How often should you post on LinkedIn?

I was recently asked "how many times per month should I post on LinkedIn? This is actually a very common question. The reason being, there is so much conflicting information that you can find out there.

Some blogs suggest daily, some suggest a few times per month and you can find other suggestions everywhere in between. The results vary widely and are no different to if you Google "how many times should I exercise per week?"

The LinkedIn Algorithm is complex and can't be simplified down to a magic number of posts. So rather than prescribing a number of posts straight up, let's go over some fundamentals that I think are more important to learn.

Quality is more important than Quantity

Posting content that is low quality to your followers is just a waste of your time and theirs. All that will happen is the audience will scroll straight past your post, no engagement means the algorithm identifies your post as of little interest and it won't release further.

One of the most important points to understand about LinkedIn - it doesn't automatically release your posts to all of your connections. First a bot reviews your post and categorises it into one of three categories - spam, low quality or clear. The aim is to make sure that your post receives the important "clear" to progress to the next stage.

If your post passes this primary bot check, it is then released to a small group to test engagement. At this stage you do not want anyone to "unfollow" or "report as spam". You do want engagement that drives "content scoring" eg likes, comments, re-shares etc.

The more engagement, the higher the chance that LinkedIn will move your post along to the next category "trending content". This is the ultimate aim as it then will show as a notification in your network to alert them to the popular content.

Your posts should focus on creating engaging content that educates or entertains your audience. Make an effort to find catchy visuals that get the readers attention. Discuss relevant topics. LinkedIn will acknowledge the effort, as will your audience.

Special shout out to the perfectionists reading this part of the article. This is not the part where you get paralysed by over-analysing your post. You have to start somewhere. Just put it out there and learn by experience.

Rule 1 - Don't just post for the sake of posting.

Consistency is Key

Just the same as exercising every now and then will not deliver fitness goals, posting every now and then isn't going to help deliver your personal or business brand goals.

You can not build a brand based on one viral post. To build your brand and stay top of mind it also requires you to be consistent. If you are starting out, I would recommend posting twice per week. Do this for the first month as you do not want to put too much pressure on yourself to come up with a lot of quality content.

Build your skills and habits over the month and progress to three, four and five posts. It is better to do fewer quality posts more consistently. By gradually building up you will give yourself time to build skills and ideas and not throw it all away because it's in the too hard basket.

Rule 2 = Don't be a one hit wonder.

LinkedIn content help is hiding in plain sight.

If you are reading this article and know you should be posting but can't imagine how to have enough content to consistently create one post per week, let alone four or five. Good news is LinkedIn has given you ten ideas before you even start -

1) Post a photo

2) Post a video

3) Post a document

4) Celebrate an occasion

5) Find an expert

6) Share a profile

7) Share that you are hiring

8) Create a poll

9) Offer help

10) Post your own thoughts

This serves as a friendly reminder of the types of content you can post and should serve you well for ideas.

Rule 3 - Not knowing what to post is no longer an excuse.

Help is at hand.

Whilst knowing the frequency you should post your LinkedIn content, for many this will make little difference to actually posting content. Not posting can be for lots of different reasons -

1. Time Poor
2. Resources already stretched
3. Anxiety
4. Technophobia
5. New to LinkedIn
6. Perfectionism
7. Fear of criticism
8. No ideas for what to post
9. Lack of confidence
10. Don't think others will be interested

If any of the above apply to you don't worry help is at hand. Good Trading Co offers various formats of training to help support you. Consider, even the best athletes in the world have coaches to continually improve.

For those that are time poor or have resources stretched to the limit, Good Trading Co can 100% manage the content creation and engagement of your LinkedIn Business page.

Others will feel more comfortable knowing someone is there to support along the way and that's where our mentoring program shines.

We also have a great intensive course to set you up for success.

No matter what stage you are at in your LinkedIn journey we are here to help.

Rule 4 - If you need help don't be afraid to ask for it.

The main point to note is to remember you are looking to build engagement over time to build your brand. Focus should always be on creating posts that will attract your ideal client or build your personal reputation in a particular space.

If you have questions you are welcome to direct message me or email : [email protected] if you would like to know more.

Don't forget to follow #goodtradingco for more tips on how to get the most out of LinkedIn.