How to Increase Engagement on LinkedIn In 20 Simple Ways

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Engagement is the key to unlocking LinkedIn's algorithm and boosting your content performance. Have you ever posted something on LinkedIn that needs more interaction? It could be a well-researched piece that you put a lot of effort into and hoped for a few peer comments. Instead, it seems to have vanished into the abyss of the Internet—never to be found again. If you’ve experienced this, you’re not alone.

Many LinkedIn users feel this same dismay when their posts fail to gain traction. The good news is that you can increase engagement on LinkedIn with the right LinkedIn content strategy. This guide will explore how to increase engagement on LinkedIn to help you boost your content performance and go viral.

Megaphone's viral on-demand platform can help you achieve your goals on LinkedIn by boosting your content performance and helping you go viral. This tool will help you create, promote, and distribute content that gets your desired attention.

What to Post on LinkedIn To Increase Engagement

1. Text Posts: The Engaging Starting Point

If you’re new to LinkedIn, you probably aren’t aware of the different variations in content type. Your best starting point is text-only posts. They are what they say on the tin - only text. Within these posts, you have a max of 1300 characters to engage and hook your audience through information, quotations, questions, and hashtags.

Using a LinkedIn analytics tool can help you determine which types of text posts resonate best with your audience, allowing you to refine and improve your content strategy. But there are different variations that you can use: Short one-liner Listicles Long form text posts. Let’s explore all three content types and see some good examples of LinkedIn posts.

a. Short one-liner

There’s no better example of this simple and elegant LinkedIn post type than the king, Gary Vaynerchuk. His posts are all of three below.

Engaging

Easy to read

Hooks the audience

As you can see, writing a text post that works can sometimes mean writing a long post, and keeping it short and straightforward works, too!

b. Listicle

When we scroll through LinkedIn, we often see a lot of long text posts written without formatting or spacing. That's why lists are a good way to switch things up and grab your audience's attention. Lists are great because they break the pattern of a text wall. When we put items on a list, they become easy to read. Use lists when you want your audience to go through multiple points in a flow. There are a few different ways we can write them: Using numbered lists, Using bullets or dashes, and Using emojis

c. Long-form text posts

Justin Welsh is the perfect example of an in-depth, engaging post. Justin lays his text out in an easily read format. He bundles different sections together and creates spacing for readability so that the audience is hooked and keeps reading.

2. Polls: Engage Your Audience with Questions

If you spend time on other social media platforms, such as Twitter, the ability to post polls will be familiar to you. Polls are an exciting content type on LinkedIn as well. This is because they allow users to crowdsource information from their audiences. Let's consider you were a UX designer. You could directly ask your audience what they prefer. Do they prefer a particular product, such as a T-shirt or a hoodie? Or do they prefer the color red or blue in a design? Polls can be used to ask your audience specific questions.

In 2021, on LinkedIn, we've seen a vast focus drawn to polls, maybe too much. Nonetheless, they are the best way to extract insights directly from your audience. Whether you're brand new to LinkedIn or a seasoned veteran, there's a lot of opportunity in polls for everyone. A well-structured poll post has the potential to deliver high engagement and be seen by thousands of people. As a result, polls can act as a catalyst for growing your LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn states

"Polls help you understand trends and opinions and can be a great conversation starter." Therefore, it makes sense that you can spark conversation if polls are used correctly. LinkedIn polls allow LinkedIn users to weigh in on what's happening worldwide. For example, in the LinkedIn news section, there may be a macro discussion regarding "Should we transition to a 4-day work week? Users can then utilize LinkedIn polls to give their opinion on the micro-level.

3. Carousels: The Coolest Way to Showcase Content

If you've been on LinkedIn, you may have encountered the term "carousel." You may have also heard this term used on Facebook and Instagram. A "carousel" is essentially a multiple-image document(or post). It is a file that a user uploads and includes a UX that allows the user to scroll through different pages to reveal content. Carousels are very similar to PowerPoints and slide decks. Each image (or slide) will reveal new information to the user scrolling. This might be text or an image. Carousels are powerful for screen real estate, whether mobile, tablet, or desktop.

