LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 810 million users worldwide. As a professional social media site, LinkedIn offers great opportunities for career development, business prospects, and branding. However, to gain these benefits, you need to build your LinkedIn presence carefully.
Posting relevant, thoughtful content allows you to showcase your knowledge, skills, and expertise. This helps attract new connections and opportunities. On the flip side, certain types of posts can damage your reputation and how others perceive you.
This article will provide guidelines on what you should and should not post on LinkedIn for maximum impact.
What You Should Post on LinkedIn
Here are some recommendations on the types of content to share on LinkedIn:
Industry News and Updates
Commenting on and sharing the latest news and trends in your industry is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader. For example, you can provide your insights on new research reports, acquisitions, product launches, and policy changes. Add value by analyzing the impacts for your connections.
Examples of Your Work
Showcase your skills and accomplishments by posting examples of your work – such as presentations, infographics, videos, and reports. However, ensure you have the rights to share the content and do not violate confidentiality.
Conference and Event Updates
Attending relevant conferences and seminars demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning. Share insights from the events and key takeaways your connections may find useful.
Industry Content from Third Parties
Curating and sharing high-quality content produced by others is an easy way to engage your network. Comment on why you find the content valuable to spark insightful conversations.
Thought Leadership Articles
Authoring and publishing long-form posts that provide unique perspectives and expert advice can help establish your reputation as a thought leader.
Career Updates
Keep your network updated with major milestones like promotions, new jobs, certifications, awards, and other career achievements.
Recommendations and Endorsements
Recommend connections you have worked with to recognize their skills and reinforce the trust in your relationships. Get endorsements from colleagues for the skills listed on your profile.
What You Should Not Post on LinkedIn
While creating high-quality content is encouraged, you should avoid these common types of posts:
Job Ads
Posting repetitive job ads without context comes across as spammy. Instead, share openings in a thoughtful manner showing how they present exciting opportunities.
Self-Promotional Clickbait
Avoid filler posts that directly pitch your products/services without adding value for your audience. These types of self-promotional posts often get ignored.
Controversial Topics
Be cautious about posting your views on controversial political, cultural, or social issues. Such posts can polarize your connections and spark unproductive debates.
Misinformation
Always fact-check information before sharing it on your LinkedIn profile. Posting misleading or false content will hurt your credibility.
Negative Content
Critical posts that bash your company, clients, colleagues, or industry can damage relationships and your reputation. Maintain a positive tone.
| Do’s on LinkedIn | Don’ts on LinkedIn |
|---|---|
| Share industry news and best practices | Post repetitive job advertisements |
| Showcase your work with stats/results | Make exaggerated, self-promotional claims |
| Provide insights from conferences/events | Rant about political or social issues |
| Curate and comment on relevant third-party articles | Publish false or misleading information |
| Publish your own thought leadership content | Criticize companies/connections |
| Update career milestones | Post irrelevant or overly personal updates |
| Recommend and endorse connections | Have spelling/grammar errors |
| Engage meaningfully with your network | Violate confidentiality |
Tips for Creating Shareworthy LinkedIn Posts
Follow these tips to develop interesting, engaging content for your LinkedIn connections:
Provide Value for Your Audience
Focus on creating posts that your audience finds useful, educational or entertaining. Ask yourself – what value are my connections getting from this content?
Start Conversations
Pose interesting questions, share polls/surveys and encourage discussions via your posts. This fosters engagement.
Use Multimedia
Incorporate visuals like infographics, statistics, pictures, videos and SlideShare presentations to make your posts more eye-catching.
Watch Your Tone
Maintain a professional, cordial tone even if discussing controversial topics or engaging in debates.
Be Relevant and Timely
The content you share should directly relate to your industry and current events/topics to maximize interest.
Interact With Other Posts
Do not just broadcast on LinkedIn. Actively like, share and comment on posts from other accounts to grow engagement.
Check for Errors
Proofread all posts carefully before publishing them. Typos or incorrect information portray you negatively.
Track Performance
Analyze your posts regularly to see which topics, types of content and tone resonate best with your audience.
Post Consistently
To stay top of mind, aim to post regularly without overwhelming your connections with too much content.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn profile is your professional image – shaping how you are perceived by peers, prospects, recruiters and partners. By consistently sharing valuable, engaging updates while avoiding promotional or controversial posts, you can build credibility and leverage LinkedIn for your career and business growth. Use these do’s and don’ts as a blueprint when determining what to post.
Remember to customize your approach based on your industry, audience and goals. Experiment to discover what resonates best with your connections. Maintain quality over quantity and interact meaningfully with others. This will ensure you maximize the impact of your LinkedIn activity.
