Written on August 8th, 2007 at 12:08 am by Darren Rowse
Comment on a Blog that you’ve never Commented on Before
Today your task in the 31 Days to Building a Better Blog Project is as simple as they come. In fact it’s a tip that gets included in almost every post ever written on how to grow a blog’s traffic - comment on a blog that you’ve never commented on before.
Sometimes as bloggers it is easy to get in a rut both in your writing and in your reading of others blogs.
Go on a blog hunt today to see how many new blogs you can find in your niche. Add to the conversations on these blogs as you surf by adding useful comments and add to your feed reader with their RSS feeds so you can keep following them.
While this tip is another of those tips that we might classify as pretty basic and not that spectacular - many many successful blogs have been built on the back of it.
76 Responses to “Comment on a Blog that you’ve never Commented on Before”
George
August 8th, 2007 12:22 am
Commenting on other people’s blogs is a great way to network with other bloggers, form long term blogging relationships and in the long run, really help your traffic.
Excellent tip. I can’t wait to go find some new blogs today.
Dan Cole
August 8th, 2007 12:36 am
It’s always nice to throw in something random, maybe it’ll lead to new visitors. Good tip Darren.
M I N G
August 8th, 2007 12:43 am
thanks for the tip, but where do i start looking for a blog in my niche that i’ve never commented on before?
Rhea
August 8th, 2007 12:49 am
I do this a lot. I love trying to uncover new blogs about baby boomers (that’s my blog’s topic).
Amanda M. Gladden
August 8th, 2007 12:56 am
I truly have to find a happy medium with this one. Perhaps I have to stick to a schedule because it’s the easiest way for me to get distracted-reading blogs for hours on end and accomplishing little on my own blog by the time I’m done. Am I the only person this happens to?
Brad Isaac
August 8th, 2007 1:01 am
I’m with Amanda on this. If I don’t set a timer with an alarm, I could get lost in the web. I think it’s a good strategy though and one I do at least once a week.
mgroves
August 8th, 2007 1:01 am
Feel free to start at my blog!
Small Business Lessons
August 8th, 2007 1:04 am
I think it’s a time to see how well it works.
James Joyner
August 8th, 2007 1:12 am
many many successful blogs have been built on the back of it.
Quite right. It’s what got OTB noticed four and a half years ago. I suspect it’s even more crucial now that the size of the blogosphere has exploded.
Thomas Crown
August 8th, 2007 1:15 am
Hey people, I let you all use my blog to experiment this task :p
George
August 8th, 2007 1:32 am
Taking mgroves suggestion to the next level… how about we all visit each other’s blogs and leave comments?
Jeremy Steele
August 8th, 2007 1:35 am
The trick is find a good and legit blog to comment on. A lot of blogs these days do nothing but regurgitate old info or simply steal content, so watch out for those things.
Bernie Alexander
August 8th, 2007 1:52 am
It is a very useful way to learn a lot in a short period of time, although it does take time out from my daily activities. It’s a tradeoff I guess.
Crazykinux
August 8th, 2007 1:54 am
This actually works wonders to drive new and fresh traffic to your blog. I’ve started doing this on blog that I have a genuine interest in and that I assume may have an interest in mine.
At the very least it adds a few visitors to my blog. The idea is that amongst those reading the comments, some will become regulars on my blog.
Ian from Tethics
August 8th, 2007 2:00 am
@Amanda & Brad:
I usually try to spend 60-90 minutes each morning investing in what I call my “social footprint”. This includes updating social bookmarking sites, searching for new blogs in my niche to read/bookmark/comment on, digging, Stumbling, etc. It really seems to be a productive way to make your mark and build up your own brand, identity and increase your own involvement in many different communities online.
April
August 8th, 2007 2:02 am
Commenting makes up most of my promotional activity. At the moment I’m not getting much in the way of SE traffic so commenting seems to be the main way I get readers.
It’s also the main way I’ve got backlinks so it’ll be interesting to see what my PR ends up being with this coming update.
Roy Osherove
August 8th, 2007 2:05 am
Indeed. So here’s my site that fits right into your niche:
http://CommunityHacker.com
Comments welcome!
Roy.
Steve Roesler
August 8th, 2007 2:13 am
Darren,
I actually do set aside a brief block of time each day to find new and interesting blogs to read and on which to comment.
My own traffic hasn’t received an automatic bump, but readership has built consistently. And the quality of the conversation has grown as well.
Manila Freelancer
August 8th, 2007 2:18 am
I agree, people who left comments will check you blog as well and chances are they will visit your blog too…
Genesis
August 8th, 2007 2:30 am
I do this quite frequently, at least three or four times a week. I use Google Alerts and Technorati to find new blogs in my niches. Very handy tool!
