Comments that go on a tangent and provide information about an un-related (or mildly related) topic are likely to end up in the trash. Take the time to read the entire post or article and then comment with something that shows your interest in or opinions about the topic discussed. It’ll be clear to both the author and the other commenters if you just read part of the article or barely skimmed it before weighing in.
If your comment is off topic and does somehow get approved, it can make you look uninformed or foolish – hurting your credibility and turning people off from reading what you have to say.
Self-Serving Agenda
It’s important to actually connect your comment to whatever you’re commenting on instead of just tooting your own horn. Some people are so anxious to be seen as industry experts and thought-leaders that they just go on this rant of self-aggrandizement. Before telling people who you are, mention why you felt the need to comment on the article (what you learned, what you appreciated, what you disagreed with, etc.) Once you’ve set that base, feel free to provide your feedback (modestly of course).
Lame Feedback
Leaving comments that just say “Awesome!’ or “Nice work!” don’t add anything to the conversation and are likely to be deleted. As a general rule of thumb, stay away from any phrases that are typically found on teachers’ stickers or stamps. If it’s acceptable feedback for an elementary student’s homework, it doesn’t belong on an industry blog.
Notes That Aren’t Helpful
Some people comment on blogs with sweeping, generalized feedback that ends up being completely unhelpful. Simply saying, “I disagree with all of this!” or “Yep, this is totally true” may not get your comments marked as spam the first time. However, over time it certainly may because they begin to clutter comment boxes.
Frivolous Flattery
Some people think that if they just kiss up to the author of an article, he/she will approve their comment. While some writers may approve sugary crap like “This blog post is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Excellent! Fabulous! I love it,” many won’t. Again, if your comment isn’t adding anything to the conversation, it doesn’t have any place finding a home among valuable reader insights.
Inappropriate Comments
Personal attacks, profanity, slurs, and other hurtful language doesn’t have any place in the comments section. It’s okay to disagree with someone professionally as long as you do so respectfully. And if someone employs these inappropriate tactics against you, don’t stoop to their level. Just report them to the blog owner and ignore their remarks.
Poorly Written Compositions
Misspellings and bad grammar make your comment look unprofessional and spammy. Before hitting submit, read through your comment to ensure that it looks good and is easily readable. This will help both your comment’s ability to get through spam filters and also your credibility with readers.
Canned Responses
Using the same comment over and over on blog after blog is the surest way to get your content marked as spam. If blog owners can search for your comment in quotes and come up with numerous instances of it, they’re likely to give your comment the heave ho. Canned responses are spam and are treated as such by filters and also through a manual review process. Users that just paste canned responses have a high probability of getting permanently blocked from commenting.
Links Galore
Including too many links in your comment will get it flagged as spam because it hurts readability. Ideally, each comment should only have one link and certainly no more than two links. Make sure that these links are relevant to your comment and the material presented in the blog or article. Avoid the temptation to link to social media pages, as these types of links aren’t allowed on all platforms.
Blatant Keyword Stuffing
It’s a best practice when commenting to incorporate a few keywords into your text because of the SEO-benefit associated with doing so. However, using too many keywords can get a comment labeled as spam (especially when these keywords are also links). Always make sure that your comment is easy to get through and understand. Never pander to the search engines at the expense of real readers.
Competitor Hijacking
Posting on competitors’ blogs is a surefire way to get your comments not only deleted but you blocked as a user. You should never try to benefit from your competitors’ content because it doesn’t work and it just makes you look like a slime ball. Instead, create your own unique content to compete against theirs fairly.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!