takes to fight with the form fields puts me off replying.
I also am glad if I even get likes. That shows that somebody enjoyed what I wrote. They need not comment. People also might read what I wrote and it keeps playing in the back of their minds.. One never knows what a post might accomplish and change a person’s life. So hang in there and keep posting and plugging your work on social media.
That’s why I don’t comment on most posts. I’m completely blind, and it’s so fiddly…
My last semester of college, I worked as a communications intern for a nonprofit offering services for (and which employed many) individuals with varying degrees of vision loss. So much of my job ended up being helping the communications manager navigate social media because THESE THINGS ARE A NIGHTMARE for people who use screen readers! I completely get that struggle and I wish there was a way I could make it easier! But I also appreciate the effort and thank you for doing the best you can with the resources you have. You’re both awesome.
I offer people the opportunity to receive my posts in their e-mail IN boxes. It’s easier for blind folks than having to navigate the blog post.
That’s a good workaround. How do you go about doing that? An email newsletter? An RSS feed?
I use the list function in Thunderbird to make a group. There’s also a way to embed an e-mail address in the post so people can write me but spam bots can’t get the address. I can’t recall the code at the moment but, if there’s interest expressed by posters here, I’ll dig up the code and post it for you to copy.
Hi Meg 😊. I’ll comment if I have something to say about the topic, otherwise I prefer to leave a “like” so the blogger knows I enjoyed their post, and to share it with others who I think will enjoy it.
Your likes and shares are ALWAYS appreciated. :)
😊
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from the Novelty Revisions blog that tells us Why Some of Your Readers Will Never Comment on Your Blog Posts
Yes there are some people who live to comment and some who love to observe, in fact more people observe… AND as the world is a reflection of ourselves, how we comment is reflected back to us… you receive what you give out.
Thankyou for an interesting post, Barbara x
You’re so welcome — and thanks for commenting! :) Observers are some of the best writers. That’s why I don’t mind a lack of comments — sometimes people are too busy thinking to respond and that’s not a bad thing haha. I’ve done my job if a post leaves someone thinking.
After reading this I could not help but comment. I try to comment if I think there is something I can add to the conversation. If not, I at least give it a Like. Sometimes I am just reading posts to get caught up and don’t have time to comment…but I do read.
Time is definitely a factor. I don’t expect people to comment because my audience is full of writers and we don’t always have that much time to spare :P
Hi,
Commenting often has more to do with time restraints than anything else. Clicking like is much more efficient on those days.
That seems to be a common factor in many people’s decisions to settle for a like. I’m the same way. If I’m going to comment on posts, I have to actually schedule out the time to do it, and that’s not always possible.
Hello!
Not my first comment at all, as I’m always here, but it never hurts to say hello!
And you’re right, we all want comments, but, for some people, their like is all they have to say, and that should be valued as well!
Have a great day!
Hello there! Thanks for being here as always! :)
Always a pleasure! ;)