I recall when I initially began uploading on YouTube, I hardly gave much attention to comments. To be honest, I figured individuals would simply comment with “nice vid” or a few arbitrary emojis. However, as time went on, I understood how wrong I was—comments were such a huge part of having a decent relationship with my fans. Not only do they tell me what really goes through people’s minds regarding my content, but they also help the YouTube algorithm pay attention when people are really engaging, which can put more eyes on my channel.
From experience, I’ve learned that when I actually create the discussions, then viewers come back not just for the next video but to see what everyone is talking about in the comments section. It creates this sense of community that is almost as though we have our friends in a room with us, despite that we are all spread out throughout the world.
Table of Contents
Importance of Audience Interaction
Engaging with commenters who leave comments on your videos isn’t just about hurriedly typing out a “thank you.” It’s engaging in an ongoing dialogue. When a viewer sees that you’ve liked or replied to their comment, they feel listened to, and that can totally encourage them to hang around longer and view more of your videos. And as an added bonus, YouTube sort of favors videos that generate a lot of conversation more.
I’ve just said “What do you think?” and that’s fine, but it’s not that engaging. As soon as I get into asking questions such as, “Has anybody else ever had this problem? How did you solve it?” Then I get much longer responses. It’s almost like creating a mini help forum right there in the comments, and that keeps the dialogue open.
Best Practices for Encouraging More Comments
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- Utilize Calls to Action: Occasionally I’ll simply say at the end of a video, “Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever had to handle this situation,” and that straightforward method gets people to comment.
- Use Open-Ended Questions: Anything beyond yes or no encourages storytelling or experience to be shared.
- Pin Important Comments: I like to pin a comment that can be used to introduce a subject or question that I’d like everyone to view, which aids in guiding the discussion.
- Respond to Early Birds: The first time that I post a video, I make a concerted effort to respond promptly to the initial comments. That establishes the tone for everyone else who follows.
- Feature the Community: Shoutouts for frequent commenters or featuring their excellent contributions in an upcoming video makes individuals feel valued.
Comment Moderation and Management Strategies
It’s really important to keep the comment section civil. I’ve found that laying down some rules of thumb (either in the video description or in a pinned comment) prevents a lot of trouble. YouTube does also have some built-in moderation tools such as word filters and simple methods for removing spam. And, you know, sometimes you just need to ignore the trolls.
There is a distinction, though, between someone giving you hard-to-hear constructive criticism and someone being hatefully mean. I’ve discovered that if I respond politely to thoughtful criticism, I might just turn that person into a fan. You’d be surprised at how many haters become fans if you treat them respectfully.
Balancing Negative Feedback
No one likes to read mean comments, but it’s part of the job. The best thing that I have learned is to assess if a bad comment has some valid point in it. If it does, I will respond calmly and see if there’s something to learn. If it’s just trolling, I just leave it be or delete it. It seems to make matters worse when responding to trolls, so I do not attempt to fuel that fire.
It’s actually worked a couple of times where I’ve received a bad comment, responded with something like, “I understand, and sorry to hear that you had a poor experience. What happened that frustrated you?” and the individual actually responded further, and we reached a friendly resolution. Not always, but sometimes it works out pretty well.
Analyzing Engagement Metrics
Checking analytics on YouTube Studio will be able to inform me whether or not a video is truly resonating with the audience. I monitor:
• The number of comments I’m getting overall.
• The proportion of likes to comments—many likes but few comments could indicate that individuals liked the video but were not encouraged to participate in the conversation.
• Overall tone of remarks. If I notice recurring feedback, it may be trying to tell me something significant about what individuals prefer or detest.
Building a Community Outside of Comments
YouTube comments are great, but the community doesn’t have to stop there. I occasionally invite people to join a Discord server or follow my Instagram if they’d like to discuss more about a subject. Live streams or Premieres are also great because they allow us to chat in the moment, and it’s a completely different feel from the regular comment section.
The second way to get people involved is to ask them to create content. So, for instance, I can ask people to create their own videos discussing how they overcame a particular issue, or take photographs on social media and tag me. That way, everyone feels that we’re all in it together.
If you’re interested in tips to increase your views, especially when targeting a specific audience, there are excellent resources out there that break it down clearly.
Case Studies or Examples
A number of large and small creators have utilized comment engagement to grow their channels.
I have a go-to tech YouTuber who literally answers any hardware question, and people commend him for how much he assists them. I also have a favorite workout channel that I follow, and in a routine video, encourages viewers to comment on their workouts—people share success stories and frustrations and even become real-life workout buddies.
These types of discussion threads just keep going and going, which is wonderful.
Future Trends and Considerations
YouTube is always changing how it calculates the value of engagement, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on any updates from the platform.
I’ve also noticed some newer AI moderation tools that can automatically deal with spam or hate comments.
And now that YouTube Shorts and Community Posts are on the rise, it’s no longer just about comments on the main video either. There are more ways than ever for your audience to engage, so that’s more ways to build an actual community.
FAQ
How do I receive more comments?
Attempt to start with some open-ended questions and add a comment asking individuals to share stories. And respond quickly with the initial comments to generate some momentum.
What about negative comments?
Determine whether there is any positive criticism in it. If yes, respond nicely. If it’s pure hate, delete or disregard it.
Does commenting really affect video performance?
Yes. The algorithm on YouTube considers all types of engagement, i.e., how many people are commenting and engaging.