What I Learned from Commenting on 30 Blogs in a week
I regularly comment on other blogs. I wanted to share why I do this, why others should do this and what I learned after commenting on 30 blogs in a week.
I’ll admit, I originally wanted to comment on 100 blogs in a week, but not only was that impossible with a full work schedule, I don’t know that many good blogs. Suggestions?
So Why Do I Comment On Other Blogs?
When I first started blogging. I searched specifically for personal finance blogs because that’s the niche I’m in. I wanted to learn what they were doing, what made their blogs “special” and better than mine?
I later expanded to travel and lifestyle blogs.
Blogs usually are the personal journeys, a combination of lessons learned and personal achievements that transcend their niches of “Finance”, “Fashion”, “lifestyle”, etc. When I find a story that resonates with me, I usually comment a similar struggle or congratulate them on their win. As a blogger, I know these words of encouragement help as much as an extra 1,000 page views.
When Do I Comment On Other Blogs?
Personally, I like to start after the end of each month. Many of the blogs I follow release Monthly Income Reports. These usually summarize their highlights on the month as well as their income from investments. It’s really cool to see their investments grow!
Wallet Squirrel is no exception. Our Income Reports continue to be our most popular post for commenting. I think most finance bloggers would agree with this.
The only exception is when bloggers publish a new post, there seems to always be a mad rush to be the first one to comment. I see this on popular blogs like Mr. Money Mustache. Some people set alerts for new blog posts because when they’re the first to comment, they’re higher up on the page for more backlink views. We’ll get to that in a sec.
What Blogs Do I Comment On?
I have a list of about 80 blogs (let me know if you want to be added in the comments below) that I keep in an excel sheet. It’s nice because all the blog names hyperlinked, so 1-click sends me to straight to their site. I also include their Twitter handle because it’s appreciated to send a tweet after every comment if it’s a good article.
Personally, I track each time I comment on each blog so I’m not leaving duplicate comments or ruining relationships with other bloggers because I haven’t been to their site in 4 months. I try to visit my top 30 blogs every month.
You’ll notice I also added Moz’s “Domain Authority” and SimilarWeb’s “6 Month Visitor Count” but this is more for me to track how these sites are growing and compare to Wallet Squirrel. You’ll see I don’t only comment on popular sites, I focus on the ones I enjoy!
My Excel List for Blogs I Follow
What Makes A Good Comment?
Honestly, I don’t know what makes a good comment. Usually they’re supportive, grammatically legible and entertaining. If you disagree with something, be respectful. There have been a couple times I learned from a mistake through comments pointing it out. I’m incredibly thankful someone took the time to point it out.
My favorite is when Adam wrote his Ask for Raise article “A lawyer could state that if they when a particular number of cases.” our friend Trist pointed this out “did you mean win?” (not in the comments). After 10 minutes of laughing, we appreciated the comment.
In my personal experience, bloggers love comments regardless of grammar. It’s a great way to show support without giving them money.
Where Did I Leave Comments Last Week?
This list is made up of some of my favorite blogs and a few blogs I’ve been wanting to check out for awhile. I’m glad I did. I hope my comments helped, they were genuine thoughtful comments totaling over 2,558 words or an average of 85 words per blog in a week.
Here are the 30 blogs I commented on this last week. All very awesome.
What I Learned After Commenting On 30 Blogs In A Week?
- It’s important to look over an entire blog. I saw on one blog that they were featured on Rockstar Finance through their sidebar. I ended up reaching out to Rockstar Finance and they added me to their membership directory! Plus I’m currently working with them to feature a Wallet Squirrel Article. I didn’t even know about Rockstar Finance before finding it on a new blog I now follow.
- Don’t comment only to create backlinks/traffic to your site, it not effective. I used to think this was a great way to create tons of traffic back to my website. It’s not. After commenting through the week on 30 blogs, I only received 30 new visitors from those backlinks. Commenting is great if you’re genuine, but if you’re only trying to create backlinks and traffic back to your site, there are better ways to do it.
- Always subscribe to be notified of follow-up comments by email. Bloggers like myself leave REALLY good responses to good questions. We sometimes write paragraphs in a response to a good comment because we’re appreciative you read our article and left a good comment. Don’t miss out on a great follow up comment by not subscribing to follow up comments.
- Read the whole article! Bloggers (and me) hate it when people leave comments that ask questions clearly answered in the article. It just shows you didn’t read the article and you’re only there to create backlinks.
Am I leaving any blogs out, any I should add?
Wallet Squirrel is a personal finance blog by best friends Andrew & Adam on how money works, building side-hustles, and the benefits of cleverly investing the profits. Featured on MSN Money, AOL Finance, and more!
