Commenting on others posts is a good way to Earn on Steemit. But why only few people do so? Since the lack for good commenters allowed the comment sections to be filled with scammers, this post is my take on the topic.
Salam (Peace)
Now that I've became important enough to receive SPAM comments, I thought it's a good topic to cover.
Most of Steemit users use their time to create content, because that's where the most of profit lies... But people who can't create content worth of curation have the other way to Earn which is commenting on popular users. Someone with 1000 SP can give up to $0.20+ per upvote, and if you commented on their post they might use that vote on you.
So you'd think the best way is to comment on as many people as possible... Right?
The quality of the comment is way better than the number of comments.
While it may be alright to give many people generic comments and hope someone upvote you. If it wasn't clear in your comment that you DID read the post then everyone who reads the comment will assume that you're just a spammer who cares only about profit and not the post you commented on.
Do that enough times and you'll get flagged to zero!
If You Want To Focus on Comments Quality, Read Below:
"Have Nothing To Say" Problem
Most of the bad comments are bad because they have nothing to say about the post. Most of good users won't comment on posts they read, because they have nothing to add. If they commented they will appear like spammers.
But if you really read the post, you most have had some thoughts right?
How did you feel as you read it?
Did it remind you of something you read/heard from the past?
Did you think of something similar?
Did the post made you research the topic more?
Which part of the post you liked the most?
These thoughts are valuable... I don't know about other writers but I definitely love to hear what people thought of as they read my posts. Of course they must write them in a way that makes it clear they read it.
How To Write Better Comments?
The important thing is to write something that gives value and a positive feeling, and that's not hard... You can add value even in 3 words comments.
- Don't ever think "I have nothing to say."
- Read the post (or at least parts of it.)
- Note your thoughts.
- Make it Different & Personal.
- Start A Conversation (Maybe by asking questions)
- Check your replies section often.
Don't Think "I Have Nothing to Say."
As I Explained Above: the problem is that it makes you believe you have nothing to say or add. If you read thinking the opposite way... "What can I add to this?" I'm sure you'll have something to say by the time you end reading the post.
But You Can Only Say Things In Fields You're Interested In: you won't have something to say if the post's topic is boring to you, so it's better to only comment on tags you find interesting.
Read The Post & Note Your Thoughts
Read At Least One Part Of The Post: I know not all people have time to read posts, I am too. But if you're gonna use the commenting method to earn, you must at least read a part and comment only on that part.
Note Your Thoughts: As you read think of what you would say if it was your friend who said these things to you? what did the post make you feel? Did you find a mistake in information? Do you agree/disagree with what being said?
(Optional) Use Quotes: Reply to some parts of the post by quoting them (here's how to qutoe in markdown), this assures the writer that you read their post AND it helps to start a conversation.
People are more likely to vote you after a conversation, than after one time comment.
Make It Different & Personal
Don't Write The Same Comment Twice: It depends but most of time it'll be considered a spam... anyone can check your 'comments' section and see if you copy-past your own comments. Sometimes It's okay but be careful.
Don't Write Similar Comments On The Same Day: Again, it depends, but unless you write them in very similar posts, the best thing to do is to try to make each comment of yours unique.
Talk About Yourself: Find things you agree with the post or disagree with and write that as your personal opinion. Many writers like to see if people agree with what they say or not. Did you think/do something similar in the past?
Be More Specific: Don't use generic things like "Nice" or "Great"... Write about specific details like "I love how you used the word XXX to refer YYY" or "Noticed that there's a sleeping cat in the background of the picture." Details that don't appear to spammers who just comment on any post in less than a half minute.
Link To Similar Posts: They might even be your own posts, but you must say in which they are similar in your comment. No one likes to go into a link blind.
Ask Questions & Check Your "replies" Section
Start Conversations: Because people are more willing to upvote others who they know, the best thing you can do to someone is to be their first steemit friend. A good way to do that is to talk with them and promote them to talk back to you. You have to make them associate your name with a positive feeling.
Questions To Ask: Ask if there will be another post about the same topic... Ask about things that you think they should be in the post but they aren't... Ask the writer's opinion on similar topics... The more positive conversation the question starts the better. SHOW THEM THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED
I wanted to write more but I guess that's enough for today
Other Related Posts
| Cover | Post |
|---|---|
 | Spam Tutorial Part 5: Be (mis)understood: by  . The complete opposite of my post, how to spam and without getting found out. The result is a bit similar. |
 | How to Add Value to Posts with Your Comments: A post I wrote in my early steemit days, contains some of the information here. |