How To NOT Post On LinkedIn

You might think LinkedIn is another run-of-the-mill social media platform just like all the others. I hate to break it to you, but it’s not. LinkedIn sticks out like a sore thumb when it comes to social networking. Why? Because instead of the typical connect-engage-expand social media networking goal, LinkedIn transforms your life’s career goal into one that would break barriers worldwide. Overall, LinkedIn is the best professional networking platform there is. And it’s vital to know how to post on LinkedIn for more engagement and far-reaching connections.

When to Post on LinkedIn

Let’s get one thing straight before we give you some tips on how to post on LinkedIn. 

LinkedIn might be similar to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter when it comes to the concept of “networking.” However, the platform is geared towards connections within the B2B, B2C, C2B, or C2C sector. 

Here are the common types of professionals that leverage LinkedIn to reach their goals:

• Recruiters
• Job seekers
• Salespeople
• Business owners
• Motivational speakers
• Startups

With over 645 million users on the platform, it’s crucial to know when to post on LinkedIn to get your content seen.

Firstly, you have to be mindful of the time. On average, companies and professionals find engagement and reach success when posting between 10 AM and 12 PM. 

Secondly, since more than half of LinkedIn users only stay on the platform for approximately two hours weekly, you have to create attention-grabbing posts. Or else, you lose the chance of connecting with people valuable to you or your business. 

Without further ado, here are the best ways on how to not post on LinkedIn and some tips to make your content more LinkedIn-friendly.

5 Tips on How to NOT Post on LinkedIn

1. Not giving your posts an edge

What makes LinkedIn different from all the other social media networking platforms is that it’s not very visual. Like Twitter, LinkedIn mostly relies on text-based posts. 

And this is what makes it tricky. That’s because not a lot of people have the time in the world to read content, especially those that are commonplace. And this is the reason why people’s posts fail on LinkedIn.

Sure, the typical listicles are all the rage these days. However, if 600 million LinkedIn users are doing it, then why go with the current when you can go against it? 

Pro Tip:

Always give your LinkedIn posts an edge. Try not to group yourself in the humdrum of social media content. Be creative and test the waters. 

This post from Eli Hochberg is brilliant and creative at the same time. It might be an ordinary “birthday” post, but it was the way he crafted it that garnered over 400 comments! 

2. Posting long, dull videos

If there’s one thing LinkedIn is not, it’s not an avenue where people invest their time on long and dull videos. While YouTube can be the best platform for this, LinkedIn has a relatively low user usage rate. 

Most of these professionals might not have time to watch even a 3-minute video unless it’s incredibly captivating. And people sometimes forget that the LinkedIn audience is different from Facebook and Instagram’s where watching live and IGTV videos are the norm. 

Pro Tip:

Keep your videos short, sweet, and entertaining. Capture the audience’s attention in the first few seconds of the video. Better yet, create the first pitch in attention-grabbing captions.

Allen Gannett’s #AllenAsks videos are less than a minute in length. And in his captions, he usually posts single-liner questions that encompass the gist of the video. This is a typical “hooking” technique that’ll get users to click and watch your videos.

The videos are captured on his mobile phone too, which makes them more casual and fun. 

3. Not exerting effort to engage

If you think you can log onto LinkedIn, post something incredible, then leave — think again. If you’ve already figured out how to post on LinkedIn, next comes the easy but time-consuming part: Engaging with commenters.

One thing that LinkedIn figures are doing wrong is not engaging with their audience. A simple reply to comments will make users feel valued. This will also bring your brand in the best light possible.

Pro Tip:

Although it takes time to reply to each comment, make sure to respond to some of them nonetheless. 

This LinkedIn post from Lila Smith is a perfect example of genuine engagement. Check out how she replied to most of the comments. 

4. Reposting others’ content all the time

If you’re striving for LinkedIn recognition, copying, and pasting others’ content is not how you want to post on LinkedIn. 

More often than not, these posts are ignored 80 percent of the time. A lot of business people are doing this on LinkedIn thinking they can get away with using a famous LinkedIn influencer’s post to attract more audiences. 

However, this will spell ‘flop’ right from the start.

Pro Tip:

There is a feature on LinkedIn called “Write an Article.” Use that to your advantage by sharing compelling stories of success or failure. 

This “I asked for a payrise” post from Chris Williams earned him over 1,700 comments! 

5. Forgetting to give value to users

Most people turn to LinkedIn to expand their business network or learn a thing or two from the top industry players. 

Unfortunately, people forget the main ingredient for LinkedIn posts: VALUE. Instead, they create content which other people can find on another platform or content that doesn’t help them one way or another. 

Pro Tip:

Depending on your niche, create value that you think your audience will love. John Espirian is a copywriter and a self-acclaimed LinkedIn nerd who loves to write tips to boost LinkedIn accounts. 

He hashtags these posts as the #LinkedInLearnerLounge. Plus, he has a way of integrating icons that also catch users’ attention. 

The post was so good that someone copied it without proper credits and he filed a copyright infringement against the user.

Wrap Up

Knowing how to post on LinkedIn does have its advantages, especially for brands that are looking to gain exposure. Whether you’re a job seeker or startup entrepreneur, you could be seeing a bump in LinkedIn engagement with the right content. Take heed of these tips and see progress faster than you’ve anticipated.