LinkedIn is the number one channel to distribute content, drive traffic, generate leads and build your thought leadership. For novice LinkedIn users it can be a struggle to know where to begin when it comes to sharing content. So, here are a few best practices for posting on LinkedIn.
This is why we’ve comprised a list of the best practices for posting on LinkedIn
Content matters
It’s crucial to share quality content that will offer its readers a new perspective and insight into your own knowledge, expertise and observations. An easy way to see which content is resonating with your audience is by utilising your analytics tool.
You can create a post and share updates using the share box at the top of the LinkedIn homepage. The character limit for a post is 3000 characters and it helps to post topical and trending content that can spark conversation.
Share consistently
Consistent sharing is key to ensuring you build strong and meaningful relationships with your audience.
Start or join a conversation
Sharing your viewpoints and asking questions is another great way to engage with your connected audience. This can be done through replying to comments, liking and sharing to drive conversations.
@Mention
@Mentioning people in your posts invite them to join and participate in your conversation. Helping your post gets shared and viewed by a wider network.
Use relevant #hashtags
Hashtags are another great way to ensure your content is more discoverable and searchable, by using industry-relevant hashtags that indicate what your post is about.
Include a photo or video
Media-rich posts, that include GIFs, images or videos can instantly bring your content to life and draw the reader in.
What is appropriate to post on LinkedIn?
When it comes to social media platforms and best practices for posting LinkedIn content it’s important to be aware of what works and what would be deemed inappropriate. You need to find the happy medium and provide posts your audience will find insightful.
When selecting the content choose something that’s relevant. Something that feels topical for the reader is always a great idea for a LinkedIn post. Sharing new blog posts, stories from industry journals or other things that you find that fit the moment.
LinkedIn posts that are between 1,900 and 2,000 words in length generally perform best. They gain the greatest number of views, likes, comments, and shares. It’s also beneficial to post how-to and list-style as this receives the most attention.
How often should I post?
LinkedIn recommends that you share on average 20 posts per month, which equates to about once per business day. It can be hard to strike a balance between posting too seldom and bombarding your audience with content. But, it’s crucial you do.
The most important thing to bear in mind with LinkedIn isn’t how often you’re posting but instead, the type of content that you’re sharing.
You need to remember that LinkedIn is a professional networking site. It’s used for sharing business announcements, industry news, job opportunities etc and its predominantly free tools should be utilised. The real best practice for posting on LinkedIn is leveraging all of these.
Call-To-Action
Posts that look more like statements than posts won’t be as successful as content that generates conversations in your comments. This is why controversial topics work well on social media, as the comment section explodes with opinions for and against them. This doesn’t mean you have to become a political analyst. It just means you need to inspire people to give their opinions and objections. Even prompting them to comment on their favourite tools, places to eat or quotes will help your post more than leaving the ending blank.
What to do after you’ve posted
After you’ve posted on LinkedIn don’t just sit and watch the views. Share the post on other channels, engage with any comments that come in and make sure you learn from each post. If your audience engages more with one type of post than the other, find out why. Can you make similar content? Is the message different and more on target than before? Did you include any other type of media that you haven’t before?
After you start posting and keep posting you’ll be able to review, refine and get better at gauging how the audience you’re creating feels about certain topics. If you’re posting on LinkedIn for business, just make sure you’re not chasing views and likes. Instead, focus on creating conversations.
