by Anne R. Allen.
I’ve seen a steep decline in the number of people commenting on blogs over the past few years. I’m not sure why that is. But commenting on blogs is still an easy, painless way to get your name into search engines and build an “author platform.”
I realize I’m partly preaching to the choir here. We have wonderful commenters on this blog. But I see a lot of great blogs devoid of comments these days.
And there are lots of people who seem to prefer to respond to the link to a blogpost on Facebook or Twitter rather than on the actual post.
Unfortunately sometimes they haven’t read the post, but are responding to the header, which isn’t a good idea. That’s a good way to look like a doofus, especially if the blogger’s title is ironic or it’s a question that’s answered in the post.
But a thoughtful comment on a high-traffic blog is a smart way to get your name in the public eye. And it’s easy.
Commenting on Blogs is a Powerful Tool.
First of all, commenting on blogs that are already on Google’s radar will help get your name onto that valuable Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page.)
A comment on our blog can put your name in front of 20,000+ people in a week. It could take a long time to reach that many people with a brand new blog or a social media account. Most of my early mentions on Google came from commenting on other writers’ blogs. It’s also how I started networking in the writing community.
Also, discussions on high-profile blogs can lead to discussions on your own blog or social media. If you find yourself making a long comment—that’s your next post on your own blog or Facebook author page. Invite people over to discuss it further. Or support somebody’s argument on a blog and you’ve made a blog friend. That’s how I got my first followers.
But I’m not just talking about writing blogs like ours. A comment on any blog that interests you—and your potential readership—will work.
Plus interacting on blogs is a great way to make friends. In the end, that’s what a platform really is: how many people feel they “know” you well enough to want to buy one of your books.
In fact, my blog first took off because I commented a lot on Nathan Bransford’s blog, and that won me a guest blogging spot.
But I know writers new to the world of social media and blogging have lots of reasons for not commenting. I hear them a lot.
“I can’t even find the comments!”
A lot of older writers find the whole concept of blogging weird and unfathomable. I remember being frustrated when I first started.
Sometimes I’d find comments, and sometimes I wouldn’t. Sometimes I’d land on one post with a thread of comments after it, but sometimes I’d get a whole string of posts with nothing but a thingy at the end saying “37 comments”.
Here’s the little trick “everybody knows” so they don’t bother to tell you—
Click on the “37 comments” (or whatever number) and that will open the post in a new page where all the comments appear at the end of the post. Some blog formats make you hunt around in the sidebar for the “comments” link, but it’s there. Keep looking.
Some blogs, like ours, will allow you to reply to a particular comment if you hit the “reply” button under that comment.
Or you can leave a general comment if you hit “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the whole thread. (On some WordPress and Weebly blogs the comment button is at the top of the thread.)
“I prefer to send the blogger a DM or email.”
Sure. That’s fine. Email marketing is the big thing these days. Sometimes a blogger or well-known author will have time to give you a personal answer. I try to answer all our readers’ emails, even though I sometimes confront so many emails in the morning that I want to go back to bed and cry.
But my e-mailed answer is no more personal than my answer in a comment thread, and nobody will see it but you and me.
Every week, people send me personal emails saying they liked a post from me or Ruth or one of our guests, and of course we appreciate it. We always like to hear that people are benefiting from our posts.
But many writers mention their own books and pitch them to me.
So let’s stop a minute and think about this: what’s better for you, the author?
1) Getting your book title in front of me, the world’s slowest reader, who has over 500 unread books in my TBR list, and probably doesn’t read your genre?
2) Getting your book title in front of the thousands of people who read our blog?
Are you seeing why it’s better to put your feedback (and name) into a comment?
Plus, if you have a question, you can be pretty sure other readers have it too. If I answer in the comments, rather than in a personal email, that’s helping all our readers, not just you.
“I can’t figure out how to post a comment.”
Okay: this is a biggie. Tech can be daunting. Nobody likes to be rejected, especially by some stupid machine. If you don’t have a blog or website of your own, sometimes a blog won’t accept your comment.
Or if you have a blog on the Blogger platform, you may not be allowed to comment on other Blogger blogs. Blogger has been developing lots of glitches lately that they have no desire to fix. That has happened to Ruth. She has a Blogger book blog and that means she can’t comment on my Blogger book blog. (Go figure.) Blogger may also not let you respond to comments on your own blog. That happened to audiobook narrator C.S. Perryess, who had to move his Wordmonger blog to Weebly, since Blogger has no tech support.
A solution to all this is sign up for Gravatar. That’s a “Globally Recognized Avatar” and ID. It’s owned by Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, but you don’t need a WordPress blog to sign up. In fact, signing up will automatically give you a WordPress ID.
“I have no idea what to say.”
I understand. Writers are shy persons. I lurked for about a year before I started commenting on blogs. Do lurk for a while if you’re just starting in the blogosphere.
But eventually you’ll feel moved to say something.
Most bloggers will put some questions at the bottom of the post to invite comments. Good questions will invite you to share your own opinions or experiences with the topic.
Read the comments. You may want to respond to one of them. That’s a good place to start.
You don’t have to heap praise on the blogger. Bloggers like praise as much as anybody, but it’s best to say something that adds to the discussion and shows something about yourself and your work.
Don’t be confrontational or put the blogger down, either. (That’s a good way to get deleted.) But say something like, “Love these 3 tips for getting your cat to eat dry food, and I’d like to add #4…”
Or, “I understand what you’re saying about only blogging nonfiction …but I blog daily cat haikus, and I have 400 followers who love them.” You can even include a link to the blog. One link is usually acceptable in a blog comment.
You can even say something like, “I’m glad you say it’s okay to be a slow writer. It took me ten years to write Love is a Cat from Hell, but I finally launched it last week.”
Don’t put in a link to your retail buy page—you’ll be blocked for spam—but a mention of your book and a single link to your website is fine.
Blog Comments That Get Results.
The most useful comments add something to your “authority.” So if you can say stuff like, “I was in law enforcement for twenty years and this is what really happens when somebody reports a missing cat…” Or “I’m a health practitioner who also writes cat haiku…”
Then that little fragment of text will come up in a search of your name. It will show your name and “I was in law enforcement for 20 years…” or “I’m a health practitioner…”
This is a huge help to agents, reviewers, and other people who are trying to find out if you’re a reliable person they want to work with.
You can also say something like, “I love what ScribblerSally said about Maine Coon cats in her comment.”
Then ScribblerSally might click on your name to find out about you and your cat. If you’ve joined Gravatar, that will take her to a profile with an address for your blog and an email address.
Then Sally may follow your blog or even buy your book.
Guidelines for Blog Comments
A good blog comment can be anything from 10 to 300 words. If you feel the need to go longer, you probably have a blogpost of your own there. (Write it down and save it!)
Other than that, almost anything goes in a blog comment, with a few caveats:
1) Skip the spam.
Don’t talk up your book or blog in a comment unless it’s relevant to the conversation. That’s considered spamming:
- “I respect your opinion on prologues, but I’ve got testimonials from readers who love prologues—the longer the better—over at my blog today” is great.
- “This discussion of Marcel Proust reminds me of my book, Fangs for the Memories, a zombipocolyptic vampire erotic romance, $3.99 at Smashwords.” Not so much.
Ditto links to your website or buy pages if they don’t illustrate a relevant point. If you have more than one link in a post, spambots will dump you into spam.
2) Don’t drink and post.
Seriously. DON’T WRITE ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET WHEN YOU’RE DRUNK OR HIGH. Authors should not go online when impaired. Unless your persona is “rude, moronic lout” don’t drink and post. You could erase years of work building that platform with one idiotic comment. That’s a rule I follow myself. If I have wine with dinner, I don’t go on social media in the evening.
Drunk posts are the kind where somebody rage-posts an incoherent rebuttal of an obviously tongue-in-cheek or satiric post. Or they rant against something they obviously haven’t read. Or they make an ad hominem attack on the blog owner and vow never to read anything she’s written, not noticing it’s a guest post written by somebody else.
We’ve had a rash of those idiotic posts recently. They get deleted in the morning. You’re welcome.
Also, saying insulting things about the blogger or other commenters, or using language that’s NSFW will get you deleted and/or blocked.
Ditto political diatribes or religious screeds. Be professional and polite. And do make sure your brain is in gear.
3) Read the whole post.
We get so many comments from people who have only read the headers, that I wonder if half the people online are reading-impaired. It only makes you look like a moron when you tell the blogger, “you should have said this, that and the other thing” …when they said exactly those things in the second paragraph.
4) Read other comments.
Be aware of what other people are saying so you don’t repeat what somebody else has said. Comments are meant for discussion, so remember you’re talking to everybody who’s reading and commenting, not just the host blogger.
5) No emotional blackmail.
Don’t say, “I just followed this blog, so now you have to follow my five blogs, like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter and get me a double decaf latte while you pick up my dry cleaning.” If you demand any kind of quid pro quo for a comment you’ll look like a jerk to the whole community. As I’m saying here: the comment benefits YOU more than the blogger.
6) Don’t whine or throw shade.
Dissing Amazon, agents, the publishing business, or trash-talking a bestselling author will not work in your favor. Ditto complaining about how nobody buys your book.
