Showcasing your most active community members is a proven way to encourage engagement. According to Moz research, posts with comments have higher search rankings. Let‘s look at why you should display top commenters, along with expanded tips for implementation.
Why Displaying Top Commenters Matters
Highlighting top commenters provides 4 key benefits:
Encourages Comment Competition
According to Social Media Today, gamifying commenting by showcasing top users creates a competition. This incentivizes increased engagement.
Rewards Valuable Users
Recognizing your most dedicated commenters values their contributions. Research by Entrepreneur indicates that rewarding power users promotes loyalty.
Enhances Credibility
Discussions with many comments make pages seem more active and popular. In addition, Moz found that pages with comments have over 3x more organic search traffic on average.
Motivates Others
Seeing engaged discussion motivates new users to participate, fueling further comments. Indiana University research confirmed comment visibility spurs participation.
Supporting Data
| Metric | Impact |
|---|---|
| Search Engine Rankings | +34% higher for pages with comments |
| Pageviews | 2x more for posts with discussions |
| Loyalty | 62% of rewarded users more loyal |
Clearly displaying top commenters provides measurable benefits. But implementation matters too.
Step-by-Step Guide for Showcasing Top Commenters
The Top Commentators Widget plugin makes adding a top commenters section easy. Just follow these steps:
1. Install and Activate the Plugin
First, install and activate Top Commentators Widget within your WordPress dashboard.
2. Add the Widget to Your Sidebar
Next, navigate to Appearance > Widgets and add the "Top Commentators" widget to your desired sidebar.
3. Customize Key Widget Settings
You have extensive options for controlling display:
- Title/Description
- Minimum # Comments
- User Exclusion Rules
- Reset Frequency
- Name Display Format
Set these appropriately for incentivizing competition without spam.
4. Consider Advanced Gamification
For more robust gamification, a plugin like Thrive Comments is excellent. It lets you:
- Create unlimited commenter badge levels
- Automate badges upon milestones
- Build an engaged community
Check out their site for details.
Additional Tips for Driving Top Commentators
Along with adding the widgets, use these proven tactics to incentivize commenters:
Spotlight Top Contributors: Directly recognize and highlight your most insightful commenters. Respond to their commentary when possible.
Send Thank You Emails: Sending customized emails to top participants has exceptional ROI. Mailchimp data shows triggering more quality comments.
Provide Exclusive Access: Allow frequent commenters early access to gated content. HubSpot indicates this drives 41% more comments from power users.
Conclusion
Implementing these best practices for showcasing top commenters and incentivizing participation works. Let me know how displaying your top commenting users impacts engagement!
