While others hack LinkedIn, I chose to write differently
Write to add genuine value, not to chase metrics.
The most impactful strategies for LinkedIn growth are selfish and don't actually reward good content. Here's what I do instead.
UnfilteredFriday time. Let's talk LinkedIn today.
Social growth at all cost
I've written often about how pods let us game LinkedIn using automated likes and comments, so I shall not belabour the point today.
There are other methods that work really well, too, but which don't benefit readers.
- AI-powered commenting: It makes sense that LinkedIn rewards engagements. Churn out 100 comments a day with AI and watch impressions soar. But what's the value of another bland summary with zero insight?
- Reuse the same post: Since LinkedIn only shows your post to a fraction of connections, why not just reuse them using AI? The result? A never-ending scroll of the same recycled thoughts.
- Plagiarising: Creating content is tough, so why not just copy from trending posts out there? Take either the entire post or use large swathes with a new line or two. Then pretend everything is yours.
To be clear, I don't see my circle of friends doing the above. But it's out there, giving those who care less about quality content outsized metrics.
A better way
I think we should respect the time of readers. That's why I ignore impressions and focus on quality content that adds value.
Here are the 3 principles that guide my content here.
- Write unique content
When I started writing daily two years ago, I decided I'd only share stuff that can't be found elsewhere. For every post, I add in my:
- Insights.
- Opinions.
- Learnings.
And it's written in my voice - which means you'll look weird trying to pass it off as your own.
- Link to older posts
Since every post is unique, it made sense to link to them when relevant. I know it works because I still get the occasional "likes" to posts from months and months ago.
And oh, I've also put all my posts on a standalone blog you can easily reference at www.techstories.co. Check it out if you've not done so.
- Attribute, not plagiarise
I'm only human and don't know everything. But when I rely on insights from other sources, I make it a point to attribute it to them. This includes every photo that I use, going back two years now.
Keep going
What keeps me going isn't impressions (I stopped looking years ago) or even engagements.
It's those DMs from professionals who are experts in their various fields. Or the rich comments that they make the effort to leave. That's the ultimate validation to me.
What about you? What keeps you going?