Do you reply to the comments on their video's comment section?

[jason1909]

If you have something to say to them then yeah! If anything it is better.

 

[TheWillBox]

I reply to all of my comments and reply to replies after that too haha. The only thing is that I'm not always replying right away. Sometimes it's a day or two later that I'm able to sit down and provide a nice reply.

 

[TimChan]

Great responses guys...appreciate it all

Looks like the majority is heavy on commenting back which is what I was leaning towards before I even started my channel. A lot of great points you guys make, thanks again!

 

[PeterCoffin]

I try to send PM thank yous for compliments and foster conversation in the comments, sometimes it doesn't work out how one wants though.

 

[EughShutUpKatie]

So who here replies to their comments on their video's comment section?

I'm fairly new to Youtube (2 weeks in) and I recently just uploaded my first short film. Got a few comments, but not sure if I should reply to them or not. I'm very appreciative for the comments, but I see some of my favorite channels and I don't see any of the video creators responding to any of the comments so this is why I'm wondering if I should or should not.

I've been told I should not because it doesn't seem "professional"...not sure how it doesn't seem professional. But what are your takes on this subject?

I reply to all of mine I think it's nice to be personal with people who have commented (after all, they CHOSE to comment on your videos, they didn't have to do that). I find it quite off putting when Youtubers don't reply back to be honest, I know that big Youtubers don't really do it, but they get thousands of comments and it would be pretty much impossible to reply back to everyone. But since you are new, I would suggest that you should comment back to show your appreciation that they took the time to comment

 

[techcentury]

There are different takes on this subject.

When I started making YouTube videos (which is almost 3 years ago) I wanted to differentiate myself from 'big' youtubers by replying to all comments that people post under my videos. Throughout those years I stuck to my ideology and I still reply to every comment.
I personally feel that YouTube is a community before anything else and to see how thankful people are when you reply to their comments and when you help them out is amazing.

One thing you have to be aware of is that the more views you get the harder it gets to manage all the comments. After uploading over 300 videos I am constantly about 200 emails behind due to the fact that I want to reply to everyone.

For now I will stick with this strategy because I want to stick to my ideals for starting the channel, if it continues to grow this probably won't be possible anymore.

Another take on this is the one you mentioned.
Some people say that you need to make yourself rare and that you will be on a pedestal and that more people will admire you.

Everybody needs to decide for themselves what strategy they consider best but I personally don't believe that smaller channels can 'afford' not to reply to comments.

Interacting with the community not only helps your audience but also your channel.

 

[PeterCoffin]

There are different takes on this subject.

When I started making YouTube videos (which is almost 3 years ago) I wanted to differentiate myself from 'big' youtubers by replying to all comments that people post under my videos. Throughout those years I stuck to my ideology and I still reply to every comment.
I personally feel that YouTube is a community before anything else and to see how thankful people are when you reply to their comments and when you help them out is amazing.

One thing you have to be aware of is that the more views you get the harder it gets to manage all the comments. After uploading over 300 videos I am constantly about 200 emails behind due to the fact that I want to reply to everyone.

For now I will stick with this strategy because I want to stick to my ideals for starting the channel, if it continues to grow this probably won't be possible anymore.

Another take on this is the one you mentioned.
Some people say that you need to make yourself rare and that you will be on a pedestal and that more people will admire you.

Everybody needs to decide for themselves what strategy they consider best but I personally don't believe that smaller channels can 'afford' not to reply to comments.

Interacting with the community not only helps your audience but also your channel.

Completely agree, but I think to an extent one shouldn't reply to EVERY comment (at least publicly). I feel like sending PMs to thank people is a nice way to keep more discussion-oriented comments more visible.

 

[licious_xo]

I like to reply to most of the comments because I like to!

Also, think about how you'd feel if a youtuber you watched regularly replied to your comment - I know when I get some sort of interaction from someone I watch I feel more loyal to them, I'm more likely to comment again later because I have this feeling they will really read it. Getting more engagement is always good.
I recently participated in the youtube partner outreach program (basically where you have a meeting once a week for 6 weeks with 2 other youtubers and a staff member from youtube and discuss different techniques for improving your channel) and one thing that our yt staff member mentioned but never followed up on is that your own replies to comments might count towards engagement, and might be particularly beneficial within the first half hour t o hour after uploading, but she never followed up on letting us know if this is true. I still keep it in the back of my head though [DOUBLEPOST=1366276778,1366276651][/DOUBLEPOST]d'oh sorry for the redundancy. I meant to word it: I like to reply to the comments because I enjoy it

 

[TombombadillyTV]

In my opinion, the main specialty of YouTube is that you can truly be engaged with your audience and interact with them! In my opinion whenever the creator of a video replies to my comment it makes them stand out and I remember them more which makes me go back to them!

You should definitely reply to all your comments, good and bad!

 

[TimChan]

Hey thanks everyone! I was just a little cautious at replying to others in my videos because personally my short film is about self perception and how you would view my short film as an avant garde short film. So I didn't want to dilute anyone's thought process by replying to some of the comments, thus leading giving some hint or shaping their perception before they watch it. I know for me personally sometimes I would read user comments before watching the video and I don't just want to comment and keep saying "thank yous" because that may be redundant. If anything I think I will personally message their inbox, that may be more interactive. But I'll see...I still might just reply to the comment section. I really do appreciate all the feedback from everyone!