Let’s be honest—most LinkedIn content has the excitement level of watching paint dry in slow motion. Another “I’m humbled to announce” post? A ten-part carousel that could have been three sentences? Please, make it stop.
But creating engaging content doesn’t require dancing on TikTok or sharing your deepest traumas. It just requires being thoughtfully human in a sea of corporate robots.
Take Damon Brown, a leadership coach I follow. Instead of posting generic “Monday Motivation” quotes, he shares specific leadership dilemmas he faced that week—like the time he had to fire someone he genuinely liked. By being specific and vulnerable rather than abstract and perfect, his engagement rates are consistently triple the industry average.
Format matters less than most think. I’ve seen viral text-only posts and carousels that disappeared into the void. The differentiator isn’t form—it’s tension. Does your content create a knowledge gap that the reader is compelled to fill? A software CEO I work with turned her standard “5 Tips” posts into “5 Counterintuitive Truths,” challenging conventional wisdom with evidence. Engagement jumped 278%.
Pattern interruption is your secret weapon. When everyone zigzags, try straight lines. During the height of AI panic, while timelines flooded with “Will AI take our jobs?” think pieces, one product manager simply documented her actual day using AI tools—the good, the bad, and the hilariously wrong. That authentic peek behind the wizard’s curtain earned her more engagement than all her previous “professional” posts combined.
Here’s the simplest test: Would you find your own content interesting if it wasn’t yours? Would you stop scrolling to read it? Would you think about it after closing the app?
Remember: Your audience doesn’t owe you their attention. You earn it by respecting their time and offering genuine value—whether that’s insight, utility, or just a moment of connection in a workday. No yawning required.