To comment or not?

I confess that commenting on LinkedIn can be intimidating when you first decide you want to get active. It’s easy for people who are already active to say ‘just start’ but the truth is it’s daunting at first. You can see conversations happening in the comments where it’s clear that people know each other. There’s banter going back and forth, and you feel like your comment might be seen as intruding or unwanted. Am I right? ??

The good news is that everyone feels like that when they start out and even now when I come across a post from someone I don’t know, I can occasionally feel this way. But the more you comment the more confidence you gain, and you’ll start to meet people and build relationships.

To help you comment like a pro, this edition is all about commenting. I've included 9 ways to comment and some advanced techniques for those of you that are already active and commenting. ??

Why is commenting on LinkedIn important?

This is the question everyone asks. Why shouldn’t you just read and move on? The answer depends on your motives for being here but if you’re here to find a job, sell a service or promote a brand, then you need to get involved in the active community by commenting. Comments lead to conversations and conversations start relationships.

?? Relationships are a vital part of the know, like, and trust process. People don’t do business with people they do not trust.

You wouldn’t go to a real-life networking event and say absolutely nothing to a person who came up and introduced themselves to you. That’s essentially what posting content is – someone saying I’m here and this is what I’ve got to say.

You also wouldn’t stand on a table, shout across the room and then leave. That’s what posting without getting involved in the community is like.

Comments are content

In addition to being the key to building relationships, comments are also content too. A comment allows you to show your knowledge and expertise and demonstrate that you know your stuff. They also provide some insight into your personality. They can pique interest in you and draw people to watch your Profile Video or go to your Profile to check you out.

? Comments are the easiest way to get your personal or company brand out there

Sometimes a thoughtful comment can lead to someone wanting to connect with you because they really related to what you said. You can even take inspiration from your own comment to create a new post. The more thought and effort you put into a comment, the better the net effect.

If you want some inspiration on how to comment, then check out Danielle Guzman, she’s someone that I think absolutely nails it! ??

Comments increase your engagement

You can have the best content in the world but if it’s not sparking conversations it won’t go anywhere. When you comment and develop relationships you become part of an ‘active’ community and often you will find as relationships develop that engagement becomes reciprocal.

A post with 20+ likes (or other reactions) and little to no comments isn’t going to get the same reach as a post with only a few likes but plenty of comments. That’s because LinkedIn’s algorithms are focused on promoting posts that are carrying conversations and an increased dwell time – more eyeballs on the platform means more advertising revenue for them.

I created these infographics ages ago but it gives my whimsical view on how I believe the algorithms work. Truthfully, nobody knows for sure!

9 ways to comment

So now you understand why commenting is powerful, here are 9 ways to comment:

1.?????Share your thoughts and insights.

2.?????Ask a question – authors love this because questions are great conversation starters.

3.?????Share a personal experience.

4.?????Share data or a study that validates the author or your own view.

5.?????Show appreciation and include why you appreciate it.

6.?????Tag someone else who may be genuinely interested or be able to add further value.

7.?????Validate the topic or point by adding relevance from a respected authority on the subject.

8.?????Share your sense of humour using a GIF or meme – these are also good conversation starters.

9.?????Share a quote and why it’s relevant.

It's important to comment with some thought and context that provides some value to the author, the readers or even yourself.

Commenting Don’ts

Just as there are good ways to comment, there are also bad ways to comment:

? Don't comment "great post" or "thanks for sharing" - it shows you're not genuinely engaged and people could think you are part of an engagement pod. If you think it’s a great post, say why!

? Don’t troll or encourage others to troll – it just reflects badly on you and your personal or company brand.

? Don’t overtly sell on someone’s post – it’s considered rude.

? If you disagree, do it constructively and respectfully – if you can’t do that then you should just scroll on.

Remember every comment you make is visible in your activity feed. People may read them to check if you’re messaging is consistent and authentic.

Commenting strategies

My personal philosophy is to always reply to everyone who comments on my posts. If someone has stopped and made the effort to comment, then I think it’s rude if you don’t bother to reply. I even do this on my posts that have large numbers of comments.

On one popular post it took me well over a week to reply to every single person

There are lots of different commenting strategies to use and here are just a few I’ve heard of. Some I use, some I don’t. I don’t think there’s one right way to do it so choose what works for you.

Comment on the posts of:

• People who you follow or are connected to when their post resonates and/or when you are building a relationship with them.
• People who are potential customers – this is strategic outreach and part of social selling.
• People whom you learn from and want to keep seeing their posts – commenting is the best way to trigger the algorithm to keep showing you their posts.

??Having a chat in the DMs provides a similar trigger.

• People who have engaged with your post – take your last post and comment on the current post of every person who commented. This builds reciprocity but I would only comment if the post itself resonates or adds value to me as I don’t agree with pod-like behaviour.
• People in your niche – look for larger accounts in your niche and comment for visibility.

You should also consider:

• Commenting on posts in the hashtags you follow – this is a great way to meet new people outside of your first connections.
• Commenting on posts in groups you are part of – great for starting relationships where the group topic is common ground.

Advanced commenting and engagement strategies

Here are a few techniques to try if you're already an active commenter:

• When you're replying to comments on your post, don't just thank them and close the conversation off. Ask a follow-up question that continues the conversation.

??I wouldn't recommend doing that to every comment but select a few comments where you think there's more to be said.

• If you have a successful post that is getting a lot of comments don't be too quick to move on to your next post. Sometimes it's good to let a post breathe for a day or two. Bear in mind that not everyone is going to see your post in the first 12-24hours. Sometimes posts can live for a few days if you don't shut them down by posting again.

I've heard some people say they deliberately don't reply to all comments immediately and leave some on purpose for the next day to encourage this longevity in the feed but I personally prefer not to do that in case I forget to go back. Besides, sometimes it happens naturally due to time zone differences or because I don't post every day.

Do keep an eye on your notifications for any straggler comments that might appear on a post, days, weeks or even months later. That does happen sometimes, especially when someone first discovers you and goes back through your content.

Be genuine

Remember, it’s important to be genuine in your comments and comment for the right reason.

Whatever you do, do not get involved in engagement pods. They are fake engagements and nobody trusts a fake! ?They may give you an immediate vanity metrics hit but they won't serve you well in the long term.

The best way is to create good quality content and build your community organically. ??

Was this helpful?

I hope this has been worth the read whether you're already an active commenter or not? Please do drop a comment and let me know what your thoughts are. ??

I would love anyone shy to comment to take this opportunity to introduce yourself and say hello and I promise to reply!

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Thank you and see you in the comments! ??

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