Dear fellow bloggers,
I’m not too sure if I should do this but in all seriousness, writing a letter isn’t really my kind of thing.
I don’t hate writing letter but I don’t enjoy it either.
But in the spirit of Valentine, I just thought it’d be a good idea that I write my first Valentine love letter to all the bloggers out there who never stop asking “why am I not getting enough comments on my blog?”
You see I’m not an authority when it comes to blog commenting. Some people certainly fare well ahead of me. Their speed of commenting is simply remarkable to say the least. One kid is even making money simply by commenting.
Yes, I do have a very active community on my blog but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me more than 6 months to achieve “overnight success”. Please allow me to pat myself on the back once in a while.
Thing is I don’t have a comment policy on my blog. Heck I don’t set the rules. I don’t see the need to have one either.
The only thing I did was to make sure that I learn from the mistakes of others.
You know, the elders used to tell me that I need to
“Learn from others’ mistakes…..(as) you don’t live long enough to make them all yourself!”
With that, please allow me to rant or whatever you might want to call it, on the reasons why I don’t seldom comment on your blog.
Firstly, I don’t comment on blogs whose niches are different from mine. I’m not talking about SEO benefits here.
I want not just traffic. For better conversion, I need targeted traffic.
Traffic that will click my ads, subscribe to my blog or better yet, buy my products.
Surely, you wouldn’t want to comment on some finance blogs if yours is related to “selling pets supplies”, would you? Personally I don’t.
Non-targeted traffic without conversion is pointless if you ask me. Get the point?
Now I don’t know what your commenting habit is. When I go on commenting-spree, I don’t just comment on 1-2 blogs. When my mood is fine, I comment on 30-40 blogs at one go.
Now tell me, how the hell you expect me to remember your blog if you don’t let me “subscribe to my comments” and if I don’t remember, do you think I’d go back to your site again? Most probably, No…..not intentionally though,
you’ve lost me unless
You take the time to leave your blog and visit mine. How about having the courtesy to thank me for commenting on your blog?
You’ll surprised such practice, though seems trivial, goes a long way in building goodwill with fellow bloggers. Yes? No?
Wait! If you don’t reply to my comment, isn’t it a wishful thinking on my part that you have the courtesy to visit my blog?
For God sake, don’t get stuck in “If I built it, they will come mentality” mentality. In most cases, they won’t.
So it stands to reason that you need to comment to grab “them” or others do.
Suffice to say, commenting isn’t all about link building, getting hits, or promotion for self benefits. Though some live and swear by it.
Commenting is nothing short of building relationship that is based upon mutual respect and two-way interaction.
Yes, you read it right. It’s two-way.
No one loves talking to a wall. I’d rather be walking talking to my dog than commenting on blogs without getting any response.
Sure some prominent bloggers could get away with it and that’s why they are called A-listers. Don’t blame them for not responding to your comment. It isn’t possible for John Chow to response to all his comments unless it rings his cash register.
And if you are just another C-lister (is there such a word?) like me, showing your appreciation by responding to your readers’ comments is the way to go. It certainly couldn’t get any easier than that.
But there is a shortcut (who says there is no shortcut) to getting more comments.
That is to allow people to crowd your Top Commentator list. Trust me! There are a bunch of people who are hungry for a piece of your virtual real estate and despite the competition, they become so obsessed with getting to the top.
Some even swear that being at John Chow’s or Shoemoney’s top commentator list is driving more traffic to their sites. Hmmm, what makes them think those people who follow John and Jeremy so religiously are interested in them?
And this leads back to what I touch upon earlier, what kind of targeted traffic they’re getting?
A case in point is one blogger who asked me why he didn’t get more subscribers despite commenting on high traffic blogs. Whether you like it or not, my answer above is pretty straightforward.
Anyhow my point is if you have top commentator list, they will come just like how a bee is attracted to honey. Whether you can convert them or otherwise, that’s another story.
Heck I even advocate taking this route for link building if you are a new kid on the block.
Anyway, I could rant and rant all day long but I figure I have other better things to do right now. I’m sorry if I’m being a little too harsh here (it’s for your own good). I don’t know what’s going on my mind right now as I’m writing this. Probably I woke up from the wrong side of the bed this morning…..
or possibly because of one blogger who wrote (read: lamented) on his blog that despite doing all the right things, he wasn’t getting enough comments. I took sympathy on him and was about to offer him some advices but guess what?
“You must be logged in to post a comment.”
You got my point?
PS: If you feel the urge to reply to my first Valentine love letter, please do so by leaving your comment below. Otherwise, please answer your readers’ comments, will you?
