Apr 3, 2013 / Beginner

Quick Tip: Five a Day

Most of us start blogs both because we want to write and we want to connect to others — if you weren’t interested in the connection piece, you’d just keep a private diary. But unlike other online communities like Facebook, where we go to connect to friends and family, most of us hope our blogs will reach beyond those immediate circles to the wider world.

While I like to cultivate the secret fantasy that the sheer force of my genius will propel my blog to viral fame, a three-book deal, and a recurring correspondent role on The Daily Show, my realistic blogger self knows that it takes time and effort to build an engaged readership. (Some genius doesn’t hurt.) (Also: Jon Stewart, call me. I’m totally available.)

lego village

Your community probably won’t look so medieval, nor will it be made of Lego. (Photo by Derringdos)

The most effective way is to engage with others; being part of the blogosphere is being part of a community, which means you need to do more than just publish in your little blogular corner. If the scope of the blogosphere is a little overwhelming, break it down into manageable chunks: Five a Day.

Five whats a day? Five comments. Whenever you sit down at the computer to bang out a post or spend 15 minutes futzing on Twitter, commit to leaving five substantive comments on five different blogs. You can find them in a number of ways:

  • Spend a few minutes serendipitously surfing the Reader, clicking on whatever looks interesting, or take a look at some offbeat topics.
  • Click through the blogrolls or visit the commenters of bloggers you already enjoy, or of bloggers who’ve been featured on Discover.
  • Encourage your readers to leave links to their favorites in your comments, so you can broaden your horizons.

Once you find a post that sucks you in from beginning to end, leave the blogger a real comment. Toss out a “Thanks!” or “Great post!” if you’d like, but be sure to take it further. Be specific about what you enjoyed, ask a question, offer a counterpoint, or share a related experience — anything that moves the conversation along.

The beauty of the blogosphere is that others are doing the same thing, and they’ll see and click on your interesting/witty/erudite comment, ultimately bringing you more traffic and more readers. If five a day feels like too much, then try four a day, or two a day. Heck, even one a day spreads your searing insights across seven new blogs a week.

The Five a Day method is not a path to overnight success; only an Oprah endorsement can do that. But it is the best way to build a community of engaged and loyal readers, commenters, and ultimately, friends.

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  2. “Five-A-Day sounds totally manageable. I, too, have noticed that when I take the time to make a thoughtful comment, I get more traffic back and more comments in return. Also, sometimes the pics or the written piece is so engaging, so stunning, that a simple “Like” just doesn’t do it justice.

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  3. Thanks michelle for the sage advice! You’ve given me a target for my ongoing use of the reader to connect to others and grow my blogging web. Some days I would attempt to comment to all I visited and could if I had the time spend hours searching out new and interesting blogs to follow. Now I have a more manageable goal that I am more likely to reach on a consistent basis. 🙂

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  5. I`m new to the blogosphere too and yes, I am also finding it highly addictive. There`s so much many inspiring posts on a wealth of topics on wordpress. But I`m making a point of commenting only if I see something really worthwhile. I`d rather have honest feedback myself and would prefer people to be honest in their comments about my posts too.

    That said, your post on here has great tips. I particularly love the five a day tip. And it`s well written too.

    Now, any tips on how to cure me from being a blogoholic?

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  9. Great advice. I will try it. I vacillate between reaching out and focusing just on writing. Ahhhh, balance.

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  10. Thanks for this reminder to meaningfully and thoughtfully check out new blogs. Like I imagine many of us do, I have a select few bloggers that I follow and I read pretty much every post they write. But I have been lax recently when it comes to looking at undiscovered (by me) blogs. And I know how irritating it can be (speaking as a hypocrite, because I’m guilty of occasionally doing it!) when someone flies by your blog and likes a post but doesn’t stop by and comment. I want my readers to tell me why they liked that post!

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  12. People have interesting thoughts. I found myself being inspired by reading other blogs too so this is definitely a nice idea.

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    1. Blogging challenges are a great way to meet/interact with other bloggers, but I think there’s a lot of value in unstructured wandering through the blogosphere to see what jumps out at you.

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  16. Yes, this is a great tip. I am new to blogging, facebook, twitter, all social media really. I have discovered very interesting blogs and I like to comment on them and learn. The photography has especially appealed to me and it amazes me how the pictures add a dimension to the writing.

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  17. But I like my comfortable lurker zone. It makes sense what you are saying, but commenting on others blogs seems a little risky. I could look like a bigger idiot than I am. See?

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  18. I’ve just started blogging and I’m really grateful for tips like this, thanks. I’m finding blogs are great reading material with my coffee.

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  19. This was a fantastic read, and one that I really needed to hear! Thanks so much for posting this. All too often I sit there looking at my stats when I could be INTERACTING with my followers, the people I follow, and new people with new ideas!

    Beautifully put!

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  20. Interesting. I recently wrote a post on this exact subject and surprisingly, used many identical sentences. Wow. I guess we must think alike, huh. Funny about that. Maybe I’ll repost it. We can compare 🙂

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  23. Five a Day…like a tip for healthy blogging. I hadn’t thought of surfing through the Reader, but I do visit the commenters of blogs I already enjoy. Another way to help fellow bloggers (especially those just starting out) is to reblog a post you think is worthy of notice.

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    1. Reblogging is a nice gesture, but the same rules apply as commenting — make sure you’re adding something substantive. Reblog along with your $0.02.

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  24. Well this is certainly informative and a breath of fresh air. Much gratitude for your words of wisdom here. I have a site on the other Word Press before I new about this one. People tell me they like my writing but I have always felt you should only have a Blog if you are someone of a certain caliber. I have changed my tune and I will be putting myself out there now as I now created this new site in addition to my other one. I LOVE the 5 a day rule and will begin to practice it daily and push myself. Thanks again for your sharing your wisdom…

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  25. This is a great tip, one that I must get better at doing. Do you think we should aim for five a day targeted within your topic area/community, or just browse and comment on whatever catches your fancy?

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    1. You may find it easier to focus on your area, but there’s something to be said for branching out — it draws in people who may never have found you otherwise, and exposes you to lots of great bloggers who can inspire you in different ways.

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  27. I just wrote a blog on a similar subject and will post it over the weekend. I realized I am following 270 bloggers and have to comment on a lot more than 5 every day to continue building relationships!
    You are right. That is what it is all about!

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    1. I lost count of the number of blogs I follow a long time ago! The “community maintenance” piece of blogging can sometimes take more time that the actual blogging, but it’s also where much of the joy comes from.

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      1. Exactly. I hadn’t looked for a while but knew I had followed a lot recently with my Use Me and Abuse Me Days.
        I do my best! I spend hours reading and commenting every day. That is the fun part!

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  28. I’m a newbie to the blogosphere and have noticed that I do get a pretty good inflow of traffic from my comments on other blogs. I should try and comment daily as you suggest. Thanks for the great tips!

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  30. Thank you for this challenge. I need to get better at connecting with other bloggers. I started my blog to connect to my ‘known’ community of readers 4 years ago when my daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia.

    I never really expected visitors to my blog beyond people I know. It’s been incredible to have support from across the globe though and now I hope my writing can ‘pay it forward’ to support people who face similar battles and also to ad locate for the need for more bone marrow donors on the global registry to save more Leukemia patients like my daughter who would not have survived without a transplant.

    Thank you Michelle for helping me to think about how I can do this blogging gig better than I do.

    Great post and I visited 4 freshly pressed blogs today…I fear now I may be late for work!

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