These post types stand out because you need to swipe (or scroll) through the content. This can make content more fun and engaging as it requires more interaction than other post types. This is down to there being more user touchpoints on the post. LinkedIn loves dwell time. If you need to become more familiar with how LinkedIn uses dwell time, they measure a post's quality by how long users stay on it. Higher dwell time = higher-quality post.

It will take longer for someone to swipe through a carousel and consume your content than quickly scanning a text post. This can help you with overall dwell time and boost your post engagement. We will now show you examples of three kinds of carousels you could create to get your audience's attention while they scroll through LinkedIn. Carousel with images that tell a story Carousel with a list Single page carousels

4. Videos: Establish Trust with Your Audience

Video content on LinkedIn is a great way to establish trust with your audience. It's always refreshing to see someone's face and hear their voice. Another point to note is videos still need to be used more widely than text posts. This helps your content stand out from the others—videos on LinkedIn work just like many other social media platforms. However, there are some essential points to remember when creating a video for LinkedIn.

1. Post Native videos on LinkedIn instead of linking a video from YouTube.

On LinkedIn, you can post native videos. "native" means uploading a video file to be played inside LinkedIn. Users can watch a video right on the LinkedIn feed. This differs from saying that linking to a YouTube video that will be hosted and played through YouTube takes you outside LinkedIn. Look at this excellent example of how to make videos on LinkedIn natively. Here, Shay Rowbottom talks about how to make your LinkedIn video more engaging. Give her a follow for more LinkedIn video tips!

2. Always add subtitles to your LinkedIn videos.

Plan for no audio. This is one of George Pfeiffer's top tips for creating video content on LinkedIn. Many people scrolling the feed will have their audio turned off. They may be at work, in a library, or just being polite. Whatever the case, you must ensure your content can still be consumed effectively regardless of the audio situation. One of the most important things to do is to add subtitles or captions quickly. We suggest adding captions to your video content to ensure your users get a smooth experience no matter how they consume it.

3. Keep the length of the video short to maximize your LinkedIn audience's attention.

Regardless of the platform, you should consider video length. When someone goes to consume content on YouTube, they often expect a lengthy video explaining something in detail. On the other hand, think of the TikTok audience; they usually browse, expecting short, entertaining, value-adding, or funny videos. In the same way, the audience on LinkedIn has a confident expectation of how much time they should be willing to invest in a video. Short to medium-length videos are an excellent fit for LinkedIn. People scrolling through the feed will only invest 5 to 10 minutes into a clip. Keep it short and sweet!

You may have a bank of long-format content. Chop it up into bite-sized clips and post different snippets as new content. You will see an increase in engagement! So why should you add videos to your LinkedIn content strategy? Gianluca Bazzon has a great article on various stats for using videos on LinkedIn. Do you get fewer views on your videos than other posts? This might be the reason... You will receive a video view on your video post when viewed (played) for over 3 seconds. If a user scrolls past your video and it only plays for 1 or 2 seconds, you will not receive a view. Therefore, your views are typically fewer.

This does not mean videos don't get viewed. It is counted differently than a text post, for example. That's why I always focus on video comments and generate meaningful conversations. Do you want to know how well your videos are doing? Then, you need to work out your engagement rate. Calculating your LinkedIn engagement rate is easy. Simply add up your likes, comments, shares, etc., divide by the total views of your video, and multiply by 100.

For example, if you had 52 likes, 21 comments, and 10 shares, you would add these all together = 83. Then divide by your views (e.g., 340). 83/340 = 0.244. Then multiply this number by 100 = 24.41. This number is a percentage, so your engagement metric is 24.41%.

