Sending Thank You Notes to Your Blog Readers
~ By Jennifer Chait
I recently received an email from another blogger. I had left a comment at her blog. Her e-mail to me said, “Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Please consider subscribing.”
At first glance, I thought this e-mail idea was clever. I rarely get e-mails thanking me for visiting a blog, so it stood out. Plus, I’ll admit, it did make me feel cared for (sort of warm and fuzzy).
Then, oddly enough, a blog client of mine, mentioned to some other bloggers and I, that we should try sending thank you notes by e-mail. So, I guess this new e-mail thank you deal is sweeping the nation. Ok, maybe not sweeping but it’s out there.
I started thinking about the situation. Questions swirling in my head; is this a good way to snag readers? Is this a productive way to use your blogging time? Hmmm. It was bugging me. I came to a conclusion…
Sending e-mails is not a good use of your blogging time. Here’s why:
- What would happen if all bloggers did this? If you knew that you’d get an e-mail each time you left a comment, would you be less likely to leave comments? I wouldn’t comment nearly as often. I get plenty of e-mail. Massive amounts of e-mails in fact. I don’t need more e-mail that serves little purpose. Sometimes I will subscribe to a comment thread - but I do that by choice.
- This blogger could have simply left me a return comment on her blog, thanking me for stopping by, and I’d have felt all warm and fuzzy without the extra e-mail.
- It didn’t work. I didn’t subscribe to her blog. It’s not that her blog was bad. I liked the blog. It’s just not a blog I see myself reading on a daily basis. Also, I don’t love being pressured, (even nicely), to subscribe to a blog.
- Now I’m worried about visiting her blog again. I might have visited again, but I don’t want extra e-mail. I’m worried that if I do visit, and feel compelled to leave another comment, she’ll just e-mail me again.
In the time it takes to send all these e-mails, you could be writing quality blog content. You could pull a comment out and highlight it in a blog post. You could be visiting other blogs and commenting. Comments will draw more visitors than e-mails. Thank you e-mails are not the worst idea ever, but in the grand scheme of blogging, there are simply better ways to spend your time.
What are some better ways to draw blog readers in and keep them visiting?
Among other places, you can visit Jennifer Chait at Offbeat Homes, 7 Babes A Blogging, and Tree Hugging Family.
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Saturday, January 26th, 2008 at 1:31 pm under
I agree 100%. I get enough emails as it is
January 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pmI agree as well. I think a nice “thank you” in the comment section would have sufficed. I generally subscribe to comments when I leave one, so I would see a reply note that way.
Now you’ve got my wheels turning…how to promote return visitors….hmmmm…..
January 26th, 2008 at 5:24 pmI received a couple of emails like that in the past and honestly, I consider it spam.
One thing I love about Liz Strauss is that she’s so welcoming. Every time a new visitor posts a comment, she welcomes that person in a return comment. I like that so much better.
There are other ways of thanking your readers, I don’t think spam is the way to go about it.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pmI see thank-you emails as spam, but I really like the return comment, even if it’s just “thanks for commenting!” which is essentially the same thing the email said. Maybe it’s just that we all get so much unsolicited mail that it’s hard NOT to lump this in with the rest of the junk mail.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:30 pmIf the blogger were on a Word Press website, it most likely was an automated email. There is a Word Press plug in that yo can install. I have it installed on a few of my websites. It has done well. I’ve personalized it so it’s not a generic message. My new commenter’s usually will respond to that email with questions.
I try to draw readers by being engaging. I try to include them in the conversations I start on my websites. I always respond to comments left on my websites even if it takes me a few days to get to them. At times it’s not easy one of my websites receives a lot of traffic; however, my readers seem to appreciate me doing that. I try to treat my readers how I want to be treated.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:41 pmI often reply to my comments in email. Not to say “thank you” so much, but just to acknowledge their comment. I also sometimes leave a return comment in the comment section, but I feel like many people probably never return after leaving a comment. I know I don’t. I thought returning the comment in email (I read all my comments thru my email so it’s just a matter of clicking “reply”) and so I thought people enjoyed the repartee. But perhaps I need to choose more carefully those people I email and make sure I really have something valuable to say. Food for thought.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:59 pmI e-mail first-time commenters with that type of message.
January 26th, 2008 at 7:16 pmI always respond with a personal email to comments that I receive. If it’s a new reader, yes, I do say “thanks for visiting,” although I thought it a little tacky the person asked you to subscribe. I very rarely go back and look in comments section to see if the blog author has responded to my comments, so I have to assume that other people don’t, as well.