Miracle
August 8th, 2007 2:30 am
@April
Is your template seo optimized? I’ve noticed that my blogs usually bring in a good bit more of se traffic than my regular sites because of the regular and keyword density posts. Make sure that you have a good theme, because you should get a good bit of traffic from it.
when I first started blogging I would comment on everyones blogs and make an effort to grow my feeds. As time has progressed this has dropped. Last night, I actually told myself that I need to restart this kind of effort.
Steven Bradley
August 8th, 2007 2:40 am
Commenting is a great idea to bring traffic. I like to mix comments on both well known and no so well known blogs. Popular blogs have the potential to bring a lot of traffic through the comment, but your comment might stand out more on less popular blogs.
The less well known are also more likely to follow every comment back to the source which could be a potential source of links.
Commenting doesn’t have to take too much time. I used to read a lot of blogs. Now I’m more active when I read. When I have something to say I’ll leave a comment. You don’t need to leave a lot of comments all at once. Just a few each day starts to add up quickly.
Terra Andersen
August 8th, 2007 2:49 am
I try to do this at least once a day. … great advice though. *=)
foodette
August 8th, 2007 2:58 am
I completely agree that this is one of the best ways to drive legitimate traffic to your blog. Sometimes my highest traffic comes from my comments on THIS blog!!! The key is to make real comments that add something to the conversation. If you just go on, leave your URL, and say “hey check out my site/let’s exchange links!”, you are really doing yourself a disservice. Most comments allow people to link to your site using your name, so you don’t have to leave your URL. Doing so appears spammy, in my opinion. Also, if you say something worth reading, most people will want to go to your blog to see what else you are saying.
BTW, Darren, I am loving this 31 day-long tip fest!!!
Michael
August 8th, 2007 3:01 am
This is advice that I’ve been waiting to do for a while. After reading this I’m really going try to take time to do this everyday. Starting here.
Ryan
August 8th, 2007 3:02 am
Darren…
do you ever reply to any of the comments that are directed at you? nothing specific… just curious coz I see people commenting toward you and no responses that I’ve found.
Ginene
August 8th, 2007 3:14 am
I always comment on different blogs all the time. I have the gift of gab and sometimes I can’t shutup. LOL. I just need to put my mouth where my fingers are and post away on my blog. My blog sometimes is starving for a new post. I definitely have to stay on top of it this month.
Chief Exec BJ
August 8th, 2007 3:21 am
Hi Darren
I always try and read other peoples blogs and comment whenever possible, bcos i have this crave to know and hear what other people in the world are thinking and doing.
Obakeng
Chief Exec BJ
Euphrosene Labon
August 8th, 2007 3:40 am
Just wanted to say thanks first for all the useful tips. I have now got a new website - this time with Google Adsense.
Re posting on other blogs: I do from time to time but if it helps, then I will make it a regular action.
If anyone wants to post on mine, here is the url: http://www.euphrosenelabon.com/modules/wordpress/
Thanks again, Euphrosene
Kelly Wissink
August 8th, 2007 4:00 am
Thanks Darren for a great blogging tip. Many people think only of getting the word out about themselves. They forget the basics of blogging; leaving a comment is key.
To your success!
Kelly Wissink
Paul Hancox | TheSmartWebLetter.com
August 8th, 2007 4:03 am
You don’t necessarily have to “just find blogs”. If you plan ahead on your blog, and you know you’re going to be writing about Combustible Widgets a couple of days from now, then Google search “combustible widgets”, find some blogs that are talking about ‘em, and add to the conversation. (Maybe mentioning that you’ll be talking about them in a few days on your blog).
That way you’re combining research with today’s tip!
Two birds, one stone. Nice. :)
Best,
Paul Hancox | The Smart Web Letter
lornadoone
August 8th, 2007 4:04 am
I’ve been away from ProBlogger and my other favorite blogs for some time due to a variety of issues as home (computer dying, home improvement project, morning sickness), and I just came back today to find your 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. I’ll be jumping on the bandwagon to catch up from the week I’ve missed and keep up from here on out. I love this idea; thanks for doing it!
Edward Dowd
August 8th, 2007 4:06 am
I’ve noticed commenting on a blog with no that many comments will almost ingratiate yourself with the blogger.
Nick
August 8th, 2007 4:42 am
Not to take it too far afield, but I think good comment threads are also good fodder for new ideas and new articles on the topic you’re interested in. Maybe an interview idea or two as well.
Oh! Listen to me! I’ve become a Darrenite.
Billy
August 8th, 2007 4:54 am
This blog had particular interest to me yet there is one area that I feel was not sufficiently promoted.
