Blog commenting is a much talked about strategy for getting you and your blog noticed. It’s hard to poke around more than a few marketing blogs without finding a post on blog commenting.
Here’s the thing about blog comments: If you’re going to comment on blogs as a way to put yourself on the blogging map, it’s best to have an effective blog commenting strategy.
But even with a great strategy, it’s possible to be spinning your wheels and wasting your time, all the while thinking your blog comments are working for you 24/7.
Here at BobandRosemary.com, we’re all about making the most of your time and maximizing your productivity.
After all, you’ve told me that time is precious and a major obstacle holding you back.
So before making another blog comment, ask yourself this….
Am I really getting the most mileage out of my blog comments?
9 Tips For Getting The Most Out of Your Blog Comments
I’ve been doing a lot of commenting the last 3 months as a way to improve my Alexa ranking and making my blog more popular.
So I have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
Lucky for you, I’ve also found some obvious and not-so-obvious ways to get the most mileage out of your comments.
1. Understand Why You’re Commenting
My good friend and fellow blogger, Dennis Edell wrote a brilliant post recently about the real reason most people should be leaving blog comments.
And he is so right.
Basically, Dennis said that, while most people think the major advantage of blog commenting is link juice back to your blog, this shouldn’t be the main reason you comment.
What is the biggest advantage to blog commenting?
Making the connection.
Connecting with the blog owner by showing your support, sharing worthwhile content, and making yourself a presence on his blog.
And making connections with other commenters.
When you read a great comment from someone you want to get to know, head over to their blog and connect with them. Soon, you’ll find your blogging horizons limitless as you meet and connect with more and more great people in the blogosphere.
2. Leave an Intelligent Comment
First, let’s lay this all out on the table.
If you don’t have anything intelligent to add, don’t leave a comment. Comments like “nice job” or “great post, while they may seem supportive will likely never make it past the approval point.
And if they do, it makes you look like a comment spammer (someone just looking for the link juice).
Here’s some of the best ways you can get noticed with your blog comment:
- Be human – don’t be afraid to reveal weaknesses or mistakes
- Be provocative – don’t be afraid to express an opposing viewpoint
- Be knowledgeable – actually add something to the comment thread, even if you need to do some research before commenting.
When you make comments with these things in mind, you’ll definitely be getting the most mileage out of your blog comments.
3. Take Advantage of Comment Luv and Keyword Luv
If these 2 comment-friendly plugins are available, be sure to take advantage.
The Comment Luv plugin will allow you to display one of your recent blog posts (choosing from up to 10 depending on the blogger), essentially giving you double the links for one comment.
Sweet.
Keyword Luv (a close cousin to Comment Luv) allows you to add a keyword or keyword phrase in addition to your name (for example, Bob Clarke@Part Time Network Marketing) in the author field in the comment box.
Why is this important?
Because essentially this will allow you to have your name and your keyword link to your website, giving you double the search engine exposure and link juice to your blog.
Very cool way to get the most mileage out of your blog comments, wouldn’t you say?
4. Generate a Conversation Among Other Commenters
One of the best ways to get the most out of each comment is to reply to other commenters and build on their comment.
This is a great way to add to the discussion and get noticed in the process.
Some bloggers recommend you comment on the first or second blog comment in a thread, to put your name up at the top.
But my feeling is that you create a discussion on any comment that interests you, especially when you can add to the conversation in a meaningful way.
You are sure to get the attention of other commenters using this strategy.
5. Subscribe to Comment Replies
In order to keep an eye on a blog comment thread of interest, you could check back every day to see if anything new has been added.
But there’s a much better and easier way.
More and more blogs are using a plugin called Subscribe to Comments Reloaded that will allow readers to subscribe to comments.
When you check the box at the end of your comment, you’ll have any additional commenting activity on this thread sent directly to your email.
It doesn’t get much easier than that.
I use the Subscribe to Comments plugin on this blog. Scroll down to the comments section and take a look!
If the blog owner offers this opportunity, grab it and say thank you!
