Hi Darren,

Honesty is the only policy, if you plan to really prosper. Be honest. This builds trust. More trust = more readers = more comments, too. Readers comment if they feel compelled to comment, if they feel it’s worth their time. Being honest and truthful in your blogging activities causes folks to believe that yep, your blog is worth the time.

Keen note too: all your top commenting posts include numbers, save one. Stating honest claims resonates strongly with readers. Numbers pull us in and an honest breakdown of how you achieved these goals and how it can help us makes readers want to chime in.

As for Jon’s post, brutal honesty does quite well too. One thing to tell the truth, another thing to lay it all out there, and the dude does it each time he writes. Really well. The vibe resonates with most folks, especially straight shooters, and on a deeper level just about all are straight shooters.

Pitching to your reader’s level is the only way to pitch. Otherwise, they ignore the post all together, or they never comment on it. I keep things uber simple to relate to all who might be reading. We forget at times that people of all experience levels are reading our blogs, even if we target a certain audience. Different folks show up, and to connect with these individuals and encourage commenting, keep it level, and simple. Readers appreciate this and will be happy to share their insight in the comments section.

Add value, become valuable. The pros harp on it for good reason: it rarely goes unappreciated. We seek value, know-how, insight. If a blogger never holds back in the value-adding departing their site holds a special place in our hearts.

Thanks for sharing Darren!

Ryan