LinkedIn is 2024’s most powerful way to grow beyond SEO and reach a wider audience.
According to a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute, 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content and generate leads.
Let’s explore 15 LinkedIn best practices, so you can start using LinkedIn the right way.
My recent personal experience on LinkedIn has convinced me of its power and reach.
I started posting regularly in September 2022. Since then, I’ve expanded my network from around 2,000 connections to over 20,000, attracted hundreds of thousands of impressions, and built a highly engaged follower base that makes me money every month.
Get ready to take your LinkedIn presence to the next level and start generating valuable leads!
There’s a real art to posting on LinkedIn these days. It’s no longer that dreary place full of bland career updates and job postings.
Instead, LinkedIn has become a place where digital creators share their knowledge, wisdom, and vulnerabilities, building powerful personal brands in the process.
Here you can see some examples of the reach and engagement of my top posts.
15 LinkedIn Best Practices (To Build Your Brand & Get Leads)
#1. Post Every Day
Posting on LinkedIn regularly is crucial in maximizing your reach and engagement on the platform.
By posting every day, you’re keeping your profile active and engaging with your followers. This leads to increased visibility and reach.
When you consistently post content, you’re more likely to be seen as a thought leader in your industry, which can lead to more opportunities for networking and collaboration.
What’s more, posting every day allows you to consistently provide value to your followers and build relationships with them, helping you establish credibility and trust.
The algorithm of LinkedIn rewards those who consistently post quality content by displaying their posts to more people. If you want to make the most of your LinkedIn presence, posting every day is a must.
#2. Use Compelling Hooks
Learning how to post on LinkedIn the right way starts with standing out in a sea of content.
That’s why your posts need great hooks to grab your audience’s attention. Without a hook, your post is just another update in the endless stream of content on the platform.
With a strong hook, you’ll make your post pop and get people to stop scrolling. That’s why it’s important to start your post with something interesting or thought-provoking to entice people to read on.
Here are a few hooks that worked well for me:
People really like to see numbers and timelines in the hooks. They also love step by step processes and how to guides. These are the types of hooks that have brought me the most engagement on LinkedIn.
#3. Leverage Post Templates
Stuck for what to say on LinkedIn? You need a template.
Templates are extremely helpful in streamlining your LinkedIn content creation process. They also make sure your posts are consistent and professional.
With templates, you can easily follow a pre-built structure for your posts. That helps you focus on the key elements that make an effective LinkedIn post, such as a hook, a clear message, and a call to action.
Templates also allow you to quickly reuse your most successful post formulas and tailor them to different topics, which can save you time and effort in the long run.
What’s more, using templates helps you maintain a consistent brand voice and tone across your posts, which is important for building your personal brand on the platform.
#4. Always Ask a Closing Question
When it comes to LinkedIn posts, asking a closing question is like putting the cherry on top of a sundae.
Not only does it add a personal touch, but it opens up the floor for discussion and allows your followers to chime in with their thoughts.
Think of questions as a way to encourage some virtual water cooler talk and spark a conversation among your network.
By posing a thought-provoking question, you’re allowing your audience to share their insights, experiences, and perspectives.
And who knows, you may even learn something new or make a valuable connection in the process. So don’t be afraid to get a little creative with your questions and watch the comments roll in.
After all, that’s what social media is all about – fostering connection and community.
#5. Never Include External Links
In most instances, external links are a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog.
But not on LinkedIn. You should avoid using any external links in the text of your posts.
LinkedIn’s algorithm is designed to prioritize native content, i.e. content that’s created and posted directly on the platform.
When you include external links in your posts, you risk sending your followers off the platform. That can hurt the visibility of your post and reduce engagement.
I’ve found that putting even one external link into a LinkedIn post dramatically reduces the post’s reach and engagement. It’s as if the post never gets off the ground at all.
So to maximize your engagement and reach on LinkedIn, it’s best to completely avoid including external links in the text of your posts.
But there’s one way to sneak in an external link – putting it in the comments.
I usually do this via a P.S. in the post, which I use to let people know to check the comments for the link. It’s the best way to share a lead magnet or other sort of external link, without losing your reach.
