What type of content works best on LinkedIn?

Knowing what type of content works best on LinkedIn in 2024 can seem like a daunting task you never wanted to master, but in today’s digital world, people meet us online often before offline we have the ability to build trust and awareness with what we post to LinkedIn.

• Did you know that 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions? (According to data from LinkedIn.)
• Content builds trust and positions your expertise. People buy from those they see as an expert. Having a profile isn’t enough, amplify that by posting valued content)

5 expert tips to help you get more visibility, reach and engagement on your LinkedIn posts.

1. Think quality of your post vs quantity of posting. If you feel pressured to post, let that go.
   It is better to post 1-2x per week with content that is well done vs. throwing up posts with no value.
   
2. Who is your post speaking to? Be specific in terms of the ideal client you want to do business with or attract. Laser focus on a post that drives comments and conversations. Random thoughts like a famous quote will not position your expertise, rather craft your post on what people expect to learn from you.
   
3. Focus on impact. What value are you offering to the people you want to attract and does that post have an impact? Are you giving some great tips they could use now to create an impact for the reader.
   
4. Hook them within the first 3 lines of text and align your graphic or video to that text. Get to the point of the post immediately! Your goal is to get people to stop scrolling the feed and read your post. (97% of people will not click the see more…to read your entire text that’s why the hook matters)
   
5. Mix up styles or format of posts. The combination of text and a single image in a post remains the top format of choice. However, the format style you choose can have an impact on how prominently your content shows up on the feed.

Text & a single image style post

• The most effective text length ranges from 900 to 1,200 characters. Posts with short sentences, under 12 words long, perform 20% better. Posts that are too promotional can see up to a 75% decrease in performance, so stop making every post about what you sell!
• Relevant images can boost reach by 15-20%, and even more with a relevant selfie, up to 30%.
• Personalized images, rather than generic stock photos, can significantly increase engagement by 45% and establish stronger authority.
• Photos featuring people can lead to a 20% increase in reach, or up to 60% if the photo includes you, and a 50% boost in engagement.
• Vertical photos are the most effective, especially since 64% of users are on mobile devices, yielding a 15% higher click-through rate than square images.

Document or Carousel Post

I like this style of post because it tells a bigger story. I create this format in Canva using a carousel template then save it as a PDF to upload it into LinkedIn. This style of post maintains a higher reach in the feed, currently 1.6 times more than Text+Image posts,

Specifics to take into consideration when creating this style post according to the algorithm report published by Richard Van der Blom.

1. Aim for approximately 12 slides. Note: Between 5 to 10 slides could lead to a 15% decline in reach.
2. Include 25-50 words per slide.
3. Ensure the post’s guidance is fewer than 500 characters.
4. Design should reflect your brand, use a maximum of three colors, and favor a vertical format.
5. Reserve personal stories for instructional carousels.
6. Combine with other content types for a successful blend.
7. Post in the morning for optimal results.

LinkedIn Polls

Running an occasional poll into the mix of your content is a great way to solicit opinions of those in your network. Regarding reach, polls are top performers, with a 1.99 times increase over the median reach in the feed.

Tips for crafting an effective poll include:

• Ensure your question is broad enough to engage a wide audience, as a larger respondent base typically leads to more reliable results.
• Articulate the context and objectives of your poll within the post text; this approach typically generates at least 35% more engagement.
• Avoid delving into divisive or sensitive topics such as religion, politics, or personal beliefs. Promotional polls are far less effective, often achieving merely 10% of the typical reach and negligible engagement.
• Optimal duration of a poll is 1-week.
• Keep text length below 500 characters.
• Three thoughtfully crafted answer options yield the best results.
• Consider making the last option “Other, see my comment” to encourage engagement in the comments.

Text only post

I’m not a big fan of text only posts especially if you don’t have a big following or much engagement on your posts yet because they tend to get lost in the feed because there is no graphic to attract attention.

Tips for crafting an effective text only post:

• Ideal text length is between 1,800 and 2,100 characters
• Avoid too brief content; posts under 1,000 characters typically see a 25% drop in reach.
• It is critical you craft a compelling hook to draw in the reader and have a strong conclusion/CTA.

Video Posts

For personal profiles, videos rank fourth in reach at 1.21 times the median, while for company pages, they are third at 1.44 times the median.

Tips for creating an effective video:

• Ideal Video Length is 1.20 minutes (in between 1 and 2 minutes)
• Use Vertical format and add a Thumbnail image.
• Focus on the first 8 seconds as 30% will leave if it’s not insightful out of the gate.
• Use Video Content to explain processes, tools or cover events.
• Upload Native Video MP4 files, avoid YouTube or Vimeo links
• Think about a clear and compelling call to action to end your video.

Article and Newsletters

Writing articles are great for evergreen topics focused on your expertise. I suggest this to clients who want to position their though-leadership. It is great for SEO and I think can be repurposed on a website and other social platforms. I do recommend this form of content about once per quarter because of its low reach but you can also link think article into a newsletter.

Tips for crafting good articles:

• Aim for a word count between 800 and 1,200. Exceeding 1,500 words may result in a 10% reach reduction for every additional 150 words.
• Craft a compelling title to hook in the reader to open the article.
• Structuring your article with short paragraphs and clear headlines can lead to a 50% increase in views and 20% more engagement.
• The cover image is also crucial for attracting readers so align image with the topic.
• Articles including videos or summarizing trends and developments tend to outperform others, boosting engagement rates by 30%.
• The average article features 3.2 hyperlinks, 2.1 tags, 4.5 pictures, and 0.3 videos.

Newsletters

The Newsletter is a Creator Tool, exclusively accessible to individuals who have activated Creator Mode. As of Q2 2023, users can now initiate several Newsletters from a single profile, providing them with the opportunity to cover a broader range of topics or cater to varied audiences.

Should Creator Mode be deactivated, your existing content will remain accessible, but you will be unable to publish new articles or newsletters unless you reactivate Creator Mode.

Tips for creating successful newsletters:

• In terms of content strategy, bi-monthly publication yields the best results, while weekly posts are less effective.
• Craft a compelling name for your newsletter so the people know exactly what to expect from your newsletter. Be specific.
• Huge benefit is that all new followers to your profile or company page are automatically invited to subscribe to your newsletter.
• Create a head image for your newsletter that you will use every time you publish so reader recognize your brand.
• Subscribers receive a notification when you have published.
• Mix images, video and quotes into the body of the newsletter.
• Have a strong call to action at the end.

See my newsletter here.

External link pointing readers to another platform

Many people want to point their LinkedIn network to read a blog post, article or take them to a web page but this form of post is the worst performing format and I would not recommend incorporating this into your mix at all or not frequently.

• LinkedIn wants to keep users on their platform so this is why the reach is low
• If you do include it link, consider it only for an event invitation or other type of invitation and make the hook clear you are inviting the person to sign up for something.
• It is possible to add a link to your comments directing people to click the link for some action and lastly you could go back and edit your post adding a link after it’s already published with possibly extending the reach of the post.

Data based on a yearly algorithm report provided by industry expert Richard Van der Blom.

Conclusion

Posting on LinkedIn should be strategic and not random if you want results. Consistency will keep you top of mind with your network, so by posting 2-3 times per week is more than most user do. The LinkedIn algorithm rewards activity and thus more people will see your content. With that said your goal is to get people to comment on your posts. This type of engagement is what leads to more brand visibility, allows you to engage with people interested in what you have to say and to position your expertise.

To learn more about our content marketing programs designed to help you with a content strategy and execution driving more visibility, engagement and revenue. Email me: joanne@linkedinforbusiness.net