That’s like wearing a big “I’m a loser” sign on your chest.
If you want to unload about what a crazy, unfair, insane business this is, get that bottle of wine and invite over a couple of friends. Kvetch all you want. You’re not wrong. This business is a roller coaster, as Ruth told us last week.
But stay off the Internet. You’ll thank me.
Otherwise, commenting on blogs is a good idea. Your name may come up much sooner on the next SERP of a search of your name.
***
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) December 2, 2019
What about you, scriveners? Are you commenting on blogs? Or are you lurking? Do you feel an urge to delurk? What makes you comment on a blog? Are you finding that commenting on blogs is too hard these days?
And over on my Blogger blog, I talk about my lo-o-o-ng road to publication and why I’m grateful to the agents and editors who rejected me.
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Yes, yes, and yes! Good info here. I appreciate hearing why it’s important to post comments. And I really like, “Do lurk for a while if you’re just starting in the blogosphere.” Sometimes we need permission to do what we want to do.
MCullen–Deciding to de-lurk can be tough. Lurking is safe. But commenting can really help you when you’re ready.
Hello Anne and Ruth. I’m learning to de-lurk, but it’s tough. After scanning a number of the comments–so many good ones–I find I’m largely at a loss for time and creativity when it comes to commenting. That said, I do want to thank you for your blog posts. I’ve enjoyed several, learned a ton, and have shared with other writer friends. Best to you, and please keep the good words coming. 🙂
Carolyn–Thanks for de-lurking. It’s not that we need more comments, although we always appreciate them. But if you can relate to the post, a comment can help you, too. Thanks for being one of our readers!
I’ve noticed the same decrease in comments, Anne. Some comedy posts I do on my own blog get nary a comment now (oh, how I’ve waited to use that word!) I’ve panicked, and gone the check hits, and have come away realizing that I’m getting the same number of hits, just not the comments. Perhaps people are whizzing to the next bit of content, since it is pretty noisy out there. But I always remember that commenting on blogs was the way I met *you*, Anne! And that was a lucky day for me!
Melodie–Your blog is one I’ve noticed has fewer comments. A humor blog like yours is such a great opportunity for new writers. If they can think of a snappy comeback or clever way to add to the humor in your post, that gives them attention as well as a platform to show off their writing skills.
And yes! WE met via blog comments. And that’s the way I’ve met so many other writers whose work I love. You have also helped me along in my own career as well as providing friendship and support.
Why people have stopped doing such a simple, friendly thing is still a mystery to me.
There are some blogs I comment on regularly, and I’ve noticed that they get few if any comments–and I’m wondering why not. I’m starting to feel a little stalkerish for being the only one commenting!
Oh I sometimes feel the same!! 🙂
But I guess the writer of the blog is always happy to get a new comment of you anyway and appreciates it.
As a long-time blogger, a problem that I’ve found is that most people in my publishing niche have moved away from blogging. They’re doing podcasts, making YouTube videos (often with comments closed), or posting in closed groups on social media. The blogs that remain are infrequently updated, generally poorly written, and have no following to speak of.
Berin–There is certainly a movement away from blogging in all genres. Nothing is more subject to faddism than Internet marketing. Blogging was so big 5 years ago, that now people have to consider it “uncool.”
Authors are now sending all their good content in closed-system email newsletters instead of offering it to the general public where they could find new readers. Partying like it’s 1999.
They’re also saturating the Internet with podcasts and videos, which are not as attractive to people who read.
Eventually they’ll realize they got more readers with a good blog, but by then there will no doubt be a new fad. Maybe sending postcards via snail mail. 🙂
Thanks for continuing to blog and reaching out to other blogs that do attract a strong, interactive community.
I much prefer keeping up with other writers on their blogs. Social media content is too hard to find, too hard to read, and too hard to ever have hope finding again if I want to refer back to it.
Liz–Good points! Soc. med. is ephemeral. Blogs have more staying power.
I’ve noticed the drop in both blogging and commenting across the writer-world. (I am not here talking about me, since I’m the world’s most erratic blogger and always have been. ????) I always remember a workshop I attended where Joanna Penn outlined the importance of having our own website as an online hub, no matter how many social media profiles we might have. I still believe that’s true today. Many people are one Facebook algorithm away from losing their online platform altogether. We need to have online real estate that we actually own. I admire you for continuing to blog so faithfully, Anne. Well done!
Belinda–Blogging isn’t new and exciting anymore, so people have moved on. But I don’t think there’s a better tool for getting your name and work in front of the public.
Joanna was exactly right. Anybody can be put in Facebook jail (it once happened to me) and if their elves disapprove of your content, you can lose your page and all your followers. We need our own real estate.
I wish you had a like button for this comment, Anne. Just saying.
Anne—Fab post filled with lots of great tips! To buttress your points, my comments on this blog—way when back when!—ended in your invitation to chime in regularly as a permaguest. Seven years as of now, if I’m correct, so a long-running duo set off by my modest comments.
My theory is that the decrease in the number of comments might be due to the fact that writing—as any writer knows—is hard. Even for a quickie comment! Especially now that everyone’s time is so limited.
I was thinking the same thing Ruth! Only so many units of thought energy in a day…so there’s a “cost” in commenting. ????
Janet—glad to learn it’s not just me! Our thought ergs get depleted and we want to sound at least semi-intelligent. 😉
Yeah, Ruth, and that too–coherence. HAHAHA!
Ruth–That’s right! I saw a comment on my blog from one of my favorite authors and went to see what was on your blog and found you didn’t have one yet. And the rest is history…
You’re probably right that people have less and less time. Listening to a podcast or watching a video takes a whole lot longer than reading a blogpost. So as we get inundated with podcasts and videos–there’s no time to comment on any of them.
On the other hand, there is so much liking of posts without even reading them that when I read a post, I would like the author to know it!
I tend to leave a comment when I feel I have something to say, not just ‘lovely post’ – except when it is a particularly lovely post! It all takes up so much time. Also, something has happened with WP and each time I want to leave a comment I have to log in with my email, etc, then I get another window popping up where I have to log in AGAIN, with my email and password. There’s a way to check Remember Me, but it never does. Sometimes this annoys me so much I don’t bother to comment. It does not happen with a few blogs, so there could be some way to fix it, but how? I need to contact a Hapiness Engineer, but that will take a couple hours. Sigh…
Okay, now I have to log in…
M. L. The complexities of “signing in” to comment are certainly a deterrent to comments. They get worse and worse. (Although at least we don’t have those impossible to read CAPTCHAs anymore.) I know they do it to help fight spam, but it’s annoying.
I hope you find a “Happiness Engineer.” Love that phrase. 🙂
Hi Anne! ???? One of the reasons I’ve stopped blogging after over a decade of doing so (despite your wonderful encouragement!) was lack of comments. I blogged because, as an extrovert, talking over things is how I make sense of the world and life. So for me, no comments=echo chamber=waste of time. I may as well journal.
Also, little ROI via book sales, too (although that was a secondary reason for blogging).
I don’t read any blogs but yours these days, and I only comment when I feel I have something to add to the conversation you generously offer, like clockwork, every Sunday. ????
Janet–I met you through blog comments, too! I was frustrated that I couldn’t get your blog elves to let me comment on your blog, so I emailed you. 🙂
It’s certainly frustrating to blog for crickets. I’ve had to do that on my book blog, sometimes for months in a row. (Thanks for commenting on my “Bad Thanksgiving” post, BTW.) I have thought of letting it go, so I hear you.
It may be that commenting on blogs is more effective than having your own blog these days..I don’t know. People say newsletters are the substitute for blogs, but they do nothing to bring in new readers.
Ohhhh I forgot that’s how we met! Way cool. Yeah, TypePad, back in the day, made it VERY difficult for people to log in to comment (in an attempt to control SPAM). But, even after they made it easier–still, rarely a comment.
Another reason I’m ambivalent about blogging is that I have so many interests. No desire to blog about Tarot anymore (which is what I’m mostly known for), nor review (despite being an AMZN Hall of Fame Reviewer). But, I love making jewelry, cooking, the creative process, spirituality and the writing craft. And from what I see, “catch all” blogs do even WORSE when it comes to crickets (and the thought of creating four or more separate blogs? OMG!).
Honestly (and I can’t help but see this from a metaphysical perspective), I think most people are tired of words. Exhausted at the glut of information spraying at them from every direction. Sure, they could be more mindful of what they “let in”–but, most aren’t.
So there’s an existential and/or mental fatigue going on: not much energy to communicate outside their daily lives (which may very well be fraught with tension and strife)–even on happy and/or helpful blogs (which they may benefit from).
Just a thought. :o) (Btw, if you even need a third wheel here, I’m game. LOL! I work better in collaboration with others, too, which is another factor to why solo blogging just doesn’t appeal anymore…)
Oh, and having a Newsletter? My last one–NO ONE replied to a question I asked in it. And, no sales from Etsy (I’m sharing more of my jewelry creations these days rather than my books). I’ve begun to think having a Newsletter is a waste of time, too.
I am stumped on the magic formula for generating income. I’m thinking it’s just not in the cards for me to have much money this time around… ;o)
For what it’s worth, the only newsletter I actually read is one from a work colleague I know personally. Other than his, they’re pretty much throwaways.