5. Question Posts: Prompt Conversations with Your LinkedIn Audience

Generating comments on LinkedIn is essential. Not only does it help boost your engagement rate, but it also evokes discussion, which can help extend your organic reach. If you're new to creating content on LinkedIn, promoting debate and getting people to talk about your post is essential. As discussed earlier, this is what LinkedIn is interested in. We know a great, tried, and tested way to do this. Ask your audience questions.

A question-based post is a text post focusing on a particular question. You'll want to do several experiments to see how your audience reacts to question posts. Do they get more engagement, views, and comments? Or does crafting your questions into polls generate more interaction? It's essential to test this and see what works for your audience. Why is generating comments through question posts important? When a user comments on your post, it deploys your post to their network. This helps extend the organic reach of your post and helps grow your profile. This is because their followers are seeing your post and may interact with it.

Bonus tip

Employer advocacy software can increase engagement by encouraging team members to share and interact with your posts, boosting reach and visibility.

6. Articles: A Great Way to Showcase Your Expertise and Boost Engagement

LinkedIn is constantly in the lab looking for more ways for its users to show off their expertise and share their interests. One way users can do this is through articles. An article on LinkedIn is similar to a blog post. It is a longer-form piece of content that can include other media such as images, videos, slides, and even content from different social media channels. LinkedIn users often use articles that need room to explore a topic in depth. With an article, you can structure your content with headings and supplement sections with relevant media.

Articles are a great way to show off your expertise and build trust with your audience. Your audience will also be able to engage with your article in a way that is similar to your posts. They can leave reactions or even comment and share. This sparks discussion, leading to more organic reach and account growth in the long run. In the past, LinkedIn heavily pushed articles. When you post a new article, all your followers will get notified. However, articles are a little more hidden than they used to be. LinkedIn has decided to prioritize status updates instead. This doesn't mean that articles are pointless.

Signposting a cornerstone article on your profile highlighting your expertise in an area can be a great way to convince visitors to hit that follow button. You could show off your knowledge in the SEO industry, and a budding SEO user would read your post and see how much you know. They may click follow to wait for more SEO insights from you. To increase the engagement of your articles, maximize media. With articles, LinkedIn gives us more freedom than other content types. Include infographics, videos, screenshots, and more to make your content easily digestible. Articles on LinkedIn can also appear on Google.

If written correctly, your article can appear on the search engine results page when a user searches for something related to the topic of your article. This helps further extend your article's reach and solidifies you as a topic expert. Articles can have a massive reach and be seen by thousands of people. Take this one, for example, which talks about LinkedIn hashtags. It's had nearly 40,000 views, is on the first page of Google, and is still getting engagement after a year of posting. Now that's reach!

Reasons for Low LinkedIn Engagement

Your Visuals Need a Makeover

Images are essential for LinkedIn engagement. But generic stock photos won't cut it. People want to see you, your workspace, and your honest colleagues—not another corporate college. The best-performing posts use pictures that grab attention and give the story context. Get your phone out and take a candid shot. Something real. Something that shows what happened. Try a whiteboard after a brainstorming session, your notebook with scribbled ideas, you talking to your team, or just a smiley selfie. Add context in the caption so readers understand why this moment matters.

Your Hook Puts People to Sleep

Those first two lines make or break your post. Most people scroll past yours because the opening just isn’t compelling. You start with questions, use corporate language, or ramble without direction. No one reads past a weak beginning. Start your posts with a bold statement. Something unexpected. Make a claim that sparks curiosity. Keep it under eight words. Write ten different versions before picking the strongest one. Test different hooks and track which ones get the most views.

Your Message Stays Too Broad

Generic advice gets generic results. You try to speak to everyone and end up reaching no one. Posts about "business tips" or "success habits" blend into the background because they could apply to anyone. Pick one specific problem your audience faces. Write about exactly how to solve it, step by step. Share the mistakes I made and what I learned. Tell the story of one client's transformation. Get granular with the details. Specific stories stick in people's minds and compel them to engage.

