How to Write a LinkedIn Article that Generates Likes

Three months ago, I published my first LinkedIn article, in which I examined the proliferation of "thought leadership" and other unwanted filler in my LinkedIn feed. In my second article, I set out the case (tongue in cheek) for a new tier of LinkedIn Premium membership where you pay extra to filter out all the bland influencer nonsense. With two articles that have garnered tens of comments and hundreds of likes (an exhausting level of adulation), I think it's time for me to "give back". But as I've learned from LinkedIn, the best way to give back selflessly is by telling everyone about it. It's kind of like needing to remind people you're the humblest man in the room.

Likes First, Content Second

As I was thinking of how best to give back, I came across an article that made me realise that the next topic I had to tackle was how to write an article that generates likes. Here's the article I am referring to. First time I came across it, I read it several times but still I could not categorise it, foiling my natural sub-conscious desire to categorise everything. So, into which genre does it slide?  Is it "goodbye old job, hello new job" …or "wow, look what a great job I did there" …or "the company I'm leaving is a great place to work" or "the company I'm joining is a great place to work"…or all four…or something else again? However, what is really intriguing about this article is that right now it has 100,000 likes and counting. But why? I can't fault the writer's enthusiasm and I know LinkedIn is not running a creative writing competition, but it assaults grammar and takes the comma out into the alley for a kicking. With some time, I realised that I was missing the point…100,000 likes is the only thing that matters…remember that "likeability" is crucial….content is an afterthought. I'm not saying the author wrote this to generate likes, but he certainly tapped into something.

First, here's what you need to remember as you write your article…

Remember: Your goal is to develop white-collar clickbait!

First off, I had a rummage around LinkedIn itself to see what it recommends to budding contributors. This yielded the seminal work on the topic, Daniel Roth's it-does-what-it-says-on-the-tin article Here's What I Tell People When They Ask How to Crush it as a LinkedIn Writer. This starts with no-nonsense advice that would have creative writing professors nodding with pleasure ….write what you know…write often…remember your audience. Then it takes a subtle turn as it advises that you should…

 …remember that your readers are busy; an email, IM, phone call or conversation is always about to lure them away. Employ photos, bold headings, lists and infographics whenever you can. And, above all, always be interesting.

So, how should we be interesting? We should firstly "Pay attention to the headline…it can draw in readers who might otherwise skim and move on". Daniel's tip is to write 5-10 headlines and send these to a group of friends or colleagues asking them '"Which headline would you click on, assuming you didn't know the author of the post?"' Next step, link it to what’s in the news. Then, share it as widely as possible so you can generate impact…and remember that "impact" is denominated in likes. To summarise, focus-group a topical attention-grabbing headline, use pictures and lists, and be interesting.

Remember: You're great and you have so much to say!

Next, I decided to do some proper intensive research. I put aside some time, brewed some strong coffee, set up camp in a comfortable seat, ensured I had the right amount of natural light, readied my notepad and pen beside my laptop, steeled myself to dig deep into my mental resources… and then I typed "how to write a great LinkedIn article" into my search engine. Bingo! Research is easy… the first result was this. Let me summarise the key insights… ah, that's too much work, so I'll just paste it here:

Last year I spoke with a LinkedIn Influencer and asked how she reaches such a large audience with her posts. I learned that she spends more time perfecting an article’s headline and image than she spends actually writing the article. That’s because it’s the photo and headline that’ll entice someone to click and read the post—if you choose something generic and bland, he or she may never get to all of your great insights.

I appreciate the honesty in positioning "all your great insights" as an afterthought. This is like that moment when you talk to your son or daughter after a match where they didn't touch the ball but were unflaggingly enthusiastic, the time when you ruffle their hair and say…."I thought you were great".

Remember: Most people are "visual" i.e. they don’t read stuff

I used to work for a manager who told me he was a "visual person". What he wanted me to think when he said that was "wow, he's so creative it must hurt". What I came to realise was that when applied to him, "I'm a visual person" meant "I am too unfocused to read your well-constructed and well-reasoned mails/documents, just draw me a picture...ideally with some stick figures and a house in it somewhere." It did teach me a valuable lesson - to this day, I can explain most concepts with a box of crayons and a single sheet of paper. Anyway, enough about me, the key message is that research tells us that 83% of people are visual {please see footnote below for details}, responding to pictures rather than words.

Exhausted by the research, it's time to move onto the tips. I'm sure you're exhausted too if you made it this far…no pictures and no infographics…surely you're browsing some influencer "content" by now, perhaps you've navigated to something on emotional intelligence.

At last, he's giving us some tips…

Armed with the information above, it is clear that the first article referenced is the work of a master of the craft, a real LinkedIn ninja. Here are the simple steps for building your "likeable" LinkedIn article:

Tip #1: Use a buzzphrase or business truism in your headline - you might crowbar in "growth mindset", "innovation", or even try something bleeding edge like "blockchain"

Tip #2: Select a photo of some great historical world leader like Mandela or Gandhi or Jobs or Branson or your company's newly-installed CEO…ideally a black and white photo…even better if he or she has a wistful faraway look

Tip #3: Insert an inspirational quote by this person that you found on the internet - go for something that noone sane could disagree with e.g. Branson here or Jobs here

Tip #4: Beyond that, you need to write something that's on message and well structured, but don’t overthink it…if it's halfway decent, people will scan the first few paragraphs and share or like.

So, how long does it take? The one on top of this article took me 5 minutes to develop. Here's another picture for the visual people who made it this far….creating this one took me another 5 minutes…

Now, you might say that Mother Teresa never said that, but I ask you to show me the proof that she did not say it? While you consider that, I can confirm it was definitely said by William Mougayar, so let's give him credit for it. Anyway, stop complaining about my attempts and get cracking on your own next article. Follow my tips and you will definitely generate likes. Will it generate real engagement? That's for another article on another day (by another writer).

The takeaways…

So, what have we learned? Start with a catchy headline that even the busiest and most focused desk jockey can't avoid, lure them in even more with a picture of someone (note - this person must be successful), ideally with a wisdom-laden quote, then bang in some content. Sit back and watch the likes racking up. With real luck, you might even get it shared by an influencer.

You're welcome.

{Footnote: Yep, I made that figure up, but no need to worry… 89% of people never read footnotes, so I'll be fine. And remember that 79% of statistics are made up.}

Please share your thoughts, comments, cash gifts and Davos speaking invitations in the section below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Brian Riordan has won no awards (but is open to receiving them), has written no books, and isn't really selling anything right this minute, except of course Microsoft's fine suite of products to SMB customers...mention my name and you get a discount (maybe). Brian enjoys using LinkedIn (another thoroughbred from the Microsoft stable) and just wants it to have even better content.