Janet–After losing my first and second agents, I took off for over two years and didn’t write a word. Just made jewelry and miniature dried flower arrangements (It was the early 90s) I worked in an antique store where I could sell my own stuff, so I made money from it. It also allowed me to be creative, but let my verbal brain rest. I needed it. You may need that too.
And a group blog might be the best way to get back into it when you’re ready. We’ll keep you in mind. 🙂
Liz–I only read two newsletters myself. They’re both from well-known authors whose work I enjoy and they only send when they have new books out.
Hi Janet,
Your thoughts about selling jewelry Etsy caused me to want to tell you about a jeweler friend of mine. She did okay on Etsy for awhile because she spent about 2 hours a day on Etsy, participating in the Etsy blog (I think that’s what it was), writing, and scrolling around liking other people’s work and writings. All this brought her “store” to the top, but it was a huge time commitment, and after about a year, she gave up and got a job.
I did online classes with Leo Babauta some years back and learned all the ins and outs of blogging. It was incredibly helpful. But today you have given me some more tips. So thanks, Anne. Have a good week. Beth
Beth–You have a great blog I stumbled on several years ago. I always read it, although I have to admit I don’t often comment. But I do retweet. 🙂 Keep up the good work!
I’ve found commenting on blogs these days to be quite difficult. Some of the more popular blogs that I follow I really don’t like the political bent of the owners (semi-hardcore left with a particular hatred of all things moderate/conservative), so for me to comment would be an exercise in futility.
For a good percentage of blog owners out there, their blogs reflect their political/personal beliefs, which is fine and ducky, but when most of the commenters share the same ethos (again, fine and ducky), it can quickly become an “us versus you” mentality” if you happen not to be one of those sheeple.
G.B. I advise most writers to stay away from politics in their online posting. The US is pretty much divided 50/50, so anything political is going to alienate half your potential US readership. I know some bloggers go over the top with their political posts, and I never comment there, for fear of appearing to endorse a particular political view..
It’s best to stick to non-political blogs for commenting, IMO.
Political content is a reason for me not to subscribe to a blog.
Yes!
When I starting writing my blog, Caterpickles, my most faithful readers happened to be people with quite different political views, so I did my best to keep politics out of my parenting-with-curiosity-&-humor blog.
Today, I continue to try to keep politics out of things as much as I can, because there’s just so much of it in our online lives, it’s nice to have a little oasis online where I can indulge my and my daughter’s curiosity about questions like “Can I compost my potentially E.coli-infested lettuce?”; “When is Santa’s birthday?”, and “is it really unlucky to have peacock feathers in the house?”
We also talk about books some too. If that sounds good to you, please feel free to join us!
Shala–Your blog sounds like fun. (BTW, romaine lettuce makes great soup, and it’s totally safe once it’s cooked–if you don’t want to compost it. 🙂 )
It’s wonderful to provide an oasis where people aren’t bombarded with negativity and political rancour.
I’m with you on the oasis perspective!
Anne — thanks for the tip about cooking romaine. It never occurred to me to use it in soup, but I’ll give it a try (once the recall is lifted, I am not quite brave enough to use the e.coli stuff in the first round). 🙂
Liz – I popped over to your website this evening. I love the idea of the weekly syllabic poetry challenge. May have to try it myself.
G.B., I’ve quit reading several blogs that I used to enjoy because of the unnecessary and unhelpful political opinions; it makes me not like the blogger any more in spite of liking their normal content, and who wants to hang out with people they don’t like?
Interesting tip on increasing SERP exposure by commenting on high-traffic blogs like yours, Anne. There’s real value here, as long as the comment adds to the discussion which brings me to my experience in comments on my blog. I rarely get more than a half-dozen on my bi-weekly posts. Most are regular visitors, and I’m sure they’re well aware of increasing their exposure.
However, I get many more personal emails, and I think there’s a relationship to the fear of public speaking. Notice when you go to, or put on, a seminar. The vast majority stay silent when it comes to question period yet they’ll readily engage in a one-to-one after the event. Maybe I’m wrong, but I suspect leaving a comment makes the average reader feel vulnerable and scared they’ll make of a fool of them selves in public. What say you?
Garry–6 comments is pretty good for an author blog, so I wouldn’t complain. My book blog is lucky if it gets 2.
I think you’re right that commenting on a blog is somehow “in public” as opposed to email. And yet people comment on Facebook with no problem. I’m not sure what the difference in perception is there.
But it exists, and people who are afraid of public speaking may shy away from commenting because a blog seems more public.
You keep hitting these enormous holes in the defence, Anne (it’s a good thing, your blog happens during football don’t worry). Everyone is hunting for blog comments now, and I think of book reviews which are probably getting the same reaction, right?
People somehow think a FB post on the Great Wall of Endless Scrolling is no big deal, but somehow commenting on YOUR blog- just like reviewing YOUR book- needs to be this immaculate slice of deathless prose. All or nothing is an easy choice.
Wish folks would just dive in more. Can’t imagine anyone being more welcoming and warm than you and Ruth.
Will–Interesting parallel with blog comments and online book reviews. And I have to admit I’m terrified of leaving reviews myself. That’s because of all of Amazon’s crackdowns, and also because of who I imagine will be reading it. I imagine a lot of people may feel that way about blog comments, too.
So why is a comment on FB less daunting? I have no idea, but I know you’re right. Maybe because that “Endless Scroll” makes it seem more temporary and fleeting. Therefore the stakes don’t seem as high.
Thanks for this, Anne (& thanks for mentioning Wordmonger at Perryess.com, he wrote after being prompted to do so). I concur that blog comments have dramatically reduced in the last year or two — I just figure folks who’ve read a post finished up saying, “Oh, well there you are,” & went from my blog to Youtube to check out a cat video or two. And when it comes to being the commenter, I’m so glad you mention the “I don’t really know what to say,” response, because as a reader of blogs, that’s typically where I find myself. It’s no surprise that my digital life mirrors my social life — I’m that guy at the party (assuming I actually go to the party), listening, leaning against the wall, & not saying much. Keep up the good work.
CS–I know you’ve fought a fierce battle with blog elves in order to be able to comment. But you’re right that coming up with a comment can be daunting. A clever blog like yours seems to require a clever comeback, and people may feel they don’t have the time or ability for a comeback. Lurking is safer, as well as more comfortable.
No, CS, I”M THAT GUY leaning on the wall, etc. I’m older than you, and I earned that infamous laurel decades ago. Gee whiz!
I have learned from your posts-so it’s time I said hello and thank you!
Jena–Welcome! Thanks for de-lurking. 🙂
You’re right. I’ve fallen off commenting on blogs. I enjoy your blog and others. Also, I agree about drinking and avoiding commenting on social media.
Stanley–A few years ago, when I was kvetching about the lack of civility online, a friend told me to remember that a large number of commenters on news articles and blogs were very likely drunk, high, or suffering a mental disability.
He worked with people with mental health and substance abuse issues and said that a large percentage of his clients were online most of the time. That made me realize the futility of arguing with them, or letting myself be riled up by their comments.
I also realized that meant I had a duty to stay sober online.
OMG, I never thought of that! (Re: mental state of most commentors).
Great post, Anne. When I first started out, I commented frequently on other mystery authors’ blogs and I think it was quite beneficial in getting my name out. Last year I went through cancer surgery and chemo which had a huge impact on my vocabulary. I swear I lost all of my adjectives (probably a good thing). So thanks for the reminder to get back on track. Your posts are always so relevant.
Cindy–Sorry to hear you went through it and congratulations on fighting off the Big C. Health stuff sure does get in the way of writing. Great that you’re getting back into the thick of things!
There may be a technology factor involved. Several times my blog fails to accept comments from iPads (including my own). Sometimes this is understandable, like when one of the WP plugins is asking for an upgrade )Jetpack for anyone else with this trouble). Sometimes it isn’t
I assume phone readers have the same trouble. Or maybe phone readers just need a ‘like’ button. 🙂
Jemima–Wow! I never thought of that. I’ve never tried to comment on a blog with my tablet or phone. But I know a lot of people do read blogs on their phones. No wonder comments are down.
Thanks for the insight!
Another reason comments might have dropped off generally is because some blogs want to control the message and only have a cheerleading squad. I often don’t always agree with all writing posts, for example (and have disagreed with them here as well). A lot of times, I’ve gone back in and the comment has been deleted. With another blog, I wrote a comment that agreed with the post, but had another viewpoint. Next day, the blogger posted a lengthy post vaguely referencing “I got this comment” and proceeded to lecture everyone on how wrong my comment was. It is an investment in time to write a comment. When a blogger does stuff like this, it’s hard not approaching all blogs and wondering if the same thing is going to result.
By the way, thank you allowing differing opinions.
That’s probably why so many don’t comment, too: not wanting to see their good intentions deleted, misinterpreted or hijacked by a super-sensitive blogger OR their fans…
Linda–You’re right that a comment is an investment in time. I don’t delete long, careful comments, even if the commenter obviously didn’t get the point of the post.I only delete comments that are abusive or incoherent.
But I guess not all bloggers understand how much you can gain by having a lively dialogue on your blog. I’ve learned so much from bloggers who have disagreed with me or added information I didn’t have. I’ve learned a lot from you.
