LinkedIn is a great place to connect with professionals and audiences that can really boost your business. But what type of content should you be posting on LinkedIn? Well, the business to business (B2B) nature of the social networking site throws newcomers off a bit. However, after learning the best content to post on LinkedIn, you’ll discover exactly how to build engagement and become a reputable leader within your industry. This article will tell you the best content to post on LinkedIn, as well as the best times to post your content on the professional networking website.
Why Use LinkedIn?
- 1 Why Use LinkedIn?
- 2 Types of LinkedIn Content
- 3 Best Practices for Posting on LinkedIn
- 4 Best Practices: What Time Should I Post on LinkedIn?
- 5 Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn Content Best Practices
- 5.1 1. How often should I post on LinkedIn to maintain engagement without overwhelming my audience?
- 5.2 2. Should I write articles directly on LinkedIn or share links to my company blog?
- 5.3 3. What’s the difference between native videos and embedded videos on LinkedIn, and which performs better?
- 5.4 4. How do I choose the right hashtags for my LinkedIn posts without appearing spammy?
- 5.5 5. Is it appropriate to share third-party content on LinkedIn, and how does this benefit my brand?
- 5.6 6. What types of simple text posts work best on LinkedIn, and how long should they be?
- 5.7 7. How can I get my team involved in LinkedIn content strategy without it feeling forced?
The social networking site has benefits for everyone. Whether you’re using the platform for personal use, work, or to grow your business, there are several reasons why you should be using LinkedIn! For starters, there are currently over 30 million companies and more than 722 million members in over 200 countries registered on LinkedIn. So, the potential reach is definitely strong. In fact, 61 million of its users are in senior-level positions – and they can have a huge impact on authorizing others to purchase your product or service. Adding to that, an ad on LinkedIn can reach 12% of the world’s population – great news for a global marketing strategy.
When it comes to content creation, LinkedIn is the second most favorable channel for posting business-related information. Moreover, it’s the perfect place to support your external website – including landing pages or blog articles. LinkedIn is also useful for building brand credibility, and over time with the right content, you can become a thought leader in your industry. There are also several benefits to advertising your business on LinkedIn, too.
Types of LinkedIn Content
What type of content should you be posting on LinkedIn? Well, the overall objective is to have highly relevant, insightful content that can be easily shared (particularly with B2B marketing.) And here are some effective types of LinkedIn content you should share to achieve that goal:
Blogs
There are two ways to do this. The first would be that you write a blog post directly onto the LinkedIn platform by simply clicking on “write an article” at the top of your feed. The second way is called web syndication, where you republish a blog post from your company website onto LinkedIn. The best tactic would be to do both because once you get users interested and show them what you know, they will be compelled and curious to check out your blogs and learn more about you. In this way, you can actually use LinkedIn to generate leads to your website.
Third-Party Content
This means including news and research pieces that are relevant to your industry. Because of its B2B nature, users on LinkedIn are constantly looking for information related to their field. Now you might be thinking: why would I link a Forbes article and steer audiences away from my site? But, by sharing research-based reports or case studies from other publishers in your industry, you are slowly becoming a “go-to” source for that information. In this way, audiences are associating your brand with valuable and credible information. Another huge bonus is that once they react to your post, it will appear on other people’s newsfeed.
Native Videos
LinkedIn “native videos” are uploaded directly onto the app or actually created on the app itself. LinkedIn native videos autoplay on feeds, unlike embedded videos (which are videos shared via links from an external source like YouTube.) This is beneficial as it means that native videos are more likely to grab attention – and in fact, they have been shown to generate high levels of engagement due to their multimedia input.
There are many tips for posting native videos on LinkedIn. The first is that you should keep the videos short (like a quick 30 second recap of the latest industry news that week.) The second is that when you’re actually creating the video, make sure you have a professional approach (in terms of attire and word choice), have good lighting, camera angle, audio quality, and strong presentation skills. Also, be sure to use subtitles, especially if your video is longer than 30 seconds.
Graphics and Images
Graphics and images can be used to either support a claim you are making or as a stand alone point. This is a great opportunity to share an infographic generated by your company. It also gives you the opportunity to be more personal about the people behind your brand by highlighting accomplished personnel and employees. Imagery is essential for creating brand identity as it is one of the first things we process.
Simple Text
Now you might be thinking: didn’t we just go over the benefits of including videos and images? While it is true that they captivate the eye and latch the user, the copy of the post can also be particularly engaging – especially if it’s simple yet powerful. A good example would be writing a text-only list of tips with regards to public speaking. Others examples could be a meaningful quote or an excerpt from a book. The key here is that this short, simple, authentic, and intimate message provides interesting knowledge without the bulk of links or multimedia components.
This really demonstrates the wide scope of effective LinkedIn content.
Best Practices for Posting on LinkedIn
So that you have an idea of what types of content you should be posting on LinkedIn, it becomes a question of what are the best practices for posting. Here are the top practices you should follow:
1. Be Consistent
Like with all social media platforms, consistency is key. Posting regularly will help you not only build a strong relationship with your audience, but also allow you to use LinkedIn to create a strong marketing strategy. Most studies and experts agree that once per work day is the average. Without consistency, you won’t see the results you’re looking for. So, be sure to use marketing automation software to save time.
Sharing hashtags can help you get your content discovered. Be sure to choose hashtags that are trending and relevant to your post. You can use some of the most popular hashtags in 2020, with #innovation and #management being the top two. You can also follow hashtags to discover similar content or favorable industry topics.