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{ 47 comments }
Yan,
It is so true that commenting at the right place will leads to targeted traffic! With your advice, i didn’t comment on every tom,dick and harry blog but only focus on love and relationship blog/forum. It really works where i get readers that want to read about love and relationship. I really thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Commenting is really a two way thing. That is why, i always replied to my reader’s comment or email even the question/point is simple or perhaps silly. I believe connecting with readers (by replying to comments) is a bridge for better relationship or maybe partnership. Don’t you agree? Well, I got to know you personally as well via communication via commenting and emailing.
Besides that, reply to readers comment is about compliment as they took their time to read your post and give in their point of views? Don’t you guys think it is better to give some personal touch and readers would feel good too as there is communication and author actually responds to them…
I wish you – “Happy Valentine’s Day” in advance. :)
Cupid Blogger´s lastest post..Cupid Blogger Valentine’s Day Blog Contest
Cupid
I’m glad that you heeded the advice and thanks for your kind words too.
You are right about the “personal touch”. The way you handle your readers says a lot about how much you have it. Just so you know, responding to their comments is just the tip of the iceberg.
All the best, pal. Keep blogging and “Happy Valentine” too. Hope the cupid is on your side this Valentine…. ;)
Yan
Hi Yan,
This post had me smiling a lot. I like your honest and direct writing style, and sharing your experience has a lot of value to bloggers like me who are trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.
One point about comments: When I started blogging I read on a blog (can’t remember which) that new bloggers should turn off comments because it’s embarrassing to have zero or just a few comments. It said to enable comments when you read 1000 uniques a day. I took this advice, until I read somewhere else that even if one person wants to comment, why deny this person that opportunity? So I turned comments back on.
I’m glad I rejected the first piece of advice because even at much less than 1000 uniques a day I get dozens of comments. So sometimes we have to be careful what advice to take.
Daphne´s lastest post..Site Update: Getting Better Everyday
Thanks, Daphne. I’ve been reading your blog too and I must say I love you writing as well. Your articles are really in a class of its own.
Now going back to “being careful on what advice to take”. Please don’t take my advice “as is”. The key is to experiment to see what works for you.
You know what? Unless you are Seth Godin, I wonder how could one get to 1000 uniques without allowing others to comments. Though I do believe that the more comments you have, the more likely others will comment, I still don’t see the logic of turning off comments.
Embarrassing? Hell, no. Why should anyone? Anyhow, good to know that you didn’t take the advice for too long.
Oh, thanks for dropping by too.
Yan
Great post.
I love rants like these from time to time. You gotta point about commenting on blogs that don’t meet your niche, then again you never know how the subscriber may find you.
I try to reply to every comment on my blog – it’s just one way (maybe the only?) you really show the appreciation that you respect the commentator and his time for reading and commenting your post.
Then again, I could be wrong.
Cheers,
Chris.
Chris
How could you be wrong when you are already “doing all the right thing”? ;)
And no, it isn’t the only way to show your appreciation. There are more. Go figure them yourself.
Yan
Those are some awesome advice on comments, Yan. I’m relatively new in the blogosphere and I’ve always though comments as an “extra” part of a blog.
If someone left a comment, then great. If not, so what? So I’ve never really put in time into developing a comment strategy.
Just 2 months ago did I realize how commenting can be a great way to start a conversation and develop a relationship. Some of those readers are bound to convert to your customers or alliances!
One commenting tip: If your blog is new and have 0 comments, don’t display the amount of comments. That’s negative social proofing.
Hide the numbers and when people scroll down, tell them to be the first to comment.
Andre Thomas´s lastest post..Three More Mind-Hacks To Increase Productivity
It’s true, Andre. It’s best not to show your comment count when the no. is low. Often knowing “when to show” is equally as important as realizing that a simple act of commenting can lead to a lasting relationship with fellow bloggers.
I’m always a big proponent of blog commenting. No question about it. Though it has taken the back seat these couple of months due to other online priorities.
Comments definitely are NOT the extra part of a blog. It’s the blood and soul of a blog.
Thanks for sharing your tip.
Yan
Great points, as always.
I have had lots of success commenting on blogs in my niche, but as you stress it’s blogs “in my niche.” (Has lead to people following me on twitter, commenting on my blog, guest blogging for me or asking me to guest blog.)
I find commenting on a blog I read regularly kind of reminds the blogger I’m around, so they’ll remember to check out my blog.
But the real value is in joining the conversation. If you’re just commenting for SEO value, it shows.
Yan — wow! 30 or 40 comments at a go. That’s impressive. I aim for at least 10 a week, but I need to kick it up a notch.
