How To Respond to Negative Comments From Internet Trolls

Imagine putting effort into finding your target audience, only to deal with negative reviews anyway. Sure, they can be very helpful. You’ll dust yourself off and come back better with a refined product. Other times, people seem to be on a rampage to destroy everything you’ve built. In those instances, you’ll need to know how to respond to negative comments the most.

This article gives you all the tips you need to know to navigate negative comments on Instagram. Read this to arm yourself with the best tactics going forward.

Why You Should Know How To Respond to Negative Comments on Social Media

Wouldn’t it be nice only to get positive comments on Instagram? Living in your echo chamber of like-minded thinkers would be ideal. Everyone wouldn’t even have to agree. They would just be tactful in the way they speak. They would disagree peacefully and even offer constructive criticism. 

Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Computer and phone screens give people a strange sense of protection. Internet users say things online that they would never say in person. They feel they have no repercussions, and the recipient has no recourse. They are full-blown bullies. Some are bold enough to show their faces; others are just cowards.

These harsh comments show up in the comment section of your posts and reels. Everyone gets to see them; some people even double-tap to like them. It’s an unfortunate part of being an Instagram creator. Still, you need to know how to deal with negative comments on social media.

Some people say that no publicity is bad publicity. They are happy that people are simply talking about their brand. We beg to disagree. Bad reviews will harm your brand over time. We want to give you some good reasons to take this seriously.

Screenshots Live Forever

You can delete a tweet. You could even delete a comment underneath a post. If the comments are under a post in your account, do you have the power to do this? However, you can never delete a comment from a screenshot on someone’s phone. We don’t know who invented screenshots, but they have helped create a wave of drama. 

Screenshots provide proof of past indiscretions and current-day impropriety. With a good screenshot, a negative review of your brand based on lies could live forever. This could be long after you’ve cleared up a misunderstanding or rectified the situation. 

This is why you should learn how to address negative comments as quickly as possible. The longer you allow them to fester, the higher the possibility of someone immortalizing them forever. 

You May Need Reputation Management

These comments may not be true, but people believe many things they see online. A very convincing comment full of lies can be very convincing. People are always watching. Someone may visit your page to determine if they should give your product a chance. 

They see a negative comment before seeing your well-crafted user-generated content (UGC). This may turn them off completely. Depending on how egregious the comment is, you may need professional help to resuscitate your reputation. 

What if the comment is referring to the constitution of your product? It could go against everything you stand for. What if it’s a very harsh complaint about working standards at your business? Think about how powerful the “Me Too” movement has been. It could take years to build a good reputation, and one spiteful comment to ruin it all. 

This is why so many brands have to invest in reputation management. Bad reviews people did not make in good faith still impact overall perception. Potential customers are watching to see if you know how to deal with negative comments on social media. Let’s make sure you know what to do.

How To Block Comments on Instagram When You’ve Had Enough

It seems like the age-old solution to the conflict on social media is prompt blocking. It seems like a knee-jerk reaction most of the time. Nonetheless, it’s popular and seems to be effective. Because of this, we will tell you how to block comments on Instagram. Follow these step-by-step tips from Instagram:

1. Launch the Instagram app and go to your profile page.
2. Select the three horizontal lines in the top right-hand corner of your screen.
3. Choose Settings and Privacy next.
4. Look for How others can interact with you.
5. Tap Comments.
6. Where you see Block comments from, select People.
7. Type in the person’s name, then select Block.

Your page won’t even show up when this person tries to search for it. Of course, they won’t be able to comment on your content or direct message (DM) you. Of course, if they are persistent, they could use another account to contact you.

Before You Jump To Delete Instagram Comments, Read This

Yes, you always have the option to delete Instagram comments on your posts. It’s your page. After all, you have that freedom. However, it may not be best to make a habit of doing that. Some brands get a bad reputation when other followers catch on. 

People will think you are stifling those who don’t agree with you. That may not go well in a world where people always tout freedom of speech. Say you are a brand that actively promotes products on Instagram. Deleting comments from real people leaving bad online reviews would not bode well with your followers. 

However, there are instances where deletion is necessary. Not all comments are constructive. Some of them are there just to derail the conversation. Sometimes, they’re there to offend other groups of people. For the safety of your larger fan base, you may have to remove some comments from our posts. It will be worth your while to maintain peace for your true followers.

Here are the steps to delete Instagram comments:

1. Go to the post with the comment in question. 
2. Sift through the comments to find the one you want to delete.
3. Select the comment and slide to the left. You’ll see a trash bin emoji, which you should tap.

