How to get free LinkedIn comments that say something

To get free LinkedIn comments that help a post, you need comments with substance: a "nice" or an automated reply that ignores the post's context counts for nothing, while a specific comment counts for more than a like. The effect is strongest when the comment comes with a long read, a save and a like from the same person, and the rule applies both to comments you leave on other posts and to the ones you collect on your own.

Why does a specific comment count for more than a like?

A comment beats a like only when it holds a thought about that particular post. "Nice", "ok" and "great post" carry no meaning, so LinkedIn has nothing to work with. Automated comments that don't understand the post's context or mood are just as empty.

What makes one comment count and another not?

• Substance. The comment adds an idea, an experience or a question that belongs to this post. That's the test: a comment that would fit under any post counts for nothing.
• Length. As a working guideline, an on-topic comment longer than about six words carries real weight. Six words is roughly the minimum for a complete thought.
• Fit. The comment matches the post's topic and tone. A cheerful template under a post about a layoff looks like noise to everyone who reads it.
• Payoff. A strong comment brings you impressions, new followers and likes on the comment itself. Generic ones bring nothing, no matter how many you leave.

Ten comments with something to say do more than a hundred that say "nice". Write fewer, and make every one specific.

Try this now: before you send a comment, ask whether it would make sense under a different post. If it would, rewrite it. Our comment course takes you through this step by step.

How do you write a LinkedIn comment that carries weight?

Comments that work share one structure: a reference to something in the post, one thing you add, and a clean ending. Once you know the three parts, writing one takes less than a minute.

The three parts, in order

• A detail from the post. Quote a number, a step or a line the author wrote. It shows you read the post and tells other readers what you're responding to.
• Your addition. A short experience, a counterexample or a sharper way to say the idea. This part does the heavy lifting.
• An ending that invites a reply. A question or a clear opinion gives the author and other readers something to respond to.

Compare two comments on a post about cold outreach:

• Weak: "Great post, thanks for sharing."
• Strong: "Changing the first line instead of the offer matches what we saw: reply rate went up after we cut our openers to one sentence. Did you test a question as the opener?"

The second one runs past six words, could only belong under this post, and gives the author a reason to reply. If you're stuck for a first version, the LinkedIn comment generator gives you a draft. Rewrite it in your own words, though: a comment that sounds like everyone else's counts like everyone else's.

Try this now: write your next comment with all three parts, then read it once through the author's eyes.

How do comments on big posts bring you followers?

Commenting on other people's popular posts is the quickest free way to reach people who haven't heard of you. While you have fewer than 10,000 followers, replies in the comment threads of large posts do more for you than almost anything else.

Why does this work for a small account?

• Your comment travels with the post. LinkedIn shows a strong comment along with the post in the feed, so the author's audience sees your name next to theirs.
• Good comments move up. A comment that collects likes is shown above the rest, which brings it even more impressions.
• The audience is big. Posts that are already spreading reach tens or hundreds of thousands of people, and a strong comment under one gets a slice of that.
• Readers follow good commenters. People who like your comment open your profile, and a clear photo and headline turn that visit into a follow or a connection request.

It works from a company page too: you can comment, like and reply as the page in the same way, which helps when you're building a page instead of a personal profile.

Try this now: find three posts on your topic that are already picking up, and leave one real comment under each today. Before you send people to your profile, check how your own posts look in the feed with the LinkedIn post preview.

How do you get more comments on your own LinkedIn posts for free?

Free comments on your own posts come from four habits: a question at the end, your own circle, the first hour, and a reply to everyone who comments. None of them costs money, only some of your time. Our guide on how to get more comments on LinkedIn goes further into each one.

One habit for each stage of a post

• A closing question. End the post with one specific question a reader can answer in a sentence. "What would you cut first?" gets answers; "Thoughts?" gets silence.
• Strong first two lines. People expand a post when the opening makes them want the rest, and a post that gets opened gets read and answered. The LinkedIn hook generator helps you test different openings.
• Your circle in the first hour. Ask colleagues, friends and anyone else you can reach to comment, like and save in the hour after you publish. Ask them for a comment with a thought in it, since a one-word reply from a friend counts as little as an automated one. Publish while your audience is online; the best time to post on LinkedIn tool shows you when that is.
• A reply to every comment. Each reply keeps the thread going and gives the commenter a reason to come back. Reply with a thought; a bare "thanks" adds nothing.