One question: top commentator … is that a plugin that I need to be self-hosted to use or can I do that on my wordpress blog? I have a commentator featue but it’s not top commentator.
– Gina
Gina Chen´s lastest post..Part One: What’s an online-first newsroom?
Thanks, Gina. You certainly need to be more aggressive with your commenting habit. 10 in a week is too little if you ask me.
It’s really a matter of habit. The more you do it, the better you are at it. Soon you’ll realize that you are losing count…… therefore I always subscribe to my comments lest I forget it all together.
Gina, as I’ve said earlier, you can’t install any plugin with wordpress.com so you are kinda missing the best part of wordpress blog so to speak.
Yan
PS: Let me know if you’re keen to get yourself an affordable hosting. It’s just sad that you’re not able to have total control of your blog.
Solid tips to your Valentine, Yan! lol
With hundreds and thousands of blogs to choose from, you need to show appreciation to your visitors.
And if you’re a blogger trying to get comments to grow, you’ve pointed out some great tips (as usual).
I actually get stressed out if I miss getting back to some peeps on my blog comments in a timely fashion, because I want them to know I didn’t “forget them”. lol …which reminds me…I gotta go reply to come comments!
Cheers dude!
Jay
Suite J´s lastest post..Got The Free Theme Blues? What To Do Without Revolution Two
Good to see ya here, Jay. I know you are one who never fail to response back. In timely fashion or not is a different story. Right, master?
Happy Valentine, Jay!
And I thought that all you wanted was some help with writing a valentines letter. Oh well, and I was ready to do one that would have won the heart of any damsel. Too bad Yan you miss out this time.
As for commenting, I have a bit of expertise on this subject, if I do say myself, and I do say. In regards to some of John Chow’s commentators, it is fairly easy to tell who is trying to get on his top commentators list as the leave a whole lot of short, sometime, actually most of the time, irrelevant comments just so they make the grade. Personally I feel that these help more than help their professionalism as a blogger. I try to leave comments that add something to the post itself, especially the first one. Sometimes followup comments may be more trivial and lighthearted depending on the response. I hope that this will intrigue the reader enough to follow me to my blog as well as add to my credibility as a blogger.
I try to encourage comments on my blog and to do so I have added several features including the normal stuff like commentluv. I have also made it known that I will reciprocate all comments by following the commentator to their blog and leaving a comment in return. What do I require in return? Just that they take some time formulating a comment before they commit themselves to leaving a comment. Don’t expect a quality comment if all they leave is “good post”, in fact don’t expect your comment to appear at all. As I pride myself on the quality of my posts I want my commentators to do the same, which is why I developed a comment policy.
Oh, one last thing, you don’t have to subscribe to leave a comment. :D
Sire´s lastest post..Sony’s Latest Piece Of Electronic Shit Takes America By Storm
LOL, I have no doubt in your expertise on both writing valentine letter and commenting, Sire.
You are then again right on the money with those commenters who try so hard day in day out to make the grade. Well, too each his own. I’m sure they’ll soon realize the meaning of “targeted traffic”.
But then, how do you expect “those” to properly formulate a comment when to them, commenting is no longer about “conversation”? Probably they should learn a thing or two from you (or Dennis for speed commenting?)……
Talk you ya again, Sire.
Yan
Speed commenting. Now there is something that I would love to get my fingers around.
Sire´s lastest post..Telling It How It Is A Top Commenting Rule
I like your point about working for your community before expecting everything in return… I also worked for a long period to get an own community and basically you just need to keep on working to get comments. Last November, December I felt my blog is already popular that I stopped doing anything in it rather than postng. What happened? everything declined. I just think its all about how much effort a person wants to exert. That amount of effort would then turn (hopefully) to some success later on
You bet, Melvin. Your success is in direct proportion to the effort you put into.
I used to see your name everywhere when I first started TSB and then you disappeared suddenly. Good to see ya back, Melvin.
Yan
Indeed in my comment sprees earlier I saw a rise in comments on my blog from about 3-4 to about 15+, unfortunately I dont have the time to go around commenting anymore but I still try and ‘hit’ the blogs in my subscription now and again.
Donace´s lastest post..Free SEO Tools
I think I understand you, Donace. Commenting is a very time-consuming activity. Even replying to all the comments here easily get distracted every now and then. Let alone going out to read, comment, and network.
Anyway, you are doing good with 15+ and as long as you truly enjoy it, time isn’t an issue. Good luck, gal and thanks for making TSB one of those 15.
See ya soon.
Yan
Gal?..i’m a guy!