While your blog contains rss feed info etc, there seems little inclusion of the technique that stipulates how much leaving comments could improve a visitors own blog or web. Perhaps this is because you do not intend your blog to become a free for all promotion center but it is advice that should be given none the less.
vargas
August 8th, 2007 5:13 am
I enjoy looking for new blogs but summoning the courage to comment on them can be a bit scary. I think that looking for blogs and commenting and adding to the discussions there really do help build community and readership, not only for them but for you. I’ve been improving on that front this summer and it’s definitely effective if you keep at it.
kalpesh
August 8th, 2007 5:19 am
usually it is seen that people comment on blogs with sole purpose of building links. Blogs are expressive, they express our thoughts, represent our personality. They must be respected.
China Law Blog
August 8th, 2007 5:25 am
Even if I don’t have anything to say?
Dee
August 8th, 2007 5:43 am
I often overlook, “add to your feed reader with their RSS feeds so you can keep following them”. Then after posting a comment on the new great blog that I found, I can no longer find it.
Johnny
August 8th, 2007 6:23 am
I try to discover new blogs all the time to comment on, if nothing else it helps other bloggers find my site.
Mark
August 8th, 2007 7:10 am
I will take you up on this challenge and see if I can find any blognotable sites to comment on. I recieved a comment saying that making comments is a good way to build a relationship rather than building traffic. What do you think?
Martin
August 8th, 2007 7:55 am
Can do! Long time reader, but this is my first comment on this blog.
If anyone wants to discover my blog about my adventures as a Web Entrepreneur …
JerkyBeef
August 8th, 2007 7:57 am
I found that even if i don’t subscribe to blogger’s comments or feeds, I still get added to an email list and get updated emails from them. That is one reason why i’m not too much a comment fan unless the article sparks something inside me that makes me want to engage in the community.
goldcoaster
August 8th, 2007 8:47 am
Thanks.
I will start by commenting on this site for the first time.
cheers,
Money Maker Blogs
August 8th, 2007 8:48 am
This is interesting because I’ve been doing this for the last three days! Finding new blogs and commenting on them and subscribing to the ones I particularly find useful. There is a lot of good stuff out there in blog world, so it’s a fun venture!
annl
August 8th, 2007 9:50 am
My coach told me this last week. So every day I hunt new blogs. Yours, by the way, was the example he showed me during our session-way to go!
Kal-El
August 8th, 2007 9:51 am
I totally admire how blogs are changing the whole online publishing world. It’s revolutionising the way we communicate, a powerful online utility that has a unique and profound social networking impact. I just hope new laws that govern how we are allowed to disperse information, thoughts and opinions especially online are not restricted by government policies anytime soon.
Personally, though I’ve only bee into blogging for couple of months now, I’m just starting to make some serious cash and hope to build a little unique business on top of my full time salary. I really enjoy blogging in my spare time and hope to continue with my ventures into the future. I wrote a great long article on how blogging is changing the publishing phenomena on my review website. http://www.virtual-reviews.com/Blogging_Business.html
I think some of you bloggers might be interested…Let me know what you thing…Cheers!!
ApOgEE
August 8th, 2007 11:40 am
I’m always here to leave my comments… ;D My blog traffic do increase every day by commenting other new found blogs.
Jermayn Parker
August 8th, 2007 11:41 am
Yes totally agree. I try and comment on a new blog every day
Brad V.
August 8th, 2007 11:43 am
I try to comment on blogs whenever I can, as much of the traffic to my own blog comes from these comments. It’s a great way to network and let other people know I’m “here” who otherwise wouldn’t know about my blog!
Great idea! I’m going to try it tonight!!!
Eric
August 8th, 2007 12:12 pm
Great tip. But know one seems to be discussing how to find blogs to comment on in your specific niche. Anyone care to comment?
Martin
August 8th, 2007 12:22 pm
Visit other sites in your niche and visit their Blogroll and the blogs they link to in posts.
Rose
August 8th, 2007 12:46 pm
I do this every day. Eric, try browsing blog directories, social networks or why not blog hop?
Jennifer
August 8th, 2007 1:00 pm
I am having a blogger of the day linked to every day on my site. If you are looking for a new site to read, I would love if you checked them out. I try to bring huge variety in with the sites I choose. I am blog addicted though and read well over 500 sites daily.
Matt
August 8th, 2007 3:55 pm
Commenting is also a good way of generating new ideas that you can elaborate on when writing your own blog.
Hilton
August 8th, 2007 5:35 pm
Hi.
I am totally agree with your statement.Great tips.
I admit Commenting on blog is a very easy way to drive more traffic on your site.
Chris Lodge
August 9th, 2007 12:23 am
It’s a very good point, and it is all too easy to get stuck in the rut of reading the same blogs over and over.
