Why do people like their own posts on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has become one of the most popular social media platforms for professionals to network, build their personal brand, and share content. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn offers users the ability to post updates, articles, images, and more to their network of connections. One peculiar behavior that many LinkedIn users engage in is liking their own posts and content shortly after sharing it. There are several psychological and strategic reasons why people like their own LinkedIn posts.

To Give The Post Initial Engagement

One of the main reasons people like their own LinkedIn posts is to give that post some initial social proof and engagement. On most social networks, when a post gets likes and comments, it signals to others that it is interesting and valuable content. By liking their own post, a user can quickly give their post a small amount of initial engagement.

This initial engagement then makes the post more likely to be organically engaged with by others. LinkedIn’s algorithm detects these first few likes and comments and may subsequently put the post in front of more people’s feeds. So liking your own post can help give it a small boost in reach.

To Demonstrate Confidence In Their Content

Liking your own LinkedIn post also displays confidence in the value of your content. It essentially says “I believe this content is worth engaging with”. This confidence can actually be contagious, as seeing someone openly like their own content makes others more inclined to also like and share it.

It transforms from self-promotion to being helpful content that the creator truly believes in. Rather than appearing insecure about their own content, liking it themselves shows pride and confidence.

To Set An Example For Others

In a similar vein, liking your own LinkedIn post sets an example for others to follow. It shows your followers that you believe your content is valuable and worth engaging with. By setting this example, you implicitly encourage others to like and share your post too.

Seeing someone else like their own post breaks the ice and removes any hesitancy others may have felt to be the first to hit the like button. So in this sense, liking your post makes it more likely that others will follow suit.

To Signal Value To Connections

Liking your own LinkedIn post also signals value to your connections. It indicates that you created content that you genuinely believe will be useful or interesting to them.

Rather than spamming your network with mediocre updates, liking your own post is like saying “Hey everyone, I just shared something that I think could be really valuable to you!”. It preemptively signals that what you are sharing is worth their time and attention.

To Appear More Popular

Unfortunately, some people like their own LinkedIn posts simply to appear more popular. By being the first to like their own content, they hope to signal that their post is already gaining engagement and going viral.

This can be thought of as a “fake it till you make it” approach. They want to make their content appear more popular than it really is in hopes that it will then actually become more popular. While not the most authentic approach, it does work psychologically to some extent.

To Meet LinkedIn Publishing Minimums

For those who publish long-form posts and articles on LinkedIn, there are minimum engagement levels you must hit for the post to appear more prominently and be shared further. Liking your own article helps ensure you cross the minimum likes threshold for LinkedIn to continue surfacing it.

So strategically, authors will like their articles to ensure it meets LinkedIn Publishing’s unofficial minimum engagement requirements for distribution. While not the most honest tactic, it does help boost the reach of their articles.

To Game The LinkedIn Algorithm

This brings us to the unfortunate truth that some portion of people like their own LinkedIn posts to game the algorithm. Similar to other social networks, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors content receiving lots of engagement.

By liking their own post, users can take advantage of this algorithm bias and increase the likelihood that their posts gain more organic reach. So liking your own content can be used as a black hat social media tactic to boost distribution and views.

To Start A Discussion

Finally, some LinkedIn users like their posts with the hope of sparking more discussion. Seeing that initial like on a post can encourage others to share their thoughts in the comments.

For posts meant to start meaningful discussions, that first like can give commenters the push they need to start sharing their perspectives below the post. Rather than silence, an initial like signals that it’s worth engaging in this discussion.

Key Takeaways

Here are some key reasons why LinkedIn users like their own content:

– Gives the post initial engagement and social proof
– Demonstrates confidence in their content
– Sets an example for others to follow
– Signals value to their network
– Makes their post appear more popular
– Helps meet LinkedIn Publishing distribution minimums
– Games the LinkedIn algorithm to boost reach
– Sparks more discussion in the comments

While some reasons come from a genuine place, others demonstrate more questionable motives. Overall, liking your own LinkedIn posts does work to increase their distribution. Just beware how it may be perceived by your connections.

Statistics On Self-Liking Behavior

Here are some statistics on how common it is to like your own content on LinkedIn and other social platforms:

As you can see, self-liking is quite a common behavior across the major social networks. LinkedIn actually sees the lowest percentage of users liking their own content.

Psychology Behind Self-Liking

There are a few psychological explanations behind why people like their own social media posts:

Cognitive Dissonance

Liking our own post helps reduce cognitive dissonance – the discomfort we feel when holding contradictory beliefs or performing an action that contradicts our beliefs. Posting content we believe is valuable then not liking it would be contradictory.

Self-Presentation

We want to present ourselves in the best possible light on social media. Liking our own post helps manage our self-presentation and signals confidence.

Social Validation

Being the first to like our post gives us social validation. We are signaling that our content is valuable and worth engaging with. This satisfies our human need for social approval.

Herd Mentality

Liking our own post triggers a herd mentality. Others see that initial like and are more inclined to also like the post since someone else did.

Reward Response

Our brains are wired to seek rewards. The likes and validation we get from self-liking releases dopamine and activates our brain’s reward center.

So in summary, self-liking arises from a mix of psychological drivers, some conscious and others subconscious. The validation and distribution gains end up reinforcing the behavior.

Is Self-Liking on LinkedIn Ethical?

There is an ethical debate around liking your own LinkedIn posts:

Pros of Self-Liking

– Shows pride in your work
– Sets an example for others
– Builds social validation
– Sparks more discussion

Cons of Self-Liking

– May be seen as egotistical
– Artificially inflates engagement
– Could be perceived as dishonest
– Violates principles of humility

Ethical Considerations

– Be transparent – don’t try to hide that you liked your own content
– Use it sparingly – avoid liking everything you post
– Focus on driving discussion and providing value rather than viral reach
– Consider how your connections will perceive the behavior

Ultimately, self-liking on LinkedIn comes down to your personal ethics and brand. It certainly works to boost distribution, but should be used judiciously.

Best Practices For Self-Liking

If you do choose to ethically like your own LinkedIn posts, here are some best practices:

– Only like posts you genuinely believe provide value to your network
– Be transparent – don’t pretend the likes are from others
– Limit it to 1-2 likes per post maximum
– Use it to spark discussion rather than for vanity metrics
– Make sure the majority of post engagement comes organically
– Focus on driving value rather than artificial popularity
– Consider alternative ways to generate authentic engagement
– Monitor how your connections react and adjust behavior accordingly

Conclusion

Liking your own posts on LinkedIn has become a common tactic used by many professionals. When used judiciously and for the right reasons, it can help increase the reach and engagement on your posts. However, self-liking should be done ethically with consideration for how your brand is perceived. Focus on providing value to your connections rather than gaming the algorithm. What matters most is the quality of your content and conversations you spark, not vanity metrics.