Engaging with content on LinkedIn helps strengthen your virtual presence and position you as an expert. However, without an effective engagement strategy, you miss opportunities to drive visibility and connection. Here are 7 LinkedIn content engagement strategies to get better noticed and spark conversation with the people you want to reach. Following best practices will lead to better returns on the investment of your time and effort than if you engage without a plan.
Frequency: If you originate posts in quick succession, you’ll see diminishing returns. LinkedIn automatically downgrades the reach of your second and third posts of the day. Some studies even indicate that posting 2X or more within 24-hours limits the impression potential of the first post too! So, avoid originating a great post “just to get it out there” a few minutes after your last one; save it for another day.
Scheduling: The actual day and time you post on LinkedIn affects its visibility too. There’s no definitive rule, but many marketers recommend posting between 8-10 AM and early afternoon, Tuesday through Thursday. While posting on nights and weekends is usually discouraged, any engagement is better than none at all, so fit it in where you can.
Audience: To further drive reach, identify when the specific audiences you want to connect with are most active on LinkedIn. Test posts at different times to see what gets the best response.
LinkedIn allows up to 1,300 characters for posts, but anything past the first three lines of text is hidden until readers click “see more.” If you save the best part of your message for the end, you decrease the chances people will see it.
Lead with the strongest part of your post so people want to “see more.” Capture attention with the main point, an intriguing teaser or a clear call to action. If sharing a weblink, put it further down the post (readers will still see the link’s image preview with the shortened post).
Optimal LinkedIn engagement drives conversation that's informative and interesting, highlighting your point of view and/or expertise for the topic at hand.
Clicking ‘Like’ is better than nothing, but it doesn’t offer any insight or real value. Sharing others’ posts is okay in some instances, but it yields the least visibility based on what LinkedIn prioritizes in others’ feeds. Originating posts and commenting have the potential to gain the most impressions as you communicate your perspective.
Diversify what you post as well to help your content stand out:
If you provide a link to an article, be sure you stand by it in full. Don’t let a catchy headline or image draw you in without reviewing the complete article for quality.
When linking to a website, look at the image and page title preview. If you don’t like how they appear, consider finding an alternate source/page to reference. Alternatively, delete the preview image (leaving the post without one) or upload a different image to display instead. Whatever you include, make sure you’re ok associating yourself with it; others may view your share as an endorsement (even if qualified with comment for context).
Hashtags are a great resource to find and share information related to specific topics. They help drive connection and idea exchange among people with a shared interest. Your post will get a boost in visibility in the newsfeeds of those who follow the mentioned hashtags. (Hashtags do not influence visibility this way in comments, however.)
Use hashtags judiciously. In the past, LinkedIn recommended no more than 3 per post (any more could downgrade post visibility); however, more recent research shows you can use 3-5 successfully.
Do some quick research on the hashtags you want to use because slight variations in wording can have drastically different followings. For example, #personalbrand has about 5.5K followers while #personalbranding has 10.5M. Select hashtags that are both relevant and have a strong following among the audiences you want to reach.
Tagging individuals (@name) and companies (@company) in posts and comments draws attention from those you tag. You can even tag people or companies you’re not directly connected to or follow. (Check out tips on how to introduce yourself to new connections here.)
However, check before tagging to make sure others actively engage with content. LinkedIn downgrades post visibility if you tag people who don’t engage back. Plus, tagging 40+ people who were on a networking Zoom looks like spam (and increases the risk that more of the tagged won’t interact with it).
Content engagement is all about timely follow up. After you click “Post,” keep an eye on it for reactions and comments so you can reply soon thereafter (ideally within the first few minutes to keep the conversation going).
While notification alerts/emails are certainly helpful, they’re often delayed. Actively monitor key posts to stay on top of engagement and reciprocate it, especially within the first two hours. Sustained interactions during that window generate valuable momentum: higher impressions and longer lasting visibility. (Learn more about the importance of timely communications habits here.)
While LinkedIn content engagement drives visibility, optimized engagement maximizes the impact of your efforts. When done well, what you post, like, comment on and share can spark new connections, conversations and opportunities.
How, when and what you interact with impacts impressions on first degree connections and beyond. Others will take notice when you regularly interact with interesting, helpful, insightful content. They will start seeing you as a subject matter expert and credible source of information. As the views, reactions and comments on your posts grow, so will your professional visibility, influence and reach. (As your visibility grows, don't forget to make these LinkedIn profile updates too!)