If the person doesn’t want to read my email or if she is overwhelmed with the amount of them sitting in her inbox, she can delete it. I feel good knowing that I have personally responded to that person’s comment. I don’t view it as a waste of time at all, but a good way of building a relationship with someone who may become a longtime reader.
January 26th, 2008 at 7:31 pmI think emailing is a good thing to do if the commenter asks you a questions. I bounce around the Internet all day, and some blogs that I visit only show up on my radar because tey are linked somewhere else. I don’t always re-visit to check out comments.
So, if a reader asks a question, a leave a comment, but also directly email them back. Or, if they left a really thoughtful comment, I take the time to email them. I don’t think you should email every person with a generic “thanks for commenting, please subscribe” email, but I do think that sometimes emailing can be an effective way to remind readers to come back to your blog.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:28 pmUnfortunately, I don’t have time to respond to every commenter but I did install a plugin that allows me to respond in the comments and have that response emailed to the commenter. This way they don’t need to subscribe to comments to know I’ve continued the conversation. (I don’t have time to subscribe to the comments of all the blogs I read either but I’d LOVE to know that the conversation has continued in the comments because I also don’t have time to go back and dig for comments I’ve left looking for responses.)
January 26th, 2008 at 9:00 pmWhen someone new takes the time to stop by and comment, I take the time to comment back. I don’t always email, unless there’s not a blog link, but I will “visit back”.
And often, we keep visiting, and we add each other’s links.
Some questions I’ll answer in the body of the blog. It depends on the type of comment.
I find it’s worth making the time to do this. I get several paid assignments per month because of people who discovered my blog and respond to it.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:05 pmI normally say thank you or respond with a proper reply in my comments. Last night I sent my first email thanking a commenter, but this was an author of a well received book who has been on CNN and other programs. I didn’t ask her to keep coming, just thanked her for her heartfelt comment. I had replied to her comment in the blog as well.
It was really awe inspiring to have someone, a published author, like what I said enough to share her feelings, so an email seemed right.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:23 pmIt was likely, as a commentor said above, a Wordpress plugin that sends a thank you to a new person who comments on your blog.
No one has time to send everyone a thank-you note, but this plugin helps a lot.
And I’ve had a few people thank me for that email, and not consider it spam, so I think it’s alright.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:23 pmI only send an email reply when I feel a need to answer their comment. I’ll leave a reply in the comments and send the same text via email to the OP. Since I don’t have ’subscribe to these comments’ via Typepad, I think sending this email as a courtesy.
When I send these emails, I always thank them for reading the blog. But I don’t press them to subscribe.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:51 pmWe live in a world where everyone feels obligated to be salesmen or saleswomen in order to “keep up” with everyone else. The personal thank-you is NOT a gracious, homey kind of thing - it is a sales tool. The sentiments are as fake as a Wal*Mart greeter, and obviously so.
If you want to project a genuine, homey kind of air, you have to realize that it’s not something you fake. Be real, and let the rest of it follow.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:38 amI think you could be just as gracious and welcoming by replying to a comment on your blog promptly. I would actually prefer a public acknowledgment of my comment to a generic email.
Plus, if it comes with a hook like “subscribe to my feed” it’s not really a heartfelt “Thank you.”
When someone comes to your home, you welcome them, and be the perfect host, and when they leave, you say “Please do come again.”
You don’t go chasing them the minute they’re out the door. That’s stalking!
January 27th, 2008 at 2:09 amWow! I am a little put off by some of the replies I’m seeing here. I’ve left a comment to this question already stating that I always respond to my comments through personal email, especially if it’s to welcome a new reader. I would hardly call myself a stalker, a spammer, or someone whose only interest lies in gaining a few readers. I don’t have a huge following, but the readers who visit my blog(s) on a daily basis have been with me since the beginning. I consider myself to be a genuine person, and I am truly humbled whenever someone takes the time to visit AND comment on my sites. I don’t use “thank you” as a sales tool.
If you don’t want me to follow your comment, visit your site, or respond to you, then don’t leave a comment on my site in the first place.
January 27th, 2008 at 2:19 amWow! I am a little put off by some of the replies I’m seeing here.
I’m not necessarily put off, but I completely understand where you’re coming from, Lis. Some of the attitudes expressed here are a perfect example of why so many people only lurk and don’t bother to comment at all in the first place.