Where there is good content there I am! :p
Donace´s lastest post..Free SEO Tools
My apology! That’s the reason why my mama always reminds me not to make an ass out of u and me (read: assume). I should have remembered that…… Sorry, dude.
lol np…I thought the assume joke was more of a local one in the UK, but yes never assume…you end up making an ass of u and me!
Donace´s lastest post..Update – Links – Love – 4
I have to admit, I was pretty ignorant and slow to learn at first. I still am sometimes. I had a couple people a while back say they wished they could subscribe to comments and I thought they were talking about the Feedburner comment feed option. It’s embarrassing to admit but I had no idea a plugin was needed for it.
I agree with everything except the A-lister thing. I have nothing against the ‘A-listers’ but I think replies and common courtesy are required at every level. At the same time I know their workload is very high. I just deleted 143 comment spams yesterday afternoon so I can only imagine how many John Chow got. I guess it’s the whole ‘walk in their shoes’ thing but it’s easy to get frustrated.
Sorry for writing a book Yan, I got carried away :)
Brian D. Hawkins´s lastest post..Interview with Yan Susanto, Blogger Turned Internet Marketer
Brian, you didn’t write a book. Someone else did…. ;) and that’s what I called “quality comments”. The kind of stuffs you rarely see on John’s blog.
It isn’t his fault really and certainly no prize for guessing whose fault it is….
Anyhow, as far as being ignorant, I figure it’s better to be a slow learner than a “no” learner, isn’t it?
Yan
Hi Yan,
Your post made me feel a little guilty, so I managed to log in to a couple of my old mainstream blogs and approve the comments (apart from the hundreds of spam ones anyway…) :)
But whether I get around to answering the comments (or the emails I have probably received on those domains) is another thing, as I am having trouble with the hosting those blogs are on (most of the time I can’t even log in to cPanel). A long and painful story of cheapish shared hosting which doesn’t like blogs which get many hits…
On my ‘other blogs’ I always disallow comments, for a number of reasons… and on my mainstream niche blogs the only ‘relevant’ comments I get are always from people spamming their own sites, so I delete those as a matter of course (unless they have actually taken the time to read the post they are commenting on, which is very, very rare).
Call me unsociable, but I’m making those niche blogs to make money for me, not for others and time spent answering spam comments is money wasted.
But your blog (and a few others where I still comment) is a sociable blog.
I don’t expect anything in return for my comments (and if anyone clicks on the link to the blog I have listed in my signature, it will take ages for me to answer their comments, for reasons explained above).
So, I will carry on reading your blog, and making the odd comment (because it’s a very good blog), but basically, comments are no big thing in my strategies at the moment.
Oh yes, and Happy Valentines to you too :)
zania´s lastest post..Best Self-Help Book Review Ever
For some unknown reasons, I just knew you would appear and you did. Nice to see ya here, Zania.
I understand what you mean. Just so you know, I’m too focusing on niche marketing at the moment. Building multiple niche sites (to make money) where comments are turned off.
Thanks for your continued support, Z. Drop by once in a while to say “hello” at least I know you are fine and don’t be guilty too…. ;)
Happy V’day to you too.
Yan
Yan,
Happy Valentine’s Day.
I do try to hit(comment) on blogs which has post of my interest and reply back to every single comment on my blog( which is still in single digits).
Haven’t thought about the top commentors list. Maybe should implement this plugin have to go test it out .
Dominique´s lastest post..TT-This week’s achievement
Hey Dominique
It’s been awhile I see you here. How’s everything with you?
Go leave your blog as often as you can possibly do and I’m sure in no time you’ll not getting “single digit” anymore. I’ll be knocking at yours in a while once I’m done here.
Oh, Happy V day too.
Yan
I wish I had a valentine this year to write a letter to… Actually – scratch that – LOL
Taris Janitens´s lastest post..Twitter Question of the Day! What Are YOU Doing on Valentines?
I don’t think this counts as a love letter in any sense of the word. I hate to be a total downer, but seriously?
I comment on blogs regardless of the niche if I like what they’re about, and while targeted traffic is wicked, focusing on interaction solely for reward is just…well..stupid. Don’t call it interaction, call it promotion. Sugar coat everything and you get cavities.
I have to wonder when comments stopped being about the interaction and started being about generating traffic? At any rate, the tips you provide are good, if the post itself is miss-titled.
Corey Freeman´s lastest post..6 More Tools for Picking Color Schemes
It certainly doesn’t count as one, Corey and you aren’t a total downer either.
It was done purely for search engine traffic and guess what? My traffic went up as much as 50% the day it was published.