#6. Break Up Text into Small Chunks
Breaking up the text of your LinkedIn post into smaller chunks of 1 to 2 sentences has several benefits.
First, it makes your content easier to read and digest, especially on a platform where people are often scrolling mindlessly through their feeds.
Short, concise sentences are less overwhelming and allow your audience to quickly understand your message.
Second, using shorter sentences keeps your posts focused and on-topic, as it forces you to be clear and concise in your messaging.
Lastly, using shorter sentences also makes your posts more visually appealing. By breaking up large blocks of text it makes them more inviting to read. No one likes to be confronted by a wall of text.
#7. Share Useful Tips in Your Niche
Sharing useful tips in your niche is the number one way to build your presence on LinkedIn.
Providing value to your audience is key to establishing yourself as an authority and thought leader in your industry.
When you share practical and actionable advice, your connections are more likely to engage with your content and view you as a go-to resource.
In terms of topics to write about, it’s best to focus on areas where you have expertise and experience.
You can offer tips on how to overcome common challenges or share your personal strategies for success.
Sharing case studies or industry news can also be effective. Remember to keep your content concise, informative, and engaging, and include visuals whenever possible to make your posts stand out.
By consistently providing value to your audience, you’ll build a strong presence on LinkedIn and attract new connections and opportunities.
It’s also a great first step for making money on LinkedIn.
#8. Include a Call to Action or a Question
Another thing that’s crucial for driving engagement on LinkedIn is including a call to action or ending your post by asking a question.
When you create content, your goal is to not only provide value to your audience but to encourage them to take action.
Adding a clear CTA or a thought-provoking question helps inspire your audience to engage with your content and start a conversation.
In my experience, posts that include a CTA or a question tend to receive more likes, comments, and shares, which helps to boost your visibility on the platform.
When crafting your next LinkedIn post, remember to either include a clear call to action or ask a question that encourages your audience to engage with your content.
#9. Reply to All Comments
Engaging with your audience is essential when building a presence on LinkedIn.
Replying to as many comments as possible on your LinkedIn post not only shows your expertise and knowledge in your field, but also encourages others to engage with your content.
By answering questions, responding to feedback, and thanking your audience, you can establish yourself as an authority in your industry and build a strong relationship with your followers.
What’s more, engaging with your audience can boost the reach of your post, as LinkedIn’s algorithm favors content with high engagement rates.
I normally stick around for at least an hour after publishing so I can reply to any early comments. Doing this tends to give the post an initial boost.
Make sure to keep an eye on your post and reply to as many comments as possible to reap the benefits of a strong and engaged LinkedIn presence.
#10. Stick to Related Topics
Focusing on related topics within your area of expertise is important for several reasons.
First, it helps you establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and reinforces your personal brand.
When you consistently write about topics related to your field of expertise, you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the industry, which helps you build credibility and trust with your followers.
It’s OK to mix things up from time to time (e.g. posting that beach selfie), but you should aim to write the majority of your posts around your central areas of expertise.
Writing about related topics also allows you to tap into the conversations that are already happening in your industry and contribute your unique perspective.
This helps you connect with other professionals in your network and engage with your followers in a meaningful way.
And finally, by focusing on related topics, you’ll create a powerful narrative for your LinkedIn presence and keep your content aligned with your personal brand and goals.
#11. Optimize Your Profile
Your LinkedIn profile gives visitors a strong first impression about you and your brand – so you need to make sure it’s a good one. First, make sure you’re using LinkedIn in Creator Mode.
Start with a professional-looking (but not stuffy or boring) profile photo that reflects your personality well.
I like this full-face shot of me smiling, with a plain background in a bright red color. (The profile pic background is the same shade of red I use on this website – which keeps everything on-brand).
You can also put a link to your lead magnet on the front page under your bio and location info. This is great for building your email list.
Next is your banner image. This is an excellent piece of LinkedIn real estate which you can get a lot of mileage out of. Don’t let it go to waste!
The best way to use the banner image is to display a summary of what you offer, along with social proof (such as logos from past clients or media outlets), to give a strong impression.
You can create a great banner image using Canva (one of my all-time favorite tools for bloggers).
Next up is the About section. Ignore outdated LinkedIn advice telling you to make this all about your career history and achievements. That’s the old way of doing LinkedIn. It’s boring.
