Fake followers won’t interact with your brand’s social media posts. So, they cause lower engagement, lower rankings in the news feeds, and lower conversions for your brand.

Worse, in a paid Facebook media marketing case study by Veritasium, fake profiles were found to act like a human, in order to avoid getting banned by Facebook.

This meant that these profiles were run by click farms in the developing world. And, they would like every advertisement that appeared in their news feed in an effort to appear legitimate.

Fake social network fans will tarnish your brand, clutter your following, and damage your credibility. So, do the hard work to build a genuine social media presence and prevent yourself from a possible Facebook/Twitter penalty.

1. The Friendly Greeting
2. The Sincere Compliment
3. The Added Value
4. The Parting Promise

The first thing I look for is personalization. This is so easy, all it takes is to just include the name of the author.

Scroll back to the top of the post and find the author’s name. If you are prone to misspellings, copy the name so you can paste it into your comment.

Then say hello. Or hi. Or howdy, if you’re feeling folksy.

It’s a nice confirmation when an author’s work is validated, and they can see the fruit of their labor.

Remember, you’ve chosen to be on this person’s blog, not someone else’s. You’ve chosen to read their post instead of another. You must have a reason to want to connect with them over any of the other million bloggers you could be trying to connect with at that moment.

Chances are, you like them. You value them. You respect them.

So pay them a compliment…

You can focus on the blogger, the post itself, or a combination of the two.

Are you a fan of the blogger’s body of work? Tell them so. Say how much you enjoy their writing.

Even better? Tell them about a specific example where their writing has helped you.

My favorite comments add extra value to a post. Perhaps they add a personal experience, a different perspective or a new question.

Did a particular point in the post hit home for you? Did you find something particularly relatable? Or did the post bring up an area in which you’re struggling?

When you share a personal insight, bloggers can more easily relate to you. You’re no longer just an unfamiliar name making a comment that could have been left by anyone…

If you want the attention of influencers and blog owners, your comment should add to the conversation.

If your comments enhance the overall value of the post, few bloggers will fail to see the benefit of your contribution. Sometimes they’ll even update their post in light of your comment — which is a major validation of your ideas.

When you write a good comment that adds to the discussion, it often has a domino effect. Others will respond to your comment, which will fuel even more comments.

The result is more people reading and discussing the blogger’s work, which means a higher comment count.

I love it when commenters tell me they’ve shared or will share my work. The ideal comment would come from someone who both tells me they’re going to share, and then remembers to tag me when they do.

Without a gravatar, you’re a faceless name in the crowd.

You wouldn’t show up to a first date wearing a disguise, would you? Or wearing a plain paper bag over your head?

So why would you choose an image of Grumpy Cat or Ron Burgundy to represent you in blog comments? Or settle for the faceless silhouette that screams generic nobody?

Instead, let people see the real you.

They will be far more likely to feel a connection with you if they can see your face.

Besides, you know you’re sexy. Show us that smile!

Tip: If your carefully-crafted message is somehow flagged as spammy and held in purgatory (aka comment moderation), a gravatar increases the chances the blog owner will approve your new comment.

First, I wanted to thank you all for your patience. I know it’s been awhile since I posted anything on the book front, and there have been a lot of questions about when my next book will be coming out. The short answer is that I’ve just started writing a new book and while I don’t have a release date yet, I will certainly post that information as soon as it’s available.

The longer answer is that this past year has been interesting–and challenging–for me, both as a writer and a working mom.

On the writing front, in the course of the past twelve months I’ve started and scrapped two books that simply weren’t working for me. This will be my tenth book, which is a milestone, and I think I got too focused on thinking that I wanted to do something bigger, or different, this time around. As a reader of both women’s fiction and thrillers, I started dabbling with ideas in those genres, but both times the book began to feel just . . . not “me.” And as much as I hate scrapping months of work–particularly since I’m a slow writer–at the end of the day, if I’m not feeling the story it’s time to walk away.

But enough about me… let’s talk about this book I’m writing! Third time’s the charm, right? While I’m not saying much about it yet, I can tell you that it’s a romantic comedy/contemporary romance. It’s a fun book, and I’m excited to dive in. And since I know you’ll ask: nope, it’s not an FBI/U.S. Attorney book. But I’m not straying too far from my roots–both the heroine and hero are lawyers. I promise to share more as the book progresses, so stay tuned! And thanks again for your patience and inquiries about my next book! It warms my heart to hear how excited you guys are for what comes next.