Comments are becoming social media's hottest real estate

Comments outperform posts

Branding consultant Nadine Jarrard noticed her comments were getting more traction than her actual posts. In October, three comments each racked up more impressions than any of her posts.

“It was a little crazy”

Platforms are promoting comments

Comments have become a hot area of activity on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as they look to promote interaction to boost engagement and time spent.

Comments drive trends and culture

Maggie Reznikoff, chief client officer at Open Influence, said comments are culture currency and drive trends. Comments can be as influential as the content itself.

“Comments are culture currency and drive trends”

Readers actively seek comments

A Morning Consult survey published in January found that seventy-seven percent of US adults who use social media at least once a week proactively seek out and read comments.

LinkedIn rewards commenters

LinkedIn saw an eighteen percent year-on-year increase in time spent reading comments. Members who commented on posts received two point five times as many profile views as those who didn't.

Creators are strategizing comments

Careers creator Colin Rocker has notifications turned on for topics he's interested in so he can comment on posts. He said LinkedIn promotes content that triggers conversation in the comments.

Comments drive real business results

Digital strategist Zack Starikov said his profile views are up twenty-seven percent in the past ninety days after being more strategic with comments. He now backs up points with reasons or data.

Comments build business at scale

Creator AJ Eckstein credits commenting activity with helping him build Creator Match to seven figures. He routinely spends twice as much time on comments as he does on posts.

“It's reciprocal by design”

Authenticity matters in comments

Content strategist Yoni Frenkel said creators should be real and not censor themselves in comments. Nadine Jarrard leaves in spelling errors so comments aren't mistaken for AI slop.

“Just try to be real. Don't censor yourself in the comments”

Brands are joining the conversation

Scott Sutton, CEO of Later, said brands need to find new ways to be in the conversation without being cringe or self-serving. Yahoo has used comments to introduce itself to creators.

Comments reveal cultural trends

Creator marketers said comments are an opportunity for brands to learn what people are saying about them and about cultural shifts. Instagram and TikTok let brands do deep dives into consumer trends.

Comments could become monetized

Maggie Reznikoff said comments could become a new performance metric as brands evaluate creators. She thinks there could be rewards for strong commenting down the line.

“I could see a world where we eventually monetize the people making that content more engaging”