Commenting on unrelated niches works best for established bloggers but for newbies? Not advisable and that’s what I’m trying to put across. Stupid or otherwise…… ;)
Yan
Yan, why is it that every time I finally happen to stop by and make a comment on your blog I’m already way down the list? Wow!
Anyway, you touched upon a bunch of subjects in this one that I’m fully in agreement with you on. I won’t log in to make a comment on someone else’s blog, and I’ve pretty much decided that I’m not commenting on any “new” Blogger blogs. On that one, you can only respond with one of your websites, the one you signed up for, and, as you say, if I want to comment based on a different persona, if you will, I can do it, but I’ll never get a notification that there was a response because Blogger doesn’t do that; what the point, right?
The only thing you touched upon that I will differ with you on is targeting blogs only because I want targeted traffic. For me, commenting isn’t something I do because I’m trying to game the system or make money. I comment because I truly have something I want to say. Otherwise, I’d be stuck only looking at health care blogs, management/leadership blogs, internet marketing blogs, “blog” blogs, or financial blogs. Frankly, there are a lot of entertaining, interesting, and fascinating people out there, and I’d rather not be of the mindset that only says I talk to people who are going to end up benefiting me in some fashion. But, I also won’t jump through hoops to comment on anyone’s blog; don’t have to, right?
By the way, you don’t even have a top commenter widget here; at least I don’t see it. :-)
Mitch´s lastest post..At Least Be Professional In Your Writing
Mitch,
You’re subscribed by email, I’m sure you will be ahead of others. I figure so.
With regard to commenting on unrelated blogs, see my reply to Corey above. However, I’m sure you’ve seen me on other non-blogging blogs too, haven’t you? ;)
And yes, I do have a top commentator widget right at the footer.
Yan
Oh my, Yan, it’s way down there? Nope, if you hadn’t told me I’d have missed that bad boy.
And yes, I was sure I’d seen you in other places, but when you wrote what you did above, it made me think that maybe my memory wasn’t as good as I thought it was. Sneak! :-)
Mitch´s lastest post..Chitika Changes Its Ads Format
It’s more like a rant letter than a Valentine (full of love and romance) kind of letter lol
Happy early Valentine :)
Michael Aulia´s lastest post..How to be a good commentator
You’re right too, Mikey. It isn’t a valentine love letter as in your understanding of what a love letter is.
Happy V’day too.
Hi! I see that you build up your own commenting policy, great job, your post was very interesting!
Come on mine and post!
Happy Valentine´s day from germany…
Hey Yan, what a great post! You reminded me that I need to install the ’subscribe to comments’ plugin – I didn’t realize I hadn’t done it yet! Happy V-Day to you Yan! :)
Celes | EmbraceLiving.Net´s lastest post..Are You Looking For A Relationship To Complete Yourself?
LOL. You make me laugh. You really deserves that pat on your back. You’re a good joker too. I was wondering where was the first valentine letter? Again, you made me think of this thought…hmmm nice letter..lol
Yan,
I’ve to learn from you how you did 40 comments at one go and I’m sure quality ones too knowing you. I’m still having problems in in subscribe to comments plugin. Somehow SezWho and my blog theme don’t seem to like each other. But I see that it didn’t stop you from coming to my blog. Thanks!
Peter Lee
work at home blog´s lastest post..Here’s A Smarter Link Building Strategy To Get Top Search Engine Ranking
Peter,
Commenting has taken a back seat for TSB. I’m now investing my time promoting my niche sites. So I’m still around the blogosphere but assuming a different role instead. You might not even know that I left my comment on your blog using a pseudo. You know what I mean…….
Oh, I’m using Fast Blog Finder to find which blogs I should leave my comments on.
Yan
@ Yan
But I think you are the familiar face in our community with a beautiful and mind blowing smile … lollz (I am good at making false compliments)
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog´s lastest post..Twitter Giveaway Contest – Win 5 Blog Blazers Books
LOL, I’m flattered, ZK but thanks. And good to see ya here too.
Ok, so this wasn’t an “ordinary” valentine love letter. :D
evilwoobie´s lastest post..For Single Girls: Waiting for the Right Guy, or the Birds?
This post is so true! I don’t comment on blogs that require me to sign up to the site to do so. I also don’t like blogs that don’t respond to my comments. Talking to a wall sucks, but talking to my dog makes my dog wag his tail.
Kai Lo´s lastest post..Make Backup of Your Blog
LOL @ Talking to a wall sucks, but talking to my dog makes my dog wag his tail…..
Been seeing you here for the last couple of days…… thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment.
Yan
Thank you so much for writing this great article. i enjoyed reading it. it will certainly add to my limited info, and help me do better with my blog everything related to it. thanks again.