LinkedIn is a powerful platform that can help you reach a larger audience and build your professional brand online. But with so many users and content creators competing for attention, it can be challenging to get noticed and make your content go viral.
Although there may not be a secret “love potion” that makes a post go viral, there are lessons we can learn from posts that have. We will go through some posts that recently went viral, and then we will provide you with some tips and strategies to help you achieve greater visibility and engagement on LinkedIn.
1. Appealing Visual Content
When scrolling through your social media feed, you’ve probably noticed that visuals can often do a better job of catching the eye than just a block of text.
The two examples here of viral posts (with thousands of comments and re-posts) use visuals to catch someone’s eye—and they add appealing text to it.
Also notice that positive posts about respect and healthy workplaces are popular.
2. People Enjoy (Easy) Interaction
Have you ever used the “poll” feature for a LinkedIn post? It’s a fun (and easy) way for people to engage with your post. But make sure it’s a poll about something interesting (like the example here—getting paid to each cheese and sleep? What an eye-catcher!). Not to mention, adding a poll to your post adds to the visual appeal and can help catch someone’s eye as they scroll through the platform.
3. Join in on the Conversation - and Don't be Afraid to Disagree!
Not all viral posts need to have visuals—especially if they are contributing to a trending conversation (like the great resignation, for instance.) This post got a lot of people to react because it not only spoke to a trending topic, but the author also disagreed with what a lot of people were saying about resigning from their jobs.
Also, even though she has a lot of text, she breaks it up so it’s easier to read.
- She includes a numbered list.
- She also includes a list with bullet points.
100% of the time: She provides statistics on a separate line.
And she lists feelings people experienced
On their own separate lines
To provide emphasis. (See what I did there? 😊 )
4. Share Your Story
Perhaps most important of all—is to just be yourself. When people share stories from their lives, or lessons they’ve personally learned, we tend to be more inclined to listen. Share your personal experience (warts and all), and people will respond to the human side of you much more than they would a generic-sounding or disingenuous post.
Also, ending your post with a question or a call for others to engage with your post is a great way to spark its visibility. Would you agree? 😉
Here are some additional techniques to keep in mind to increase engagement with your LinkedIn posts:
Before you start creating content and posting on LinkedIn, it’s important to identify your target audience. Who do you want to reach and what kind of content do they want to see? Consider factors such as job titles, industries, location, interests, and challenges. Knowing your target audience will help you create content that is relevant and appealing to them.
Hashtags are a great way to increase the visibility of your content on LinkedIn. They allow you to categorize your content and make it easier for others to find and engage with it. When using hashtags, make sure they are relevant to your content and the topics you’re discussing. You can also use popular and trending hashtags to reach a larger audience.
Engagement is key to going viral on LinkedIn. The more you engage with your audience, the more likely they are to engage with your content. Respond to comments, ask questions, and start conversations to build relationships and increase engagement.
Collaborating with other LinkedIn users can help you reach a wider audience and increase engagement. This can include co-authoring articles, hosting webinars or podcasts together, or participating in group discussions. By working with others, you can tap into their networks and reach new people.
Make sure you post regularly to keep your audience engaged and interested in your content. You can also use analytics tools to track your engagement and see what types of content perform best.
And don’t forget to have fun with it! Experiment with different types of posts and see what works best for your target audience. There’s no one-way to go viral—but the more fun you’re having and the more you share of your experience and perspective, the more there will be for your audience to love.