Your Content Lacks Aspiration

People come to LinkedIn to level up their careers and businesses. But your posts focus on essential tips without showing what's possible. Nothing makes someone stop scrolling and think, "I need this." Show the transformative result. Share revenue numbers; client wins, or team growth stats. Tell stories about breakthroughs and realizations. Make readers see themselves achieving the same outcomes. Give them a reason to believe more significant things are possible. Hope and ambition drive engagement.

Your Message Gets Muddled

You pack multiple ideas into one post. You meander between points without a clear thread. Readers need help following your thinking and clicking away instead of engaging. Make one point per post. Hint at it in your hook, then back it up in the body. Support the point with a personal story or specific example. End with something that makes people want to comment. Keep sentences short. Break up paragraphs. Make it possible to understand your message.

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How to Increase Engagement on LinkedIn In 20 Simple Ways

1. Amplifying Your Reach and Influence with Megaphone

A sophisticated engagement network,

A private engagement pod service (coming soon),

Diverse creator partnerships for sponsored posts, X spaces, and newsletter ads (coming soon).

2. Optimize Your Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is your online resume and is often the first impression you make on potential connections. To optimize your profile for engagement, ensure your headline and summary are compelling and concise and highlight your unique value proposition. Include relevant keywords and showcase your expertise through a well-written and professional profile summary. For example, instead of a generic headline like "Marketing Professional," opt for something like "Digital Marketing Specialist | Helping Businesses Drive Revenue through Strategic Online Campaigns."

3. Offer Some Sort Of Intellectual Property

I’ve found that many of my best-performing LinkedIn posts included a free worksheet, template, or standard operating procedure that connections could access and use in their business. When giving IP away, I’d typically get responses from first-, second-, and third-level connections. Many times, my post would trend. So, it’s a great way to improve engagement.

4. Incorporate Videos

You can upload videos and even host live LinkedIn events from your LinkedIn page quite quickly, and the results are well worth it. Video posts get 5x as much engagement on LinkedIn as conventional posts, and Live Video posts get 24x more engagement. To make the most of your videos, keep these tips and best practices in mind:

Plan for mobile viewing

Up to 91% of LinkedIn members watch videos on their mobile devices. If your video doesn’t require a landscape format, consider shooting it vertically.

Always include subtitles

LinkedIn research shows that only around a third of people watching videos on mobile have the sound on at the time.

Show what you want to show in the first ten seconds

You only have enough time to grab your audience’s attention.

Optimize video length to match your goal.

LinkedIn studies show that less than 30 seconds is ideal for brand awareness and consideration goals, whereas demand-gen videos can be slightly longer and tell a more complex story.

Use an informative and engaging thumbnail.

This will help your viewers see what your video is about at a glance.

5. Participate in Groups

LinkedIn Groups allow you to connect with like-minded professionals and engage in meaningful discussions within your niche. Join relevant groups and actively contribute by sharing valuable content, asking thoughtful questions, and providing insights. Group discussions allow you to showcase your expertise, establish credibility, and expand your network. For example, a web developer could join groups like "Front-End Web Development" or "User Experience (UX) Design" to share industry best practices and contribute to discussions.

6. Write And Post Consistently

Be consistent with posting and writing articles. You must have a solid presence and post regularly to engage followers on any platform. Your posts should share your work and serve as information for your followers. In addition to sharing your work, show your knowledge and expertise by engaging with others and commenting thoughtfully on their posts.

7. Keep Your Updates Brief And Engaging

You only have a few seconds to entice your followers to click on an update. Don’t be coy: tell your audience exactly what’s in it for them in as few characters as possible. We recommend 150 characters or fewer. Use those characters to add spice to the update. Ask a thought-provoking question, point out a feature of the content you’re linking to, or even stir up a little controversy. Make it personal and call out your audience.

8. Engage With Others

Building meaningful connections on LinkedIn involves actively engaging with others' content. Like, comment, and share posts from your network to show support and foster conversations. When leaving comments, provide thoughtful insights or ask follow-up questions to encourage further discussion. Engaging with others strengthens your relationships, increases the likelihood of reciprocation, and expands your reach for content.

