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Leave Comments on Other Blogs [Day 20 - 31DBBB]

Posted: 25 Apr 2009 03:36 AM PDT

“Leave comments on other blogs.”

If there’s one piece of advice for building traffic to a blog that is given to new bloggers more than any other it is about leaving comments on other blogs.

Today your task in the 31 Days to Build a Better blog is to do just that - spend 10-15 minutes reading and interacting on other blogs on your topic (or surrounding topics).

The benefits of commenting on others blogs:

You’ll be getting to know what other bloggers in your niche are doing
You’ll hopefully read some great content that could spark ideas for your own blog
You’ll be reaching out to another blogger in your niche (often comments are the start of fruitful relationships
You’ll be creating a small doorway back to your own blog for the readers of that blog
You’ll be building your own profile in your niche - it’s a chance to show your expertise, knowledge and understanding of the topic.

Warning!

It should go without saying but just having moderated the comments on my own blogs I suspect it needs to be said a day - DON’T BE A COMMENT SPAMMER!

More than that - DON’T LOOK LIKE A COMMENT SPAMMER!

I add that second warning because I come across a lot of bloggers who try to leave comments on other blogs in a way that they think is genuine - but that looks very spammy. Their comments more often than not get them on blacklists of comment spam filters.

The rule of thumb that I advise when leaving comments on other people’s blogs is simple - add value.

A comment that simply says ‘great post’ and that then has a link signature back to your own blog adds little if any value to the blog. It looks spammy. The only visitors you’ll get back to your blog are people wanting to know who the spammer is!

Keep comments on topic
Let your comment show that you’ve read the post
Say what you like or don’t like about the post
Add an example or another point that the blogger might have missed
If you put a link back to your own blog in the comment try to make it a relevant one that adds to the post and will be useful to those who follow it.
Ask a relevant and insightful question

Comments are Mini Resumes - Every comment you leave is like a mini resume for you and your blog (read more about that in the last point of Lorelle’s post on comments here).

Comments can Hurt Your Brand - On the flip side - every comment you write can potentially hurt your reputation and brand as a blogger. Here are 10 Ways that comments can actually do more harm than good to the brand of your blog.

Further Reading: I wrote a comment back in 2007 (which I think is still relevant today) with 11 Tips for Getting Your Comments Noticed on a Popular Blog.

Your task today is to find blogs on a similar or related topic to yours and to spend 10-15 minutes interacting on them in a genuine and useful way. Let us know how you go below (with a comment of course)!

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Leave Comments on Other Blogs [Day 20 - 31DBBB]

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Write an Opinion Post on Your Blog [Day 19 31DBBB]

Posted: 24 Apr 2009 06:31 AM PDT

Your task today is another writing oriented challenge and is all about expressing an opinion.

There are many factors that set great bloggers apart from the rest but one that I’ve seen continually cropping up over the last few years of interacting with successful bloggers is that they often have and are not afraid to express strong opinions.

While other bloggers in their niche ‘report’ news it is those who express opinions about the news and current events in their industry that tend to be the blogs that get linked to by others, that generate more comments and that people look to as thought leaders in a niche.

Your task today is to write a blog post that expresses an opinion.

This might seem easier for some niches/topics than others but I think it probably applies to most of us.

If your blog is about politics - share your own personal thoughts on what a politician is saying
If your blog is about cameras - don’t just report that a new camera has come out - tell your readers what you think of its features and who you think it’ll be useful for
If your blog is about Britney Spears - don’t just show us her latest haircut and outfit - tell us what you think about it.
If your blog is about food - don’t just share a recipe - tell your readers what you love about it and what occasion you’d eat it at.

Your post need not be a highly emotional one that rants and raves about your topic - to express your opinion all you need to do is add your own thoughts and feelings about the topic you’re covering.

Why Opinions Matter

You probably won’t find it suitable to share opinions on every post (although on some blogs this may be appropriate) - but when you regularly add your opinion on your blog you’ll find that it can have a significant impact.

When you share an opinion it often draws out others to share theirs (in comments or on other blogs). Often opinion posts draw out interaction and productive conversations.
When you share an opinion you help your readers to translate news and to understand information and how it applies to them. This makes your content more useful.
When you share an opinion you show your readers that you’re going beyond just reporting news but are yourself engaging with and interested in the topic you’re writing about. This is infectious and will draw your readers in too.

Expressing opinions on your blog is like adding seasoning to food. Without it your blog could end up being quite bland and blend into the crowd. However when you add it you will find that it helps to give your blog unique flavor.

Your task today is to write a blog post that expresses an opinion about something related to your blog topic. Once you’ve written it come back, share a link to it and tell us about the experience.

Check out the thread for this task in our forum here.

Post from: Blog Tips at ProBlogger.

Write an Opinion Post on Your Blog [Day 19 31DBBB]