I suggest responding to commenters the way you feel is best, and if they don’t like it, no harm, since they’re obviously not your “type” anyway.
I’ve never even thought about the distinction under discussion here because I honestly don’t care if someone responds to me by email or on the blog. The fact that they’re responding at all is sufficient, and I appreciate it, regardless of the format or any ulterior motives.
Obviously, you can’t please everybody, which makes this a nonissue in my book. You’ll never find me grumbling about someone acknowledging me, though.
January 27th, 2008 at 3:56 amI personal don’t use those emails on my own blogs, but they don’t really waste any valuable blogging time. They are normally autoresponders. You just set them up once and they automatically go out to all commenters.
They are actually getting really popular. In fact many blog networks are now encouraging their bloggers to use them.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:23 amI have to agree with Lis I was slightly surprised by some of the comments but as Chandra mentioned you cannot please everyone.
The way I am online is not too different from how I am in person. I’m very friendly and do go out of my way to make people feel welcome. So for me welcoming people to my virtual homes, especially my new visitors, is nothing out of the ordinary.
I have established great relationships simply by following up with a thank you email. I even picked up a client that way. That definitely wasn’t my intent. I was treating them as I treat all my new readers; however, months later I’m working for them.
January 27th, 2008 at 4:25 amInteresting conversation. First, I don’t see thank you emails as spam exactly – but it is extra email I don’t need or want. I visit over a hundred blogs a week, and comment on many of them – if you do the math, that’s a lot of extra e-mail for me IF everyone sends me a thank you.
I also think it does make a difference when someone asks you to subscribe – as many people have noted here, they’ll send emails, but they really are heart-felt, not a business ploy. I appreciate the difference.
Also, if someone asks a personal question, I’ll email them. If someone is too rude for the community, I’ll email them instead of posting their comment. When I actually become friends with another blogger, I’ll email them as well. I just don’t love email welcomes as a rule.
@Liz Garrett (your first comment). I think the problem is that blogging is changing. If I leave a comment at a blog I like, I do go back to see if they respond, almost 100% of the time. If they didn’t respond to me I may try leaving another comment (if I love the blog). If I visit again and nothing, no response, I scratch them off my list. I don’t need a response from all the regular blogs I visit every time, but I do tend to base my initial decision to keep visiting on whether or not the blogger responded in the first place.
To me, blogs are nice little communities in themselves. I like the back and fourth in comments. Moving the discussion to email, not only moves it away from the blog, but it moves the discussion out of the blog community. Other people, not just me, may benefit from a blogger’s response. Maybe people are moving toward email blog discussions. Maybe I’m just stuck on how blogs were in the past – sort of tiny discussion forums.
I think the feelings bloggers feel about email are going to depend on why they visit blogs in the first place and also how annoyed they get by extra email.
January 27th, 2008 at 5:28 am@Julie F. I think case by case situations are different. An extremely special comment may warrant an email. (Or an especially rude one).
@PreSchool Mama. I agree with the first part of your comment. I don’t however, consider the emails a stalking effort. Unless, I suppose a blogger sends them in abundance.
@Liz Garrett (2nd comment). You said, “If you don’t want me to follow your comment, visit your site, or respond to you, then don’t leave a comment on my site in the first place.”
But here’s the thing; blogs, traditionally, consist of a comment section where back and fourth banter can happen. For years now, when I respond to a blog post, the blogger will either not respond, and then I assume they don’t want a reader/blogger community, OR they will reply to my comment in the comments.
This email deal is new as far as blogs are concerned. Out of habit, that’s what I’m used to and that’s what I expect to happen when I leave a blog comment. Maybe, as I said above things are changing, but honestly, I like the old format. Blog comments are a big deal to me. I don’t love to see them leave the blog. Seemingly, others don’t mind though, so either I’ll have to get used to it or quit commenting at other’s blogs – which frankly would be depressing.
Also, I am sorry you feel upset by some of the above comments. I agree with you that some emails are sent genuinely. AND sorry to single your comments out twice - but they were good think-worthy comments.
January 27th, 2008 at 5:30 amJennifer,
It’s “Lis” not “Liz.” Sorry - I get that all the time.
