You’ve probably heard that commenting on other people’s blogs is a good thing to do. But do you know why it’s so important?
Yes, it can get you traffic. People see your blog comment, like it, and click on your name to go to your website. But that’s not the biggest reason to comment on blogs.
Leaving blog comments might also give you backlinks, which could potentially increase your standing in the natural search results. But again, this isn’t the biggest reason to leave comments on other people’s blog posts.
Leaving blog comments also gets you seen by others in your niche. Leave enough great comments and people might start to remember you and your brand.
But again, that’s not the biggest benefit to leaving well-thought-out, interesting blog comments.
The biggest benefit? Whether you realize it or not, consistent blog commenting builds relationships with other bloggers.
Think about it – you go to Joe’s blog once a week and leave a well-thought out comment on Joe’s latest post. Joe keeps noticing you, and pretty soon the two of you are building a relationship that can eventually lead to:
- Guest posts
- Product endorsements
- Joint ventures
- Introductions to other movers in your niche
- And so forth…
Here’s how to be effective at blog commenting:
- Post on blogs in your particular niche
- Read the entire post thoroughly before commenting
- Share your specific thoughts and opinions
- Don’t be general or vague. “Nice post” doesn’t cut it
- Use a great avatar – a photo of your smiling face is usually best
- Use your real name, not “Mary6504”
- Never be rude and never be mean
- Be genuine and thought-provoking – Add value to the conversation
- Use Google Alerts to be alerted to new posts so you can be one of the first to comment – more readers will see your comment this way
- Subscribe to RSS feeds and to email lists of your favorite bloggers – again, this helps to alert you when someone makes a new post
- If you’re not the first to leave a blog comment, then scan the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating a thought or comment
- Use personal stories where applicable
- Quote the post itself in your comment – for example, “When you said ____ it gave me a great idea”
- It’s okay to disagree if you do it in a way that totally respects the blogger’s opinions and thoughts
- Ask questions of the blog owner. This will get you more engagement and shows you’re interested in their opinion – very effective for relationship building.
- Always double proofread your comment for spelling and punctuation before submitting
And remember to be patient – you don’t develop a relationship with a blogger over one blog comment. Continue to come back and comment on new posts and you will gradually build real relationships with these bloggers.
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