Blog Commenting 103: What Do I Write in the Comments?

Now that you know why blog commenting is important and how to choose blogs to comment on, you need to know what to write in the comments. I think the easiest way to explain this is with a simple list of do’s and don’ts.

Do:

• Add to the conversation.
• Share your opinion on the subject.
• Answer a question asked in the blog post.
• Share an experience with the topic at hand.
• Thank the writer for sharing valuable insight.
• If you have a tip that wasn’t in the post, leave it in the comments.
• Mention something specific about the post you liked.
• Add a specific post in the URL field instead of your main blog it’s relevant to the post you are commenting on.
• Check back later if the blogger tends to reply to comments.
• Reread your comment to make sure it sounds okay and there aren’t obvious grammar or spelling mistakes.
• Use your name rather than a keyword for the name field.
• Set up a Gravatar so your picture will show up when you leave a comment. If you don’t know how, check out this tutorial by Bonnie Gean.

Don’t:

• Just say, “nice post”.
• Use automated commenting software to spam blogs.
• Comment without reading the post.
• Use excessive swears on a blog where swears aren’t common. Tiffany Dow said it best… it’s their house. If they don’t swear, be polite and tone it down.
• Actively promote products in your comment. Mentioning a product is one thing, but asking people to click over to your blog and buy something will be considered rude by most bloggers.
• Put links in the comments themselves unless they are directly related to the post. That’s what the URL field is for in most comment boxes. Not only will most bloggers not approve the comment but if they have a spam filter installed it will probably get sent right to spam.

To sum it up… read the post and leave a meaningful comment. It may not be as easy as setting up “Auto Comment Spam 6000” but it’s going to keep you from getting in trouble with Google and help you make some real connections. Who knows, maybe you’ll even learn something neat while reading!

Do you have any do’s or don’ts to add to the list? Let me know in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Blog Commenting 102: What Blogs Should I Comment On?
2. Blog Commenting 101: Why Do It? Hint: It’s not about backlinks.
3. Small, Specific Ways to Get Traffic – How I Measure Up
4. What Do I Write About? Coming Up With Content Ideas
5. Having the Courage to Stand Up on Your Blog