It’s such a shame for bloggers to cut themselves off from a great source of new information.
Awesome advice, as usual! I’m an occasional commenter. For example, I always read your blog but don’t always comment. Sometimes I don’t feel that I have anything new to add to the discussion. On my own blog, I’ve learned to appreciate the comments with substance, though few they may be. And on that subject, I’ve “gifted” myself a copy of The Author Blog book to help me sharpen my on-line presence. 🙂
Lee–I don’t recommend people comment on every blog they read. An occasional comment can do just as much good. But we do appreciate it when you do have something to say.
Thank you for buying a copy of The Author Blog! I hope it helps you get more traffic and good comments.
Yes to Lee’s comment! It’s the comment I would’ve written but she beat me to it. 🙂
I so appreciate my regular readers and their comments, and I also love when new people show up and say hi.
This is a wonderful suggestion. I’m currently book blog touring for my newest book, and one requirement is to comment on each stop of the tour, as well as to answer questions by commenters. It’s been going for 10 days and interacting with the commenters is so much fun. My rule on social media (aside from crafting ads) is to only do it if it’s fun. I try NOT to be too strategic about engaging with others on various social platforms. Even when blogging (with almost no following and traffic), I can’t bring myself to use much strategy. If I take the fun out of social media, I won’t do it. I save the seriousness for my writing. But interacting online is always fun, so thanks for having a comments area, and for writing this terrific blog!
Totally agree, Rachel. I stayed FAR longer than I should have once the “fun factor” left. I’ve since vowed to not start up anything else unless it’s well and truly fun. Life’s too short, right? :o)
Rachel–That’s the same advice I give about blogging and social media. Don’t do it if it’s not fun. Your discomfort will show. Readers can tell if you’re phoning it in. Blog tours can be exhausting, but all those comments can lead to sales. It’s worth it to interact with people who comment.
Good to know, Anne. I’ve found that I enjoy interacting with readers one at a time. Sales are important, but feeling I’ve reached a single reader and connected with my fiction or my post is so worth the time it takes to write.
Rachel–Thing is, that single reader has friends. Who have friends. Sell one book and you might start a snowball that ends up on the bestseller list!
Hi Anne and Ruth,breaking new ground as usual, thanks.. I only blog monthly and it took me years before I felt I had anything new to add, In the end I talk about what it’s really like to be a writer – the fears that never go away, for instance. LIke you I find more and more people responding on Twitter and more commonly on FB. Some say they’ve tried to respond and can’t. I take them where I gets them. Since WP added a reblog button, I’m getting more of those. A case of the spirit is willing but the platform is weak? Today’s post is at https://valerieparv.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/first-monday-mentoring-dec-2019-7-ways-to-reboot-your-writing-for-2020/ and I always respond to comments – positive and negative, Linda Maye Adams.
Valerie–“The spirit is willing but the platform is weak” That gets the comment of the day prize!!
That is definitely the reason why some people comment on social media rather than on the blog. But that’s all the more reason to comment if you CAN.
I think blogging once a month is fine for an author blog. Sounds like you’re doing it right!
#3 always makes me laugh, especially on writing blogs. I do wonder why I should bother reading the opinions of someone who can’t be bothered reading the original blog post.
I try to do #4, but that can get hard on popular blogs because there are so many.
Question: I’ve noticed some bloggers don’t respond to comments – not that they miss the occasional comment, but that they don’t respond at all. Do you see any value in commenting on those blogs?
When I’ve left multiple comments on a blog over several posts and they’ve gone unanswered, that’s the end of commenting for me.
Iola–It might be useful to comment on a really big blog like Jane Friedman’s or Joel Friedlander’s even though they don’t respond. If you have some insight that will benefit the other readers, they’ll notice and might pay attention to you as an authority. I comment on both those blogs occasionally, although their silence does seem to deter comments.
Most bloggers who don’t respond are shooting themselves in the foot, though. If you’re not already a blogging superstar, it seems disrespectful. .
I do no get many comments on my blog itself but when I share content on Facebook or Twitter people do leave lots of comments. I wish they would leave them in the blog but at least I am getting responses.
Great post and great tips, Anne.
~Ingmar Albizu
Ingmar–It’s true that we shouldn’t complain as long as we’re getting responses somewhere. But I thought it would be good to remind people that commenting on blogs is more valuable to THEM. (Bloggers like it too.)
Great post, Anne. I really didn’t realize the importance of blog comments. You’ve opened my eyes! I look at all the responses above and think it would be great to have the same happen when I post. But, one has to build a community and you’ve shown one way to make that happen. Thank you!
Kris–Commenting on a blog only takes a minute or two and it really can raise your profile and help get more traffic to your own blog. Building community is what it’s about!
A great reminder of the benefits of commenting, Anne. Tech difficulties in the past caused me to reconsider commenting, but after reading your post I think I’ll persevere. 🙂
I’d also like to say I’m not a podcast-type ‘reader’; in fact the minute I see an article presented as a podcast, I move on. A written post I can skim-read if I want to cut to the chase (although I always read your posts in full – I enjoy them so much), a podcast not so much. It doesn’t help that most podcasts tend to ‘waffle’ quite a bit before getting to the meaty bits, by which time I’m a dust trail!
The problem with podcasts is that I listen to them when I’m driving due to time constraints–and I can’t leave a comment if I’m driving.
Liz–Good point! That may be why podcasts don’t have many comments.
Alicia–I’m with you. Whenever I see an interesting article and click on it and see it’s a podcast, I’m out of there. I just don’t have the time. If I had a car-commute, I’d probably feel differently. (And I agree with you about the “waffling”!)
I usually pass on podcasts too. I read very fast, so I can get through a post in a few minutes. A podcast forces me to go at the pace of the podcast.
Fantastic advice as always! I don’t know how people who don’t comment or interact with other people’s blogs stay motivated. It’s sort of like that tree falling in a forest. I want to create an audience for my blog and create a platform, but I also want to connect with people. Reading and interacting with other bloggers seems to me to be a wonderful way to do that.
Catherine–Online marketing is 100% about connecting with people. Blogging is a community. If you’re sitting on your own blog not connecting with other bloggers, it’s like sitting in your basement wearing a sandwich board. No matter how great your message–it does no good if nobody’s going to see it!
Don’t drink and comment! Now that’s a priceless tip.
Commenting on nothing in general won’t endear you to the blogger, that’s for sure. But it should be easy enough to find something in a post to comment on.
Visiting and commenting on a lot of blogs is definitely how I grew my blog!
Alex–You are the KING OF COMMENTS!!. I don’t know how you do it, but you manage to comment on more blogs than anybody I know. And that’s how you’ve built your powerful network of the “Insecure Writing Support Group.” Thanks for all you do!
I can’t imagine anyone being so shy they don’t comment. I wonder what that’s like?
I spend a lot of time on Quora and Medium, and have made quite a few friends on Quora. To not comment just feels weird. I always have something to say, which is why I was frequently in trouble growing up. And if someone shuts off comments? Fahgeddaboutit. I don’t like swallowing my words; they make you gain weight.
Gigi–I used to spend a lot of time on Quora. Now gmail blocks all my Quora notifications, so I forget to visit. There are usually lively discussions there. A lot of commenting may have moved from blogging to places like Quora and Medium, come to think of it..Thanks for the insight!
“Swallowing words makes you gain weight.” I think that is literally true, and bears repeating. Thanks!
What an excellent blog post – you’ve inspired me to comment more often in future 🙂
MChriste–Welcome. De-lurking isn’t that hard is it? Have fun with it!
Anne, although I don’t comment here often, your blog is one of only three I consider must-reads. I always appreciate your down-to-earth, practical wisdom.
I am living proof of the benefits of commenting. I followed The Kill Zone for years and commented from time to time. One comment led to an invitation to write a guest post, then another. A few months later, TKZ invited me to become a regular on their staff of a dozen rotating authors who are award-winning bestsellers.
Gasp!
I felt like the little kid who was mistakenly allowed up in the big kids’ treehouse. I couldn’t believe my luck to score a gig on a blog consistently among Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Writing Blogs.
When I included that credit in my queries, agents and publishers paid attention.
Now I have two published novels with a third coming in January. Each post garners more visits to my website and some sales.
Does commenting increase visibility? Oh yes!
Debbie–Thanks for the blogging success story! The Kill Zone is one of the best writing blogs around. Getting “on staff” there is a very big deal. Congrats on your blogging and publishing successes. Thanks for sharing a perfect example of how my advice works!
Honestly, I always felt too much in a rush to comment. I’d reblog but I know that doesn’t let the person who posted know what you liked about the post. I try to more often now. There are times though, I still do the reblog.
Traci–Reblogging can be nice for the blogger. But the comment is nice for YOU, because it increases your Google presence. So it might be worth it to schedule some comment time.
Great post, Anne! I’ve always been a person who likes throwing their two cents in, so I’m always puzzled when people don’t respond to blogs. I’ve long implored readers at all the various websites I write at to leave comments, the volume ebbs and flows with the years.
And you’re not kidding about the SEO! Even after all the Google-Fu I’ve done in the last two years as I’ve published my first book, a comment I left on your blog is still in the first page of results for my name.
