"Great post!"
"Thanks for sharing!"
"Well done!"
If you've spent any time on LinkedIn, you've seen these forgettable comments cluttering your feed. They create the illusion of engagement while adding zero value to the conversation.
For agency owners, these generic compliments are a wasted opportunity. Every comment is a chance to demonstrate expertise, build relationships, and position yourself as a thoughtful leader in your space.
I've analyzed hundreds of high-performing complimentary comments from successful agency owners and freelancers. The difference between generic praise and powerful compliments is stark-and it directly impacts your business development results.
Why Generic Compliments Damage Your Professional Reputation
Before diving into what works, let's understand why generic praise actively harms your LinkedIn presence:
It signals low effort
When you leave a "Great post!" comment, you're essentially announcing: "I want credit for engagement without putting in any actual effort." This creates the opposite impression of what agency owners want to project.
It wastes visibility opportunities
Every comment appears in feeds beyond just the post author's. Generic comments squander this visibility by failing to showcase your expertise or perspective.
It fails to start conversations
Thoughtful compliments spark dialogue. Generic praise ends it. Without conversation, there's no relationship building-and no business opportunities.
It blends into the background
With dozens of "Thanks for sharing!" comments on popular posts, yours becomes invisible noise. Your valuable time yields zero return.
The 5-Part Framework for Compliments That Stand Out
After analyzing thousands of LinkedIn comments, I've identified a simple framework for compliments that consistently generate positive responses:
1. Specificity: Name exactly what resonated
The foundation of any effective compliment is specificity. Identify precisely what element of the post you're praising.
Instead of: "Great insights!"
Try: "Your breakdown of the gap between marketing analytics and actual business outcomes is spot-on. Particularly your point about attribution models failing to capture offline conversions."
This demonstrates you actually read and processed the content-immediately differentiating you from 90% of commenters.
2. Connection: Link to broader context
Show your strategic thinking by connecting the post to the bigger picture.
Example: "Love how your approach to client onboarding directly addresses the trust deficit that's become so prominent in agency-client relationships since 2023. This kind of transparency is exactly what the industry needs."
This positions you as someone who thinks broadly about industry challenges-a valuable agency partner.
3. Validation: Share relevant experience
Add credibility to your compliment by briefly sharing supporting evidence from your own experience.
Example: "Your point about project scope creep resonated strongly. We implemented a similar milestone-based approval process last year and saw a 40% reduction in scope discussions. Your framework adds useful guardrails we hadn't considered."
This elevates your comment from mere praise to valuable contribution.
4. Value-Add: Contribute additional insight
Extend the value of the original post by contributing a complementary perspective.
Example: "Really appreciate your comprehensive breakdown of GA4 implementation challenges. One additional obstacle we've encountered with enterprise clients is the cross-domain tracking configuration-particularly when dealing with multiple subdomains and various tech stacks."
This approach positions you as a peer contributing to the conversation rather than just an audience member.
5. Engagement: Include a thoughtful question
Transform your compliment from a dead-end statement to an opening for dialogue.
Example: "Your framework for qualifying agency leads is remarkably clear. I'm curious-have you found that the qualification criteria shift significantly across different industries, or are these fundamentals fairly consistent regardless of sector?"
Questions like this naturally invite response, creating opportunities for relationship building.
Practical Example: Transforming Generic Praise
Let's see this framework in action by transforming a generic compliment into one that generates results:
Original post topic: "5 Ways to Improve Your Agency's Client Reporting"
Generic comment: "Great post! Thanks for sharing these tips!"
Transformed comment using the framework:
"Your point about leading with business outcomes rather than activity metrics is exactly what many agencies miss. We restructured our reporting templates last quarter to put ROI metrics front and center, and it's completely changed our client conversations.
Your suggestion about creating different report views for different stakeholders is brilliant-we've found that technical teams and C-suite executives indeed need vastly different data presentations.
I'm curious-have you found that the frequency of reporting needs to adjust based on these different stakeholder groups as well?"
Notice how this comment:
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Specifically identifies valuable elements
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Validates with relevant experience
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Adds complementary insights
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Opens the door to further conversation
Industry-Specific Compliment Approaches
Different industries respond to different compliment styles. Here's how to tailor your approach:
For Technology/SaaS Content
Highlight technical accuracy and practical implications. Focus on implementation challenges and scalability considerations.
