I absolutely agree with this! I'm one of those readers who rarely EVER leave a comment, mostly because I have nothing to contribute/shy/bad at wording compliments. I try my best to leave a like on the episode, but I often forget because the like button is so small and forgettable.
I've noticed that there's a trend with people adding "Don't forget to like the episode!" to their comment, which is lovely, but supports the idea that people just forget to like the episode/ can't be bothered to.
After observing my own stats, I've noticed that even the silent readers like me would leave a comment if there is something that "directly" addresses them, or prompts them to speak out. I asked people to submit questions for a Q&A for my comic recently, and the comments went from ~200ish in previous story updates to 1,400- on an update with only one panel- which is why I support the theory that the majority of readers are "silent", and that it's totally normal.
The next update I did answering the Q&A asked people to leave a donut emoji in the comments if they would be interested in a part 2! I think I got a lot of comments again because it gives the readers some influence and something to comment even if they didn't have anything to say.
And what I got was:
- A lot of donuts
- A generous amount of comments saying "I never comment, but here I am [insert donut emoji]"
Apologies if I went completely off topic/rambled! I just thought this was interesting, and I haven't had my coffee yet..