Irvin–We always enjoy your comments, too! I realize that shyness is a problem with some people. They’d rather lurk in safety. It’s a little bit like getting people onto the dance floor. If a lot of other people are dancing, shy people might be willing, but if only one other couple, who are obviously pros–not a chance!
But as your experience shows so well, blog comments are good SEO! They can get you Google love you won’t get anywhere else. Thanks for sharing that and proving my point!
Based on the amount of comments here already, it’s easy to see how many resonated with this Anne. Great information, and as one who visits and leaves comments at most blogs, I was happy to learn that commenting adds to SEO on Google. That’s an added bonus I had no idea about. 🙂
Debby–Yeah. All those comments you’ve been leaving have been getting you some Google love! Isn’t it nice to know there’s an added perk?
For sure Anne. I know I post a lot and share tons on social media, so I thought it was because of that when I Google my writing name, I come up on pages and pages on Google. Had no idea comments helped with that too. So ya, yeah! I just have to keep up with what I’m already doing. 🙂
I enjoy commenting on blogs but was frustrated with my inability to comment on some blogs. I thought you’d hit on the solution when you mentioned Gravator. But when i hit on your Gravator link the first sentence I confronted stated that I had to have a WordPress account. Oh, well.
Ironically, I’ve had to remove the comment section on my blog due to a spam problem. Spam comment were pouring in four or five times a day. Reads can now interact with me about my blog on Facebook or Twitter or Linked In–which they have done. There’s always a way around a problem if you think about it long enough.
Thank you for this article, Anne.
Leanne–Scroll down that page. Down at the bottom there’s a place to sign up that says it will automatically give you a WordPress account.
It sounds as if your spamblocker isn’t working right. We get tons of spam comments (especially those “I have a small penis” ones. 🙂 ) But the spamblocker eats 99% of them. You might try enabling comments again, but turn on moderation so no comment goes through without your approval. Then make sure any spam comment gets marked as spam. Sometimes the spamblocker elves have to be taught what to block.
But getting comments on social media is better than no comments. 🙂
Thank you for your suggestions, Anne.
Thank you, Anne, I always learn something new. I will share this blog widely.
Mark–Many thanks!
Your stating some of the frustrations with leaving comments was actually sort of fun to read. It is a relief to know I’m not the only one that gets irritated with the redirects, etc. I’ve found some success on Twitter. This post contains sound advice. Appreciate it.
Norma–I hope my advice to use Gravatar isn’t misguided. They used to be easier to use, before WordPress bought them, but I think if you scroll down, you’ll find out how to use it.
Twitter is a big booster of this blog. As much as I dislike how some people misuse it, I think it’s a good tool for authors.
Good luck with commenting. Obviously you have done battle with the WP elves and won!
Thanks, Anne. I agree. When I first started blogging, I got most new subscribers by commenting on other blogs, adding to the conversation. And indeed, some of those discussions turned into blog posts.
I also agree on Gravatar – it gives you a common image on many sites (esp WordPress). One important detail to note is to include your web site address in the comment URL box. Thats what ties your name to your site. But DON’T put “n/a” in that box. That links your name to nada. Leave it blank if you don’t have a site.
I would add that a simple comment like “great article” may seem all you need. However, if the commenter isn’t known to the blogger, is not including any indication they’ve actually read the article, and is including a link to their site – that is usually seen as spam (asking for a link to be posted without contributing). Add something like “I especially liked your points on trivets.” 🙂
David–Many thanks for the tips on how to use Gravatar. It really does make commenting a breeze. Even on Blogger.
That’s also an important tip about not writing “great article!” That’s exactly what 1000s of 3rd world spammers write, along with links to websites offering rental homes in Mumbai or “hot teens waiting for you.” The spam elves will send you to Siberia.
Mentioning the trivets is always good. Haha. 🙂 Thanks!
Anne! Your blog is the only one I’ve seen in a long time that has lots of dedicated commenters. It’s something to really behold. You provide great content on a consistent basis and that’s why people not only read what you write, but chime into the conversation. You’ve built a community.
In the early days, my blog had tons of comments. But I also spent A TREMENDOUS amount of time reading and commenting. I couldn’t keep it up. Something had to give if I wanted to reach my other goals.
This year I made a goal to have a draft of a book, something I haven’t done in a very long time because I got “addicted” to writing and publishing stories and essays and blog posts. It was hard to step away from regularly seeing my work out there and interacting with readers. For years while raising four little kids, I enjoyed “writing short” instead of trying to write the novel. It was the right thing at the right time (as you know because I wrote a post FOR YOU here years ago about stepping away from the novel to write short instead.)
But as the years went by, I missed sinking my teeth into something longer. I kept telling myself I’d finish a book, but I’d always give it up for the more instant gratification of the internet world. Finally this year, I slowed down my blogging to two friendship advice posts a month and I dedicated myself to the book. On January 1, 2019 I had zero words. Today, on Dec 1 I have 80172. (Yes, I am counting EVERY hard won word.) I was only able to do that by slowing down the blogging AND not reading blogs as often as I used to, which for sure hurts my clicks and readership. It’s a hard cycle to break. Without blog readers, will I ever have book readers? But without making the time to write the book, there will be no book anyway. That much I know for sure.
This is all a really long way of saying that I agree 100% that the best way to have blog readers is to #1 writer great content BUT #2. read others’ blogs and comment. I wish I could keep all of that up and also write the book, but I’ve never been able to juggle both. I admire those who can!
I wanted to add that I still do read and comment on blogs. Just not even close to the pace I did years ago. I use BlogLovin to follow my favorite blogs, including Anne’s.
Nina–There’s a reason I specified “new” writers in the header of this post. Visiting blogs and commenting is most important when you’re trying to build a name for yourself.
I think building a career needs to be a continuum. The things you do to build platform in the first place may not be the things you need to do to go on to the next stage of your career. I certainly don’t read and comment on anywhere near as many blogs as I did when I was starting out.
And I always say that for an author-blogger, the “author” part should come first. Congrats on finishing your novel and I hope to hear more about it soon!
Great advice, thank you. I’m starting to comment more on various blogs, as I try to improve my online presence. As a new(ish) author, it’s good to find posts that explain the etiquette and encourage engagement.
Richard–It’s true that it’s hard to find out the “rules” and etiquette for a lot of online interaction.
But the most important part is to join in and meet people. That’s going to be a big factor in marketing your books later on. So your comments now are going to save you marketing time and money later.
Well this in interesting. Thanks for the tip, I do try to comment but I will remember this for sure. Great tip have tweeted. 🙂
Marje–It’s something to keep in mind. If you take the time to comment now, it will pay off later.
Heh, looks like you have plenty of comments already, but I’ll drop in my two cents. My blog posts get engagement over on FB and Twitter, but hardly ever on the blog itself. But my blog does bring me quiet book sales and art commissions, so it’s doing its job. I just have to update it from time to time.
Good points about people who lock all their content into newsletters. I sign up for some newsletters for updates, and wind up with character roleplay posts that make me want to tear out my own eyeballs. Put it on a blog, people.
Kessie–“Put it on a blog, people” is a great piece of advice. I wish more people would follow it. Newsletters have become epidemic. Marketing gurus say they sell more books, but I don’t see how. You’re selling to the same finite number of people instead of the whole world.
Good to hear your blog is working for you!
Fantastic post, Anne! And I love seeing all the comments you’re receiving. Another one of my favourite ways of building connections is using Gravatar Hovercards. They are blogging gems!
Thanks so much for sharing. Wishing you a wonderful day! 🙂
Natalie–This is why comments are so great. I just learned something!. I’d never heard of Gravatar hovercards, so I had to Google them just now. They look awesome. I need to see if I can get them on this blog. Many thanks!
Hi Anne
You do have them – just roll the mouse over someones Gravatar and a little screen pops up.
David–Wow! Thanks for letting me know. I just tried it and yup, I’ve got them. How silly of me not to notice.
See how much I learn from our commenters! Thanks.
Awesome, Anne! I love them and had to share in a recent blog post. Cheers to blogging, connecting, learning, and sharing. Delighted to include the direct web link below. Cheers! 🙂
How to build a blogging community with Gravatar Hovercards ~ a win-win strategy for bloggers!
https://natalieducey.com/2019/10/21/how-to-build-a-blogging-community-with-gravatar-hovercards/
Natalie–This is awesome! Thanks for the link. I love your ideas!
I have daily to-do lists I make every week and on Monday and Fridays one of the things I always do is leave a comment on the blogs I read and visit back on my commenters. Setting aside time to do that is the best way I consistently comment on blogs.
Patricia–Scheduling social media time is always a smart idea. Setting aside blog time is a part of that. It’s good to make sure you don’t neglect your readers.
Good advice, Anne. You must be stone-cold sober because your column is perfect every week.
GB–Haha. Yeah, I try to keep a clear head. Fewer messes to clean up later on. 🙂
Intriguing. Thanks for the tips .I too usually comment on the Twitter or Facebook post and share thinking that is the most helpful to the blogger.
Daniella–I think most bloggers would rather have you comment on the blog. That helps the blog’s ranking and brings in more readers. But it’s also helpful for YOU. That’s why it’s worth it to take the time. Not every time you read a blog–nobody’s got that kind of time–but every so often.