Example: "Really appreciate how your cloud migration framework accounts for legacy system integration-a critical factor many similar guides overlook. Your emphasis on phased implementation aligns perfectly with what we've found successful for enterprise clients."
For Creative/Marketing Content
Emphasize strategic thinking and creative insights. Connect to measurable outcomes and client experience.
Example: "The way you've connected creative direction directly to conversion psychology is refreshing. Too often these are treated as separate disciplines. Your point about consistent visual language across the customer journey particularly resonated-we've seen significant engagement improvements when implementing similar principles."
For Business Strategy Content
Focus on practical applicability and results validation. Position yourself as implementation-focused.
Example: "Your breakdown of the strategy/execution gap is the clearest I've seen. Particularly value your emphasis on creating accountability systems rather than just communication improvements. We've implemented similar feedback loops with our enterprise clients and seen project timeline adherence improve by nearly 30%."
Time-Saving Approaches for Busy Agency Owners
The framework above requires more thought than generic comments-but it doesn't have to consume your day. Here are practical approaches for time-efficient, high-quality compliments:
Use the "One Thing" Method
When truly pressed for time, focus on just one aspect of specificity:
Example: "Your point about client education being proactive rather than reactive is exactly what we've found makes the difference between smooth projects and constant interruptions. Well articulated."
This still provides significantly more value than generic praise while requiring minimal time.
Create Flexible Templates
Develop adaptable frameworks that you can quickly customize:
Template: "Your [specific point] resonates with our experience working with [relevant client type]. We've found that [brief related insight]. Curious about your thoughts on [related question]?"
This structure can be customized in seconds while maintaining the core elements that make compliments effective.
Leverage Technology Intelligently
Tools like LiGo's Chrome extension help you craft thoughtful, contextually relevant compliments that match your professional voice – saving precious time while maintaining authenticity.
The extension analyzes the post content and generates intelligent comment options based on your expertise and communication style. This ensures your compliments always reflect your professional standards, even when you're short on time.
Common Mistakes When Complimenting on LinkedIn
Even with good intentions, these common errors undermine the effectiveness of your compliments:
Excessive flattery
Overly effusive praise ("This is THE most brilliant post I've ever read!") appears insincere and damages credibility.
Compliment + pitch combination
Adding an immediate pitch after a compliment ("Great post! By the way, my agency specializes in...") feels transactional and self-serving.
Backhanded compliments
Comments that praise while subtly criticizing ("Good overview for beginners, though experienced professionals might need more depth") create negative impressions.
Obligatory engagement
Leaving identical compliments across multiple posts suggests you're engaging out of obligation rather than genuine interest.
Measuring the Impact of Your Compliments
How do you know if your complimentary comments are effective? Track these indicators:
Response rate
What percentage of your compliments receive replies from the post author? Aim for at least 25-30% with strategic comments.
Relationship progression
How often do your comment exchanges lead to direct messages, connection requests, or offline conversations? This is the ultimate measure of comment effectiveness.
Profile views
Monitor increases in profile views following your comment activity. Effective compliments should drive profile traffic.
Comment reactions
While secondary to conversations, reaction counts provide a basic measure of how your comments resonate with the broader audience.
Case Study: From Generic Praise to Client Acquisition
Alex, the founder of a 9-person digital strategy agency, transformed his commenting approach using this framework.
Before:
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Left 10-15 generic compliments daily ("Great insights!" "Thanks for sharing!")
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Received minimal engagement
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Generated no meaningful business conversations
After:
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Created 3-5 thoughtful compliments daily using the framework
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Focused on potential clients and industry influencers
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Tracked response rates and relationship progression
Results after 60 days:
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47% response rate from post authors
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12 new meaningful conversations
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3 exploratory calls with potential clients
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1 new client worth $84,000 annually
The key insight: Fewer, higher-quality compliments yielded dramatically better results than numerous generic comments.
Start Transforming Your LinkedIn Compliments Today
Effective compliments aren't complicated, but they do require intentionality. Begin by:
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Identifying 5-10 key accounts whose content you genuinely value
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Applying the 5-part framework to your next compliment
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Tracking responses and refining your approach
Remember that your comments are often more visible than your posts. While everyone focuses on creating content, the real relationships often begin in the comments section.