6. Ping Your Comments
This tip was given to me by Ana Hoffman of TrafficGenerationCafe.com. In order to maximize the SEO potential of your comments (and to get “credit” for it), consider pinging each comment.
You can see how to do this in Ana’s blog commenting post.
7. Make it Personal
This is a small detail, but always use the blogger’s name in your comment. Personalization is always a good idea.
Tip: Before hitting the Submit button, be sure to check the author of the post. Some blogs accept guest posts and the last thing you want to do is call the blogger by the wrong name.
I’ve done it and it is NOT GOOD!
8. Make your Comment Easy to Read
Two points here.
First, format your comments to make them easier on the eyes. If your comment is longer in nature, break it into paragraphs.
Use italics and bold to highlight important points.
Second, be sure to proofread your comment before submitting.
I can’t tell you how many comments I’ve seen with excessive spelling errors.
It will make you look unprofessional at best, uneducated at worst.
9. Time Your Sharing
If you wish to share the post with your social friends, be sure to do so AFTER you’ve commented on the blog post, so that your comment will be seen by more eyes.
I’ve never understood why people share blog posts before commenting!
Consider these 9 tips to improve your blog commenting and get the most mileage out of each blog comment.
Some are technical, some are just common sense, but all are effective in maximizing your blog commenting strategy.
Your Turn
How else do you get more mileage out of your blog comments?
LEAVE A COMMENT and add to the discussion….
70 replies to "Are You Getting The Most Mileage Out of Your Blog Comments?"
Making your responses personal makes both you as a blogger and the one making the comment look great! I mean that if you show concern about your followers there will be a lot more trust! Carry on!
It’s all about building the relationship, Rick. As a blogger, my goal is to provide useful information that my readers need, and to get to know my commenters in a very close way.
As a blog commenter, my goal is to provide useful insights, get noticed by other commenters and to build a relationship with the blog owner.
It’s ALL about the relationship.
Thanks for the comment.
I really love when my readers show that they are getting something out of my posts and when I manage to make them start reflecting you know. A comment discussion is always great cos you feel that your post meant something!
Thanks for sharing with us!
Absolutely, Nate. When you see that your post has started a great discussion in the comment section, that is the ultimate comment to your blogging. Also, when one of your posts goes viral that is pretty cool, too!
I’m a fan of Ana Hoffman but I’m not sure #6 is worth the time. Any amount of time can pass before a comment is approved, so in the number of times you’d have to check back to see when your comment is approved, you could have had several more comments. Also, if you’re commenting on worthwhile blogs, comments will get crawled quickly on their own.
Fair enough, Rob… I don’t always ping my comments but it surely doesn’t hurt. When I make an exceptionally strong comment that has drawn some attention (replies), I go ahead a ping it.
With that said, what are your favorite “tricks” that you use to get the most out of your blog comments, Rob?
Thanks for adding to the discussion!
I wish bloggers, especially newbies, would learn how to use KeywordLuv properly… LOL
Excellent tips in blog commenting, I’ve been doing blog commenting a couple of months ago and I honestly always take advantage in leaving a comment that there is either commentluv or keywordluv enable. Blog commenting is such a great activity for me that are really fun and enjoy!
Hi Jordan, glad you’re finding blog commenting to be enjoyable. Besides the link juice and some SEO benefits, it’s a great way to build relationships with blog owners and get noticed by others leaving comments.
Congrats on your consistency!
This is good! This should be followed by the readers..
Thanks.
Before leaving a comment in that particular topic you have to understand first what’s all about in the topic, as a commentator I rest assure to leave a comment that is relevant and good. I absolutely agree all the tips above and it helps me actually. Thanks a lot for this great tips!
You’re welcome, Jeremiah.
Blog commenting is already my lifeblood.. I start blog commenting 2 years ago, it is very important to me to leave a comment that is very relevant to the topic and the grammar must construct very well… I agree with tips number 1 and 2, it is very much important in leaving a comment in a certain topic.. My great pleasure to stop by here and I learn so many things.. Thanks for this wonderful tips!
