Welcome to Lesson 9 of the FILT Pod Institute – Stage 1! You’re at one of your very last lessons before you will have completed Stage 1. You’re doing great and your time spent here will not go to waste. Now, in this lesson, we’re going to talk about starting a conversation thread in LinkedIn comments.
When someone leaves an insightful comment on your post – much like what we discussed in a previous lesson – then you have one of two choices. You could not reply and the conversation will end there, or you could reply and potentially continue the conversation.
What’s a good reason to continue the conversation?
By continuing the conversation, you’re improving your authority by discussing relevant topics in a public space. Anyone who visits your post and scrolls through the comments will be able to see and even join the discussion you’ve created. As long as you remain respectful and intelligent, your reputation will only grow.
This is especially significant when responding to comments made by non-pod members, including 2nd and 3rd level connections. You’ll be able to begin building rapport with non-pod members by engaging with them through your own posts’ comments.
This will also provide non-pod members a good reason to connect with you or start a private conversation with LinkedIn’s messaging. Who knows? This may also lead to a potential phone call or Zoom meeting.
Other than that, you’re also adding more comments to your post! Your response will be counted as a comment and so will the following responses from others who join the conversation. This means your post will be more likely to reach more people, much like with FILT Pod.
Tips from our top members: By responding to all of the comments left on your post, you can easily and quickly double the view count of your post while doubling the number of comments.
Your audience will not only be impressed by your greater number of comments, but they’ll also be impressed that you’ve taken the time to read and engage with your audience.
That’s why you’ll see your fellow pod members responding to the comments you leave on their posts!
How to continue the conversation
Continuing the conversation is very similar to leaving a comment in the previous lesson. Respond to the comments on your post with something insightful, that will urge the commenter to return and keep talking.
Responding with ‘Thanks!’ is fine, especially if their comment is short and simple, but you have the chance to do a little more. Here are some of our suggestions to get the ball rolling!
- Agree with them + reason for agreeing
- Disagree with them + reason for disagreeing (Stay polite, but don’t be afraid to start a discussion! We’re all professionals here.)
- Ask them a question
- What do you think?
- Do you have experience with this?
The commenter will not always return to talk with you for multiple reasons. To increase the chances of them coming back, use one of the suggestions above to keep their interest, or come up with one of your own! You can also tag the commenter in question to ensure they receive a LinkedIn notification – if they have them turned on! – when you respond.