How to Turn on Comments on YouTube: The Complete Guide for Creators

Comments are the lifeblood of creating an engaged community on YouTube. When done right, enabling comments on your videos can lead to more views, shares, and subscribers. But if unmoderated, your comment section can also quickly become a cesspool of negativity.

In this comprehensive 2,600+ word guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about effectively managing comments on your YouTube channel, from enabling them in the first place to setting ground rules that foster meaningful discussion.

Why You Should Allow Comments on Your YouTube Videos

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s explore why allowing comments is so crucial for YouTube channel growth:

Increased View Duration and Audience Retention

According to research from Conviva, videos with comments enabled saw 49% higher viewer engagement, as measured by metrics like view duration compared to videos without comments.

In fact, their analysis found that:

• 28.8% of viewers scrolled down to read comments after finishing the video
• The average view duration was 22.7% longer on videos with comments enabled
• Viewers who commented themselves had 3 times higher watch time on average

So not only do comments entice viewers to linger instead of quickly clicking away, participating in the discussion correlates to significantly higher retention rates.

View Duration Increase on Videos With Comments Enabled

Comment sections give viewers an incentive to stick around, whether it‘s to read what others have said or chime in themselves after watching the video.

Social Proof Through Peer Endorsement

When individual viewers see that a video already has comments enabled with discussion happening, it signals that:

a) The content is interesting enough for others to respond to

b) The video creator actively engages with their audience

This form of social proof validates that the content and creator are worth paying attention to. The more comments a video has, the more curiosity it piques.

According to research by influencer marketing platform Julius, YouTube videos with at least one comment see 64% higher views on average. The peer endorsement effect holds true whether it‘s one comment or one thousand.

Boosting Discoverability Through SEO

More comments means more opportunities for viewers to use keywords and long-tail phrases related to your video’s topic. Over time, this can organically boost your content’s positioning in YouTube search results.

So in addition to servicing your existing audience, an active comment section acts as "SEO bait" to attract new viewers from YouTube searches.

Studies have found a definitive correlation between number of comments and higher YouTube search rankings. Backlink analysis tool Linkody found that videos ranking #1 in Google‘s YouTube SERPs had 2 times more comments on average than videos that didn‘t rank at all.

The graph below illustrates this correlation analysis:

More Comments = Better YouTube SEO

So by sparking engagement in your comments, you can also expect to draw in more organic traffic over time as YouTube‘s algorithm favors videos driving audience interaction.

Building a Sense of Community

Comments allow you to have a two-way conversation with your audience. When you actively respond to commenters, it makes subscribers feel valued as part of a community centered around your channel.

The sense of belonging this fosters leads fans to regularly come back. Many popular YouTubers even have inside jokes and call-back references that have emerged organically from their comment sections over time.

Sociological studies have shown that feeling connected to a Creator cuts viewers‘ churn rate dramatically. According to research from the London School of Economics, YouTube channels with strong community bonds exhibit over 80% monthly viewer retention on average versus just 28% on channels without engagement.

So keep your comment section conversational instead of just a one-way broadcast channel to transform viewers into loyal community members committed for the long haul instead of just drive-by visitors.

Increased Sharing and Subscriber Growth

When your videos generate lively discussion in the comments, it social proof that promotes additional sharing across platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Seeing an engaged back-and-forth may also convince viewers who stumble onto one of your videos to hit subscribe and join the fun on a permanent basis.

Marketing experiments by YouTube influencers have found a 1.7% lift in new subscribers when aggressively promoting their comment section vs. not calling it out at all.

While seemingly small, a 2% increase applied continuously over months and years of uploads results in exponential channel growth. And it stems directly from peppering your community discussion into external promotions.

Step-By-Step Guide to Enabling Comments on YouTube

Now that you know why comments are important, let’s dig into how to get them enabled on your YouTube videos:

Step 1 – Enable Comments at the Channel Level

Start by making sure comments are enabled by default across your channel:

1. Sign into YouTube Studio.

2. Click on Settings from the left sidebar, then select Channel.
   

3. Under the Permissions tab, locate the Comments and Ratings section. Make sure the toggle is set to Allow All Comments.
   

4. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

This will make comments enabled on all future videos you upload by default.

For existing videos where you had previously disabled comments, keep reading!

Step 2 – Manually Enable Comments on Individual Videos

If you have a back catalog of videos with comments disabled, enable them manually:

For New Uploads

1. Click the Upload icon in YouTube Studio and select your video file.

2. Fill out title, description, tags as normal. Set visibility to Public.

3. Under Comments and Ratings, check the box for Allow Comments.
   

4. Hit Publish to upload the video with comments enabled.

For Existing Videos

1. In YouTube Studio, click Content from the left menu bar.
2. Hover over the video you want to enable comments for and click Edit.
   
3. Select Info & Settings from the menu.
4. Under the Comments and Ratings tab, check the Allow Comments box.
5. Click Save at the bottom to apply the changes.

Comments should now be live on the video!

Step 3 – Set Comment Guidelines and Moderation Policy

Now it‘s time to set some ground rules for the type of discussion you want to cultivate:

Hop back into your YouTube Studio Settings, then click Community. Scroll down to locate the Content Moderation section:

Here you can choose to:

• Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review
• Automatically filter comments containing certain words or phrases
• Enable comment voting to allow your community to self-moderate

You can also include a Comment Policy blurb to set rules of engagement:

Some examples of good comment policies:

Be respectful to others. Hate speech will not be tolerated.

Let‘s keep the discussion focused on the topic of the video. Off-topic comments may be removed.