When you read a great comment from someone you want to get to know, head over to their blog and connect with them. Soon, you’ll find your blogging horizons limitless as you meet and connect with more and more great people in the blogosphere…thanks
Great commenting tips indeed, Bob – and thanks for the mention!
Ana
I’m a fan of Ana Hoffman but I’m not sure #6 is worth the time. Any amount of time can pass before a comment is approved, so in the number of times you’d have to check back to see when your comment is approved, you could have had several more comments. Also, if you’re commenting on worthwhile blogs, comments will get crawled quickly on their own.
True enough, Rico. I generally only ping comments on blogs where my comments are immediately approved (in blogs where I’ve posted before and the blog owner have selected this setting).
Thanks for allowing me to clarify this, Rico!
For Startup the Blogging Services Such a good Post ….Newly Bloggers like me can do better …..thansk
Glad you found it useful!
Hi Rob
great post you’ve got here..so many tips and points. Valuable information.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Pinging your comment is a good point, I never really thought of pinging my comment..should head to Ana from TrafficGenerationCafe.com
Hi Easther… glad you found this information useful to you!
Definitely check out Ana’s post about pinging… I learned a lot of my blogging strategies from her.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Bob,
What great tips and pointers you shared here. I find this post very helpful as blog commenting has really gotten huge, so huge that some people tend to overlook some of the things you mentioned here. Just a little confession, I am guilty of doing #9. I have done these several times already, and it’s usually because I liked the post so much that I will re-post/share immediately. The thing is I will also post my comment, right after hitting that share button. It’s a practice which as you say is hard to understand, lol. I guess the thought of forgetting to share the post after I write my comment (coz it takes me some time to write), creates that urgency 🙂 Anyway, you are so right, and I should develop this habit of writing my comment first.
Pinging the comments from Ana is really powerful, but I unfortunately haven’t implemented yet too. Thanks for reminding me about this, Bob. Thanks for always providing guidelines that will help create a wonderful blogosphere for us all! 😉
– Rowena
Don’t worry, Rowena… I also forget to ping sometimes and I also get excited about a post and share it first, before I comment.
No worries, your exuberance is catchy!
Glad you found this post useful, Rowena… thanks so much for stopping by!
HI Bob,
You have done a great job of covering how to comment effectively Bob.
I regard blogging as an extension of social media. The blog owner writes a post which is longer than a usual post say on Facebook for example and then depending on how engaging the post is, others join in to create a conversational thread that extends the post for as long as possible. It’s no different to any other social media other than being a more contained experience.
We don’t always write posts that stimulate the same level of activity but this should be our aim, to engage others. When I really have nothing to say at the end of the post I do as you suggest and refrain from commenting. That’s being true to me and respecting the blogger in my opinion. Not everything I read is going to engage me but that’s not to say it’s the same for all others who read the post.
I have to agree with Oliver about the ridiculous amount of email that subscribing to comments generates. I just don’t have the the time to sort through this never mind read it all. What I do use is the Comment Reply Plugin which means my replies and anybody else who replies to a commenters comment is relayed back to them via email. Now for me that’s good manners. Those blogs where I am very keen to follow the whole comment thread I will subscribe to or make a point of coming back to. I actually removed subscribe to comments on my blog which I guess I shouldl re-consider since if people want that option they should have the option. I just try and keep my plugin numbers very low as they can play havoc with one’s blog in many ways.
Finally re the pinging of comments: I used to do this all the time but just recently I find that when I try Pingler or Pingomatic tell me the post has already been pinged and I can’t ping it again. Have you experienced this Bob?
~Marcus
Hey Marcus. so many good points here.
Yes I would agree that blogging is an extension of Social Media. The whole idea of a blog is to start a social discussion and an exchange of ideas. Can’t get much more social than that!
