The Importance of Commenting

As a blogger, you know comments on your posts is the most inspirational and motivational part of blogging.  We live for those notifications that say not only someone read your page, but it it created enough of an impact to prompt them to comment.  Now, the trouble is, how do we get those comments?  Obviously creating fun, engaging, quality content is the most important.  However, another important factor in gaining commenters, is being a commenter yourself.  Here’s why:

1.         Give comments to get comments.

Commenting on other book blogs is vital to increasing commenting and readership on your own blog. When you leave a comment on another blog, you are firstly, showing you appreciate the content on the post or blog; secondly, want to build a relationship with the blogger; and thirdly, you are leaving a link back to your blog.  The author of the blog can use this link to return the favor on your blog.  Not to mention any other commenters from the post who will also see your comment and perhaps decide to visit as well.

Now if you truly want to make an impression, you can’t just leave one half-hearted comment and never return. If someone did that on your blog, would you feel very inclined to go visit and make yourself a loyal follower/commenter of their blog?  You give what you get.  So if you give a half-hearted comment, don’t expect more in return.  If you give a clever, understanding, or opinionated comment, and especially if you make return visits, the blogger will remember you and be more likely to seek you out.

2.       Free advertising

By leaving comments on other blogs, you are basically leaving a free ad on their blog each time you do so.  You are saying, “Here I am, I leave awesome comments, come check me out!  It’s sure to be just as awesome there.” 

Now you aren’t going to notice some huge traffic spike all at once, but by leaving your “calling card” through commenters all over the blogosphere, you are sure to notice a gradual increase as time goes on.  If people don’t know about you, they can’t invest themselves into your blog. 

It’s like a new car company creating a car and then not advertising it on television and radio.  Who’s going to use it if they don’t know of its existence?  Then the ad (comment) is your chance to show off why someone should try your car (blog) out.  Not many cars are sold without test drives, and you cannot get people to test drive it if no one shows up because they didn’t know you were there.

 

3.       Not just networking, but connecting

Now commenting is just the beginning.  If you truly want your readers to be engaged on your blog, you need to do more than just advertise and network.  A businessman/woman doesn’t attend a networking conference and just hand out his business card, make a few comments, and then set off to the next target.  A truly savvy businessman knows that engaging others in a meaningful conversation is the best way to become memorable. 

If you think just adding someone on Twitter or Facebook is going to be all you need to do in terms of networking, you are missing the point. People aren't going to click on your links just because you tell them to.  Give them a reason to.  Make them want to find out what you are writing about and reviewing.  Engage them in conversations.  Just like you, other bloggers just want to be heard.  We all want to know someone is not just hearing us, but truly listening to what we have to say.  When you engage others in a back-and-forth discussion you are creating not only new readers, but you will probably forge new friendships, as well.

4.      New discoveries for you, too

Not only will your blog benefit from commenting on others’ blogs, but you will also discover new blogs.  I love discovering new blogs because it is always a chance to find another person who you can become friends with, another blogger who gets the same books you do.  You will discover new books on their blogs and you will find those whose tastes align with your own. You will learn how close to what they think about a book correlates to your own tastes and opinions. 

So you can see that commenting is an integral part in building your own blog up and to making a name for yourself in the book blogging world.

-Becca

P.S. How about leaving a comment here? :)