I make a point of asking my readers to nominate some new blogs to me (including their own) so I can find something new. It’s often the person who’s been with me for months, but only lurking, who has the best blog.
De-lurk! What’s the worst that can happen?
Additionally, I’m currently asking people to ‘Give me their best shot’, ie let me know what their best post is, and I promise to come read it, and give it a linkback. Hopefully I’ll also find some cool blogs that I can keep returning too as well.
LeadCritic
August 9th, 2007 7:04 am
mission complete.
Thanks for the tip!
fatma
August 9th, 2007 7:12 am
Great tip. I have just recently started my blog and am really enjoying leaving comments on other blogs. I do like your 31 days tip and have put on a post it note. You will see me all over the place now.
boogiemum
August 10th, 2007 12:03 am
Thanks, I have been trying to do this by leaving comments on 3 new sites a day. I can’t say I have seen overwhelming success in having them return to my blog, but I am not giving up!
Oren
August 10th, 2007 1:11 am
Hi Darren - I just started blogging in the past few days and have been referencing your site extensively. It’s a great resource. I’ve never commented on your site before, so I think it’s a good place to follow the instructions you gave in this post :)
Goe D.
August 10th, 2007 9:33 am
This is a great start for me as a new blogger. I started switching my 2 sites to blog 3 months ago and didn’t get much traffic. This tip will work on me, it is like exchanging link from the blog you commented on and to your site. Let’s see if I get more visits to my site using this tip. Thanks again Darren. I watched your videos on the front page talking about more on blogging and its awesome — you’re the man! Keep it up.
Melli
August 11th, 2007 7:56 am
Just when I found this blog I saw the post - comment on a blog you’ve never commented on before - so here it is - my comment on a new blog.
I think I will follow this blog though, to see what it may offer me for my blogging. Thanks for this site!
Darknight
August 11th, 2007 11:07 am
I do this when I have free time,,, maybe I have to comment more. Or maybe I have to make more useful comment
annl
August 12th, 2007 8:18 am
Today I found Nate Whitall’s PowerPosts (natewhitall.com) for July. I followed them to see where they lead and what his taste in blogging is. I’m impressed! I subscribed to nearly every one and commented on many.
Great tip. I schedule this so it isn’t an afterthought, but truly part of my marketing.l
Patrick Burt
August 14th, 2007 10:30 pm
Might as well start off with Problogger. :) Great idea Darren, you may not always get a backlink out of commenting, but you may nab some visitors or even a friend.
Ryan Scott
August 15th, 2007 2:40 pm
Ok then here I am posting on a blog I’ve never posted on before!
http://www.body-philosophy.net/
The Old Vic
August 19th, 2007 12:28 am
How about inviting commenters to come visit your blog and leave a witty comment ?
Michael Erik
August 21st, 2007 4:15 pm
Darren,
Do you have a top 10 list for best blogs and best forums to post to?
Also, do you recommend newsletters still as a traffic means, and is there some kind of blog plugin that auto sends a blog post to subscribers?
Thanks in advance for the quality tip!
- Michael Erik, MBA
Quality Blog Critic
http://www.qualityblogger.com
“The Best Things In Life Are Free”
Darren Rowse
August 21st, 2007 4:34 pm
Michael Erik - which blogs and forums to post to will depend completely upon your blog’s topic. Choose blogs that align with yours topic wise.
In terms of newsletters - there are a few that will do it. I use Feedburner here at problogger which gives readers an option to get daily updates with my posts in them via email.
Zookoda (free) and Aweber (costs) offer similar services.
Scented Candles
September 3rd, 2007 1:24 pm
Found blogs on my niche, about scented candles and about burning candles.
Dennis Royman
April 29th, 2008 7:42 am
I have found posting on new blogs are fun. But so far I haven’t seen any responses from it. Maybe I need to keep doing it.
Acortar url
May 6th, 2008 9:05 am
Good tips, thanx. I’ll start hunting blogs
Chimbles
May 27th, 2008 2:01 pm
When i do research for my blogs I make sure to interact with blogs I find interesting… It’s a;ways good to have friends out there :)
Student Accommodation in Newcastle
June 26th, 2008 6:21 pm
Not to take it too far afield, but I think good comment threads are also good fodder for new ideas and new articles on the topic you’re interested in. Maybe an interview idea or two as well.
Oh! Listen to me! I’ve become a Darrenite.
forex investment
July 14th, 2008 8:35 pm
I agree that commenting on a new blog will make a good impression on the readers as well as the blog owner if the comment is a quality one. Secondly, it helps you make a social network which may be useful if you yourself are a blog owner.
Leave a Reply