This is all you need to do to delete a comment. It’s so easy that you might get swipe-happy and delete comments often. Remember that is just one of the options available. You can also block or restrict people as well.

3 Reasons Why You Should Restrict Instead of Block Users 

As a creator, you don’t want to be too quick to block. After all, people who commit negative things add to your engagement rate. Still, other users may also get suspicious that you keep blocking comments. At the same time, you want to protect your positive supporters from the negative.

Perhaps there is another option that’s available to you. You could restrict an account that is harassing you or your other followers. Blocking and restricting are not the same thing. They may both serve to keep the peace on Instagram, but in different ways. Let’s explore some of the features you can expect when restricting an account.

1. Their Comments Don’t Exist

Their comments are invisible in your comment section. This doesn’t mean that Instagram will stop them from commenting. They just won’t know that no one can see what they have to say. Perhaps what you can’t see won’t hurt you. It certainly can’t hurt the other followers in your comment section.

Consider it to be a measure to protect your faithful followers. Sometimes, trolls can negatively affect users’ experience on this app. Let your page be a safe place.

2. It Affects Your DMs, Too

Outside of just a comment section, this feature affects all the areas of the app. A restricted user can’t appear in your inbox like the average follower. You will have to deliberately search to find messages from them to see if they’ve said anything to you.

3. They Won’t Know What Hit Them

Sometimes, our haters are our biggest supporters. Restricting a user doesn’t stop them from seeing your content. They can see everything you post to your feed. They can even watch your stories. You might be wondering why this is a good thing. You just want to get rid of them, and you don’t care if they see your content. 

Here’s the thing: if they can still see your content, they won’t be suspicious that you restricted them. Blocking them will be very obvious to them, as your page will be virtually invisible. If the person harassing you is aggressive, this could be a great way to protect yourself. 

We hope that this helped you consider restricting as a viable option.

How To Respond to Negative Comments: 3 Tips To Keep In Mind

It’s the worst thing to look up a new Instagram page only to see their existing followers hate them. In the comments, you’ll see people complaining about a faulty product. Or, you’ll see them venting about how they get no communication from the brand. 

The worst part is the brand’s response to these comments. They could either say nothing at all or dismiss the concern altogether. 

Not all Instagram pages can afford a sophisticated management service to deal with comments. Most creators will have to watch over these pages themselves. If you’re one of those creators, pay attention to these three tips on how to respond to negative comments. The future of your brand could depend on it.

1. Move the Conversation to the DMs

The negative comments create a spectacle on your Instagram page. Remember that everyone can see these comments. They may be watching with popcorn in hand to see the drama unfold. You’re not here to give them a show. You’re here to cover your brand and resolve this issue.

This is why you should move the conversation to the direct messages. Take the spectacle completely out of the purview of the public. Leave a polite message saying something like, “Please reach out to us via DM so we can resolve this.” This way, everyone else sees that you are addressing the issue. It gives you some coverage while you try to resolve the discrepancy. 

That was the easy part. Now, you have to follow through by speaking in your direct messages. Of course, this relates to bad reviews or negative feedback. This is not for the average internet troll who just says mean things for the sake of it. It’s very important to know the difference.

2. Do Not Argue

After you move the conversation to the DMs, don’t go back and forth in the comment thread. When it becomes an argument, it becomes a screenshot-worthy moment. This is the kind of content that YouTubers make videos about. This is the kind of visual that supports future issues that you may run into. You have to nip it in the bud.

A back-and-forth in the comment section generally looks unprofessional to most people. You want to maintain a good impression. No bickering with your followers.

3. Do Not Victim-Blame

Long ago, someone said, “The customer is always right.” Because of this weird mantra, customers can be very entitled. While this can be frustrating, it won’t look good on your brand if you call them out. It’s even worse if you publicly blamed them.

In your communication, it’s best to focus on how you discharge your duty, whatever that is. You don’t want them to accuse you of gaslighting them. You could win an argument and lose a follower this way. 

You’ll Have Great Comments About Plixi

When you learn how to respond to negative comments on your page, you are ready for more followers. Did you have to block them because they don’t align with the brand? Well, you’ll have to grow to replace them. Trust that growth process with an entity with loads of positive reviews.

Plixi is the only tool you need to make this growth happen. We even have an in-house platform for Instagram influencers. 

The propriety AI targeting algorithm we’ve been working on for a decade is also impressive. 

Aren’t you tired of being stagnant? Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.