We all love sales, but when it comes to social media, engagement is the name of the game. And of all engagement, actual comments rank towards the top.
This just as true for YouTube as it is for Facebook or Twitter, even though it isn’t always thought of as a social networking site. It can provide valuable social proof, showing first-time visitors that all these other users were invested enough in your content to comment on it or subscribe to your channel. Comments in particular generate discussion, which means more engagement and more people wanting to engage with your content. It’s a great cycle.
There’s no doubt that capturing users’ attention enough to drive more comments can be difficult; there’s plenty of competition on YouTube after all. With the right plan in place, however, it can be done, so in this post we’re going to go over how to get more YouTube comments on your videos with five flawless strategies for all businesses.
1. End Your Videos with Questions
Don’t hesitate to ask users questions. Questions can be pretty open-ended (“What do you think?”), but getting specific can work to your benefit. It’s kind of like user generated content (UGC), where users want to know what exactly you want them to create; when it comes to YouTube, giving users specific prompts to follow can increase the number of questions you get.
An example would be something like “Do you have any questions about how the mortgage approval process will affect you? Let us know in the comments!” It’s specific, and it can be what you need to drive engagement.
If you’re ever stumped, typically asking users what types of videos they want to see in the future is almost guaranteed to get responses if you have regular subscribers. This is a common tactic of YouTube stars. See in this video how Rosanna Pansino (9.1 million subscribers strong) uses this strategy to get more YouTube comments and an endless source of content suggestions for future videos.
2. Leave the First Comment
This comes back to social proof. It’s like the dance floor at a wedding, where nobody necessarily wants to be the first one on it; instead, we wait for someone else to take the lead. So go ahead and get on the digital dance floor: leave the first comment on your videos yourself if need be.
This is a strategy that works for blog posts, and even Facebook posts, too, for the record. It breaks the ice. There’s a few options you can choose for this one:
- Post comments under your channel’s name. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and it can jump start a conversation.
- Have someone you know personally leave a comment. I’ve straight up asked friends to leave comments on posts, blogs, and videos for this exact purpose, and I will continue to do so when needed because it works.
3. Replicate Your Best Performing Content
This doesn’t mean post it again or even repurpose it, like you would on Facebook or Twitter.
Instead, use Agorapulse’s analytics to identify your videos that received the most engagement and see if you can figure out why. Do certain playlists get more engagement? Videos of a certain length? (In general, videos under 5 minutes have about a 60% retention rate, and those under 2 minutes have a 75% retention rate and you’ll get more comments on videos users have watched all the way through).
Once you figure out what’s working for you, create more content like it. Use the same CTAs, or create more content in the same topics of interest, or of the same length. Whatever worked for you before, keep using it.
4. Host a YouTube Contest
We hear a lot about Facebook contests and Instagram contests, but did you know that you could host YouTube contests, too? If you want to get subscribers, comments, and actual leads on YouTube all at once, a YouTube contest isn’t a bad way to go.
It will take some extra effort to promote it (and some extra funds to come up with a prize), but it can generate buzz and draw attention to your channel, indirectly driving up contests. If you encourage comments as part of the contest, this will directly increase comments. To generate actual leads, make sure you’re using qualified social contest software to get lead information securely. ShortStack fits this bill, (one of their examples is pictured above) and they have incredible YouTube contest templates that will make the contest a breeze.
5. Stay Engaged with Agorapulse
If you really want to get more comments on your YouTube videos, hands down one of the most important things that you can do is engage with the comments that you already have. Like on all other social platforms, this shows your visitors that you appreciate their comments and that you care about what they have to say.
Agorapulse now has incredible YouTube scheduling and comment moderation features that make it easier than ever to do this. You can now monitor all of your YouTube comments within Agorapulse along with all your other social profiles, and respond quickly right from the dashboard. This can help generate a conversation, getting you more comments on your videos instantly. Even if it’s from some of the same users, it still counts!
6. Keep the Trolls Away
Fairy tales like to tell stories about trolls living under bridges, but they’re a heck of a lot worse roaming around online. Internet trolls are awful, but they’re not just annoying. They can actively drive engaged users away from commenting on your YouTube channel. Why would someone want to ask a thoughtful, intelligent question or leave a complimentary note when they see eight other comments from trolls, all of whom are just waiting to rip someone else to pieces?
You want to get rid of trolls lightning fast, and this is another way Agorapulse’s new YouTube moderation features come into play. You can spot problematic comments and users, and immediately delete the comments and even block the trolls if necessary. This will keep your channel more positive, and prevent the trolls from driving away users who want to engage with your business.
Final Thoughts
YouTube comments are a valuable currency for businesses marketing on the site. They immediately show visitors that your content is valuable enough for other users to engage with, and they give you a chance to generate discussion and interact with your target audience on a new platform. These are all strong benefits that you can – and should – use to your advantage once you have them.
What do you think? How do you get more comments on your YouTube videos? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out Agorapulse’s new YouTube management features!
