The Power Of Comments

This week I want to talk about engagement, not the quick Like/Reaction or Reposting but the action that really counts on LinkedIn?? ... Commenting.

In this episode of the Informed podcast I argue that thoughtful and considered commenting is the single most effective action that anyone can take on LinkedIn?? - that's a bold statement but one I really believe to be true.

That plus;

• Boobgate!
• New Newsletter analytics
• Feed sorting removed
• New feed sort tab being tested
• How to spot AI comments
• How LinkedIn?? influence user behaviour
• Post of the week

• Controversial Content: James Langridge’s provocative post known as 'Boobgate' features an image of Hayley Atwell and raises concerns about misogyny and the lengths people go to attract attention on LinkedIn. I questioned the effectiveness of controversial hooks in authentic storytelling and marketing. A good hook is one thing but James clearly went too far with this post and it clearly illustrates the lengths to which some creators will go to gain engagement, raising ethical questions about the use of sensationalism in professional contexts. This reflects a broader trend where attention-grabbing tactics may overshadow genuine engagement. As the competition for attention on LinkedIn?? increases, these sort of tactics are likely to be seen more.
• New Analytics: LinkedIn introduces new analytics for newsletter articles, revealing to me a 31% email open rate and the effectiveness of email engagement. This of course assumes we trust the data! It was also revealing to see that 60% of the views of my articles come from the email!
• Feature Changes: LinkedIn removes the sort filter on desktop to streamline user experience while testing a new 'In network tab' feature. They have also recently tested a new 'In Network' tab designed to show only posts from people or companies we follow (plus ads)
• Comment Impressions: I'm a fan of this new feature but I doubt it's very accurate data. How can we take note from an 'impression' unless someone has actually clicked on a comment? To achieve a click a comment would need to exceed 40 words, which is rare. Comment impressions tell us very little but I'm a fan because they are encouraging users to comment more...which is a good thing. It's a classic example of how LinkedIn?? try to manipulate our behaviour with new features. On this occasion it's a cause for good...but that's not always the case.

• AI in Comments: The discussion around AI-generated comments highlights the distinction between genuine engagement and automated responses. This post provides some interesting tips on how to spot AI comments and posts.

• Commenting Power: The episode emphasizes the importance of commenting on LinkedIn as a means to improve feed relevance, increase visibility, build relationships and even get better at our job! Commenting effectively by adding value to expand and develop a conversation on highly relevant content is a LinkedIn?? superpower and anyone can do it. AI comments are tedious and annoying but we can use AI to help stimulate ideas for comments that offer great insights and/or add to the conversation. I go into much more detail on this in the podcast.

Post Of The Week

The advantage of text only posts is that the viewer is not distracted by anything other than the words you type and as a result, they can often attract more engagement. The disadvantage is that they are easily missed in the feed...unless they have a particularly strong hook. The post below is a brilliant example of one that does.

Well done to Jillian Richardson ?? for this excellent post of the week.

That's all for this week.

There won't be an episode next week but I will be back soon after.