4 Questions To Ask Before You Post on LinkedIn

“Fluffy” LinkedIn posts featuring fun facts and photos from your office’s recent Taco Tuesday celebration aren’t helping you build a brand as a knowledgeable, premier talent advisor. But that doesn’t mean you need to produce expensive videos and podcasts to build credibility as a talent access subject matter expert. 

Written content can be just as powerful as advanced media and requires a fraction of the resources. Utilize the 1,300 characters LinkedIn grants you with each personal post to share your thoughts and demonstrate your expertise.

While you’re unwinding the headlines, ask yourself these four questions to ensure you’re providing additive value to your audience, increasing your reputation as a sought-after thought leader in your space.

Why Should Your Audience Care?

Use your commentary to explain why the content you are sharing is relevant to your audience as it relates to building companies and careers. If they’re seeing similar headlines being shared by others on LinkedIn, you can differentiate yourself by putting the topic through a talent access lens.

Are the Key Takeaways Clear?

Don’t expect your audience to click into an external article or make them dig through an industry report to learn something. There is a lot of noise on LinkedIn and people are busy. Highlight the main takeaways for your audience directly in your post so that they’re skimmable for your followers.

Have You Maximized Engagement?

Whether it’s clients who could benefit from the piece, the original author of the article you’re sharing, or industry peers who have shared similar points of view, tagging relevant people in your content is a good way to guarantee you’re on their radar and increase your reach to their networks. 

Can You Let the Author Do the Heavy Lifting?

If you are limited on time but found a great piece of content you want to share, quote the first paragraph, tag the original author or publisher, and add a few original thoughts to tie it back to talent access. This way, your post opens with a strong thought which has already been proofed and strategized.

Too often we find irrelevant content in our feeds because people we follow are so dead set on reaching a posting quota that they don’t stop to make sure it’s something of value. By asking yourself these four questions before you press “Publish”, you can ensure you’re avoiding the fluff and delivering subject matter expertise that inspires your network to engage.