Instead, share insights on what you currently do to help your clients achieve their goals. Ideally, open your About section with a strong hook to draw the reader in.
Then take a look at your Featured section. Here you have a great opportunity to showcase your free lead magnet, your online course, your coaching services, or any other digital product or service you offer.
My featured section (below) currently includes a link to join my free newsletter, a link to my paid consulting service, plus a set of client testimonials displayed as a Canva PDF.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is a prime opportunity to build your brand and showcase your offerings. Many people overlook this opportunity. Don’t be one of them!
#12. Display Your Lead Magnet
Just like with any social platform, it’s important to convert as much LinkedIn traffic as possible into new leads on your email list. Here, you own the leads.
You can sell to them as long as they’re on your list, no matter what LinkedIn does. You won’t lose your audience from any LinkedIn algorithm changes or if (heaven forbid!) they decide to shut down your account.
Building your email list starts with directing traffic to your free lead magnet. Your LinkedIn profile offers several places to get eyes on your lead magnet.
First, you can display it as a link in your bio section, under your profile picture. You can also include it as a link in your featured section, as I’ve done above with my newsletter.
What’s more, you can include a CTA for your lead magnet every time you post (a P.S. section works well for doing this).
Don’t include it as an external link in a post (as this will make LinkedIn kill your reach). Instead, you can link to it in the comment section of the post, or direct readers to your bio to grab the freebie.
#13. Reach Out in the DMs
Using LinkedIn’s direct messages feature is a great way of interacting and building rapport with potential new clients, partners, and people who can help you in all sorts of ways.
But don’t just jump into the DMs and immediately start selling your product or service. That’s known as ‘pitch slapping’ and it’s a massive turnoff for most people on LinkedIn.
Instead, reach out to people of interest with a casual and friendly message asking about what they’re working on (or some other point of interest).
They’ll typically check out your profile anyway, so you won’t need to do the hard sell. Think of LinkedIn as a place to make friends and provide mutual value.
I also recommend scheduling a few Zoom coffee calls each week with people in your LinkedIn network. These are a great way to get to know each other and build good relationships for the future.
#14. Make Use of Carousel & Video Posts
One of the best ways to drive big engagement is by creating LinkedIn carousel posts.
Carousels are PDF documents walking through one of your processes, or sharing some other useful tips with your audience in a visual form.
Not only do carousels look great but they’re easy for your audience to consume. They can also download them and save them for future use. I’ve got a folder on my laptop where I keep the most useful carousels as PDF files.
I normally create carousels in Canva, using the same template for each one. This makes them pretty quick to build out just by slotting in the new text whenever I have a post idea.
Video posts also work well on LinkedIn. I keep these super simple, usually just filming a screen recording of some aspect of SEO/blogging that I want to share with my audience. As you can see, videos get great engagement and shares.
#15. Just Get Started
The last of my LinkedIn best practices is: just get started. A lot of people feel intimidated by the prospect of posting. They fear being ignored, ridiculed, or otherwise rejected.
Know that, if you’re starting from scratch, your first few posts probably won’t attract much engagement. It’s the same for everyone when they’re starting on the platform.
Below is my first post following the “new LinkedIn approach. As you can see, I shared a personal story about struggling during my PhD.
This one attracted a reasonable level of engagement, probably because of the personal nature of the story. Those tend to resonate with people.
But if you don’t get many likes or comments, don’t worry. That will soon change if you keep posting consistently. I aim to post every weekday at 12.30 pm London/Lisbon time.
Actionable Next Steps
Posting on LinkedIn is one of the best ways to grow your personal brand and generate leads for your business. Nevertheless, many people don’t know how to post on LinkedIn properly. I hope these LinkedIn best practices will help you get ahead.
My top tips for standing out on LinkedIn include:
- Posting regularly (every day is great, 3-5 times per week is fine too)
- Using compelling hooks
- Leveraging post templates
- Asking a closing question
- Never including external links in the text of your post
- Breaking up the text of your posts into small chunks.
Don’t forget to create an interesting LinkedIn profile page, and don’t be shy about engaging with new people in the DM’s. By following these tips, you can take your LinkedIn presence to the next level and start generating new leads for your business!
