# 'Join the conversation' comment button: no difference in comments

- Outcome: Flat / inconclusive
- Page type: Other (Lead-gen)
- Elements: Cta copy
- Date shared: 2011-07
- Test run by: [MarketingExperiments](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/marketingexperiments/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/a-b-testing/blog-comment-test
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/me-marketingsherpa-blog-comment-button-join-conversation/

Changing the MarketingSherpa blog comment button from 'Submit Comment' to 'Join the conversation' made no significant difference to comments, not even at 80% confidence. MarketingExperiments (MECLABS) ran the test on both its own blog and the MarketingSherpa blog. MECLABS rolled out the new copy anyway, because the test showed it did no harm.

## Result

**no difference in comments**

- Blog comments: no significant difference on the MarketingSherpa blog, even at an 80% confidence level.
- Verdict: flat. The copy change neither helped nor hurt here.
- The same test on the MarketingExperiments blog showed a 34% lift, but only at 82.9% confidence, which is also short of a reliable result.

## Control

The comment form ended with a standard button reading 'Submit Comment'.

## Variant

The same form with the button reading 'Join the conversation'.

## Why it likely came out this way (our reading)

- Readers who decide to comment have already written their reply, so the button text is unlikely to change their mind.
- Comment volume on a blog post is small, so modest effects are hard to detect.
- The new copy fit the brand's message better, so a neutral result was enough to justify shipping it.

## Caveats

Sample size, comment counts and duration were not shared. This is a low-volume action, and the test is from 2011.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we change our comment button from 'Submit Comment' to copy that states the value of commenting, then more readers will post because the action feels less like a chore.
- Primary metric: Comments per post view
- Guardrail: Share of comments removed as spam
- Guardrail: Comment length or quality
- Who should test it: Content marketers and publishers whose blogs already get regular comments. On a low-traffic blog you probably won't get enough comments to detect a change.

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Credit: MarketingExperiments ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/me-marketingsherpa-blog-comment-button-join-conversation/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.