4 Reasons on Why You Should Write More Comments on Medium

3. The Mere Exposure Effect

Hello fellow writers! As I enter my 4th month on this platform, I always try to find ways to further expose my content. I like the path I’m heading to and people seem to like it too, according to my case study for my third month on Medium.

I’m not writing comments too much, but I figured out that it won’t hurt to stop being shy and tell my opinion on a story I read.

“Time spent arguing is, oddly enough, almost never wasted.” ― Christopher Hitchens

This quote got me into commenting a little bit more lately. I stepped out of my antisocial cave. Telling my point of view can give rise to a great debate.

I’m not talking about comments that are like “Great article, thanks!”. These comments are from people that are eager for a follow back.

But, I wanna express my feelings on a story, when I’m writing a comment. There are so many great stories in here, and I wanna show what they did to me.

And?

Oh, yeah…There are more reasons why you should write a comment on Medium. Let’s take a look at 4 of them below.

1. Medium Comments are Independent Posts

Many of you may fail to notice this, but you can actually write a comment like a story as well.

When you’re about to write a comment, you can treat your response as a story. With tags and all.

But even if you don't do that, your response will have its own URL.

Fun, right?

I didn't pay much attention to this at the beginning. Then, I stumbled across a comment from Ev Williams, the founder of Medium itself.

Go on and give a read at his comment, on that story.

He mentions that because comments are treated as posts they drive attention to the original posts.

Who would guess? Commenting helps not only you but also the author of the story you are writing a comment for!

I never tried making a response to an independent story, but I will surely give it a go and experiment in the next days.

2. You Will Increase Traffic to a Related Story

Last month, Faith Ann wrote one of my favourite stories on Medium. She talked about something really personal. It was related to her toxic family.

I felt related to this as well, as my mother is toxic as well.

So I wrote a comment about it. Personal stories are all about sharing, and learning from.

I saw in my notifications that my response was flourishing. So I saw if my actual story would benefit from this as well.

Some people that clapped my response, wrote a response to my own story too.

How can you take advantage of it too?

Find a story that is trending, or is about to be, and write a thoughtful comment. You can increase your response’s reach in the most optimal way.

I will plan to leave my thoughts on all the great stories I read from now on.

Stories that are recently written have the most chances to help you increase your traffic in the related story you want to promote.

3. The Mere Exposure Effect

When I became a subscriber on Medium, I was all over the place. I was seeing articles on all topics and I used to read most of them.

One name was popping up all the time. That was Tim Denning. I used to look at the name all the time, everywhere.

The mere exposure effect is even stronger when the words or pictures are repeatedly presented subliminally.

And all I was seeing was the name Tim Denning and the logo of The Ascent on the left.

I see this guy everywhere, he must be good! So, I started reading more of Tim, and I was right. He was damn good!

Now, Tim is posting 2–3 stories per day, he is a pro by now.

But I’m not. I’m still learning a lot of things, and this language isn't my native as well.

I’m writing once per day, or once per 2 days.

I need to show my presence in a different, faster way. Comments can help.

If I make you get used to my name, It’s Giorgos by the way, I will make you subconsciously click to my stories more easily.

The mere exposure effect is always there, working in the background, so take advantage of it!

4. You’ll Expand Your Brand’s Reach in More Ways

In the writing journey, you are not alone. There are writing communities and groups to join, but what if you don't have any?

Comments can do the work.

How?

• You can draw the author’s interest. Creating a debate can fire up a great conversation. You might as well create a bond with this person, that can lead to more writing chances and opportunities. All authors are humans!
• You can draw the reader’s interest. I already showed you that you can create traffic to your posts from responses in a related story. But there’s more to that. If you write a comprehensive response to a guide-story, you can show readers that you are an authority in that field. People like to read from people with experience, so show the world that.

Are you ready to explore all the possible ways to make your brand reach the sky?

Final Thoughts

I’m planning to be 21 times better in 2021. Maybe even more.

I always try to find new ways for me to grow. And when I find them, I share them with you. Our journeys are on a parallel road, so why shouldn't we travel together?

Responses are a proven way to boost your traffic and build your brand if used right.

So next time, write a thoughtful one. Make the author become interested in you as a person, and other readers will do so, too.

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