✌️ To comment or not to comment... that is the question

Metricooler, let's get to the point: comments matter.

They matter because they help. They push your engagement metrics up, give your posts more visibility, bring in more conversions, strengthen your brand authority, and — above all — build loyalty with your audience.

In other words, they help you build a stronger community and a stronger brand.

But because they're rarely the star metric in any report, it's easy to let them slide to the background. So here are 4 ways to get more out of comments, without adding a mountain of work to your plate.

Your comments section tells you more than you'd expect.

For one, it's direct feedback on the content you're putting out.  If you get lots of comments on a post, that’s a clear signal that your content is hitting the spot. Are they positive or negative? Go through them to get a feel for how your audience sees your content, and your brand.

It also says a lot about the health of your community. It's not just about volume, it's very much about quality: people who comment regularly, join the conversation whenever you ask a question, or tag their friends because they felt seen by something you posted. If that's happening, you're on the right track.

And here's the key: comments are a signal to the algorithm that your feed has content worth recommending, which means the platform is more likely to show it to people who might be interested.

Being an active part of your community isn't just good practice. It's a core part of your social media strategy.

So how do you actually put comments to work?

Looking at how different accounts handle it, there are a few clear paths:

#1 Be part of the conversation 

Talk to your community like you're one of them. Not a brand rep running through a script, someone who knows the codes, the references, and the tone. Natural, human, and real.

One thing to keep in mind, even when you're being warm and casual, your brand voice still has to come through.

Some examples: 

Aldi UK, who's mastered this completely. 

And Calm, who takes the time to reply to every single comment.

#2 Generate leads 

Use the comments section to deliver value and offer useful resources to your community. The mechanic is simple (you’ve seen it hundreds of times, because it works): ask people to comment a specific word to receive a downloadable resource in their DMs. You're adding value and boosting your engagement at the same time.

Examples: 

Walmart, sending product links from their posts via DM. 

The English academy Pikingli, sharing free learning resources. 

And us at Metricool 😉

At Metricool, we use Manychat for this. We set up an automated reply so that when someone comments a keyword — like "ebook" or "download" — the tool sends them a DM with the link to the resource. It saves time and makes sure no one gets left out.

We actually recorded a live session this week with David Andriate, Growth Leader at Manychat, on how to get the most out of it: 

#3 Turn comments into fresh content 

Sometimes you don't need to rack your brain for new ideas, your audience gives them to you in the comments through their questions and observations.

If you're on TikTok or Reels, use the reply-to-comment feature and film yourself answering that specific question. It's a format that works especially well for small brands and businesses. 

Like this clothing store. 

Or this slime brand.

If you're on X/Twitter or Threads, use quote posts to respond to questions and build your own content around them, something Wendy's does probably better than anyone.

#4 Customer support 

The most obvious one, but equally important. If someone has experienced an issue with your brand, they'll probably post about it on social media. Make sure they feel heard, always reply, and if personal information is involved, move the conversation to DMs. This is essential to project a trustworthy brand image. 

American Airlines is a good example of this done well.

"I don't have the bandwidth for comments"

We know that adding comment management to an already long to-do list can feel like a lot, but there are ways to make it work.

The first thing we do at Metricool is be the one to open the conversation by leaving the first comment on our own posts.

Think of the comments section like an empty dancefloor. When a post goes live with zero comments, it can feel awkward to be the only one there dancing. So sometimes we start things off with our moonwalk, droppping the first comment ourselves, making it much easier for others to join in.

And no, this doesn't mean more work 😎 Because when planning our post in Metricool, we schedule the first comment at the same time , which goes live the moment the post does.

ADD YOUR FIRST COMMENT TO YOUR POST →

The second is managing all your interactions from the same inbox. From there, you can reply to comments across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok, all in one place, across all your brands.

 Instead of being distracted by every notification, we set aside 10–15 minutes a couple times per day to go through all pending comments at once.

The "unread" filter is what makes this work: one click and you've got every unread message in front of you, with no jumping between platforms.

Dearest gentle reader, if this weekend you're living and breathing Sophie and Benedict Bridgerton, welcome to this very select group of debutantes 💛

And let's not even get started on Benedict not recognizing her just because she wasn't wearing the mask.

David, from Metricool ✌

If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom of this email, first, you're the best. Second, I’d love to hear your feedback so I can keep making these emails as valuable (and enjoyable) as possible:

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