Regarding subscribe to comments, I also use the Comment Reply Plugin and it works well. To combat the email, I have started a separate gmail account just for this purpose. When the mood strikes, I head over to that account and read over the comments. I have to say I am not as diligent about it as I used to be, but it’s nice to have it there.
Finally, I have had no problem with pinging my comments. I generally use Pingomatic for this purpose.
Thanks for your insights, Marcus. As always, it’s always great to read your comments!
Never tried blog commenting in my marketing campaign but I will surely try this out soon, thanks.
You definitely should! It’s great for link building but more importantly, its an amazing way to meet great people and build relationships!
Hi Bob,
You have a great list of goals for commenting. I think it’s important to be yourself, and not neccesarily agree with the post. But I guess you’d do that in any conversation.
I know that you and Ana ping your comments, but have you had any negative respo nse from the pinging services that way? (saying you are pinging too often, or “it looks lie spam”)
Lou
Hey Lou…
Yes, be yourself at every turn. I personally enjoy the discussion when someone disagrees with something I’ve said in my blog. It almost always leads to broader thinking and mutual respect for differing opinions.
As far as pinging, I’ve never experienced a problem with the pinging services.
Thanks as always for your contributions to our blog, Lou.
Hi Bob;
Great post, as usual. And I see here, you are using ‘keywordLuv’. That makes the decision between ‘Comment Luv’ and ‘Keywor Luv’ for me. 🙂
I am assuming these are plug-ins and are free to use? In any case, it seems worth adding even if they are paid. Have to check the prices though.
About pinging: I knew about pinging blog post but not that comments can be pinged as well. Have to check it out.
PS: Thank you for this great post.
Hi Ankesh,
I use both Comment Luv and Keyword Luv on this blog — both are free plugins and really promote commenting. Pinging comments is something I did not know about either until Ana from TrafficGenerationCafe.com told me about it. Seems every bit helps.
Glad you found this information useful, Ankesh…. great to have you here!
Hi Bob,
this is fabulous advice – and like many others here, I’m curious about ‘pinging’ comments and the plugins you mentioned… will check those out!
It’s funny that all the things that made social media great to begin with – like making sincere connections, and sharing valuable information – are still the same things you need to do to be successful (online, and anywhere else, really).
People can try to exploit loopholes in the system to get more traffic, but in the end, authenticity always wins.
So true, Natalie. We can try to automate our online lives as much as possible to make more effective use of our time, but in the end its sales and marketing is all about building relationships. In this way, not much has changed through the ages.
Thanks for your insights, Natalie!
Hi Dr. Bob, wonderful post! Hope that didn’t sound unintelligent!
I will read Anna’s post on Pinging. That is something Janet mentioned a while back, but it slipped my tiny mind.
I agree, that comments should be to connect and be a part of a community rather than solely back links.
I have to admit, I am not always the sharpest knife in the drawer with spelling on comment panels, but I do try to catch myself!!
This post is definitely worth re reading Bob, and following some of your links. I am sure those posts are awesome too.
Thanks so much.
Jayne
Hi Jayne,
It’s hard to remember to ping comments. I have a checklist that I sometimes refer to (if I remember!) that helps me remember all the ways I want to get the most out of my comments.
But in the long run, if you’re authentic and add value to the discussion, you’re doing great.
It’s always a pleasure to see you smiling face here, Jayne!
Hello Bob,
I notice you answer each comment and that’s something I am employing as well. Getting mileage out of my blog is exactly what I want. Although, currently it’s not a “self” hosted one, It’s getting views and that right there is a plus.
I am going to take the suggestion about Comment Luv and Keyword Luv and hopefully they are able to be integrated into mine.
My eyes continue to be open as I read and I have to come back because you have a wealth of value added “stuff” for me.
Thanks,
Charles
Congratulations on getting started and seeing some success, Charles. That’s awesome.
I would make one very strong recommendation — get a self hosted blog. It’s not hard and will save you some potential heart ache.
I started out without a self hosted blog at first, just like you… and one day my entire blog was GONE! I couldn’t believe it. Of course, I wasn’t smart enough back then to back it up, so I was left with nothing.
