How To Start Posting On LinkedIn
Darren Westall
April 11, 2023
Marketing
Did you know that LinkedIn currently has more than 900 million members? And it’s growing more and more every day. But many people are scared to post on LinkedIn.
Being a LinkedIn lurker over an active user means you’re not getting the most out of LinkedIn as the social network tool it is. Regularly posting and engaging on LinkedIn acts as a networking and business development tool that can expand your reach, grow your network, and establish you as an expert in your industry.
It’s a trusted platform, and one that can benefit you both in your current role and when you’re looking for a career move. Yet despite (or even because of) the huge opportunities that are unlocked by engaging with others on the site, some people are hesitant about sharing their thoughts with others.
Make sure you’re not missing out! We’re going to talk about some of the reasons people may be too scared to post and how to overcome them, so you can start posting on LinkedIn too.
Fear Of Missing Out
The best thing about LinkedIn is it’s front and centre all about you and other people. The scariest thing about LinkedIn is… It’s front and centre all about you and other people.
Whilst Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, let you hide behind anonymity, LinkedIn requires that you bare your personality to the world. Your education, employment history and business connections are all laid out clearly for anyone to peruse. That’s great if you’re looking for employment, but it’s no secret that it can be nerve-wracking.
With the rise of social media, certain conditions have also emerged. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are two of the most common.
- Worrying about being ‘left out’
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Increased levels of stress
- Higher levels of depression
- Disruption to sleep
Studies have shown that there is a link between people with heightened social anxiety and passive use of social media. These users are less likely to engage with other users in producing content or post on LinkedIn.
Although LinkedIn is less prone to cause these issues than other ‘instant gratification’ platforms, it can be difficult to stop comparing your career to those of other people in a negative way, even if you’re not particularly socially anxious.
Stop The Doom Scroll
It can be difficult to tear yourself away from your phone. Research has shown that endlessly scrolling – or ‘doom scrolling’ – actually lowers your mood, and you can get caught up in a ‘compare and despair’ cycle.
The answer: use your phone differently. Taking breaks, digital detoxing, and taking time away from social media offer strong benefits to mental health and wellbeing on a personal level. However, on a professional level, engaging, sharing and interacting actually has its benefits.
Be Mindful With Connections
You may feel like you have to keep up with other users with hundreds, if not thousands of connections. That’s not the case! Start small and build up, or go big and go home, it’s up to you. Connect with as few or as many people as you like.
They can be successful business people such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson or Ariana Huffington, people from your university or college institutions, or your colleagues from your current or previous role.
Remember to focus on quality over quantity. Bear in mind that it’s not the number of people you connect with that’s important, it’s the quality of those connections. It’s better to connect with a handful of people relevant to your industry than hundreds who work anywhere and everywhere.
Interacting Isn’t As Scary As You Think
Myth: you shouldn’t comment or like on someone’s post
Fact: LinkedIn loves engagement, and users want conversations!
If someone you’re following posts about a particularly interesting topic, thank them for sharing the information or add to the sum of the knowledge with a comment of your own. Don’t be afraid to weigh in with your opinion on a topic, react to a current event, or congratulate someone on an achievement.
Try to keep negativity out of any comment you make. If you don’t agree with the poster’s views, simply scroll on by. By making a negative comment, you’re drawing attention to yourself in a negative light, which won’t endear you to the rest of the business community.
If something is factually incorrect, then by all means point this out, but be respectful and base your words on facts, not feelings.
Try your own post on LinkedIn
Time for the scariest thing of all… Posting on LinkedIn!
It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, just relevant. Don’t overthink it – and don’t overcommit. If you’re not posting regularly now, don’t commit to posting 5 days a week all of a sudden. It will seem much scarier, and be a lot harder to maintain.
Share a small triumph in your day – perhaps you completed a task before the deadline, or made a particularly satisfying sale. If you’re connected to the company you work for (and if not, why not?) re-share positive news from them.
To make it even easier, train Paiger on the content you consume and we’ll curate a daily morning email with content to share out on your personal profile.
Our research shows us that if posts with images get twice as many comments as text posts, and posts with videos or animations get 5x the engagement. So even if you post a clip of your morning walk or a picture of your desk office or WFH set-up, you’re likely to get a higher response rate.
Connect With Professionals
Many LinkedIn professionals make time in their day to offer insights about how you can improve your own career. Offering value positions them (and soon, you!) as an expert, whilst also being a great resource for informative advice.
Connect with people you admire and note the tone of their posts. When you’re trying your own post, try to emulate their style – keep it short, light, and insightful (and watch for typos and spelling mistakes). Most of all: be professional. Imagine you’re having a conversation with someone you’re keen to impress, then create words that reflect this.
If you’re struggling, try using an AI tool like Paiger Ghostwriter. It can help you get started with base ideas, then you can add your personal flair and human factor to really get the ball rolling.
Avoid talking negatively about any particular person or company, as these things do have a habit of coming back to bite you. Of course, manners cost nothing, and there are few things more off-putting for a potential future employer than deliberate rudeness.
Building up confidence takes time. Do it over a matter of months – the more you share the more confident you’ll become and the more useful you’ll find the platform.
Get in touch
If you’re still getting the LinkedIn scaries, don’t worry, Paiger can help. We’re more than just a scheduling and automation tool. Between daily post suggestions, our content bank, and our AI tool Ghostwriter, Paiger can help you create content and so much more. Book a demo with us today.
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