Free Book Promotion Every Time You Leave A Comment

Promote Your Book For Free With Comments

Have you considered how to use comments for free book promotion?

There are hundreds of promotion services and ways to promote a book for indie authors. You can use free and paid book promotion sites, write a blog post every week, and offer free ebooks.

Marketing your book to find potential readers is a non-stop effort if you want people to buy your book.

If you have published more than one title, you will know how much hard work is involved in keeping the buzz going for your books and Kindle ebooks.

Attracting attention to your books

Encouraging people to take an interest in you and your book is not easy and is sometimes counterproductive.

Direct approaches using social media or even your email list often achieve very low click-through rates and poor book sales conversions.

Trying to sell a book rarely works.

But the results can be surprising when people accidentally stumble upon you or your book cover without you coercing them.

In SEO terms, it is called organic traffic.

The key element in obtaining this type of traffic is a shared interest.

In other words, people find you because you have expressed an idea or opinion that interests or intrigues them.

In many cases, it’s not related to your book or buy links.

Perhaps it’s from something you wrote online or on social media.

When you can attract attention this way, you have a much better chance of your books being discovered by readers.

 

Organic traffic is gold

Of course, you can try to get a lot of traffic by writing articles for your blog.

If you can get a good ranking on Google, you will get organic search traffic.

But it is a lot of hard work, and it takes time to write articles and wait and hope that they rank.

Some authors and publishers use guest posting as a means of free promotion.

It can work well if you can find high-ranking blogs to accept your article and publish it on their site for free.

You can expect to get a quality backlink to your website or even to your Amazon Author page.

Some sites accept guest articles as sponsored content, which means that you have to pay to have your article published.

It is not usually overly expensive, and again, if the site is high-ranking, you will get a backlink.

Press releases are easy, and many sites offer them for free.

However, very few people read them, but you do get a link.

Another way to get search traffic is to pay for Google Ads, but it is very expensive.

It is rarely worth the investment for books because the price for a click is nearly as much or often more than what you would expect to gain in book royalties.

All of these book marketing tips can help sell more books, but they are either time-consuming or expensive.

Is there an easier way to get more free book promotion? Yes, there is.

 

How to use comments for free book promotion

Commenting on blogs and articles is free, quick, easy, and fun.

Best of all, you will sometimes get a link back to your site.

Links from comments are not the same, though, as an external link embedded in an article, so it needs a little explanation.

There are two types of links. One type is dofollow, and the other is nofollow.

A dofollow link tells search engines that the site would like to pass on authority to the site from the link.

But nofollow is the opposite. It tells search engines not to follow the link.

Comment links are generally nofollow.

In the end, it doesn’t matter because you want your comment link to produce traffic, not improve your site’s ranking.

But before you rush off madly commenting, there are a few checks you need to do.

Firstly, not all blogs give you a link to your website. Because of the enormous amount of comment spam, many remove this function.

You can check by clicking on a comment author’s name. If nothing happens, there is no link available.

You can also check by looking at the comment form. If there is a text field to include your website URL, you will get a link.

comment form

Many popular sites and platforms allow you to add your website address with your comment.

You should also check your profile on some of the most popular platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, Disqus, Gravatar, or newspapers or magazines where you have commented previously.

Make sure your profile details are up to date and that you have entered the correct link to your author’s website or blog where you want people to visit.

Now you are ready to use comments for free book promotion.

 

Comments get traffic and attention if you do it right

This is the wrong way:

Nice post!

Love your blog.

Interesting stuff.

Short comments of only a few words are only slightly better than spam, and very often, discussion moderators will delete them.

Blog comments that get read attract attention, thumbs up, or likes, are well written, and add value to the article or the discussion.

Make sure you read the article before you add your comment.

Never comment after only reading the headline or title.

It could lead you to post an irrelevant or, worse, embarrassingly silly comment that has nothing to do with the article’s main topic or argument. Always read the article first.

You can add a new comment or reply to one. Both work well, but a reply is an instant connection, so consider its value.

Similar to a well-written article, a great comment is well-crafted. It is to the point and of a length that can add value to the discussion.

It should be at least 4-5 sentences long, error-free and grammatically perfect.

Don’t include a link to your book in your comment.

Using links within comments is a common practice that spammers use.

Your comment may be blocked by spam protection software or fail to pass moderation.

Remember, express your idea or opinion politely and in an interesting way to attract people who share your interests.

But do not use your comment to ask people to click a link or to buy and read your book on Amazon.

 

Where can you get the most attention?

I have found that comments on newspapers are a great source of referral traffic.

I have accounts on The Guardian, The Independent, and Huffington Post, to name a few.

You should check your local newspapers because they can really boost your presence.

The big advantage of commenting on newspaper articles is that they are syndicated and shared so widely.

Thousands of people could see your comment on different platforms around the world.

I don’t know how many times I have had people send me messages, or emails, or contact me via my website because they saw my comment on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever.

But I hadn’t commented on these platforms. These contacts came from my newspaper comment on an article that was shared on social media.

Here’s a tip. If you see a newspaper article on Facebook, don’t comment there. Go to the original article, and try to get a link.

WordPress and Blogger are also top blogging platforms for links because of the enormous number of people who are active on them.

If you haven’t got an account on Disqus, you should register and create one.

It is a commenting platform that is integrated into many blogs and even smaller newspapers.

But on many of the sites I have mentioned above, there is a simple tick box that will really help you gain more attention.

Have you seen it?

Notify me of new comments via email.

