At Platings & Pairings, Erin focuses on creating a community of food lovers who not only enjoy her recipes but also engage in meaningful conversations around them. One way she’s taken reader engagement to the next level is by using Featured Comment Block. This tool has allowed her to spotlight reader comments directly within her recipe posts, giving voice to the people who love and try her creations.
The Challenge: Highlighting Reader Feedback in a Meaningful Way
Erin receives tons of thoughtful feedback from her readers—whether it’s someone sharing a helpful tip or a glowing review about how a recipe turned out. However, without a way to showcase these comments, they often remained buried in the comments section, where only the most determined readers would see them.
Erin wanted a way to bring these valuable insights front and center, making her posts more interactive and adding social proof to her recipes. That’s where Featured Comment Block came in.
The Solution: Custom Styling for a Perfect Fit
Just two days before we launched our updated out-of-the-box templates for all Pro users, Erin’s Featured Comment Block was custom styled by our team to perfectly match her site’s branding. This bespoke design gave her comments a professional and polished look, tailored specifically to the aesthetic of Platings & Pairings.
The featured comments are now displayed with a custom template that blends beautifully with her site, labeled as “Reader Love.” This eye-catching design makes the comments stand out, ensuring they don’t get lost in the post. It adds a personal touch while maintaining the visual integrity of her brand.
How It Works on Platings & Pairings
Here’s how Erin uses Featured Comment Block to enhance her site:
- Search and Select: Erin can search through her comments to find the perfect one to feature. The built-in search function makes it easy to pull up relevant comments quickly.
- Filter by Post: If she’s working on a specific recipe, Erin can scope the search to only show comments from that post, streamlining the process of finding the right comment.
- Feature It: Once she selects the comment, it’s automatically displayed in a custom-designed block within the post, creating a seamless, branded look without any extra effort on her part.
The Transition to Out-of-the-Box Templates
Two days after Erin’s custom design went live, we rolled out out-of-the-box templates for all Pro users of Featured Comment Block. These templates offer a range of design options that allow bloggers to easily style their comments, but Erin was already ahead of the game with her custom look.
However, the beauty of these pre-made templates is that anyone can now achieve a similar level of polish with just a few clicks—no custom design work needed! Our team ensured that the templates reflect the flexibility and creativity that Erin enjoyed with her custom block, making them accessible for all users.
The Results: Increased Engagement and Reader Trust
By featuring comments from her readers in a beautifully styled block, Erin has noticed a boost in reader engagement. People love seeing their comments highlighted, and it encourages others to leave thoughtful feedback as well. It’s a win-win—readers feel appreciated, and Erin builds more trust and credibility with her audience.
Final Thoughts
The addition of Featured Comment Block—customized for Erin’s brand—has helped Platings & Pairings create a richer, more interactive experience for readers. By giving readers a voice and showcasing their feedback, Erin is fostering a stronger sense of community while also boosting the perceived value of her recipes.
If you’re looking for a way to elevate reader engagement on your blog, Featured Comment Block is a powerful tool that can help you do just that—whether through custom design or our ready-to-use templates. Let your readers shine, and watch as your community grows!
