Best Way for Community Interaction
Probably the hardest thing to do on a blog or site is receive some sort of community interaction. Whether it be in the form of comments or direct emails, getting others to take the time to talk to you can be a challenging task.
While we have metrics to determine traffic and other related data, there is no real way to measure the quality of that traffic. Sure we could consider the bounce rate, but returning readers can quickly read the title of your latest article and then leave.
The easiest way to see if your traffic even has a pulse is to give something away. To take it one step further, it would also help if your free item was something that they would normally have to pay for such as, a book or a subscription to a service.
Often times you will see people offer some sort of free e-book or report if you sign up for their newsletter. While giving away something that was already free may work, you won’t see the same effect has with an item people originally had to pay for.
You also wanted to make your item limited. That way not everybody can get it. If it is an e-book that everybody can get, then they may only contact you when they are ready to use it. If it is limited, then they are forced to take action right then and there. It also saves you some money and it may cause some of your readers to pay more attention to your site, so they don’t miss the next giveaway. Trust me. EVERYBODY IS OBSESSED WITH FREE STUFF.
On one of my sites I recently created a post detailing about 7-8 books I was giving away. I receive many different review copies, and I thought this would be a good way to give them away. So I just had people email me with the book they wanted and an address. To my surprise, within 24 hours all the books had been given away and I had to start rejecting people.
While most of my sites may see a comment or two per article, that is usually it. My Google analytic say there are people coming, but most people are not inclined to leave comments or interact with you in some other form; however, once I started to give away things for free. The inbox started flowing. Not to mention I also made some sales from my affiliate links, I gained some newsletter subscribers, and the returning traffic increased.
Bottom Line: Just because you are not seeing comments does not mean your site has no true following. Just look at some of the major sites on the interent. You may be surprised they have very little comments; however, if you really want to see who is out there, then all you have to do is give away free stuff.