9. Use the 4-1-1 Rule

Most marketers know the 4-1-1 rule: If you grew up in the ‘90s, you must ask “What’s the 4-1-1?” when seeking information. Okay, the 4-1-1 rule says that for every piece of content you share about yourself (or your organization), you should share an update from another source and, most importantly, four pieces of content written by others. This rule helps keep your feed centered on your audience’s needs rather than making it a place for your organization to talk about itself solely.

For every post that centers on your brand, share multiple helpful, valuable posts from other LinkedIn members and brands. Of course, just because you’re sharing other content doesn’t mean you can’t comment on it. For every piece of content you share, add your organization’s takeaway or thoughts in your post sharing it. Take this opportunity to demonstrate your company’s expertise or start a conversation.

10. Build Relationships Beyond Likes

Develop relationships with your followers beyond the likes and comments. Email them and chat with them offline. When people see you take an interest in them beyond their likes or comments, they feel personally attached to you. They will then share your content with others, and you will naturally broaden your reach.

11. Use Tracking Links

Your LinkedIn Page is a marketing tool in its own right. It comes equipped with analytics tools to measure each post’s popularity and level of interaction. However, you don’t have to stop analyzing the activity your updates generate on LinkedIn. Insert a tracking code onto the end of your links. That way, you can correctly attribute traffic to your site that originates from each update. You may find that your LinkedIn page has become a substantial source of inbound traffic. You can also add the LinkedIn Insight tag to your website to track conversions, retarget website visitors, and learn more about the categories of LinkedIn members interacting with your content.

12. Be Interested In Others First

As the saying goes, if you want to be interesting to people, you first need to be interested in them. Start by commenting and engaging with other people’s content. This builds awareness and trust in the long term and will come back tenfold. Of course, ensuring that your content is engaging and invites an ongoing conversation is a must.

13. Utilize LinkedIn Polls

LinkedIn Polls are a valuable feature for engaging your network and gathering insights. Craft polls related to your industry, ask thought-provoking questions and encourage your connections to participate. Polls create a sense of inclusiveness, invite discussions, and provide you with valuable data and feedback.

14. Avoid Links (Sometimes!)

Posts that feature thought-provoking or inspirational content tend to get high engagement, even without a link. You could try using a linkless post to ask the kind of question you’re sure will prompt a thoughtful discussion. In a case like that, the fact that the post doesn’t have a link may make the question — and the resulting discussion — stand out even more.

15. Identify What Sets You Apart

LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool that connects former, current, and prospective customers. The key to success on LinkedIn is standing out from other businesses. Identify and own what sets you apart from different companies, then honestly and authentically share it. Equip the power of stories to connect with and engage your followers; do not be afraid to be vulnerable with your stories.

16. Use Showcase Pages to Highlight Your Brands, Business Units, or Initiatives

We recommend creating Showcase Pages whenever you have a brand, business unit, or initiative that offers unique value to specific segments of your audience. This way, you give followers the option to follow the aspect(s) of your company they’re most interested in. Showcase Pages allow you to target each update to the most relevant audience to create a customized feed for each segment. To help you monitor and grow your unique audiences, Showcase Pages have the same posting options and analytics as your LinkedIn page.

17. Collaborate with Influencers

Partnering with influencers in your industry can significantly boost your LinkedIn engagement. Identify influencers who align with your niche and have a substantial following. Collaborate on joint content, such as interviews, guest articles, or webinars, to leverage their reach and expertise. By associating yourself with influencers, you enhance your credibility and attract a broader audience to your profile and content.

18. Be Curious And Seek Feedback

Practice curiosity. Contribute relevant content. Determine who you’d like a response from; explore their background, experience, and points of view. Reach out and ask what relevance, if any, they’ve found in a post. Ask what matters most to them. Ask what issues would be valuable to explore. Think of your audience as your customers. Serve them. Invite richer conversations.

