On this week’s Dear Katie, I was asked a question that I think a lot of people have: “I’ve been posting consistently for a few months now on LinkedIn, but my views on my posts are still really low. Do you have any tips?”
I fully understand how frustrating it is when you’re putting so much time and effort into social media and it seems like no one sees your content.
It’s disheartening, so what can you do about it?
A few tweaks can often make a huge difference, especially when you’re using LinkedIn. These tweaks typically come down to:
If you want to increase your content visibility and engagement, follow the below:
Your hook – if you don’t know what they are, read about them here – needs to pull people in. Imagine that you’re watching a movie trailer. The trailer hooks you in by jumping right into the action and teases you along the way.
When creating posts, you also need a hook that pulls people in from the very start so that they keep consuming your content.
Your hook pulls people in, but once they’re reading, you need to continue teasing them along the way. If you give up the whole story at one time, why would anyone keep reading? Right? For example, let’s say that I want to talk about a tax strategy that saved my client $50,000 on their taxes.
I might do something like this:
We recently helped our client save $50k in taxes.
Here are the 3 strategies we used…
Within the body of the post, I would explain the three strategies in the body of the post because if I told them right at the start, readers would:
Each post you make has to give people a reason to keep on reading.
Writing a hook from the start is challenging. Your creative juices might not be flowing from the start, so why not write your hook AFTER you write the post? I’ve found this strategy to lead to hooks that are:
Think about what people want to know and then work backward after you write the meat of your post.
If I could give any social media tip, it would be to focus on authenticity. It’s so important to humanize yourself on social media, and that also means creating the right type of content.
It doesn’t matter what forms of media you use as long as it’s authentic to you. Yes, video is king right now, but if that’s not your thing, don’t try to be something you’re not.
Some people kill it on video, while others have better success with photo and text posts.
Having a mix of posts is ideal, but if you absolutely hate a particular type of content (like video), don’t do it. Focus on what you’re best at instead.
Want your posts to get more views? Be controversial. Go against the grain. Try busting myths.
I can promise you that there are multiple things you disagree with in your industry or niche. Don’t be afraid to stand for what you believe. Sure, you may repel a few people, but you’ll be surprised by how many people will share your perspective or at least appreciate your honesty.
It’s tempting to use AI and ChaptGPT to create your content because it’s so easy, right? And ChatGPT alone has 200 million users worldwide.
But AI-generated posts aren’t unique. They aren’t you.
They’re usually littered with emojis and phrases like “let’s delve into..” They’re missing the most important key ingredient: you.
It’s fine to use AI to help you edit your posts, come up with new post ideas or to pull out impactful moments from your videos. But don’t rely on it to create posts from scratch.
Social media is a great place to demonstrate your expertise, but positioning yourself as an expert doesn’t mean that you have to “sound smart.” What do I mean by that?
Don’t use language that only people in your industry can understand – unless you’re only trying to appeal to your industry. Otherwise, make sure your content is easy for your target audience to understand.
If you’re an accountant, remember that your ideal clients aren’t accountants. They may not understand industry jargon, so keep things basic.
If you want to improve your LinkedIn profile, ask yourself the following question before posting new content: will a 5th grader understand this?
If your answer is “no,” then go back to the drawing board and try again.
Nothing will make people scroll past your post faster than a big block of text.
Social media is not an essay contest, so space things out.
Vary the length of your sentences.
Doing so will make your posts more scannable and easier to digest. Most people are on social media to take a break from the world, so don’t make them work to consume your content.
And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.
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Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question?
Until next time, cheers to your success!
Katie
Start by crafting punchy hooks that grab attention. Tease your audience with intriguing details to keep them reading, and consider writing your posts in reverse to develop stronger hooks.
Use a mix of media that feels authentic to you. While video is popular, focus on the formats you excel in, whether that’s text, images, or video.
While AI can help with editing and brainstorming, avoid relying on it to create posts from scratch. Your unique voice is essential for engaging content.
Use simple language that your target audience can easily understand. Avoid industry jargon and aim for clarity, as if explaining to a fifth grader.
Break up large blocks of text to make your posts more scannable. Use varied sentence lengths and spacing to enhance readability.
Don’t be afraid to be controversial or challenge common beliefs in your industry. Authenticity and a unique perspective can attract more engagement.