How to avoid spam folders seems to be a popular question in Quora.
As this is where I regularly comment to share my knowledge. It is a good place to comment, as long as you can cope with ridiculous and repetitive questions. So I focus on those which really matter.
Such as how to write a comment that cannot be construed as spam. For example, anything better than 'Nice post!' or something equally worthless.
If you know how to write a good comment, you can be reassured it will easily avoid spam folders. The infographic below explains things more visually.
And here's some code you could paste into your own posts (via the text mode) if you want to share this Infographic with your readers.
1. Read the original post properly
It is important to know what you are commenting about before you write anything. Therefore it is necessary to read the original post carefully to fully understand it. Only then can you focus on writing a comment which is relevant to the subject.
Comments that are irrelevant will not avoid spam folders. If they show no resemblance to the post they refer to, they will be subject to spam moderators.
2. Take time to think carefully about your reply
Having carefully read the post, it's worth spending time thinking about your reply, rather than going in with all guns blazing. This way you will be more likely to produce a considered response that is more worthy of you.
Focus on what value can you add to enhance the post. What can you write which will continue the conversation? How can you make your comment stand out above the others?
3. Write a meaningful comment
Your comment needs to be reasonably substantial to avoid spam folders. Remember to greet the author and acknowledge the subject before writing the main point of the comment. Finish with a summary, saying what you're going to do with the information, or a reference to the bigger picture.
Meaningful comments should be at least three sentences long, and well written. It's worth writing a bit more to guarantee getting it published.
4. Avoid adding links in your comment
Peppering comments with links is what spammers do. Particularly if they are irrelevant to the post's subject. Therefore for some spam blockers, adding any link will either put your comment into moderation, or the spam folder.
However, there may be a valued reason for including a link back to your blog. In this case I provide an alternative solution lower down.
5. Check your spelling and grammar
Spammers don’t care about their comments and just churn them out without any thought. Some even look like they’ve been through Google Translate a few times. You can always notice spam because they are usually gobbledegook.
Therefore it's worth taking time to edit your comment carefully. Does it make sense? Is it reasonably well written? Can it be easily understood?
6. Use an email address connected to a gravatar
When you submit your comment, always use a proper email address. Another factor to avoid spam folders would be to link your email to a gravatar. This should consist of a proper photo of yourself, and not to hide behind a corporation or business.
A gravatar will also be universal throughout the blogosphere, enabling you to be recognised for who you really are. This is important for commenting credibility.
7. Link to a relevant post
Whenever you submit your comment, you have the opportunity to add a URL. Rather than just using your blog's homepage, why not link to a relevant post you've written that is connected to the original post you're commenting on?
This relevance is not only useful to whoever clicks on it, it attracts the attention of the search engines too, and can help towards increasing your blog's Domain Authority.
8. Give your readers a call to action
The acceptable link generated above is behind your name. Therefore to get readers to click on it to read your post, provide a call to action at the end of your comment, such as "click on my name to find out more".
This is a good solution to including links within the comment itself, which can be subject to moderation. A great way to avoid spam folders.
More about how to avoid spam folders
I've written a post about why spammers are such rubbish commenters, and why they fail to get through the moderators. This will give you valuable points to avoid when commenting.
Sometimes competitors may wish to ruin your commenting chances by spamming you. This is a pretty despicable thing to do, so this post shows you what you need to do should it happen to you.
And let me know in the comments below if you have any more suggestions about how to avoid spam folders.
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Hi Alice,
Great tips shared.
Just to get a backlink some use some quick fix ideas like one word comments, but unfortunately that backfire, this they do not know in hurry.
I fully agree with you the first point, read well and write a relevant comment on the subject, that fix everything and get the needed attention of the author as well as other readers.
Of course all other points are equally notable. As you said adding irrelevant links should be avoided.
Thanks Alice for these quick reminders. Well crafted infographic. Keep it up.
All the best.
~ Phil
Thank you Philip, as always! 🙂