Love the article! I myself have wondered if I should keep track of the blogs I love to comment on. So your spreadsheet-inspired me to create one for myself! That way I can make sure I’m reading all my favorite ones!
I would love to be added to your list if you enjoy my content!
Have you found as you have commented on so many blogs that after the first few days the author doesn’t reply? Just wondering as I often feel like if I comment they would never check it after the first few days it’s been posted and the normal commenters comment.
Hi Barnabas (yup, I checked out your site),Great site and I like your income reports as well!
Keeping track of the blogs I comment on has been super helpful for me. I definitely recommend it, but it’s also a pain to keep up. =P
I usually don’t expect bigger bloggers to respond to my comments. However usually blogs that I have a history with commenting backing and forth. They usually respond in 24 hours. I think the more the blogger sees your comments as a regular, they’re more likely to respond. That’s my experience. Having an orange squirrel has a logo doesn’t hurt. lol Hope that helps.
PS. You’re added to my list!
-Andrew
I bet it is hard keeping up so we will see how I do!
Thanks for the advice! I will have to see how my comments go this month. Going to try the same approach as yours! See what results I get!
Thanks for talking about this!
My site is less than a month old, and I’ve been doing what you’re describing on a smaller scale (reading/commenting on 2-3 blogs a week of the 10 or so I keep up with), trying to learn from how other people are doing it and beginning some relationships. Also helps to read more people’s writing than just mine all the time!
I first heard of you from your guest post over on Millennial Money Guide. Cool stuff, and congrats on knocking out the car loan recently!
Hey Right Hand Money Man,
Thanks for visiting! Yea that guest post over on Millenial Money Guide was A LOT of fun. Glad it peaked your curiosity enough to come over and visit.
Many begining bloggers focus on commenting on blogs. It’s a great thing to do, but it’s not the greatest if you’re just trying to get links back. It is great though to read other people’s writing like you mentioned, I’m always so inspired after reading others people’s content, it makes mine better.
Don’t worry, as you get more integrated in the Personal Finance community, that blog list of 10 will go fast. lol
Have a great time and welcome to the PF community!
-Andrew
Interesting article Wallet Squirrel. I actually came across this post after reading one of your comments left at Div Hut. I’m relatively new to blogging. I must admit that when I started out, my initial intent was to create back links in addition to hoping those bloggers will come back to my blog and make a comment. However, I started taking comments more seriously, especially after realizing how good it feels when someone leaves a thoughtful comment on my own blog.
I don’t have a spreadsheet like you do, which, now that I think about it, would be helpful. I have a resources page on my blog, which is similar to a blog roll. I basically go down that list and check to see if the blog has any updated posting. I then read the article and leave a comment if I feel I have something I can contribute. Most of my comments are congratulatory in nature as I am usually responding to monthly reports you talked about. But, every now and again, I write a lengthy comment, like I’m doing for this post.
Even though the number of blogs I visit on a regular basis is small, I’m still finding it difficult to keep track. Having a spreadsheet is not a bad idea and I’m seriously considering doing so.
Great article.
Hi Dividend Portfolio!
Thanks, for stopping by! I think most bloggers starting out, start with commenting as a way to create backlinks, I totally get it. I did the same thing. =P It works well, but I just don’t think it’s the most efficient way to generate SEO. So I started narrowing down my blog list to those blogs I actually enjoyed reading and commenting on.
Glad you’re taking comments seriously, I can tell because this is a great comment!
I really like using a spreadsheet to keep track of comments, but I also like it because I can store hyperlinks to the sites, and add their twitter handle for a social media blast if I really like their article. I find the more you help other bloggers out, they more they help you!
It’s something definitely worth trying, and as you start to grow your list of blogs you follow, it works so well at keeping track of everything. Feel free to copy my template. =)
-Andrew
Also, if you leave comments with the expectation that they’ll be reciprocated, you’ll be disappointed. I’ve found the majority just… don’t!
Those bastards!
lol kidding. Yea, I always make it a point to reply to every comment (Adam too), just to let people know we REALLY appreciate someone sharing their thoughts on what we wrote!
I always click the “Notify me of follow-up comments by email” just so I can track how many bloggers respond to my comments. Like you said many don’t, I tend to follow the blogger more if they do. =)
Thanks for stopping by and I totally agree!
-Andrew
Great work…..Keep it up!!!!
Thanks Gaurav!
Will do, this year we are going full steam to make Wallet Squirrel one of the top personal finance and dividend investment blogs on the web! We’d love a share if you like the post! =)
-Andrew
Great post. I never thought of organizing the blogs I visit this way. I really should do this. Right now, I just use a few RSS aggregators to find all of the sites every month. Tracking comments is interesting though. I may steal this from you. 😉
Hey Investment Hunting!