This is great advice. I really liked the comments about how some people might be drunk, high, or mentally ill when commenting. I am mentally ill, and suffer from occasional fibro fog, and I have learned to stay off social media completely when I’m having a bad day (the hard way, but fortunately no one got hurt.) If I read my email newsletters on a bad day, and want to comment, I wait until I am better. I read this yesterday, but I waited to comment because yesterday was really bad! I noticed more authors are doing podcasts, but I don’t like podcasts or audio books; they put me to sleep. I hate to tell people this because they think I’m insulting their content. It must be something left over from childhood (bedtime stories?) I like reading because it forces my brain to work. Listening is too passive and too easy to ignore. I will only go to podcasts and audio books if I lose my eyesight. I think commenting might be going down because the online world is getting hostile. A lot of my Twitter followers have gone to protective accounts, and some authors I follow have private Facebook groups. Many blogs have a comment approval wait time. Everyone is so afraid of offending or being offended. It’s getting ugly. A writer I really love just lost hundreds of followers and had a drop in book sales because another group of writers trashed their Twitter account because of a disagreement. It’s no wonder people don’t want to comment. Even writers are forming online mobs. I comment, but carefully, and only when there is little chance of getting into useless drama. I know this is long, but thank you, Anne, for a great post. I learn so much here. : )
Missi–I fight depression myself, and I find if I go online on a bad day I can bring all my peeps down with me. Not very helpful. So I know exactly what you’re talking about. If I can’t put on a happy face, I stay offline.
I fear our whole culture is so polarized that hostile gangs spring up everywhere–online and off.
Soon after I started this blog 10 years ago, I was attacked by a group of bullies from Goodreads. They even sent me death threats. All because somebody misinterpreted one of my posts and then spread false information about it. Terrifying. They swarmed my book pages with one-star reviews.
But you know what? The incident actually boosted my sales.
So the online violence is not new. But I agree with you that the problem is growing. When a Twitter mob can stop a book from being published by the Big 5 just because somebody told them they might be offended by it, there’s a problem.
You’re right about commenting carefully. Scout the territory first. 🙂
Yes, it’s pretty sad when the nerdy intellectuals turn into a mob of bullies. : ( This is why I am not so quick anymore to use community hashtags. People get crazy in a group. I am more selective now who I hang out with.
Missi–I agree. I’ve written quiet a few posts about the dangers of the “hive mind” Here’s one. https://annerallen.com/2015/07/public-shaming-cyberbullies-and-hive/
Great posts here, Anne! I found you from your guest post on Sally’s blog. Loved it and am now subscribed to you. I think I can learn a lot from you.
Jacqui–Welcome! I’ve responded to your comment over at Sally’s. She has such a great writing community there. Thanks much for subscribing!
“I have no idea what to say.” <– This is exactly my issue. Most of the times "thank you" is what I want to write. Usually I read articles a day or two later because I have other things on my plate and don't read daily. Therefore, I often refrain from writing another "thank you"-comment.
What I do (lurking and reading silently) is clicking through to the websites of the people who commented already (if the name is blue, indicating a link there) and see what they write on their page. I've found many new authors that way.
Besides: Thank you for the wonderful blog, the various guest posts and the opportunity alerts that come with each blog post. I love them.
Topaz–Thanks for saying you click on commenters profiles. I think a lot of us do. That’s another reason to comment! Somebody likes what you say and you may have a new reader!
Thanks for saying you like the opportunity alerts, too. I don’t get much feedback on them anymore, and was thinking of letting that segment go. But if it’s helping blog readers, it’s worth the effort.
ding ding ding ding ding!!! So happy to see a discussion on comments — and I would expect to find it here! I mentor several authors at a time and constantly refer them to your blog — using a laser pointer on the archives as well — because you live in common sense land.
Leaving a comment usually means I’ve been inspired, and I believe those who inspire deserve to know it. Besides your blog, I have two other writing blogs I read and comment on. One has a critique section that I regularly encouraged authors to check out, and then decided to give comments on the critiques being done. These were long, carefully thought out comments that gave a new perspective on portions of the critiqued text not covered by the blogger or another regular who also added his take on various issues.
Eventually, the blogger emailed and invited me to do some critiques. It was great fun and my approach was different than hers or the other regular, who is an accomplished author. The comments I made worked in a two-fold way though — the blogger made the offer because I commented every week, and they were getting requests for my critiques.
This was all very cool and fun — but to me, it underscores the idea that the comments you make, if sincere and with helpful intent, will be heard and will eventually support your credibility.
So, as always, Anne, you’ve come up with an idea that is proven true…and soooo dang easy to do!
Thanks!!
Maria D’Marco
Maria–Thanks for sharing that story. It’s exactly how it happens. I get most of our guest posts from people who have commented on this blog or shared posts in social media. If I know they “get” the blog, I know they can write for our readership. Congrats on getting on the critique blog. I’ll bet that helped get you a bigger clientele. And it’s fun when it’s a blog you already enjoy.
I agree that most sincere, helpful comments will pay off later on!
Thanks for this post Anne. It’s good advice and I’ve enjoyed reading the comments. There are some great tips here that I’ll have to take on board. I don’t comment very often, but I make sure I read your blog every week. I usually fall into the ‘I don’t have anything to say’ category, so can be in the habit of lurking. Years ago, I would try and comment on blogs that used Blogger, but found it frustrating to comment when there were too many hoops to jump in order to do so, so never did. Thankfully now, it’s a lot easier.
I’m a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, which has helped to build my own community and now my blog is steadily growing after many years. Prior to this, I would be lucky to get a handful of comments. I would recommend this group to those just starting out.
Debbie–You comment enough here that I always recognise you and appreciate your input.
Thanks for bringing up the IWSG–the #1 writing community for bloggers. I guarantee a membership in the IWSG will increase blog traffic and widen any writer’s network. You’re right that it’s perfect for new writers!
Great post and I love to chat with bloggers – just followed your blog – so much great information here thanks for sharing – if you would like to check mine out when you have a moment it would be much appreciated
A Thousand. Welcome! The first bit of advice I’m going to give is to use your own name–or your pen name–when commenting on blogs. I forgot to mention that. But if you don’t use your name, none of this will help you build platform–and that’s what we’re supposed to be doing out here!
This is such a useful article. I wondered if it was just my blog receiving less comments but I’m hearing this is the case for many author bloggers. I’m sharing this so we can all benefit from it hopefully.
Lisa–It’s not just you. It’s everywhere. I just checked Nathan Bransford’s blog and he only had two comments on today’s post. He used to have 200 on nearly every one. Thanks for spreading the word!
I feel like I can’t NOT comment on this one, lovely lady. I mean, you sort of set me up. 😉 I always read and share your posts but I’ve gotten lazy about commenting on them. Shameful behavior.
I think I could give you a serious run for your money as world’s slowest reader but our TBR lists look about the same.
I had never thought about “results” before. I just ramble. But I’m sober, I swear.
Anyway, great post as always. Here’s my comment. *waves* (BTW, just followed you on BookBub. Where’d you get that awesome widget? I’ve been looking for one. Yours is all pretty and shiny.)
Sarah–No worries. As I said, commenting on blogs helps you more than it helps the blogger. And once you’ve established your name it’s not as important.
Yeah, that TBR list only gets bigger all the time. I get a lot of those newsletters like Bookbub and Fussy Librarian and when I see a cheap book from an author I like–it goes on the poor old Kindle.
Speaking of Bookbub–Thanks. I will follow back. All authors should be on Bookbub and I’ll be telling everybody that in January. The awesome widget comes from my tech guru, Barb, Drozdowich, so I don’t know where she found it. It’s cool, isn’t it?
I hear you. It does help the blogger get his or her name out there a bit more. But, still, it’s nice to leave a quick comment here when I read your posts weekly anyway. 😉
Ha! My kindle is weighed down with my TBR pile, poor thing.
Thanks for the follow on BookBub. And, might I add, I am DELIGHTED that you will be encouraging authors to join. I leave my reviews there and often have to add the book and wait because the author either isn’t on there or is but isn’t active and hasn’t added his or her books. I like the platform but I think people need to get familiar with and comfortable on something other than The Jungle.
Great insight, Anne. You have inspired me! Thank you for this post. I’m now a member of De-lurking Anonymous and am enrolled in their twelve step program. 🙂
Belinda–I’m pleased to be an inspiration! De-lurk away!
Some great advice on here. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by!
With out a doubt, leaving comments on blog posts is one (if not the best) way to get yourself noticed and to get other readers to visit your blog.
I don’t get the short comments such as ‘Great Post’ or ‘Thanks for sharing’ because they don’t prove anything and don’t give the author of the post any feedback on their post. It’s almost as bad as clicking on the ‘like’ button without having read the post.
I try and comment on at least one blog a day, and by comment, I mean a meaningful comment that shows I’ve read the whole post. As those comments build up, you really do start to get noticed around the blogging world.
Can I also add that comments that include nothing but emojis do not work. Leave them for when commenting on Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms. That’s where they belong.
Thanks for getting a great discussion going, Anne. For me, those blog posts that attract lots of comments and discussions are the most successful ones.