Get a self hosted blog as soon as possible. The cost is minimal. If you need some help, let me know.
Thanks for stopping by, Charles!
Great tips!
Just thinking a bit more before hitting that submit button can give you back so much more (and you are not wasting your time to useless commenting).
Available time is precious for an part time blogger so you should definitely take the most out of it. This applies to commenting as well.
Thanks for the great reminder 🙂
Timo
That’s so true, Timo… so many of us rush to comment, wanting to check it off our “to do” list. But if we pause to re-read our comment and ask what else we can contribute, our time is much more effectively used, right?
Great insight, Timo!
Dr. Bob,
I enjoy your posts so much!
I like points 1 and 2 about putting some thought into your commenting and making the connection. I always love to hear from real people on my blog who have obviously read what I posted. It is encouraging to me, and makes me appreciate them, and sometimes head over to their blog to check out all that they have going. It’s how long-lasting friendships in this industry can get started.
Generating conversation with other commenters is something I myself have not ventured into too much yet.
And, pinging comments is totally new to me. I am going to have to go and follow that link as well.
Glad you shared all these useful tips!
See you next time,
Martin Dale
Thanks, Martin.. great to see you here again!
I’ve been over to your blog several times and you are doing so many things right. I love the way you interact with your readers and engage in the conversation.
Not sure how much pinging helps, but Ana makes a strong case for it. Head on over to her blog and take a look . (use the link in the post).
Thanks for your insights, Martin!
Hey Dr Clarke,
Excellent breakdown here.
By following these simple strategies, you can add immense value to a blog post while generating interest from the blog owner and other commenters.
Great point about courtesy. It’s all about taking a few seconds to be polite and build a lasting relationship.
Thanks for sharing these proven to work tips.
All the best,
Mavis
HI again Mavis,
That’s a great point… when you follow these tips, not only will other commenters take notice but you’re sure to draw some interest from the blog owner. And that can turn out to be the beginning of a great business venture, right Mavis?!!
Thanks so much for your support and friendship!
Bob,
Thank you for the advice – I am pretty new to blogging so I appreciate all of the input and I will try to keep it in mind when I’m out there in the commenting world. I have to ask, though… What happened when you called a blogger by the wrong name? Did they get mad? :/
Natasha
Actually, the blogger was very gracious and let me off the hook, but I’ve never made that mistake again, I’ll tell you that!
Glad you found this post useful, Natasha!
Hi there, Bob (respecting the personalization rule here),
If anyone is to start commenting, he should first make sure to read your great tips and follow your tour into the world of the comments’ strategy.
I know I should also show respect for the rule of leaving and adding something to the post, but I honestly find the article perfect and covering all issues related to this matter, so I don’t have any ideas that could contribute to the overall quality.
However, I will make sure to proofread my comment before submitting it. 🙂
Hehe, Kristina you are funny! 🙂
Glad you found our information useful!
Oh no Bob, I have to leave an intelligent comment! Sometimes that’s kind of hard for me! 🙂
But you made some very good points here. Although I don’t make a personal connection with every single blog owner I visit, I have made some and I’m so thankful that I took that time. Getting to know a blogger better will only benefit you in the long run. I also learn SO much from almost every blog I visit and I’m in awe at some of the content they share. All because they enjoy educating us, just like you do.
I also do enjoy having conversations with other bloggers. Sometimes their comments are so inspiring that I have to get in on them. But I don’t do it for the purpose of being recognized. Silly me.
I have also heard about pinging your comments and in all honesty, have never done this. Have never taken the time to research why it’s important and as of late, I’m getting a lot of comments now so there goes my entire day! Oh, but that’s a good thing. I’m not complaining. I think I need to head over to Ana’s place and read up on that technique more. Thank you for pointing that out.
As always, fabulous information you have shared with us in this post Bob.