I agree that if the comment is one whose answer might benefit everyone involved in the discussion, I will place my answer on my blog. Like you, if a blogger doesn’t respond to repeated attempts at communication, I won’t go back, no matter how good the content. I don’t like to be ignored, and perhaps that’s why I go out of my way to establish some sort of personal relationship. I very rarely respond with just a “thanks for visiting” email and instead try to take it one step further.
Blogs that allow you to subscribe to comments help to keep the conversation flowing. If I didn’t subscribe to this blog’s comments, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t come back to see if anyone had responded. I just don’t have the time. I think it’s a great feature (does WordPress and TypePad have this function??), and if I could put it on my sites, I most likely wouldn’t respond as often via email.
I have a fairly small readership and may, at most, receive 10 comments on a post. For me, it is no big deal to extend a thought or conversation through email, and I have forged terrific friendships AND business relationships this way. Having worked in customer service for A LONG TIME, I suppose it’s ingrained in me to treat my readers like I would want to be treated.
What I can’t understand is those people who think it a huge imposition to open an email. I think Opal Tribble said it best, “The way I am online is not too different from how I am in person. I’m very friendly and do go out of my way to make people feel welcome. So for me welcoming people to my virtual homes, especially my new visitors, is nothing out of the ordinary.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:12 amDo you remember ProBlogger.com’s 31 Days blogging course that he did in the summer? Day 1 was exactly this. Darren said that is one of the tactics he used in the early days to build readership. He didn’t say to do it all the time, he said to do it once, when new people start commenting. I think it sounds like a good idea. Of course, if I did implement this strategy, I’d write an email not use a wordpress template and give it some personal touches. How could someone possibly think that’s SPAM, or an invasion of privacy? Besides, I tend to trust advice given on Pro Blogger, especially since he deemed this worthy enough to be Day 1.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:44 pmLis,
My apologies if you thought I was implying anybody who sent emails in response to a comment was stalking. I had the “please subscribe to my rss feed” sort of generic email that Jennifer was taking about. There isn’t a lot of personality there, and hardly any desire to get to know the other person or form a relationship. That’s merely a calculated move to up your rss count which would be a little off putting.
If you did it in a specific situation where the comment was of extraordinarily high value, then yeah, that might deserve an email.
Also, Wordpress does have the “subscribe to comments” option. So, it’s easier to keep the conversation going!
January 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pmI’m with the “no thank-you” crowd.
Your daily job posts are thanks enough.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:23 pmI don’t think I would like to get an email for every comment, I have a ton already. But, there are some people out there who would feel very special hearing from us.
We are writers discussing tactics on a daily basis. I don’t think that this will ever be totally settled because you need to know the opinions of the readers who do not write, who do not know about marketing, and who do not get 500 emails a minute from clients, spam, blogs, and other areas that we do.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm@Lis Sorry about your name! Thanks for letting me know.
@Katherine Actually, I rarely read Problogger. If I see an interesting tweet I may stop by, or maybe an RSS headline that pops out at me but I don’t read Darren daily. So, no, I don’t remember the 31 Days blogging course. I also don’t think just because one blogger does something that it means it’s right for me anyhow. Me sending thank you emails, because Darren says to, would still be lame, because in the back of my head I’d still be thinking, “Well, this is a bad idea.” My e-mails would likely feel false.
In most cases, no matter who says what to do, you should still go with your gut, and do what’s right for you as a blogger.
@Julie What you said is right. I forget that not everyone gets so much email. The other day a non-blogging friend said she had too much email (10 in one day). 10! Can you imagine?
January 28th, 2008 at 8:13 pmLively discussion, as always.
Replying to blog commenter or emails in general can seem like a full time job. But, I believe I owe it to the people who take the time to respond to an article in my weekly column or a blog post.
I never sent a “Thank you, please subscribe” email in response to a blog comment myself. If it is just one or two, I respond the same day. When it is more, I leave them for Saturday which is my designated “correspondence day”.
Spam! never though about it really, but I suppose it is.
Hey, I hardly have time to comment here often but I sure do relish the chats.
Kudos to you Deborah and all the readers and subscribers who keep this site alive, well and yes, lively.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:47 amThere’s nothing more likely to break th flow of a good solid blog post comment discussion than the blog author interrupting with “thank you for commenting” messages and offering nothing else to the conversation.
The Wordpress comment is called Comment Relish, available from http://www.justinshattuck.com/comment-relish/, and replies only to the first time a user comments on a blog (based on the email they used), so, thankfully, does not swamp all commenters with bacn.
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