Hugh–Well, thanks a million for commenting on this blog! Because you have a WordPress/Gravatar ID, I was able to click on your name after I read your great comment–and that took me directly to your blog–where I read four of your great posts on blogging.. I’ve Tweeted several and will share them on my Facebook author page. I’ve also followed you on Twitter. 🙂
Not because you asked me to. But because your content is phenomenal! This is how one blog comment can raise your profile. It works!!
Many thanks!
Thank you so much, Anne. I’ve come across lots of Gravatars where the blogger/author has not linked it to their blog or author page. It’s something I’ve written about with full instructions on how to link your blog or author page to your Gravatar. I’m so pleased you visited my blog and read some of my posts. Thank you for sharing them.
I so agree with what you say about how leaving good meaningful comments can bring you new followers and more visitors to your blog. We should all make some time to leave a comment after reading a blog post when we have something of value to add.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and thank you for the follow.
Excellent advice. Way back when, I blogged for six months with no comments at all, until I finally understood that I needed to become active in commenting myself. It made a world of difference, and I’ve developed many “blogger relationships” as a result. Thanks for an important reminder that it takes more work then writing to develop a platform.
Liza–The thing most people don’t tell you about blogging is that it’s a community. If you only stay in your own little room, not venturing out into the blogosphere as a whole, you’re not going to meet a whole lot of people. Blogging is part of “social” media, after all. Glad you discovered that and the wonderful network you can build when you visit other blogs.
I’ll leave comments if I feel strongly about the post or feel I can contribute. Sometimes others have already said what I’d said, so I let it go. If it’s a blog I haven’t commented on before and I have to go through a bunch of hassle to sign up to post, then I might pass. I should post more than I do as I started a blog several months ago and perhaps that would help build an audience. i get few comments, even when I end it with a question–yet people will say they’re reading my blog. Not sure how to get more responses.
Bruce–Yup. As I tell everybody in my blogging book, visiting other blogs is how you build an audience for your own. If somebody’s says something you agree with, you can comment on that. “I agree with Susie Scrivener on this, and I’d like to add…” makes a great comment (assuming you have something to add. 🙂 )
I love lists:
1. The best commenting benefit I’ve ever gotten was accidentally finding a childhood friend in comments on a national blog and reuniting with her.
2. This post and all the comments are prompting an idea for me to write about on my own blog – thank you!
3. I have found blogs to follow by reading the comments on other blogs. For example, I have just opened 4 new tabs of other commenters while reading the comments here, hoping to find new blogs to follow.
4. I have made real friends through following people’s comments, friends that I actually correspond with on paper through the mail.
5. My own readers aren’t very techie and are deterred by having to log in to comment on my blog.
6. Commenting is particularly difficult from a phone.
Jana–I second all of your points. Especially #6. I have resisted smartphones, because I hate being interrupted all the time. But I got one about six months ago and it opened my eyes. That thing is hard work! I’m a touch typist, so hunt and peck is so annoying. And you can’t get Blogger at all (at leas I couldn’t.) And commenting…I just tried it and it’s impossible.
That right there might explain the decline in commenting. Thanks for all the insights!
Hi Anne, I’ve been following your posts for a long time and have had in mind recently to personally email you to thank you so much for all the help you’ve given me from afar in my writing journey. However, this post prompted me to thank you publicly here and share my thoughts. I started blogging in 2013 and slowly built my community through visiting other blogs, commenting, interacting, doing all those blog hops, guest posts, awards and a few Word Press challenges along the way. I loved it, and for the first two or three years I posted regularly, but as I started my memoir at the same time I started my blog, I got to the point where I simply couldn’t keep blogging at that rate if I was to ever get my memoir finished. Then, in 2016, a lot happened in my family, including my darling dad passing away, and my writing got derailed more than once, for months at a time. Finally, the last couple of years and especially this year, I’ve just about managed to hang by a blogging thread while readying my memoir, 6 years and many rewrites/edits later, for submission to agents. Through it all, your posts have come through to my email and because of my time constraints, I’ve been tending to read all emails from my phone on the go. I don’t have any social media apps on my phone except FB, for various reasons, so I read but can’t share or comment unless, like now, I’m reading (and commenting!) from my laptop. I’ve wanted to tell you how much your posts have encouraged, advised, cautioned and educated me about writing, marketing, promotion, and especially how helpful your posts have been/are about memoir. They seem to have come always at the perfect time. Quietly and thoughtfully, I have read from my home in Somerset, England, helped beyond measure by your cut-to-the-chase, sensible, enjoyable and wisdom-filled posts. I also wanted to let you know of my delight when I discovered from one of your posts (I’m a ‘slo’ reader too…!) that you live in San Luis Obispo. I’m a Brit who lived and raised my children on the Central Coast for almost 20 years until I moved back to the UK in 2003. I lived in Los Osos and Paso Robles 🙂 California is always in my heart. So you can see why your posts mean so much to me in more ways than one.Thank you again, Anne. I am so very grateful for your blog. Sherri.
Sherri–OMG, hi neighbor! (Or former neighbor..) I live in Los Osos, and I love our expat Brit community. My gardener and my hairdresser are both Brits. You can now buy both Marmite and Yorkshire tea in our Ralph’s supermarket. (Unfortunately we lost our Vons, which was a much better store.) Ralph’s/ Kroger is like Tesco. It displaces everything. I moved to the UK in 2002 myself, and stayed until 2005. I’d have stayed longer, but my publishing company in Lincolnshire went belly-up.
Thanks so much for all the kudos! I might have to tap you for the blurb of my next book. 🙂 Thanks a million for taking the time to comment!
Oh Anne, that’s crazy, I can’t believe you live in Los Osos!! I was there 1986 to 1991, then Paso. The closest I could get then was Ty-Phoo tea from the Tea Cosy in Cambria…at great cost, I might add! I love Marmite and Yorkshire tea, true Brit staples! My mum would cram her suitcase full of them on her visits – along with Crunchies which I craved, strangely! I remember Vons and went to the Ralph’s when I visited Los Osos in 2013, ten years after I left CA. I used to work at the chiropractors next to the Post Office, think it’s still there. I hadn’t realised you used to live in England, too. Sorry to hear about your publishing company. It’s certainly a small world. I loved Los Osos, hearing the fog horn from Morro Bay, one of my most favourite places in the world. So many happy memories of my life there when my children were small. Now I feel homesick talking to you! I would be honoured if you want to tap me up for your next blurb. So glad to connect here with you at long last!
Sherri–If you’re feeling nostalgic, you might enjoy some of my books set in Morro Bay-Los Osos. No Place Like Home is the first one that’s set here. My publisher is planning a boxed set of the four Morro Bay Bookshop novels.
How wonderful, Anne, I had no idea! And a boxed set too…must read! In my Twitter header photo, I’m overlooking Montana de Oro, a family favourite, and my gravatar background pic is the picnic area at Cambria overlooking the beautiful, craggy coastline at Moonstone Beach. Ahhhh…treasured memories as your distant neighbour 🙂
This is great advice, Anne. The blogging community is full of so many wonderful and supportive people, I can’t imagine ever giving it up. I think some people start a blog thinking they’ll instantly have hundreds of followers and comments. Blogging is an investment of time, but for me, the payoff is much better than any other form of social media. I’ve made lifetime friends and know many better than my neighbors. 🙂
Jill–I agree 100%. I wrote a longer response, but the WP elves just ate my comment. Yeah, it even happens to me. 🙁
Loving the cat examples! <3
I have 2 rules when it comes to blog commenting: 1) Be genuine. 2) Don't be a jerk.
Other than that, I'm happy to say that anything is up for grabs – politics included 😉 I have a voice, and there are people who don't – when I can, I use it. I'm also not averse to ranting about people, but only if they deserve it! Like 'authors behaving badly' – if people treat book bloggers badly, then the community can and will let other bloggers know!
I try to be fair and give people the benefit of the doubt whenever possible though. But if that person was being racist, sexist, etc… the gloves come off! 😉
I also don't like the word 'lurking' – I know that it's a common term, but I think it's kinda unfair. We don't call it 'lurking' when you watch TV or read a book, after all. There are lots of times when I don't comment b/c I have nothing genuine to say (or what I have to say is kinda harsh and I decided against posting it! Reading the comment through before you hit send/post is a good plan in general!)
Cee R.–Those are good rules. I’ve always thought Wil Wheaton’s Law is the best advice for being on the Internet “Don’t be a d***.” 🙂
We need to be careful with the “authors behaving badly” label though. I got that label when I witnessed some toxic bullying of a young teen on Goodreads who had broken an unwritten rule. Anybody who saw what they did to her became “badly behaved.’ I got swarmed with one-star reviews on Amazon (which boosted my sales 🙂 ) I also got death threats sent with photos of my house. Pretty terrifying.
I wrote a novel based on the experience, called So Much for Buckingham. An author cluelessly responds to an Amazon review and it leads to murder. I think it might, one of these days.
Mass bullying of anybody, even if they have committed some kind of offense is a slippery slope. We need to learn to hang onto our souls, even when those around us are in battle frenzy..
Mostly people use the word “lurk” in a tongue-in-cheek way. I was going through my archives yesterday and found a post from 2010 called “Lurk Proudly.” I said it’s a good idea to “lurk” for a while to assess things before you join in the party.