The post itself has to deserve reading. If people don't open it, no amount of asking will help.

Try this now: on your next post, write the closing question before the body, and message five people before you publish.

Are comment exchanges and pods a fair way to get comments?

Yes, as long as you give as well as receive. Exchanges and pods run on a simple deal: members comment on each other's posts, so you collect comments by writing them. They cost nothing and help most when your own circle is still too small to fill the first hour.

What decides whether an exchange or pod helps?

• Active members with real profiles. Members have complete profiles and post about topics close to yours. Comments from people in your field are the ones that make sense under your posts.
• Comments with substance. The usual rule applies: a pod full of "nice" achieves nothing, while a pod of specific comments has the same effect as any other specific comments.
• Giving as much as you take. You comment on other members' posts and they comment on yours. That's what it costs you, and it's a fair deal.
• Any kind of content. Pods and exchanges work for personal profiles, company pages and every post format.

A warning about tools that comment for you automatically or trade comments in the background: they ask for your LinkedIn cookie, which puts your account at risk. Don't hand it over.

You'll find ready-made formats on our comment exchange and comment pod pages, and the get free LinkedIn comments page shows the quickest way to start.

Try this now: join one exchange or pod in your niche and commit to writing three real comments a week before you ask for any.

Why do comments work best together with a long read, a save and a like?

One comment helps. Several signals from the same reader help much more: when someone opens your post, spends real time on it, saves it, likes it and comments, LinkedIn gets a much clearer sign that the post is worth showing to more people.

What makes up the combined signal?

• A long read. Time spent on the post tells LinkedIn people really read it. A strong opening and a post worth finishing produce it.
• A comment with substance. This is the part you can influence most, with a closing question and a post that invites an opinion.
• A like. The lightest signal, but still part of the set.
• A save. Readers save material they'll want again. Our guide to free LinkedIn saves covers this.
• A share. A repost puts the post in front of a new group of people and adds to the same effect.

So aim for one reader doing several of these things in a single visit, instead of a heap of comments. A post written to be read to the end and answered gets there far more often than one written for quick likes.

Try this now: before each post, decide what you want readers to do after reading: answer a question, save a checklist, or both. Then ask for that one thing.

How does LinkedInLikes help you get comments?

LinkedInLikes is a free community where LinkedIn members support each other's posts. Comments come from members acting by hand from their own accounts, written in their own words, so they read like comments from colleagues. That's the kind of activity a post needs in its first hour.

How does it work?

• You create a task. Paste the link to your post, choose comments, set the points per comment and how many you want.
• Members write the comments themselves. You can't dictate the text or the tone, so each comment responds to what your post actually says.
• You get points by helping others. Each confirmed action you do on another member's post earns the points its owner set, up to 600 points a day. New accounts start with 100 starter points after confirming their email.
• You can report problems. If someone confirms a comment they didn't leave, you can report it within 72 hours: the points are taken back and repeat offenders are suspended. We remove accounts we detect as fake or automated.

We never ask for your LinkedIn password, cookie or a browser extension; you only share a public link. Use LinkedInLikes alongside your own circle: colleagues bring familiarity, and members bring comments from people outside your network.

Try this now: publish your next post and add it as a task while it's still fresh. Get free LinkedIn comments on LinkedInLikes.

How do you measure whether comments are working?

A raw comment count tells you little, since a post with twelve "nice" comments is weaker than one with four real conversations. Look at what the comments led to.

Four numbers per post, checked in the same week

• Comment depth. How many comments run longer than a line, and how many have a reply under them. Rising depth shows the discussion is real.
• Impressions. Compare each post with the median of your recent posts in the same format. A post above your median is working.
• Profile visits and new followers. If your comments on other people's posts are doing their job, visits and follows go up in the days after you comment.
• Likes on your comments. Likes on a comment you wrote are the clearest sign that other people found it worth reading.

Judge posts at the same age, such as seven days after publishing, so a newer post isn't compared with an older one.

Try this now: put these four numbers for your last five posts in one sheet, and repeat the check every week.

Grow on LinkedIn

• LinkedIn growth course
• How LinkedIn pods work
• Swapping likes and comments on LinkedIn
• Connect for connect on LinkedIn
• Like for like on LinkedIn works when you give first and share early
• Free LinkedIn growth tools

Next step: sign up for LinkedInLikes, confirm your email, and spend part of your 100 starter points on comments for your next post.