Fake Comments Part II
If you have not done so already, read Part 1 of Fake Comments and Insightful Responses to Fake Comments to follow up on this post.
In the last post about Fake Comments, I’ve discussed how to identify fake comments, and what readers will think once they’ve established that you make fake comments. In this post, I will talk about what you should to if you have made fake comments in the past, what you should do in the future, what you should to do gain comments, and various other points.
Fake Comments in the Past (Over last month)
All bloggers have ups and downs. The past is the past. There is no use dwelling on fake comments in the past.
If a reader has contacted you asking about your fake comments, apologize about the comments and say you were trying to see if more people commented on posts with comments. (that is the truth)
Others Doing Fake Comments
This may be a not shock to you, but you are not the only blogger that has thought of doing fake comments. (Learn how to identify fake comments)
The best thing to do is contact them directly and warn them about their fake comments. (Give a link to this article if you want) Do not be conceited; make it clear that you are only trying to help. Most bloggers appreciate help. When others succeed, you succeed. If other bloggers do not move forward, you would not have competition, therefore you would not succeed. They might also warn you the next time you make a mistake. (and there you have a new friend!)
Gaining More Comments
Rather than write fake comments, why not use other ways to gain more comments? Here are some of the ways you can gain more comments:
- Post comments on other blogs. Posting comments on other blogs in the same league as you (around the same status; same number of visitors) helps you make more blogger friends, which may help you in the future stages of your blog.
- Guest blogging. Guest blogging brings more exposure to your blog. You can find a blogger friend and guest blog on each others’ blogs. That is always a good trade. Make sure your post is good quality.
- Posting in forums. Join in a crowd, post regularly (i.e. once a day, etc.) so that people know you; have a unique thing about your posts. (more information about identity)
- Get WordPress plug-ins. The Top Commentators encourages your readers to comment regularly, getting a link-back on your site. The Recent Comments WordPress plug-in is nice to have, but is not necessary.
- Reply to comments. Even if you know that the reader is not going to check back for your comments, reply to them to let your readers know that you care about the comments that they leave.
- Offer give-aways. Some blogs have recently been holding a [Number]th Comment contest. Those have been successful on the most part.
- Ask questions. Asking questions encourages readers to respond. [Short] surveys and polls also work.
- Ask for comments. What can be easier than asking for comments directly? (Ask a question and tell readers to respond by leaving a comment, etc.)
Those are some of the ways you can gain more comments. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments area so I can add them to this list.