Thanks for being a book blogger! Authors wouldn’t get far without you these days. You’re our heroes!
I prefer ‘don’t be a jerk’ – just cos I don’t have to asterisk it! Pretty good advice for life generally, lol.
Obviously I can’t give an accurate response to a situation I know nothing about. Doxxing and death threats (or other threats, which can also be pretty horrific,) are *never* ok, in any circumstance!
Often though, disagreement is labelled as bullying or trolling. (Again, *not* talking about threats etc. here! That def. crosses a v. bad line!)
Marginalised people, in particular, get called bullies or trolls simply for voicing an opinion that challenges the norm. I’ve seen it happen so. many. times. (And the resulting discussions of how YA/Bookish Twitter is ‘so toxic’ are rarely well-informed.)
I’m sure there are people who misuse the Authors Behaving Badly label and/or the information spread amongst the book blogging community. There are people who misuse every system, formal or informal. Mostly, though, we use it to warn others of issues with authors etc. – it’s an important aspect to the community, not least because some authors will literally stalk and threaten bloggers who give them critical reviews.
Great post! I knew practically zero when I started a blog and I’ve learned SO MUCH from my fellow bloggers and writing buddies. More importantly, I’ve made so many friends through blogging. We may never meet in person, but we make great connections through our bloggyverse!
Jemi–That’s how I learned! I just bopped around the blogosphere and read everything I could. It’s been a ton of fun, and it’s sold a lot of books.
Anne, I have been learning a lot from your posts over the past few months since we’ve started blogging our writing/book adventure. It was scary in the beginning but it’s getting to the point of being fun.
I like to comment on blogs that enhance my understanding of the blogging world and other areas I am interested in. I can understand though that there are less comments on blogs nowadays (we don’t get many comments on our posts) because everybody seems to be soooo very busy, and even though we were promised that computers would make our live easier and free up time I think the opposite happened!
I agree with Janet Boyer’s comment (Dec 1, 2019 at 11:52am) “So there’s an existential and/or mental fatigue going on: not much energy to communicate outside their daily lives.” So true!
Your listed item 3 “Read the whole post” and 4 “Read other comments” is very important advice. Personally, I, Elfriede, feel that when I comment I want to do it justice and not just blabla… for the sake of commenting on a post. Since this blog post of yours has tons of comments I only got about a third through reading them. I hope I am not repeating something someone else mentioned.
Thank you for continuing to give great advice.
Elfriede–Thanks much for your thoughtful comment. You know, I actually had written after “read the comments” –“or at least skim them if there are a lot.” I took it out because it sounded a little wishy-washy and I figured no post gets more than a handful of comments these days. Haha. Was I wrong.
I’m grateful to all the people who have commented. And it’s wonderful to hear that our posts here are helping!
Yes I’m a terrible lurker, but I think I am getting better (s l o w l y.)
Question! In starting a blog, would it be useful to have a section with summsries of a few WIPs?
Ada–Lurking is fine. The fact is, everybody lurks when they start out reading blogs. Then, as you develop your voice (and if the elves let you comment) you can start to build a relationship with the blogosphere. Thanks for delurking here on our blog. Now Google is more likely to recognize you. 🙂
Anne,
I am thrilled at reading a blog post like this today.
Comments at the end of blog posts allows you to receive your readers’ persective. You many not have addressed some at the time of writing a blog. It is like the Letters to the Editor at a publication like Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal or The New Republic. An intelligent blogger, writer and content creator knows how a valuable this is. A relationship can be build from scratch from the comments section. You not only read the blog post, but leave authentic and relevant feedback. The benefit is for both the reader and the author of the blog. You may comment in blogs within g a smiliar niche or another blog with helpful content.
This is the proof of true readership.
Emma–You’re absolutely right. Most of my most important professional contacts have come from comments on this blog or my comments on another blog. Blog comments are one of the best networking tools available to authors. I’m amazed they don’t use them more.
Such a great reminder to comment more often. Thanks, Anne!
“Plus interacting on blogs is a great way to make friends. In the end, that’s what a platform really is: how many people feel they “know” you well enough to want to buy one of your books.” Love this.
Thank you for such solid and simple advice. I’m working on improving my author’s platform and visibility to search engines so any advice like this is golden.
Chris–A lot of people will tell you blogging is dead, but that’s not true of author blogs. And simply commenting gets Google’s attention. 🙂
I do blog, but I feel like I haven’t gotten a comment in years! Even when I run an interview or a guest post by a fellow writer, they never comment on the blog itself (though many people do reply or comment on Twitter). I wonder if Twitter replies have sort of sucked some of the energy out of the comments section, or if the comments sections of blogs gained an unsavory reputation as a result of some bad actors?
Alexis–I think that’s true. People would rather just say something on Twitter. Although often they haven’t read the blog. They’ve just seen the title. It’s also true that people like to be nasty and snarky in blog comments, and then they’re miffed when the blogger deletes them. Mostly, blogging has sort of gone out of style. But Google hasn’t, and making a comment gets Google’s attention. People don’t seem to know that.
You might try asking more questions at the end of the post and see if you can get some kind of reaction from readers.
I blog because I enjoy it, and if I want reactions and comments, I link to my social media. I had to turn off comments because the spam was hideously frequent and meant I had to weed all that out. But I turned them back on, hoping maybe not to be so popular with the bots. I do comment on others’ blogs, but most often when they link to Facebook, where conversation seems more instant and easy.
Rachel–It does take a while to teach your blog spam elves to recognize spam. I remember my first year on Blogger, half my “comments’ were incomprehensible things from Mongolia. But the elves do learn if you mark it all as spam. Here on WordPress, I only get about one a week that slips through. Usually about “Dr. Somebody” who can cast a magic spell to make my penis bigger or get my wife to love me again. 🙂 I’m saving some of them for an e-book called “This is Not Spam.” They’re so hilarious.
Enjoying this round of comments. rdacus: the same thing happened to me. I spent too much time deleting the spam. I’ve been thinking about turning the ability to comment back on, but then reconsidered. I usually post my blog posts on FB and Tweet. So, people who are on social media can comment that way.
Marlene–As I said to Rachel, spam bots do learn what’s spam, but you need to take some time to teach them. Don’t just delete it–mark every dodgy comment as spam, even the ones that say. “Great blog. I am to tell my brother read this blog.” Haha. A lot of people won’t bother to visit the blog, but if there’s a discussion going on the blog, people tend to join in.
Anne, thanks much for that information! I didn’t know that the blog spam elves were teachable. I’ll persevere. And if you ever decide to do an anthology of hilarious spam, let me know. I’ve got some very funny commenters too. We could even make a spam found poetry collection. I can just see the call for submissions … lol!
Rachel–I love the idea of a spam found poetry collection! I’ve got way too many things on my plate right now, but let’s not forget about this. I think it could be a winner. If you want to get in touch via email (my address is in the contact us section) and send me some of your funny spam–and maybe even a spam poem–we could at least get this started even though it will have to be back burnered for now.
Anne – I’m delighted this tickled your whimsy as it did mine. Let me see what I can find. I have so many back-burner ideas and projects, so I’m happy to add more! You never know when the time will be right. And this really makes me smile!!
Thanks for the tips on commenting. Indeed, posting comments online is slowly dying as a practice. Most of the interactions happen on social media these days – and it makes sense. It’s easier, effortless to post on Twitter, for example. But as you mentioned yourself, adding your opinion on other people’s blogs can help you: 1) create a name for yourself and 2) also create meaningful relationships.
Ivaylo–People don’t comment on blogs now even more than when I wrote this two years ago. But it is still true that Google notices you if you do comment. Google doesn’t notice what you say on social media. So for writers who want to get noticed and build a brand, commenting on blogs is a great opportunity, even though it is no longer “trendy.” 🙂
Thanks for the share, it was a big help for newbie like me to undertake this niche and I hope to see you on your next blog. Thank you so much well appreciated.
Charito–We publish new posts every Sunday morning at 10 AM Pacific time, so you’ll always find new content here on Sundays. This Sunday we have a hilarious piece from Irish humorist Tara Sparling. Thanks for stopping by!
Insightful article on the power of blog commenting for platform building. How do you recommend starting meaningful interactions on new blogs?
“This post brilliantly highlights the power of commenting as a tool for building connections and expanding your platform! I love the practical tips you provided for engaging with other bloggers and fostering community. It’s a great reminder that meaningful interactions can lead to lasting relationships!”
Tech Info Box
Janet–Yes! Blogging is all about community, and forming relationships.
This is such an insightful post, Anne! I completely agree that commenting on blogs is a great way to build a platform, especially for new writers. I’ve noticed that when I engage with thoughtful comments on relevant blogs, it not only helps me get noticed but also opens doors to meaningful connections within the writing community. I’ve also had readers visit my blog after discovering me through a comment I left elsewhere. It’s a simple but effective strategy, and your post really highlights how it benefits both the commenter and the blogger.
This is an insightful and informative article that underscores the often-overlooked value of blog engagement in platform building. Your practical advice, paired with clear examples, makes this a valuable resource for writers and content creators alike. Exceptionally well-articulated and relevant.