What works well is to strike a balance between insight and rationality. Be logical, non-emotional, but have something interesting to say.<p>Moreover, personal experience seems to score well, in particular when it underscores your insight into the subject.<p>Take a look at the top comment on several current comment leaders:<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17620543" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17620543</a><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17623104" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17623104</a><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17617825" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17617825</a><p>Don't force it. Comment on topics you have genuine experience, interest or insight into. If you hit the right tone, your comment should naturally do well.<p>PS: With the number of HN users growing year-by-year, it gets easier to score those little dopamine hits...