Let's talk about LinkedIn’s algorithm. It’s a very different situation from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok because while those other sites have an enormous amount of content at their disposal, LinkedIn really doesn’t. At last count, LinkedIn has 830 million accounts, but only 3 million of those accounts post content—less than half of 1%. So LinkedIn is far less picky about what they show—they are just happy to have content, which is a great opportunity for brands! That being said, there are some kinds of content that do particularly well on the platform.
1. Personal Stories
LinkedIn tried out Stories similar to the ones on Facebook and Instagram, but they discontinued them due to lack of interest. The stories we're talking about here are the old-fashioned kind: just use text and tell a story in your post! It could be something you've learned over the course of your career, an insight a friend or coworker shared with you, or a productivity tip.
You can post on your individual account and share it from the brand account. These types of personal posts are very popular. Despite being a work-related social media platform, LinkedIn is a good place to get personal and connect with others.
2. Carousels (Coming Soon)
We’ll revisit these, because not everyone has them yet, but they are swipable photo slides in a single post. You can learn more about them here, but we think they have a lot of potential.
3. Articles and Polls
LinkedIn has a number of unique formats for posts, including polls and long-form articles. If you have longer blog posts that you can tweak just a little, you can post them on LinkedIn for more exposure.
4. LinkedIn Ads
One of the benefits of running ads on LinkedIn is it is much easier to target people than it is on other platforms. Since the audience is much smaller, CPC, etc., can be more expensive, but theoretically those clicks would be more valuable too.
5. Posts With Hashtags
Try to use three relevant hashtags on your posts. As you start to type a hashtag in your post, LinkedIn will autosuggest related hashtags that are trending or popular, so those are good ones to use.
B2B companies can especially benefit from being active on LinkedIn, but we think B2C companies should participate as well. If you'd like to discuss your LinkedIn strategy, please email stephanie@lmcspotlight.com.