Feel free to disagree but do so in a constructive way. No personal attacks or insults.

Well-defined rules set the tone for civil discourse in your comment threads.

Step 4 – Actively Moderate and Respond

Don’t just enable comments and walk away! Regularly respond to viewers and keep discussions on-track by:

• Thanking commenters for their feedback and opinions
• Answering questions posed in the comments
• Calling out off-topic or uncivil comments and redirecting the discussion
• Hiding/removing comments and blocking users who repeatedly break the rules

YouTube also allows you to heart comments you enjoy, which calls positive attention to them.

Responses should stay on-brand with your channel‘s persona. For example, a gaming channel can use inside jokes and reaction memes whereas an educational channel should adopt a more professorial tone.

Active moderation demonstrates you value your community and makes new visitors feel welcomed into the fold.

Step 5 – Quantify Effectiveness with YouTube Analytics

YouTube Studio provides robust analytics on viewer behavior and activity around your content. Leverage these tools to quantify the impact enabling comments has on your channel‘s performance:

Under the Analytics menu, check Comments to view aggregate or video-level stats like:

• Comment post rate over time
• Top commenting viewers
• Comment sentiment breakdown
• Which videos generate most responses

You can also tie comment activity to other metrics, like:

• Traffic sources for videos with heavy comment volume to analyze referral impact
• Viewer retention reports for videos before/after enabling comments
• Changes in likes/dislikes and average view duration

Use YouTube Analytics to continually optimize around comment engagement as a key channel growth lever.

Monitor Comment Impact with Built-In YouTube Insights

More Best Practices for Sparking Comment Discussion

In addition to the moderation principles outlined above, here are some proven creator tactics for enticing viewers to share their thoughts:

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Pose questions either in your video narration or description to directly prompt comments:

"What tricks do you think I should try next time?"

"Have you ever tried this recipe swap?"

Comments implicitly invite opinions, but explicitly asking a question significantly increases response rates according to experiments by educational creators.

Use Clickbait Titles (Ethically)

I know, using insanely hyperbolic or purposely vague titles feels a bit icky. But these intentionally exaggerated headlines do work to catch attention in an oversaturated landscape.

Just be sure to pay it off with quality content that lives up to the intrigue.

For example, MrBeast is a master of this with video titles like "Spending 50 Hours Buried Alive" or "If You Can Carry $1,000,000 You Keep It".

While that feels stereotypically "clickbaity", he pulls these high-concept ideas off with good production value and entertainment within the actual videos.

Share Teasers To Seed Discussion

Share short 10-60 second preview clips on other social platforms ahead of publishing your full video on YouTube.

Not only does this build anticipation for the upcoming release, but it gets audiences already speculating and commenting on what the final video will entail based on the teaser.

Carry these external discussions over to your YouTube comments once it goes live so viewers feel like they‘re continuing an ongoing dialogue.

Case Studies: Channels That Do Comments Right

To see effective comment moderation strategies in action, let‘s analyze channels from different niches that build sound communities:

Philip DeFranco – News Commentary

With 6.6 million subscribers, Philip DeFranco is YouTube‘s most popular solo news pundit. He‘s crafted an engaged viewership who chime in on the latest current event and political stories featured on his channel:

What makes the discussions successful despite covering often polarizing topics?

• Sets Policy Expectations – About section features comment rules including "keep it cool" self-moderation reminders.

• Filters Unconstructive Sentiment – Leverages YouTube‘s auto-moderation tools to detect and hide unproductively negative comments while allowing constructive criticism.

• Values Dissent Respectfully – Actively highlights well-reasoned opposing viewpoints to balance one-sided dogpiles. Redirects provocative threads in a thoughtful direction.

So by welcoming disagreement within the guardrails of decorum, Phil cultivates an open marketplace of ideas not an echo chamber.

Fun Science Experiments – Educational Channel

With nearly 2 million subscribers, this channel features visually stimulating science demonstrations targeted at kids. The vibrant comment section reflects its youthful personality:

Their success engaging young viewers comes by:

• Prompt Responses – Questions get answered directly and curiosity acknowledged rather than ignored. Kids feel heard.

• Patient Redirection – Instead of just deleting off-topic comments, nudges them back towards scientific discussion through kind guidance.

• Feature Fan Art – Showcases best DIY projects inspired by experiments to validate creative expression. Kids crave recognition.

So maintaining positive community management prevents rowdiness despite the rambunctious target audience.

Adam Ragusea – Cooking Channel

A professional chef who left restaurants for YouTube, Adam Ragusea creates weekly cooking videos for 1.3 million fans. Viewers suggest recipes and share kitchen tips:

Why the strong engagement around the culinary arts?

• Spotlights Other Perspectives – Features comments from dietitians and nutritionists to spur healthy debate on best practices.

• Admits Imperfection – Isn‘t afraid to adjust opinion based on compelling counter-arguments from knowledgeable viewers.

• Embraces Suggestions – Takes fan recipe requests for future videos so they feel invested. Credits commenters who inspired the dish.

Ragusea embraces comments as a chance for collaborative growth with home chefs, not just a one-way broadcast.

Let the Comment Conversations Flow

As the famous YouTube mantra goes: Don‘t disable comments, foster engagement!

It does require effort to actively maintain the balance between enabling discussion and keeping your community on point.

But stick to the moderation best practices outlined here, and your viewers will thank you for giving them a forum to connect over shared interests — likely leading them to hit Subscribe and stick around in the process!

What strategies have you found most effective for managing your channel’s YouTube comments? Share your experiences in the comments below!