I posted on Linked In every day for 6 weeks. Here's what happened.

**UPDATE: I created a tool with 55+ LinkedIn post starters, cold outreach templates and a complete strategy for more leads. You can find it here: https://publicoverandco.gumroad.com/***

There are 3 months in the year that are perfect for experimentation. January (because it takes people awhile to settle in and start needing things), April (because things are new and fresh and people get excited about things) and August (because most Europeans are on holiday which means a lighter client workload for me and time to play).

The Linked In Landscape

This January I experimented with LinkedIn as a content platform. As we’ve seen in recent years, the dry, dull & self-congratulatory template for standard Linked In posting has given way for content creators and, at first, the cream rose to the top.

People posting interesting commentary and insight saw exponential growth as the algorithm goddess graciously lifted their content to be viewed by more people. But, like all good things, that got ruined by weird leadership parables, and—you guessed it—narcissistic tales with the self-as-hero.

A parody so accurate it hurts

It had been awhile since I’d invested in a LI strategy for myself, so I set out to post every day for 6 weeks and see what would happen.

The Worst Days to Post

Monday & Friday. Hands down. As my interactions and views evened out over the experiment window, the data was even more clear. A high quality Friday post yields roughly 10% of the interactions of say a Thursday or Wednesday post. Just don’t bother.

The Best Times to Post

I’ve heard strategists tout that “lunchtime is the best time” so of course I had to prove it. YMMV as I’m living in Central European Time Zone and much of my network is back home in the US, but I found most post engagement happened between 10am and 3pm my time. Posts from before 9am or after 7pm got lost.

Posting twice a day hurt the views on both posts; even if one of the posts was sharing someone else’s post.

LI posts in the feed also have a bit more hang-time than other platforms. Often, posts a week old were still floating around and getting a like here or there. This means anything timely (webinar today!) should be phrased in a way that keeps it current a little longer—or remember to go back and edit it with a “registration closed” addendum. Hot tip: You can even post the recording link as a comment to give the post a little extra boost.

External Links will Kill Ya

This is another one I saw (and tested) based on experts’ posting strategies. Posts sharing links performed exceptionally poorly (”DUH,” said the strategists, “You’re taking them off-platform”) while embedding content directly into the post (Videos, Photos, Linked In articles & sharing LI posts) performed very well.

But how do you share the link to your webinar or website or cool non-LI content? Aha, a hack I saw the experts using: post the link as the first comment on your own post. So far, the algorithm goddess hasn’t caught on to that. You’ll have fewer interactions (since ideally, people click your link) so make sure you’re tracking clicks somewhere (’cause LI sure isn't).

Analytics are Disappointing

Which leads me to the analytics. For a platform emphasising their desire to support content creators, the content creation experience is abysmal. From uploading caption files to adding images to editing posts and even just posting in the first place, that experience needs an overhaul if LI is to be a home for creators. And don’t expect valuable or usable data insights—unless perhaps you pay a ridiculous amount for the pro account, which I only recommend for professional recruiters and high-level sales people.

Types of Content

People might be tiring of emotional personal stories, but they still love a photo with you in it. Photos of you in action or in real life appear to perform better than staged lifestyle or headshot type photos. Too much vulnerability is out, humility and transparency are in. The takeway here is, in an ocean of polish, choose to be real.

Videos, which reliably performed well on Linked In in the past when uploaded natively, gather no more traction than well-written text.

Tips (especially actionable ones) are always a winner.

GIFS stand out in the feed (for now!). A post with a GIF outperformed an image every time.

Controversial opinions and hot takes will yield tons of comments; egotistical “thoughtleadership” where your stance is the only stance? Not so much.

Stories will always win. They are fun to read and our brain lights up when we encounter them. If you use a story about a project, or your work, or your experience to show your point that will yield great results.

(Unexpected ) Results & Impact

All in all, I was a bit disappointed in the results. While I gained new followers and connections, I didn’t see that posting to Linked IN every day yielded significantly more new leads or elevated my profile in any noticeable way beyond what I do normally. Perhaps a longer experiment might have, or even a different time of year.

Maybe you don’t know this, but being quoted back to yourself is the greatest possible honor and made this entire season of posts worth it.

The most unexpected impact was to learn that, although views were high and interactions low-to-moderate, people were definitely seeing and remembering what I posted. Frequently, while on phone calls with people who had not at all commented or liked, I was complimented on the content I’d posted and even—gasp—quoted. Maybe you don’t know this, but being quoted back to yourself is the greatest possible honor and made this entire season of posts worth it. So even if it feels like people aren’t engaging, know that you are still reaching them.

Will I keep to a daily posting regimen? Probably not. I think a cadence of 1-2 posts per week yields the same results, especially if you are providing significant value and high quality content. Give generously and frequently, be authentic and most importantly: remember to like and comment on your friends’ posts! That little gesture helps them so much and it feels just as good to give as it does to receive.

Find 55 post starters, cold outreach templates and tips on selling through LinkedIn here: https://publicoverandco.gumroad.com/