Read on to find out which two WordPress comment plugins ensure that your readers receive your responses and that you don’t miss replying to comments.
Ask any blogger what they love about blogging, and I bet “getting comments from readers” will be pretty close to the top of the list. We don’t write to just hear ourselves type. We want to know that someone is actually reading our posts and to hear their feedback. Blogging is the most rewarding when it’s a two-way street.
So, we all love comments. Now what? Just like we want to hear from our readers, visitors who take the time to leave us a note want to get a response! If I go to a blog and see that the author isn’t replying to reader comments, I am much less likely to leave a message. Sometimes those bloggers are replying to readers by email instead of with a WordPress comment. This is a great way to know the reader will get your message, but then other visitors get the impression that you aren’t replying. Plus, sometimes a public comment thread can turn into a group discussion, but if responses are all via email, you miss your chance for that kind of community discussion.
So then we should just reply to comments within WordPress, right? That way the responses are there for the world to see. There’s just one problem: The original commenter will probably never see your reply! Who has time to remember where they left comments and go back and check for a response? Thankfully, there’s a plugin to fix this problem: Comment Reply Notification.
This plugin is really simple. It just sends a copy of your reply by email, so you know your response will be received. You can customize the email to your liking. You can also add links in the email to your social media pages or email subscription form. It’s a great way to have another chance to connect with visitors and possibly turn them into subscribers. Here’s an example of my comment reply email:
There is one finicky thing about Comment Reply Notification: It only works when you reply in the Comments section of your WordPress admin panel. If you reply from the iPhone app, notifications window, or directly from the post, the email notification won’t go out. (ETA: Replying from the post may work for some users; it seems to depend on your theme/plugins.) The trouble is, WordPress doesn’t make it easy to figure out which comments you’ve replied to. Lately I have been getting more comments, which makes me very happy, but I have also been having a hard time keeping track of which ones I’ve answered.
I was thrilled to recently find the plugin called Comments Not Replied To. It adds a column to your comments page indicating whether or not the author has replied to a comment. Not only that, you can filter by comments that are missing replies, making your job even easier! The only trick to this one is that you have to reload the page for the status of a comment to change from “not replied” to “replied,” but that isn’t a big deal. Here’s what the comment screen looks like with the plugin installed:
With these two WordPress comment plugins, I know that I am effectively replying to every single visitor who takes the time to leave me a comment. Now, go get busy interacting with your readers!
Thank you for this post! I am going to go find these guys right now. I have just started blogging and I have been trying to find a plug ing for these purposes.
Thank You,
Alexandra
I’m so glad you found it too, Alexandra. I hope the plugins work out well for you! Thanks :)
I’ve been searching for a plugin that does this well and although I’d read from other bloggers that use this same one to manage comments reply notification, your detailed explanation made it easy for me to make a decision. My initial worry had been that the plugin has not been updated for quite a while – but I’ll go for it. Thanks.
Hi, Stella! I’m usually hesitant to use plugins that haven’t been updated for a long time too, but because I knew so many who used this one I thought I’d give it a try. It seems to work well, and I love knowing my replies actually reach the person I’m replying to! I hope it works out well for you too.
Thank you so much! I hadn’t looked into it yet but I definitely wanted to mail my comment replies, cause they’re pretty pointless otherwise. And the other plugin sounds so useful as well.
I’m really glad it was helpful, Agos! I love knowing my replies actually reach the person, because like you said, they are pretty pointless otherwise! Thanks so much for your visit and comment :)
Thank you so much, I use comment luv premium and this works with it as well. Since the last WordPress update I am not getting all of my email notifications of comments and moderation needed. I get tons of comments and trying to scroll through was killing me and creating a panic..this solved it! Hopefully the email issue will be resolved but this will also make a great back up
I’m so glad to hear this was helpful for you! The scrolling through is so hard, especially when your own replies are mixed in. I was going crazy trying to keep up, so this simple plugin has been a lifesaver!
First of all I was glad to read your opinion of a good blogger. I totally agree with you.
Bloggers who don’t bother to reply to their readers will soon lose them.
I still blog with blogger but I’m finally in the middle of moving to WordPress (hopefully in the next 2 weeks).
So I so appreciate this post and this plugin
THANKS !!
Thank you, Winnie! I have a few friends who switched recently from Blogger to WP. I think it was bumpy for a couple days when they made the big switch, but they are all glad they did now. I hope everything goes well for you. Can’t wait to see your new look!!
Thanks Andi…..I just installed “The comments Not replied to” plugin. Thanks for letting us know about this and have a great weekend! :)
You are very welcome, Sandi! I hope it makes your life easier too. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the wonderful tip Andi! I have the Comment Reply plugin, but didn’t have the Comments Not Replied to. I’ve been searching them out and double checking that I had replied as I went. This makes it so much easier!!
You’re welcome, Stephanie! I am loving the Not Replied To plugin. I hope it helps you too!
Thanks for the informative post! I need the Not Replied to plug in asap!