LinkedIn boasts a community of 810m people but it can feel like nobody is there when posting content that falls flat. Nothing is worse than taking time out of your busy week to diligently craft a post only for next to nobody to read it. Writing is all about putting yourself out there and, when this happens, it’s hard to not feel a personal disappointment to that.
There is never a guarantee that a particular post will outperform others. This is especially true of LinkedIn where the ever-elusive “editors pick” follow no strict criteria. Luckily, there are steps creators can take to increase the chances of success.
That will be the focus of this article: writing engaging content that your connections will love to read.
Remember Your Audience
LinkedIn offers a unique approach to social media. When writing content, it is a good idea to remember the audience that you are writing it for. Bearing in mind that the posting will be for LinkedIn, the composition of the audience is largely professionals. Unlike other platforms, these are professionals that have an interest in professional content.
Other platforms contain professionals but it usually catches them while they’re relaxing. while you might generate some views for a post about your dog on other websites, it doesn’t belong here. The LinkedIn demographic has a tremendous amount of value given this fact. As such, and warrants unique, professionally-focused content.
That isn’t to say that you cannot cross-post your content on to LinkedIn though. If you are doing so, it is wise to make edits so that it speaks directly to this audience. Not to mention that cross-posting exact copies can harm visibility in terms of SEO.
Watch your Words
The syntax that you chose can lift up or tear down your content. With LinkedIn articles, content doubles as lead generation. Through this, wording takes on additional importance as attention is directly tied to revenue. Due to the common professionality of LinkedIn, there is an overuse of certain buzzwords. If the goal is to stand out from the rest, excluding these is a must.
Examples of these include:
- Skilled
- Specialized
- Strategic
- Expert
- Motivated
The words on that list are constantly thrown around on the platform and have become overused. Stand out better by resisting them and moving forward.
Write Concise Sentences
Complexity fights communication. When writing LinkedIn Posts the goal is to keep each sentence to a single idea. Shorter sentences increase the readability of your article. Through this, they may hold the interest of your reader better.
This practice is easy when conveying simple information but it’s essential for complex thoughts as well. Compelling content works through this mechanism of breaking up hard-to-digest information. By translating it into short, easy-to-read sentences, it becomes available to a wider audience.
Make your Content Easy to Read
While there are plenty of genres of writing where density is a pro, this is not one of them. LinkedIn content needs to be easy to read as you race against the attention span of your reader. If someone finds themselves having to re-read a portion of your article, they’re more likely to close it out instead.
A few tips for this include:
- Leverage bullet points to help main points stand out
- Bold or underline key takeaways
- Use H2 and H3 headers to separate text into sections
- Use short paragraphs, 2-4 sentences
This extends to spelling and grammatical errors as well. Keeping your content clean and manageable should be a top priority for all.
Stay Consistent
It is not possible to develop a consistent base of readers without a constant stream of things to read. Keeping on top of posting as frequently as possible is the best way to succeed. Each piece of content that you put out is a portal for potential connections.
The more persistent your posting is, the more connections you can form. More than that, your content is your mouthpiece. It allows you to demonstrate your message and the depth of knowledge you hold. Regular posting enables you to reinforce that message.
It is not only important to post regularly but it should be your goal as an authority in your industry. Many take immense pride in their ability to cover the topics most important to their colleagues.
Incorporate your Passions
Writing feels different when the wind of passion is at your back. Typing feels inspired when your brain connects with your heart and you get to truly face a thought through your content. While this brings about some of the best writing, it would be foolish to think that every article can bring about this emotion.
That said, when these passionate topics reveal themselves, chase them! Professional passions create some of the most compelling content on LinkedIn. That said, when following your passions, don’t forget to still keep things aimed at a LinkedIn Crowd!
Be Conversational
The best way to bring about engagement in your post is to make it conversational. Try ending with a question or encouraging more thoughts in the comments section. The best engagements are conversational. Somebody liking your content is fine but a comment or a share invites so much more.
A comment opens the door for others to do the same and sharing offers your content to audiences beyond your circle of influence. It stands to reason that, if the goal is inviting more people to engage, inviting them to do so will help in that goal.
After starting this conversation, participate in it! You should be in the comments section as well, replying to everyone who comes through. In instances of longer conversations, it may even be a good idea to send a direct message thanking them for their thoughts after.
Occasionally using the LinkedIn Polls feature can be a good idea as well. One great thing about polls is that they allow you to collect this personal data directly from your followers. That said, if you are using polls, make sure to follow some best practices or it could wind up hurting you!
Share your Post
Obviously, there is no reason to not share all your articles on your LinkedIn feed. Your connections are the most likely to read your content and early engagement is crucial to getting picked up.
It’s also very beneficial to post articles on your other social media outlets, newsletters, websites, and beyond. The main way that this helps is by getting your article in front of more people. The more people that see it, the more people are likely to click on it.
Sharing your articles in a variety of places helps to increase your visibility through the number of links pointing back at your article.
Need Some Help?
LinkedIn is the most trusted social media network, solidifying its importance. Navigating the complex world of LinkedIn can be difficult. Thankfully, companies like Beep2B can step in and assist with the heavy work!
Allow us to help grow your network, acquire new leads, and grow the relationships you currently have on LinkedIn. Our proven methods allow us to help build your connections, increase their engagement, and promote your business to a network of professionals. The work that we offer can save an average of two 2 every day for business owners.
Let us show you how we can help. Contact us today to book a consultation with one of our dedicated professionals. We look forward to helping you get the most out of your LinkedIn!