3. @Mention Others
LinkedIn is all about networking, so joining conversations and tagging others to be included is an important best practice. You can even ask a question or share a point of view then ask others for their thoughts. This will help you get seen and shared while creating valuable connections. Also be sure to answer comments or questions on others posts as well. You don’t only want to be posting, but not engaging.
4. Encourage Colleagues
Encourage your colleagues to fill out their LinkedIn profiles. This will not only complete your company profile, but also increase the chances of others viewing your company profile. Next step would be to push colleagues to engage with posts by liking or reacting. Also, make it easy for them to do so. This will help spread the content to more users and end up on multiple feeds.
Best Practices: What Time Should I Post on LinkedIn?
When is the best time to actually post on LinkedIn? Thinking about the behavior of your audience is a key component for best practices on LinkedIn. So first off, it’s important that you conduct market research in order to identify how and when your audience uses the internet. You should also create a buyer persona to learn key insights.
After doing so, if your target audience falls under a “working professional,” it would be good to assume that they are not active on social media during working hours. Instead, appropriate timings would be before work, during lunch, and after work – giving you a good estimation of when to post based on your time zone. Although we can’t generalize these findings to all, many professional marketers state that the most effective timing to post is Tuesday – Thursday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Now if you want to know the best time to post based on industry, here is a quick list:
Media
The best time would be between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Monday to Friday, as audiences of media companies would likely check their newsfeed in the morning, similar to reading a newspaper.
Software
For software companies, the best time would be outside work hours – so anything outside 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Higher Education or Health Care
Mid-morning, so around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. to early afternoon, around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m.
B2C and B2B
Optimal timing would be outside work hours (anything outside 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) such as during work commutes.
It also might take some trial and error to discover when your specific target audience is online. Make sure to use your data to unlock these insights. Think you still need guidance? Here at SEO Design Chicago we will design your LinkedIn ad campaign, create your ads, build a target audience, and expand your reach. We will help you navigate a ratio from LinkedIn’s various pricing according to how much you want to invest (large or small) including the total budget, daily budget, and bid pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions About LinkedIn Content Best Practices
1. How often should I post on LinkedIn to maintain engagement without overwhelming my audience?
The ideal posting frequency for LinkedIn is once per business day (Monday through Friday). This consistent schedule helps build strong relationships with your audience while maintaining visibility in their feeds. Posting more than once daily can overwhelm your professional network, while posting less frequently may cause your content to lose momentum and engagement. Use marketing automation software to maintain consistency and schedule posts in advance. Remember that quality always trumps quantity – it’s better to post one high-value piece of content daily than multiple mediocre posts.
The most effective strategy is to do both. Writing articles directly on LinkedIn using the “write an article” feature helps establish thought leadership and keeps users on the platform longer, increasing engagement. However, also practice web syndication by republishing your company blog posts on LinkedIn to drive traffic back to your website and generate leads. This dual approach allows you to showcase expertise on LinkedIn while directing interested prospects to your main website for deeper engagement and potential conversions.
3. What’s the difference between native videos and embedded videos on LinkedIn, and which performs better?
Native videos are uploaded directly to LinkedIn and autoplay in users’ feeds, while embedded videos are shared via links from external sources like YouTube. Native videos significantly outperform embedded videos because they autoplay, grab immediate attention, and keep users on the LinkedIn platform. For best results with native videos, keep them short (around 30 seconds), maintain professional quality with good lighting and audio, include subtitles for accessibility, and focus on industry-relevant content that provides quick value to your professional audience.
Select 3-5 relevant hashtags that are trending in your industry and directly related to your post content. Popular professional hashtags include #innovation, #management, #leadership, and #digitalmarketing, but always prioritize relevance over popularity. Follow industry-specific hashtags to discover what’s trending in your field and see how competitors use them. Avoid using too many hashtags (more than 5-7 can appear spammy) and ensure each hashtag adds value by helping the right audience discover your content. Research hashtag performance using LinkedIn’s analytics to see which ones drive the most engagement.
Yes, sharing relevant third-party content from reputable sources like Forbes, Harvard Business Review, or industry publications is highly beneficial for your LinkedIn strategy. This positions you as a “go-to” source for valuable industry information and helps establish thought leadership. When sharing third-party content, add your own insights or commentary to spark discussion. This approach builds credibility by association with trusted sources and often generates more engagement as people feel comfortable sharing well-known publications, which expands your content’s reach organically.
6. What types of simple text posts work best on LinkedIn, and how long should they be?
Effective simple text posts on LinkedIn include industry tips, meaningful quotes, personal insights, quick lists (like “5 tips for better presentations”), thought-provoking questions, and brief lessons learned from professional experiences. Keep posts concise but engaging – typically 150-300 characters for maximum readability and engagement. The most successful text posts are authentic, provide immediate value, and encourage discussion. Posts that share vulnerable moments, celebrate team achievements, or offer actionable advice tend to perform particularly well in generating comments and shares.
7. How can I get my team involved in LinkedIn content strategy without it feeling forced?
Start by encouraging colleagues to complete their LinkedIn profiles, which enhances your company’s overall presence. Make engagement easy by sharing post drafts in team channels and asking for genuine reactions and comments. Create a content calendar that team members can contribute to with their expertise areas. Provide LinkedIn training sessions to help them understand best practices and feel confident participating. Recognize and celebrate team members who actively engage, but avoid mandating participation. Instead, focus on showing the personal branding benefits they’ll gain from thoughtful LinkedIn engagement in their professional development.
Contact Us today!