Adrienne
Haha, Adrienne… I’ve read many of your comments and you always have something important to contribute. 🙂
I think anything you can do to interact with your readers helps in the long run, especially if you’re a beginning blogger.
Thanks for your insights, Adrienne.
There is so much in this post, Bob, that I’m still digesting it! I had never really thought before about why I comment on posts – it was just a knee-jerk reaction when I found a post I liked. But you’re absolutely right – it’s about the connection – duh!
I had never heard of keyword luv before: my WP doesn’t seem to know about it, either. When I look for it, WP can only find Comment Warning, which warns you that people who use Comment Luv and Keyword Luv might be comment spammers 🙁
Interesting point you make in your comments about “skimming” a post rather than really reading it: yours is one of the very few posts in which I read every word (after the introduction, which I must admit I skimmed!) It makes me wonder how much of what I write actually gets read. What I do is attempt to break it up with pictures, as well as using the formatting tricks you mention, but that takes time. In another post I read a tip that ays that if you have an amazon.com affiliate account you can use their pictures and might get some revenue from them.
I have shied away from subscribing to comments by e-mail because of the volume, but your idea of using a different e-mail account is so obvious I feel stupid for not thinking of it.
Thanks you so much, Bob, for a really valuable post. You have changed my whole take on blog comments!
Alan
Hey Alan, thanks for the great comment!
You’re right about KW Luv — you cannot find it by searching on WP… you need to search on Google and install from the directory site.
Also, I think you have to assume that most of your post will be skimmed. That’s why I use lists and bullets. They make it easy to get you major points read.
I also add a summary of some kind at the end of most posts..
Welcome to the blog, Alan!
This is wonderful! And my boss told me to ping the approved comments because it can really help. You really did your research and you never failed to give important information to your fellow bloggers.
Thanks for the kind words… we’re glad you found this information useful.
Thanks for coming back to our blog so often. We appreciate your comments!
I find commenting very interesting and I never get bored ever since I started blogging. I learned a lot from commenting by reading the posts of different author before I give a comment. I’m just thankful I came across to your website. Those insights are so helpful to me. By the way,I like the number 2. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it, April.
Yes, its good to skim the other comments to get the general feel, but be sure that they don’t influence your comment. Always be true to yourself and give your opinion, regardless of what others have said.
Thanks for you comment, April!
Bob, very complete article on blog comment etiquette or intelligence, if you like. I hadn’t thought about pinging a comment, but that makes a lot of sense – I will look further into that as you suggest. The other suggestion that really caught my attention was commenting or replying to other commentators. It makes sense, I had not just never thought of that before but I like that strategy as a means of getting the most out of your comments and interactions. Great tips!
Glad you found this information useful, Hans.
It’s easy to forget about replying to other commenters, but I have met some great bloggers that way. It makes sense… when you discover someone who makes a great comment, chances are their blog will be top notch as well.
Appreciate the comment, Hans!
Hi Bob,
What a terrific list you’ve compiled here! I did a double take on your point about pinging each comment – no clue how to do that so I’m definitely going to follow your link to learn more. I know a lot of bloggers who still say they have no time to comment, let alone take the time to write anything meaningful – but I’ve definitely seen the benefit – plus I love all the new things I’ve been learning from reading so many well written articles! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hey Marty, great to see you again.
There are so many benefits to blog commenting that have nothing to do with link juice, but it seems that’s what most people think about as a primary benefit. Building relationships with other bloggers and visitors is such a huge part of it.
Regarding pinging, I’ve gotten lots of questions about it, perhaps I’ll need to write a post dedicated to it.
But for now, check out Ana’s post and you will get the general idea.
Thanks for taking the time to comment here, Marty…. we appreciate you!
Hey Bob,
Great article on getting the most of your blog comments! I use both Comment Luv and Keyword Luv as well Bob, two great plugins that “give back” to your readers for actively participating in the discussion.
I also love your point “leave an intelligent comment.” A comment should be more then just one sentence, and should either reflect or build on the conversation.
