It can be frustrating when you post some great content or exciting news on LinkedIn, only to see it fall flat.
There are a few reasons why this will happen, and a few ways you can try to resolve this, but really, it’s all down to testing out what the LinkedIn algorithm is digging.
A bit about the LinkedIn algorithm
The LinkedIn algorithm favours content from pages that users have engaged with previously, those they follow, pages/profiles they do not follow, usually that already get a lot of engagement, that a user’s connection has interacted with.
This means that often, company pages and profiles with a lower number of followers end up getting a lower number of impressions.
Additionally, content that keeps users on the platform is generally rewarded with better visibility.
The result?
- If you don’t have hundreds, or thousands, of connections, it can be difficult to get your posts to show up in the LinkedIn feed of other users
- If the quality of your connections is poor (i.e. you’re not speaking to your target audience), your engagement will be lower as a result
- Different types of posts will be given preferential treatment when it comes to impressions
- Posting frequently is important, as it allows you to test out different topics and content types to determine what your audience is more likely to engage with
So, what can be done to combat this?
General LinkedIn posting tips
- ADD VALUE: When sharing content add your own thoughts or comments – and try to not only share posts from the company you are employed at
- MIX IT UP: Rotate between text posts, images, blogs, videos, polls and documents and test long vs short posts
- BE REAL: Sharing personal (professional) news, opinions and success stories generally perform better than company and industry news posts
- INVEST TIME: Aim for between 10 and 30 posts per month
- GET TAGGING: Increase reach by tagging people and companies in posts, and use relevant hashtags
- FOLLOW UP: If people tag you or comment on your post, take time to respond – note that replying immediately, but then leaving it a while helps to keep boosting engagement
Posts that perform well
- Lists – especially those that share tips/insights
- Posts that open/close with a question
- Posts with strong opinions
- Posts that share personal news/achievements, and thank or celebrate other people
- Posts asking for feedback, opinions, or comments
- Polls
- Carousel posts (multi-slide PDFs)
- Short, non-promotional video content with captions
- Posts that tag companies/profiles
- Posts that utilise relevant hashtags
I’m kinda sad to say that there does seem to be a bit of a formula for success. And more often than not, the posts that do well are ‘inspirational’ garbage where people give themselves a big pat on the back for almost killing themselves with over the top daily schedules that make us all feel inadequate. (But also, get a life, lol.)
There are also a number of different types of content you can publish on LinkedIn:
- Standard text post (no link)
- Standard text post (with link)
- Text post + image (no link)
- Text post + image (with link – image typically pulls through from webpage when the link is added to the post)
- Video post
- Image post
- Poll
- Documents (i.e. slides)
- Articles (LinkedIn native content)
- Shared posts (from company pages/profile posts)
Let’s look at some examples, and why they work well.
The list post
So, this is the type of post I most often see being ‘abused’ in an attempt to game the LinkedIn algorithm, and for the most part, annoyingly, they work.
But, sometimes, this format is used in a way that is actually useful to other people (i.e. not massive humblebrag) – like in this lovely example here.
Why it’s good:
- It provides information of value to his audience
- It uses emoji to help attract your attention
- It opens with a strong statement
- You have to click to read all of the post
- It uses hashtags
- It doesn’t link away from LinkedIn
- It’s non-promotional, while still demonstrating his expertise in the field
The personal achievement post
I’m all for celebrating people’s (genuine) achievements. Especially if they have overcome challenges.
Here’s a nice one.
Why it’s good:
- It’s open and honest – and ends on a positive note.
- It opens with a strong statement
- You have to click to read all of the post
- It uses hashtags
- It doesn’t link away from LinkedIn
Now clearly, the chap who posted this did so to talk about a challenge he has overcome (which is awesome) but if I was doing this to increase reach, I’d have probably tagged the employer in the post thanking them for their support (as well as any staff members who had made me feel welcome) – though this could make it come across as being less genuine.
The video post
While the platform isn’t TikTok, or Facebook, or Instagram, video content generally does pretty well (when you upload the file directly to LinkedIn, anyway). There are plenty of quite dry videos posted to LinkedIn, so don’t be afraid to get creative to stand out from the usual corporate yawn-fests.
Why it’s good:
- The post text is funny
- It’s creative as heck
- It’s a bit daft, but it’s still relevant to what this chap does for a job (Visual Effects Artist)
- It has wide appeal – you don’t have to be in the same industry to enjoy this post
The (ugh) poll
Some people (*cough* bossman Joe Friedlein) are sick to death of LinkedIn Polls dominating their feeds. But guess what? They work! Why? Because who doesn’t love clicking a little button and finding out what other people think?
Why it’s good:
- It has wide appeal
- It’s super simple – 2 possible responses and an easy to understand question
- By only providing 2 options, it encourages people to comment (what about a hybrid model blah blah blah)
- It opens with a strong statement and an opinion – not one that doesn’t shed any light on ‘why’ she hates it
- Comments are by far, one of the best engagement metrics for LinkedIn. Look at the ‘like’ to ‘comment’ ratio on this bad boy
The lovely shiny document post
Any post with a lovely set of documents attached that encourage you to click through the entire deck is going to be great for engagement, as this post demonstrates nicely.
To be honest, this is a pretty outstanding example, but I’ve seen B2B eBooks and reports do alright when supported by a strong opening statement and a great first page image.
Why it’s good:
- It has personality (and a swear word – pretty darn edgy for LinkedIn, eh)?
- It opens with a question, albeit one that is definitely a piss-take, but still makes you want to click ‘see more’
- It talks about personal failures – way more fun than some empty bragging post about how great he is
- Once again, comments are by far, one of the best engagement metrics for LinkedIn. But also, likes and shares are mad on this post, too
- It’s correctly formatted for LinkedIn – text is easily readable and the cover image used is strong
The opinionated post
Not gonna lie, you might want to be a bit careful with this one. I don’t want to harp on about ‘cancel culture’ but I have seen people be permanently banned from LinkedIn by being outspoken (and yet I also see people being openly racist, xenophobic, transphobic, and generally abusive, who still have active profiles on the platform, go figure).
One way of increasing visibility and engagement is to share a post that is important to people in your industry, adding your own views.
Why it’s good:
- Knows her target audience (payments and FinTech people) will find this post interesting
- Adds her take on the announcement, and includes a follow up as to what could happen in the future
- Uses emoji and hashtags to make a bit of a dry topic (sorry financial services people) more eyecatching
- It’s not super controversial, but enough to get people talking and sharing their own views
Go forth and publish
Following all these examples might not reap rewards overnight, but keep at it. Test out different types of content, change up the images and introduction to the post, try different hashtags, give people a shoutout when you can, and most importantly, try and add a personal touch to your posts.
