Let’s face it – most LinkedIn content is about as exciting as watching paint dry in slow motion. The platform has become a wasteland of humble brags, corporate jargon, and those insufferable “I’m pleased to announce” posts that make you want to throw your phone across the room.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s actually a science to creating LinkedIn content that people genuinely want to consume instead of scrolling past faster than their thumb physically allows.
The secret? Stop treating LinkedIn like a resume broadcasting service and start treating it like a value distribution network.
I recently analyzed 100 top-performing LinkedIn posts, and a clear pattern emerged. The posts that generated massive engagement weren’t about the poster’s achievements – they were about providing unexpected insights that made the audience feel smarter after reading them.
Take my client Jamie, a financial consultant whose posts were getting crickets. Her content was technically solid – thoughtful finance tips wrapped in professional language. We completely flipped her approach. Instead of “Five Tax Strategies for Q4,” she posted “The Tax Loophole My Millionaire Client Used That Made His Accountant Panic.” Same information, totally different framing. The result? Over 40,000 views instead of her usual 200.
Here’s a simple framework that works surprisingly well:
- Hook with contrast or curiosity (“I told my biggest client no last week. They doubled my contract.”)
- Deliver value through story, not abstract advice
- Create “hey, that’s me!” moments where readers see themselves
- End with a question that’s easy and appealing to answer
Another counterintuitive finding: specificity crushes generality. “How I Generated 372 Qualified Leads from a 17-Word Email” will outperform “Tips for Effective Email Marketing” every time.
And please, for the love of professional networking, include some personality! LinkedIn is still social media. Would you rather chat with the person sharing war stories from the marketing trenches, or the one reciting their LinkedIn profile at you like it’s a bedtime story?
Remember: your LinkedIn audience doesn’t care about your content. They care about themselves. Your content is just a vehicle that either helps them feel smarter, look better to their network, or solve a problem. Package your expertise in any of those wrappers, and suddenly you’re not just another corporate drone – you’re someone worth following.