19. Take Advantage of the Content Suggestions Tool

The Content Suggestions tool lets you quickly discover the topics and articles your target audience cares about. The tool bases these suggestions on location, industry, job function, and seniority. Comment Suggestions are helpful when planning content, particularly when deciding which conversations to start or contribute to. When reviewing the suggestions, consider questions you could ask to advance the discussion surrounding a specific topic.

20. Add Hashtags

Part of the magic of social media is the potential for any post to be found and further amplified. Using hashtags doesn’t just increase the findability of your content; it also shows your audience which topics your post will address. If you want to add followers from existing communities, using the same hashtags those communities use is a good way to go about it. You should also consider using hashtags for themed content initiatives to give followers an easy way to locate everything you’ve published related to that initiative.

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What Is A Good Engagement Rate On LinkedIn

A reasonable LinkedIn engagement rate doesn’t have a fixed number. It depends on the industry you are active in and the audience you are targeting.

Nevertheless, marketing experts agree that 1% to 3.5% can be considered a reasonable engagement rate.

How to Calculate the LinkedIn Engagement Rate

To calculate your LinkedIn engagement, you need the following stats:

Post impressions

Post comments

Post reactions

Post shares

The formula to determine the LinkedIn engagement rate is the following

Engagement rate = (Total engagement/ Total impressions) * 100

Total engagement is the total likes, comments, and shares your posts have received.

Here is an example

Let’s say we are calculating the engagement rate for a particular post. The post has received 751 likes, 439 comments, and 23 shares. Total impressions are 7,000.

The basic formula we are operating with here is

ER (Engagement Rate in %) = [(Total Engagement (751 + 439 + 23)] / 7000) * 100

The total engagement here is 1,213.

So, the ER here is (1,213/7,000) * 100 = 17%.

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Stop Talking and Start Engaging

More than any other social platform, LinkedIn is a place of business. Its users want professional, informative, relevant content that is relevant to their field and interests. So, when you create a post, do not just talk about yourself or your business. Instead, get specific about what you can offer your target audience. To increase engagement on LinkedIn, aim to create a post that will help your ideal clients solve a problem, achieve a goal, or learn something new.

For example, if you’re a business coach and want to write a post about your services, instead of simply promoting your business, create a post that helps your target audience understand how to improve their performance. This will grab their attention and likely prompt them to click on your business to learn more about your services.

Next, consider what an audience member would want to know before hiring a business coach. Then, create a post that answers this question. This approach will help improve your LinkedIn engagement and establish your authority and expertise in your niche.

Don’t Go It Alone: Get a Team

Boosting LinkedIn engagement is challenging work—especially if you are doing it all on your own. Fortunately, you do not have to go it alone. Getting a team of people to help you increase your LinkedIn visibility can make the process easier and more effective. But I’m not just talking about hiring a virtual assistant to help you manage your LinkedIn account (although this can be beneficial, too).

Instead, I’m encouraging you to build a team of engaged LinkedIn connections who can help you amplify your posts. When you create a post on LinkedIn, it is shown to your connections. From there, if any of these connections engage with your post (by liking, commenting, or sharing), it triggers LinkedIn’s algorithm to show the post to more of their connections. This is how posts go viral on LinkedIn. The more engagement your post receives, the further its reach and visibility will become, and the better your chances of increasing your LinkedIn engagement.

Join a Pod

In addition to finding a team of engaged LinkedIn connections to help boost your posts, you can join a pod. LinkedIn (engagement pods) are groups working together to increase each other’s visibility on the platform. When you join a LinkedIn pod, you will share your posts in the group. Then, other members will engage with your posts to help boost your visibility on the platform. In return, you will do the same for them.

LinkedIn pods are often structured on a “score” system, where each person’s post gets a certain number of likes and comments before they can move on to the next pod member. While joining engagement pods might seem a bit artificial, they can be a valuable way to kickstart your LinkedIn growth, especially if you are just starting. Just be sure to use them wisely and not rely on them indefinitely.