Do it! It’s been super helpful and it’s a great way to list some of your favorite blogs. You may have noticed you’re one of my favorites. lol
I never thought of using RSS aggregators, I’ll need to check into this.
Let me know how the list turns out.
-Andrew
Hey, Nice article on this topic. Great work you are doing really. Best wishes and Regards.
Thanks! =)
This is quite a handy article. While this method seems to be very useful, I am not sure I would be able to keep up with this method. In my opinion, I like commenting on more number of blogs and keeping track of all of them sounds a little tricky.
With the limited time on hand (still a part time blogger) I am yet to find the balance in working on all the avenues to optimise the blog (including the back links). Not sure if adding this excel would fit in with it.
hey Orange Squirrel
I’m becoming your fan. I like the tracking idea, I’m going to follow it too.It’s a simple yet v effective one. Commenting on reading full post sounds like a good plan- backlinks, as well as new ideas and chances for building a relationship with an established blog, is icing on the cake.
I agree that comments make bloggers happy. Thanks for a good read.
I’m glad you wrote this blog post about commenting on other blogs. In my personal opinion, I feel commenting on other blocks is good and here’s why. First, I like the part where you said people rush to be the first to post a blog comment because they want to be seen as the first blog commenter. This is absolutely true. People love to know that they are the first to comment and ahead of the game. Not only does it help them to be seen as the first commenter, but it also helps them mentally because it helps them to stay mentally acute, meaning alert when it comes to posting comments and staying on top of their business game. Secondly, it’s good to comment on different blogs because and helps to create and maintain positive business relationships between you and the bloggers, and you and other bloggers who are commenting that see your blog comments.
All In All, blog commenting is creating Unity bringing people together meaningfully. And lastly, meaningful blog commenting actually humanizes yourself.
Humanizing yourself is a great way of letting people know that you are not a spam blog commenting bot and only out to get a backlink for SEO purposes. When you see a person asking questions in blog comments or leaving their personal feelings which leaves the door open for more discussion, than you know that particular blog commenter is genuine.
I find myself from time to time reprimanding strangers who leave blog comments on other blogs that I comment on with two sentence lines somewhere in the ballpark of saying thank you, useful article. Where is the value in that? This is what makes me stay on point with my meaningful blog commenting by adding my feelings or asking questions because I’m genuine in what I do. And nobody, I mean absolutely nobody, is leaving long blog comments like I do. Lol 🙂
It is very useful, I am not sure I would be able to keep up with this method.
Doing 30 blogs in a week is really hard if you’re still working full time (which I am). It was fun to try though!
Plus I still maintain relationships with many of those bloggers. I just now reach out once a month rather than once a week. =)
-Andrew
I totally know what you mean, I also hate people who just leave a comment saying “Interesting Blog, I enjoyed the content”. To me, that just screams spam and I delete it.
We need to come up with a digital crown for Blog Commenting King and you are absolutely it! I love these long blog comments and I get a thrill reading them because they are in-depth to the content that I’m writing about, plus I agree it humanizes you and builds a great relationship!
As always, thanks for commenting!
Andrew
Andy,
I end up filtering out those ppl that say “great post.” They leave general and vague comments like that thinking they’re adding value to a blog just because they said something. Absolutely ludacris if you ask me.
It’s best to read a blog and comment in length, preferrably 500 words or better to add true value to the discussion. When I comment on Michelle’s blogs at MakingSenseofCents.com, I always strive to add value. Michelle even compliments my blog comments and mentions she loves the content of it. Blog commentators who add just a few sentences without food for thought are not benefiting their SEO. Bing, Google & YaHoO! knows how to sniff and filter out the “fluff!” L 😛 L
I really like what you’re doing over here. I’ve been doing alot lately and going through major changes. Let’s catch up over the summer and get that interview taken care of. 🙂
Leaving valuable “good” comments is hard. I personally don’t want to leave just a comment that only say “good job.” If I can’t think of something more to say, then I don’t leave a comment. I feel disappointed that I can’t think of something, though. One thing I do to help is to think SEO in mind – I want to provide value when leaving comments. For instance, this comment leaves the word comment in it a lot. It probably doesn’t help SEO much, but maybe it helps a little. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt!
You’re making a nice comeback in the search engines I see. So glad to know you didn’t give up. I see ypu coming back nice & strong! 🙂
Thanks! We definitely dipped a bit for a while there. It just shows what happen if you don’t touch a blog much for a year. That was a mistake.
Luckily we’re not starting off new and have a running start. We’re making this work!
Hey. I’m right along with you. Sometimes, I get inconsistent with my content marketing and it does affect my SEO. One thing I learned is post content consistently and in “evergreen content” form.
Maybe we should od an online interview before this year is over. 🙂