People almost always tick this box because they want to stay informed.

It means that people will get to see any reaction to your comment in emails delivered by the origin website.

Once you receive a reply to your comment and then add another reply, more emails will be sent.

So, are comments an author and free book promotion winner?

 

Post a comment, get a backlink checklist

1. Check and update all your commenting profiles on every platform or site you use.

2. Make a bookmark list of your favorite sites that post comments and give you a link.

3. Write comments that add value to the conversation.

4. Replying to replies can be of high value.

5. Comment regularly and widely.

One of the big benefits of comments for free book promotion is that they are long-lasting.

It’s common that most sites close comments after a certain period of time.

But don’t worry because your comment will remain on the site and continue to help you attract attention with your link.

 

Related reading: Is Social Media Book Promotion Past Its Prime For Authors?

27 thoughts on “Free Book Promotion Every Time You Leave A Comment”

  1. Thank you for sharing this information I haven’t really thought about this method but I now it will be my top-first priority. Thaks for sharing this critical piece of information.

  2. I think in many cases, people comment because they have some type of initial connection to what they’ve read, so their comment is not necessarily strategic, especially from a SEO standpoint.

    1. That’s true, Veronica. But there is value in well-written comments that are on topic and relevant. However, many new authors make the mistake of trying to sell their books in comments, which will almost always be treated as spam.

  3. After the initial energy boost I received from my book becoming a reality, I lost my momentum quickly. After social media posts, relying on friends and family to purchase my book, and several other ideas, I grew discouraged. This article is just what I needed for some fresh ideas!!!! Thank you for sharing this.

  4. Wonderful, helpful article on free book promotions. Thank you for sharing your ideas with this new author looking for a way into the game. Appreciate your insights.

  5. Great article. I like it. Thanks for sharing wonderful advice for those who want traffic to their blog.

  6. Yes, it takes a lot of hard work to write an article and get keywords rank on google but Mrccedtech has registered with HARO, where people mail for their article writing. If provided good quality article they get approved.

  7. It’s a shame more people didn’t have a chance to play Lufia, Lufia II, and Illusion of Gaia. Those RPGs definitely deserve a spot on this list. Especially more than Contra 3. And heck, what’s with Kirby 3 taking a spot on here and not Kirby Super Star? Come onnnn. And why are there no puzzle games on here? Tetris Attack was the best.

  8. Good Thought. I like it. I will do share it with my friends to read it out. Thanks for it man and keep on writing. Thanks.

  9. Thank you for this post! I keep up with your writings a lot because it’s great advice, which is exactly what I need . I will follow this article as i can. Can anyone told me where i get more article like it?

  10. Thank you for the tips. I’m hoping they help with book sales for my new e-book… G’Head, Try It!
    on amazon.

  11. Thank you for this post! I keep up with your writings a lot because it’s great advice, which is exactly what I need as I still haven’t mastered hownto promote. Saving the link in my notes in case I need to go back and re-read.

  12. Good Thought. I like it. I will do share it with my friends to read it out. Thanks for it man and keep on writing. Thanks.

  13. Great article! I comment on blogs but never thought to add comment to other articles on their websites. Adding this to my daily list.

  14. I just got you from twitter. I am new at this and welcome this advice. I uploaded my first collection a few days ago and need all the help and pointers I can get. Thank you.

  15. Another article of huge value for us indie authors. Thanks for clarifying the do follow and no follow aspect I do comment on blogs but had not realised the power of commenting on newspaper articles. This article is going to be saved and studied again closely and yet again I have gained some enormous value from your experience which you so generously share. The reader comments are useful too. Thanks very much Derek.

  16. A thoughtful and useful commentary that has added further fuel to my determination to fight my way through the maze of promotional offers for anyone who has self-published, It’s a minefield out there and despite all the wonderful offers (especially those using Twitter) I find very few positive results (i.e. sales) are achieved. But I’ll keep trying.

  17. This is such wonderful advice for people who want traffic to their blog. I’ve been asked lots of times about how to get people to visit and comment on blogs, and when I ask the person asking the question if they read and leave comments on other blogs, and the answer is ‘No, I don’t have time to do that’ then I know that there lays the problem. Not everyone likes to be told what they are doing wrong, but it is a great free way of getting traffic and more followers.
    Thanks for the excellent advice, Derek. I’m off now to find some local newspaper sites.

  18. I’ve read this article two separate times now and may read it a third just to absorb all of the information. I think one point that was really salient to me was the “dofollow” vs “nofollow. This takeaway is helpful in a much more “grander scheme of things” view than just commenting.
    I think in many cases, people comment because they have some type of initial connection to what they’ve read, so their comment is not necessarily strategic, especially from a SEO standpoint. I like you advice and explanation. Commenting should be genuine and authentic rather than self serving, but it is important to understand the seen and unseen benefits.

  19. Derek, I just wanted to express how helpful your posts and tutorials have been for me as I navigate the self-publishing world. Thank you, Alethea

  20. I hadn’t really thought about commenting as a means of promotion in any concrete sense, because in most cases I hesitate to mention my own stuff, even when I think it’s relevant. But I like the tip to click on a commenter’s name to see if I’m taken to a contact point for that person. That’s a way of making intelligent decisions. I also hadn’t thought about commenting on news articles in this sense. I comment on the NYT regularly, but not in other venues. A new option. Thanks. I’ve benefited from several of your recent posts already, so this will be another one.

  21. Thanks fr another useful article! I’ve been following your posts on Twitter and am hoping that using your advice will help with book sales!

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