By now, you probably know that a small percentage of people post YouTube comments. It only happens when a video is insightful, inspiring, or polarizing in a way that riles people up. In other words, comments aren't easy to attract.

That's why you should treat each one like 

. Whether you're getting 10, 50, or 500, it means you have some engaged viewers on your channel. Many of them will become the heart of your community, and if you want them to stick around, you have to show them attention.


All it takes is a few responses here and there. Here are six rules for thriving in the comment section!

t is shortly after it's posted. By doing this, you prove to viewers that their thoughts and concerns are a priority for you, which unlocks their hard-won allegiance!

But what if you're getting hundreds of comments on average? No matter how social you are, the thought of replying to each person can be daunting.

Set realistic expectations for you and your audience

. For instance, how many comments can you address before feeling overwhelmed? Whatever that number is, use it to set a healthy benchmark. Tell viewers you'll respond to the first 25, 50, or 100 comments you see after hitting publish.

2. Thank Viewers for Their Positive Feedback

A little recognition goes a long way, especially when you want to make viewers feel special. So when you see those "golden" comments, such as "awesome video" or "this is really inspiring," send a quick note expressing your gratitude.

These messages don't have to be long and flowery, either; a simple "thank you" works in many cases. We spotted a nice example from gaming creator 

, where they used a brief response to acknowledge a viewer.

A YouTube comment and a response from the video creator, which reads, "Thank you!"

No matter how positive you are, you're bound to have critics on YouTube. If someone is critiquing anything about your video, such as the lighting, intro, topic, or something else, take it as a learning lesson. Can you 

 and content structure? Could the lighting 

If so, let viewers know that you understand and will think about making improvements. After all, you're there to create content for an audience, and they should be able to weigh in from time to time.

Or you could take the comedic route. In the example below, creators 

 respond to criticism with a lighthearted response and a string of laughing emojis.

A YouTube comment and a comedic reply from the video creator

, which are messages prepared ahead of time to make the process of replying much easier. It saves time when you have a large audience, but there are better ways to engage with viewers.

Building a community takes empathy, trust, and some level of personalization. So when you craft your responses, be conversational and down-to-Earth. Make viewers feel comfortable in the comment section, and they'll keep coming back!

 response to a viewer who got scammed by a business coach. Camille gets personal, says she has also been scammed, and adds, "Sorry about your wife being victimized." It's empathetic, emotional, and a moment that likely bonded Camille and her viewers together.

A video creator responds to a YouTube comment with empathy and understanding

When it comes to fighting with trolls, you just can't win. They never show their face on YouTube, so you have no idea who they are or what they represent. Even if you manage to shut down one troll, another one pops up like a pesky garden weed. 

Unfortunately, that old, common phrase is still accurate: The internet is undefeated.

 (or any viewer, for that matter). Spend your energy on people who matter, such as viewers that offer support and healthy critique.

, especially if you have a small channel. But how much promotion is too much?

Let's just say that if every video has a "salesy" comment from you, it's time to pull back. Try to align your requests with normal YouTube behavior, such as asking questions or challenging viewers to get a specific number of likes before releasing the next video. You're simply asking for engagement, which is much safer than asking for sign-ups, money, or downloads every time.

Want to win over your comment section? Imagine that each conversation is happening in person. Be light and conversational, avoid pointless fights, and show appreciation when someone compliments you. Most people will follow your lead in having healthy, positive dialogue.

Want to take your community-building to the next level? 

Here's how to properly engage on the YouTube Community tab

A woman tapping her smartphone screen while smiling.

Woman smiling while using smartphone, browsing or texting in casual denim jacket.

Replying to comments on YouTube is the key to growing an active, engaged audience. Want to do it the right way? Here are six golden tips!

6 Golden Rules for Responding to YouTube Comments

Our YouTube comment moderation tool provides brands with enterprise level audience insight and control over interactions occurring around their videos – and today we’re making it even better.

With YouTube Comment Search, vidIQ users now have a powerful search tool that allows them to easily decrease comment spam, reduce illicit comments, or perform viewer sentiment analysis.

Combined with the ability to sort commenters by reputation, reply to comments from any of your YouTube channels, and unearth a viewer’s comment history, you now have a powerful arsenal of YouTube management tools at your fingertips.

If you haven’t already given vidIQ a spin, get started and start growing your audience

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Engaging with your YouTube commenters is proven to increase your views by 4X – which is why we encourage all of our brands and creators to embrace the YouTube comments section rather than fear it.

Introducing YouTube Comment Search

Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the YouTube comments section, which is famous for its seemingly endless assortment of unsavory characters claiming “First!” post or bashing a video just to elicit a reaction from other viewers or the video’s creator. Seeing their comments section regress into an episode of Jerry Springer is every brand’s nightmare. Today, we’d like to provide some tried and true options in how to deal with YouTube trolls:

Faced with the prospect of dealing with illicit commenters, many brands and agencies choose to simply disable YouTube comments rather than playing moderator and dealing with the mess. This, however, is an enormous mistake! Engagement (and especially commenting) is factored heavily in whether your video appears in YouTube Search and Related Videos – if you block YouTube comments you will limit the viral potential of your video and cripple your SEO. In fact, there’s a direct correlation between videos that receive engagement from the owner of the video and views, as well as whether that video is likely to receive additional engagement in the future.

More YouTube comments and more engagement results in more views, more subscribers, more comments, and more engagement

Probably the most obvious lesson that the owners of Amy’s Baking Company chose to ignore is the old Internet adage “don’t feed the trolls!” Ignoring a troll is a troll’s kryptonite – as a YouTube creator you should always err on taking the high road and staying out of a good ol’ fashioned flame war. Instead, focus your efforts on the commenters that matter. Identify influential viewers by looking into which commenters have the highest number of subscribers, and then respond to those users. These “influencers” are your most important viewers, and unlike trolls (who usually don’t have many subscribers) are actually worth your time! Many partnerships and cross promotional agreements between channels have been forged within the YouTube comments section, resulting in thousands or even millions of views.

Sort your YouTube comments by reputation and commenter influence with vidIQ

Instead of responding negatively to your audience, if you’re going to respond at all try being positive! A perfect example of this in practice can be found in the video Low Calorie Chicken Wraps Recipe by the culinary masters over at Being Fat Sucks. In a previous video, a viewer commented that one of the hosts had an uncanny resemblance to our good friend Severus Snape from Harry Potter. The comment snowballed into a frenzy, and every video with the Snape-ish looking host was spammed with YouTube comments about his appearance. Rather than responding negatively, the creators acknowledged their audience by having the host dress up as Snape in their next video. And guess what, their audience loved it!

Believe it or not, YouTube is a social network. In fact, it’s now the 3rd largest in the world (behind Facebook and Google+)! Adopting Social Media Best Practices will go a long way in setting the tone for your YouTube comments and creating an amazing community around your content. By rewarding constructive commenters with thoughtful responses you’ll create an environment that fosters positivity rather than thrives off the negativity that trolls love. Home Depot is a great example of a company that has done this extremely well. In the example below, a viewer expressed his frustration that Home Depot didn’t provide a link to the second part of the video. Home Depot acknowledged the commenter and replied immediately, currying the favor of their audience and increasing engagement.

Home Depot YouTube comments are an example of the best YouTube comments you can make as a brand

Know of another technique to successfully stymie YouTube trolls? Respond in the comments section below!

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If there’s one thing that the Amy’s Baking Company PR trainwreck proved, it’s that trolls are legion.

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6 Golden Rules for Responding to YouTube Comments

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