Unlocking LinkedIn: Mastering the Art of Strategic Commenting Part 1/2

Last year, I had one social media goal: Get to 10,000 followers. Now, while I'd love to say my page is 10,000 connections strong, it isn't, and I'm content. Want to know why?

Early in January 2023, I realized this newsletter was growing faster than my personal account. Back then, newsletter subscribers didn't automatically follow the author or creator. They were separate communities.

(Thankfully, LinkedIn has seen the error of its ways and made a huge update late last year, so all the new subscribers automatically became followers.)

So, I took a page out of Pocket Full of Do by Chris Do and tweaked the how of my 10k goal. Instead of focusing on growing a personal profile, I became more consistent with my newsletter upload schedule.

It worked!

I posted one article a week and gained around 250 new subscribers from each article for the first few months.

Around May 2023, though, the growth slowly declined. Now, there could be multiple reasons for the decline. Still, I can point to one major difference: Comments.

Posting Awesome Content Isn't Enough

Ever wondered how some creators seem to effortlessly attract attention and engagement on LinkedIn?

It's all about the power of comments — and I don't mean responding to comments on your posts. No, that's basic social media etiquette.

You're Supposed to Reply to the Comments People Leave on Your Posts

Think of it this way, every time you post content on LinkedIn, it's like hosting a get-together at your house (or office). Impressions and views are all the people who showed up, your guests. Reactions are guests speaking to or acknowledging you.

Comments are those guests who sit down and have deep conversations with you.

Sometimes, I'll come across a friend's post and it has great comments, but I know the person is simply going to react to those comments rather than leaving replies. And sure enough, that's what happens. On the other side of the screen, I scream, "Nooooo! What are you doing?! You're killing your posts."

As a host, it's simply polite to respond to your guests by replying to their comments.

If you're an exceptional host, you might even send the occasional thank you note to those who regularly attend your soirées.

Even if you're busy, set aside three ten-minute slots in your calendar to reply to comments and see the difference it makes.

Growth Happens When You Comment on Other Content Strategically

LinkedIn is like a massive city where people are hosting "get-togethers" all the time. If you want more people to show up at your parties, go support someone else's. When I consistently showed up for others, with no agenda, simply commenting, sharing, and engaging, some of those creators (and by extension their followers) showed up in my comments section.

Chris Do refers to this phenomenon as the principle of reciprocity. When we give freely without expecting anything, there's usually an eventual return.

The author of Ecclesiastes put it this way:

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." (Ecc. 11:1 ESV)

Strategically commenting on five, 10, or even 20 posts a day may seem pointless and inane (kinda like throwing bread into a river) the truth is we don't know. For all we know, the simple act of commenting on five posts a day could be a game-changer.

How to Comment Strategically on LinkedIn

As with any engagement tactics, different experts offer different advice, and like a true artist, I've gleaned insights from Jasmine Star and Jasmin Ali? and blended them to create my approach. (There must be something special about that name hee hee).

1. How often should you comment?

It depends on your capacity and desperation.

Capacity

If you're truly stretched thin and overwhelmed, commit to 15 minutes a day. Here's Jasmine Star's Now, instead of one 15-minute block, choose three five-minute blocks and slot them into your calendar morning, midday, and evening. Aim to leave three to five comments during every five-minute block.

People are on LinkedIn all the time, thus by chunking your comment time you can be more present. Plus, every time you comment, your name and profile photo will pop up on your followers' feeds. That's increased BRAND AWARENESS already.

If you are willing to spend more time commenting or if you work with a team, aim for one to three hours a day. Again, it's better to spread the time throughout the day rather than simply in one slot. Jasmin Alic's approach suggests leaving thoughtful comments on the posts of 15 to 30 different creators every day — that takes a ton of time, but is truly worth it.

When my newsletter was growing to 1,000 new subscribers a month, I was spending around one to three hours just commenting. Similarly, with clients' accounts that I manage, I allocate time each day to do this.

(Yes, you read that right. You can hire someone like me to do the commenting on your behalf).

Desperation

Any marketer or salesperson worth their salt will tell you when you have no incoming leads or new business, it's time to take big, audacious action. In other words, if you have no client work, finding clients is your work. 15 minutes a day is not going to help you fast enough. So, play the numbers game with integrity, patience, and an abundance mindset. Even when you have nothing, it's better to wait for the right client than to settle for the cash in hand.

I've been there. When I first started, I was broke, overworked, and burnt out. I paid $1 for a step-by-step plan I could follow because I was desperate for work but I was done being underpaid and undervalued for my services. Part of the plan was to introduce myself to 20 new business owners in my niche per day for seven days. It broke my soul as an introvert and a human with rejection issues and a fear of failure, but I used my reality as fuel to break out of my comfort zone.

That plan led to my first social media ghostwriting client and relationships that have since given me opportunities I could not have imagined. Being honest with myself and taking my reality seriously enough to do something about it, led to two connections that either directly or indirectly brought in five to six figures worth of work since 2020 — two people.

My approaches are way more subtle now, but the process taught me to value every

• Reader who stays anonymous but takes every word I write to heart.
• "Brand Advocate" who engages with and shares my content with their network.
• Human, known or unknown to me, who remembers my name and what I'm known for.

I value all of it because I never know when someone will say my name to the right person at the right time and open a door I didn't even know existed.

I value all of it and I do what I do because I don't know when the crumbs, hotdog rolls, and loaves of bread I cast onto these waters called LinkedIn will return and I don't know what form they'll take when they do. But friend, one thing is true, you have to make yourself known if you want your business to grow.

I had more tips to share but I feel like this is a good place to end it. More on this topic of commenting coming later this week.

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