Pinging your comments? That’s awesome Bob, I’ve never thought of that one and I will put it into practice for sure.
Thanks for sharing this Bob with all your readers and friends,
Kevin
Hi Kevin, thanks for your kind words.
Pinging your comments is one of those things that fall under the category of “it can’t hurt”. I’m not sure how much it helps, but if you go to Ana’s blog post, she’ll not only tell you how to do it, but show you some evidence that it works!
Thanks for stopping by!
HI Bob,
great job on that one, thanks for sharing your insights.
When people follow your ideas, they will become acknowledged bloggers and commentators in the blogosphere. I became more and choosy regarding my approval policy. If someone doesn’t take the time to type in my name or doesn’t use his hame, I won’t approve it.
I wonder what’s going on in some people’s mind. They leave a crappy comment and confirm they’re not a spammer. Do they really think I am so stupid to approve these ?
We should send all of them to this post, but they’re interested in learning, they rather waste their and other people’s time.
I usually don’t subscribe to all the follow up comments (other than the blog owner’s reply to mine) to reduce the email load. But I know that it has its advantages. I did that a few months and was overwhelmed by all the emails I received…
What are your experiences with that ?
Take care
Oliver
Hey Oliver,
I agree that the amount of email you get when subscribing to comments can be overwhelming
I have opened a new gmail account just for this purpose, so it doesn’t clog up my primary email. I check it periodically and monitor post replies.
Thanks for your comment, Oliver.
Hey Bob!
My personal favorite is number 2. So many times on other blogs ( I see it and on my own), others who leave comments so vague… you wonder if they actually read the entire thing. What they fail to realize is, it makes them look bad for not actually talking about important parts of the actual posting.
There really needs to be some kind of blogging ethics for people to learn and follow. But that’s just a tangent of mine. Thanks for the inspiration and I’ll be back soon!
-Dereck
Hi Dereck,
Someone told me that very few actually read a post word-for-word, but skim it, usually be bullet points. Thats why it’s so important to format your blog in a way to make it inviting to skim. People just don’t spend the time anymore.
Having said that, you’re right — nothing will hurt your credibility like a spam comment or a comment where it’s quite clear you didn’t read the entire post.
Thanks for the great comment, Dereck!
Hi Dr Bob,
When I first started blogging I visited and commented on other blogs mainly as an education… I needed to learn and reading other peole’s work was a great way to do just that.
I soon learnt that it was also doing my blog a heap of good.
I always make sure to acknowledge anyone who comments on my blog and will call over to their blog and leave a comment.
About pinging my comments… not sure how that works but I will go over to Ana’s blog and learn all about it.
Great post
Cheers
Bryan
Hi Bryan,
As you found out, blog commenting can be a great educational experience. So glad you brought that up.
As far as pinging, not sure how much it helps but Ana Hofman presents some interesting evidence on her blog. Be sure to check out the link I gave you on my post.
Thanks for the comment, Bryan!
What an excellent blog post Bob. You continue to amaze me with the value you offer to bloggers in any industry or profession.
I love the idea of leaving comments to show your appreciation for the blogger, build relationships with other commenters, and add value to the discussion.
The way I look at blogging, it’s about building a community of like-minded people. I’ve had people tell me they found my site (and ultimately bought my programs) based on a comment I left on someone else’s blog post. How cool is that!
One tool I use to help me monitor blog posts is Googlealerts. You can use it to monitor articles, videos, blog posts, etc. for keywords that are relevant to your niche.
Many thanks for your continued value and insights!
warm wishes,
Cindy
p.s. I wasn’t sure how the keywords.luv things works. Hopefully I didn’t mess it up!
Hi Cindy,
I love Google Alerts as well. It’s a great way to keep up with your niche, sent right to your inbox.
I was so happy to hear about one of your product sales coming directly from a comment you made on another blog. That is so powerful!
One criticism I hear about blog commenting is that you cannot “monetize” it. Now I have a story to tell these people to refute their claim!
Thanks for your insights, Cindy. Great comment as usual!