You will have heard it a thousand times before that successful bloggers participate in blog commenting. There are so many benefits of undertaking this practice that regardless of your niche I would encourage you to actively leave thoughtful blog comments.
Visiting and commenting on other people’s blogs is a great way to become part of that community and build networks. However, just because you are going to participate in blog commenting, it doesn’t mean that you are good at it!
Today we are going to look at some of the basics, a beginners guide if you will, of how you should be writing your blog comments and the reasons why this practice is so important.
What makes awesome blog comments?
To understand how to participate in blog commenting, you need to first have an understanding of what makes a great post comment.
Let’s start with the absolute basics.
If you only take ONE thing away from this post, please let it be this: Your comment MUST NOT be seen as SPAM!
Leaving spam comments will do absolutely nothing for your reputation, will do nothing for the blogger whose blog you are commenting on, and will do nothing for any other readers who happen to read your comment (if it even gets published!).
Spam commentors are lazy commentors, sorry to be blunt but it’s true! If you really have nothing of value to say, then please say nothing. Don’t make up a spam comment just for the sake of it.
Keep in mind value, value and more value!
Take a moment to think about the comments you leave on other’s blogs.
- Do you give much thought to what you write in a blog comment?
- Does your comment provide any relevance to the post or contribute to further discussion?
If you are answering “No” to either of these questions, then the chances are that you are not leaving a useful blog comment.
The one thing that you do not want to see, or leave on a blog is “great post”. What does this mean? Has the reader actually “read” the post, or have they just scrolled down to the bottom to leave their ‘great post’ comment.
What should you be adding to a blog comment?
As with all posts that you write, you should be aiming for content that provides value to the reader. It is worthwhile thinking along these same lines when you leave a blog comment.
In your comment you might wish to;
- Provide reference to a particular piece of content within the post that may have spiked an interest for you.
- Ask the author questions about something they have written or further areas of development.
- Provide your view as to whether you liked the article or not….and say why!
- Any suggestions that you may have for expanding the content (this one is always great for an author to receive as it can provide new ideas for future posts!!).
If you are going to leave a blog comment, you want to make sure that it is at least a couple of paragraphs long. Of course you don’t want to leave an essay, but a comment of value is going to be more than just a few words.
Some bloggers will also not allow the “great post” comment to be published on their blog, so leaving this kind of comment could be a complete waste of time not only for the reader but also for you.
Be the #1 commentor
Not everyone can be the number 1 commentor, but someone has to be!
Lots of bloggers actually shy away from being the first to comment as they think that if no-one else has commented then maybe the post is somehow not deserving of them. Do not fall into this trap!
If you see a post that has no comments, that’s awesome for you!
Being the first off the track means that you have all the questions and all the issues to raise first. YOU will be the one that looks knowledgeable and keen and YOU are the one that other readers are going to see first.
Being the first commentor also means that others are likely to click on you before anyone else, meaning more traffic to your blog.
Let’s think about it. If you are #1 or #36 comment, which position do you think will be noticed more? It’s a no brainer isn’t it! So jump into that hot seat and be the first to comment!
Ask the author questions
Asking questions is a great way to get a ‘discussion’ happening, not only with the author but also with other readers. If you think something has been missed or something did not quite make sense, then ask the question.
Not only does asking a question should that you have actually read the post, but it also shows that you were interested in it. To comment on aspects of the post means that you have not simply skipped down to the bottom to leave your ‘for the sake of it’ comment. Rather, you have spend time thinking about the context of the post.
Make an impact
A great way of thinking about your blog commenting is to think about the impact you are making. Are you even making one?
If you are commenting on pro blogger sites you will be commenting among sometimes hundred’s of other bloggers. How are you going to stand out from the crowd?
Commenting on Pro blogger sites is a great way to gain new readership, but this will only happen if you can make an impact.
How do you make an impact? It goes back to everything we have said before – leave a thoughtful, meaningful, and valuable comment that aids the discussion.
Give respect to the blogger
Not all of the comments you are going to leave are necessarily going to be positive to the post written and that’s ok. Commenting is not about agreeing all the time with the author, it is about engaging in discussion.
However, if you read a post and you seriously disagree, leave your comment in a respectful manner. If you are rude or obnoxious, not only are you being disrespectful to the author who has put a lot of time and work into their article, but you are doing your own reputation a dis-service.
There are many ways of disagreeing with a point, but remain respectful. If you can’t be respectful, then don’t say it!
An added benefit of blog commenting:
One benefit of leaving blog comments is that other readers see your comments and may decide to click on your comment which can then take the reader to your site. Do you think that a comment such as ‘great post’ is going to encourage many clicks? I doubt it very much!
If you are unable to leave an insightful comment on someone else’s blog, then you are not doing yourself any favors for exciting people’s interest to actually come to your site.
Your Turn:
Are there rules that you normally follow when you allow comments on your blog?
Do you have a format in your mind when you undertake blog commenting?
Please share your thoughts with us below…I’m looking forward to reading your awesome blog comments!!
