Blog Commenting to Get Attention – Don’t be Clueless.
Have you ever seen the film Clueless? I’m not ashamed to say I have watched it several times. In the film a few dizzy teenage girls spend their time preening, shopping, promoting themselves and generally outdoing each other in the “me me me” capacity. Their main objective is to find the right boy to be seen with. You might ask “what the heck does all this have to do with blog commenting?” Well let me explain…
If you are a serious blogger, then you will know that blog commenting is an essential tool in your blogging armoury. If you are new to the blogging area then knowing how to comment in the right way to get attention and build relationships is critical to the success of your blog.
First let’s cover off some of the reasons that you should be blog commenting.
- You build relationships with an online community
- Other bloggers will visit your blog and comment on it
- Expand your knowledge base
- You get quality niche oriented backlinks for your blog
- Drive traffic to your blog/website
Blog commenting on its own is not going to lead to a flood of traffic. Yes, as part of a structured SEO strategy it can improve your rankings in long term but for many, including the likes of Brian Clark at CopyBlogger, the true benefit of blog commenting is about relationships and raising your profile.
A rise in traffic might happen indirectly if blog commenting is part of a structured SEO campaign and also if your profile is raised high enough through continual interaction throughout your niche that people are inclined to search you out and find your blog.
To elevate yourself above the hordes and make your comments stand out like a beacon then you need your comments to shine! You need them to be insightful! They need to pack a punch! Here are a few pointers on how you can do just that and make your Blog comments all about you without being Clueless!
Your Name is not “Pink Elephant Shoes”. Is it?
Blog commenting takes time, so if you are serious about doing it the right way then lend credibility to your comments by putting your name to it. People will become accustomed to seeing your name all over the industry and this will help brand you as a thought leader and ignite your blogger outreach.
Don’t be Clueless, Actually Read the Post!
Have you ever had a conversation with someone, that person just cuts in, changes the subject completely and starts talking about themselves?
If you don’t pay attention and read the post then you cannot add value! Your comment adds nothing to the conversation. You may as well not have bothered because the author of the blog is not going to be interested in what you have said.
Extend what is written about and add other useful observations
A blog is a conversation post. Somebody has taken their time to research and talk about a topic that interests, educates and entertains. Once you have read the post in full pick out one piece in particular that resonated with you. Let the blog owner know in your own words your take on that point. Just regurgitating what they have said does not really do anything.
Challenge, but don’t be obnoxious
If you don’t agree with something then say so. I am not talking about putting “that’s rubbish” and that’s it. It’s fine to say that the post was rubbish as long as you give an explanation as to why. If you can prove that what the writer is saying is wrong then do so. The controversy will always a good way to promote your blog and get some attention for the blog writer
You are in Someone else’s house so treat it with respect.
When you walk into someone else’s house do you immediately bowl over to the sofa, put the TV on, put your feet up and shout across for a beer? No! More importantly, what would you do if someone you didn’t know that well walked in to your house and did exactly the same? You would throw them out right?
So treat someone else’s blog as you would like your own to be treated. Everything that you publish online is a reflection of you. If you wouldn’t have it on your blog then don’t put it on someone else’s.
And that goes for my next point!
Don’t be selling
You own a coffee shop, a competitor walks in and orders a coffee and then proceeds to put a sign post in the middle of the room with directions to their coffee bar and their price list. Come on, really! You may think you are being clever but you are not, you just look like an absolute idiot. You will not get clicks on your link, you certainly won’t build any meaningful relationships and to be honest you probably won’t even get your link approved in the first place.
As you spend time on other people’s blogs you will start to notice some incredible people doing some amazing things. Make it a habit to comment on and share their content. Many of them will reply and you will have the beginning of a meaningful relationship – which then turns into networking, networking turns into leads, and, well you get the picture.
Share your best blog commenting advice by leaving a comment below. Then share this post so your trusted following can see exactly what you think on the topic.
About
James Debono is a small business owner and Internet entrepreneur. James dedicates his time to helping other small business owners leverage the power of the Internet to drive business growth and positive change. Click here Join James Debono on Google+
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Is it correct to comment on their blog and also RT it on Twitter. As I said on my RT I can’t believe people would actually try and promote themselves on someone else’s blog. Although I guess in a way that is what I am trying to do now. Thanks again for the tips.
Lynne Carlson recently posted..The First Company Interview
Lynne,
Commenting on other peoples blogs are a great way to get noticed in your niche.
Larger blogs will already have an audience who you could tap into by posting thought provoking comments or leaving good advice.
It is absolutely fine, in fact as a blogger myself I encourage readers to both comment and share my posts.
Thanks for the commenting,
James
Love the advice you give here, James. Blog commenting is something that shouldn’t really be learned by trial and error (the way I learned!)
The most resonant sentence for me is “Everything that you publish online is a reflection of you.” So many people forget this and also forget the fact that, once it’s out there, it stays out there!
Hi Neil,
The web is quite unforgiving for those people who go around posting content that is nothing short of spam.
Every comment that you make, every image you upload, every video you post is accessible to someone.
Thanks for visiting,
James
thanks for the advice about this blog commenting stuff. I love the part “Don’t be Clueless, Actually Read the Post!”. It’ so true, never comment without knowing what’s the article about. And also use your real Name, Google hate keywords spamming..
Steve Auschbarner recently posted..The Importance of Having Health Insurance
Hi Steve,
People who are serious about increasing awareness about their brand or blog know that it is about building relationships not just about jumping up and down screaming “come visit me, come visit me!” Nobody will listen. Leave a constructive comment, ask a question, in essence start a conversation and more people will likely take notice and this will result in a few visits.
Thanks for visiting, reading the article and leaving a comment.
James
“Have you ever had a conversation with someone, that person just cuts in, changes the subject completely and starts talking about themselves?”
I really hate those internet trolls, but I have those unscrupulous internet marketers more.
Robert recently posted..universal studios discounts
Hi Robert,
I am not a big fan of internet trolls and an even lesser fan of unscrupulous businesses.
Thanks for leaving your comment,
James