Pet Blogger Education: Why Should I Comment On Blogs?
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
Conversations at a recent #BlogPawsChat focused on our Pet Blogger Education Month theme and bloggers asked, “How can I get more comments/interaction on my blog posts or social media status updates?” The answer, in a nutshell is, “You need to leave comments in order to receive comments.” Simple, right? Perhaps, but making time in your day to go out and find blogs on which to comment is another task to add to your to-do list.
As a business owner and if you’re a pet blogger serious about growing your reach and gaining enough klout that you can be chosen for opportunities in the BlogPaws professional blog network, having a blog that is not only active, but 
one that engages readers and invites comments goes a long way in bumping up your social media presence and your blog’s rankings on Google. When a status update comes into your Facebook feed do you comment on it or do you simply give it a “thumbs up”? Adding a comment is much more edifying to the poster and shows him or her that you read the update and thought enough of it to voice your comment.
Posting a comment on Facebook, while a great thing to do for those you follow, is not always enough; you should be following the link (if there is one) out to the blog and leaving a comment on the actual blog post. Why should you leave a comment? There are myriad reasons and I will give you my top five, but you know what it feels like to post a blog and have no one comment. You’re left wondering whether the topic wasn’t relevant, whether you’re readers just don’t care, and you might even find yourself unmotivated to continue blogging because if you’re “talking” to no one, why bother?
Here are the reasons why you should add “comment on the blogs of others” to your daily task list:
- Commenting makes your presence known. If you leave a relevant comment on a post you are leaving a digital foot/paw print every time you do so. A relevant comment is one that notes a specific part of the blog post. Leaving a comment that states, “wow, great post” is not a relevant comment. Leaving a comment that states, “The point you made about how to house train puppies really hit home as I am in the midst of that right now, I am definitely going to try and implement XYZ into my training of him!” The latter comment shows you read the post and that it had relevant, timely information for you.
- The guest blogging debate continues, but if you feel you want to be a guest blogger on another’s site leaving comments on that blog will get you known to the blog owner and could open the door for the conversation of whether you can be a guest blogger. If the blog owner gets to know you, reads posts you’ve written on your own site and notes your relevant comments on her site, you are paving the way to a potential new opportunity.
- Stay current with industry standards and trends. If you’re operating in a vacuum and only reading the blog posts you’re writing and only look at Facebook or Twitter updates, how will you know what’s happening in the niche area about which you write? Remember, you don’t need to be so narrowly focused that if you’re a poodle blogger that you only read other poodle bloggers. Expand your reach and see what cat bloggers or social media bloggers or lifestyle bloggers are writing about — it could spark new ideas for your own posts.
- Getting to know you. When you post a comment on a blog, the owner of that blog will definitely be interested in what you have to say. Don’t you get excited when a comment is left on your posts? Don’t you hop over to the blog of the individual who posted, read a few of their posts and leave a comment of your own? You do that, right? Being reciprocal is the name of the game.
- Sharing your expertise. During our recent BlogPaws Summit in Colorado the idea of leaving a comment on a blog and alluding to a post you’ve previously written is a) providing the readers of that post with even more relevant comment but b) shows the blog owner that you enjoyed what they’d written and that it touched on something that had relevance to them. What do I mean? Say you read a blog post on the “Top 20 Ways To Get
Twitter Followers” and you’d recently written a post about “How To Interact With Your Twitter Followers” you can easily see how these two posts complement one another and you’re not stealing the thunder of the original blogger, you’re adding credence to what they’d written, offering that bloggers’ readers more content and perhaps gain yourself some readers. I caution you against posting a comment that states, “Well read this, I posted the Top 25 Ways To Get Twitter Followers;” you’re not in competition.
How often do you comment on blogs? Is it something you feel you should add to your blogging to-do list as a way to help build the comments you receive on your own posts? I’d love to hear about it. Stay tuned for other pet blogger education posts based on comments I picked up during the #BlogPawsChat — topics will include posts about “writing great blog post titles,” how to come up with fresh new ideas,” the benefits of an editorial calendar” and more!
(Photo: Shutterstock Poodle On Computer)
