Find Your Reader

The Easiest Way to Engage Readers? Ask Them What They Think

To foster community and build audience, use discussion prompts

As audience editors, we’re not interested in likes or retweets as measures of success — we’re much more interested in the comment section. Though typically, a writer should “never read the comments,” the rule doesn’t apply when a writer specifically solicits responses, engagement, and ideas through discussion prompts.

Discussion prompts are creative ways to build community and encourage growth as a creator. Readers seek a community online, and though they want to read, they also want to engage. They want to discuss what they’ve learned with you, the author, or with fellow readers. They want to get to know you more authentically, to feel like the relationship you’re building is a two-way street. You have to hear them out, too.

On Creators Hub, we use Hub Talk to discuss different aspects of our writing lives. It’s an opportunity for everyone to discuss a theme in the comments, offer support and feedback to each other, and ultimately helps us, as creators, to make sure we’re creating content that serves our readers. Listening to your readers, hearing what sparks interest and debate is the easiest way to beat writer’s block — let them tell you what to write about next.

When using discussion prompts, it’s helpful to respond to readers. Even acknowledging a comment with, “Thanks for sharing!” is a thoughtful way to build authenticity and trust with your audience.

Discussion prompts don’t always have to be their own post. Author Amanda Montell includes questions and prompts at the end of her posts to seed further discussion in the comments — in this way, she creates the “two-way street” experience for readers with every post. This is a smart way to urge readers to engage more deeply with your writing, to feel involved and invested in what you’re sharing with them. A good story will ultimately give readers lots to think about, and where better to share those thoughts than on the actual story?

You can also seed discussion less literally by framing your writing around a question in a roundtable-like setting. The Writing Cooperative hosts a regular “Editors Explain” column, where they invite publication editors to respond to commonly-asked writer questions. Though these don’t directly ask readers for their advice, the post’s framing creates a natural space for discussion, feedback, and further questions that can seed future columns.

Discussion prompts, open threads, questions for consideration — all of these are smart ways to keep readers engaged and build connections with your audience. Let us know if you give discussion questions a try! We’ll keep an eye on the comments.