I Posted 251 Times On LinkedIn Last Year— Here’s What I Learned

I’m a full-time business development executive. I’m married. I have an almost 4-year old son. A corgi. Interests outside of work.

Put differently, I don’t have tons of free time to be writing online.

But, on March 25, 2022, I wrote my first post on LinkedIn. And, in the 11 months that followed, I posted 251 times and generated 790,315 views. All premised on a hunch that doing so would be good for my professional life.

It’s still early, but I’ve been pleased with the results.

Here, I’ll summarize my top 10 lessons from nearly a year’s worth of writing on LinkedIn.

1. If it isn’t educational, entertaining, or inspiring, don’t post it.

My engagement is near 0 when I break this rule.

And, I unfollow accounts that don’t adhere to this principle.

I’m not in my LinkedIn feed to see ads for consultancies, Instagram selfies, another Simon Sinek quote, or corporate Kool-Aid text walls. And, neither are you or anyone in your audience.

Deliver value or be ignored.

2. Posting regularly desensitizes you from the fear of judgment.

I didn’t write for years due to the fear of judgment from others.

I worried what my boss might think. What my direct reports might think. What Joe from accounting from 3 jobs ago might think.

In retrospect, it seems stupid. But, the feeling was real.

My suggestion: Post 30, 60, or 100 times and tell me if you still fear judgment from others.

At this point, I couldn’t care less.

I’ve posted 251 times and the sky hasn’t fallen, my professional reputation isn’t ruined (I think), and the majority of the feedback I get on my writing is positive.

Given that, I feel zero anxiety over my 252nd post. Some people will like it, others won’t, and many will ignore it. Just like the 251 posts that came before it.

3. Your work colleagues WILL read your writing.

My colleagues don’t mention my LinkedIn writing very often.

But, it’s clear that they read it.

In fact, I was given an award by our CEO for being the leadership team member that was “Most Likely To Post On LinkedIn” in 2022.

It came during an award ceremony where another company leader received an award for “Most Likely To Be Mistaken For A Buckeyes Fan.”

So, these weren’t serious awards. But, the award made it clear that my colleagues were noticing my posts.

The obvious implication is: veering off of the company’s values and “party line” in your posts could create problems for you at work.

Twitter, Medium, and Substack are all fine options for writing and building an audience if your ideas could get you in hot water at work.

But, remember — those channels are public, too.

4. The majority of your readership will be lurkers.

My typical post gets 3,000 to 6,000 views, 20–40 likes, and a handful of comments.

But, I think real readership is easily 10–50X higher than the “like” volume, based on the comments I hear offline. I’m often surprised by how much these lurkers are paying attention.

Put another way — don’t get discouraged by the likes. Your readership is much broader than the engagement you see in the posts.

Deliver unique, high-quality content and you’re bound to leave a positive impression on someone in your network.

5. Write in the intersection of what you love to write and what people love to read.

If you’re going to play the online writing game, you’ll need longevity. That’s because the great outcomes lie on the other side of your audience trusting you — and there’s no shortcuts.

If you don’t love writing on the topic, you’ll get bored.

And, if people don’t love reading it, the lack of engagement will feel like you’re shouting into a void.

Either outcome will make the temptation to quit too strong.

I’m still in the process of finding that sweet spot. And, I think the only way to do it is by writing and posting.

6. The “Just post consistently and magical things will happen” narrative is false.

If you need a counter-example, here I am. And, despite 251 posts in 11 months:

• I don’t have a book deal.

• No one has offered to double my salary.

• I haven’t received an invitation to shoot the shit with Joe Rogan.

Shocking, I know.

The reason is because I’m still in the very early innings. Finding my voice. Finding the topics I might eventually be known for.

I’m also probably not that good at it yet. How could I be? I’ve been building my corporate career for 17 years and suddenly started writing last year on a whim.

To think I’m God’s gift to LinkedIn writing is ludicrous.

I need to be consistent & good. And, I have more work to do.

Posting consistent garbage will get me muted, unfollowed, or worse.

And, writing a clever article 4 times a year might earn me some likes and comments, but is unlikely to do much for my brand (unless those 4 articles are insanely good).

7. The organic reach on LinkedIn is enormous.

I’m surprised that I jumped in cold and I’m on pace to generate close to 1MM views per year.

When I started writing, I had 2,300 connections. It took me 15 years to build that base. I’ve nearly doubled that in 11 months.

I’ve been experimenting on other platforms (like Medium) and have nowhere close to the reach and readership I have on LinkedIn.

Your takeaway? → Don’t take that reach for granted.

As a busy professional, you have an opportunity to leverage it to scale your brand, network, and online presence. All while your peers blissfully sleep on the opportunity.

8. Comparing yourself to other accounts is a waste of time.

When I started, it seemed like everyone had more followers, likes and comments than me. And, it still does.

I’ve gotten no value from these vanity metric comparisons. So, I’ve stopped.

Today, I notice small accounts who post killer content and huge accounts that post useless nonsense.

Trying to draw a connection between the quality of someone’s content and their vanity metrics is a dangerous game.

Currently, I study creators I respect and try to learn from them. How they write hooks. How they structure their content. How they connect ideas. What topics land with their audiences.

It’s all out there in the open. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from the best.

9. LinkedIn is the best (and scariest) platform to write on as a full-time professional.

Decision-makers use the platform, and actually engage. So when you write authentic, useful content, influential people may notice it.

But, there’s nowhere else on the internet where your boss (or someone senior at your company) is more likely to read your content. So, if you post inauthentic or useless content, you might get the wrong kind of attention.

If you’re a little anxious about posting, it’s for good reasons.

But, you can overcome that anxiety. Here are 6 ways to do it.

10. LinkedIn works for ME, not the other way around.

When I started, I would write posts “for” LinkedIn. Now, I just write.

I share it on LinkedIn when I feel like it. Because I think my network would find it valuable. Or, because I want feedback on my ideas.

Currently, I’m writing posts that connect my experience playing poker to lessons in the business world.

I’m gathering input on what ideas land to curate content for a book sometime down the line.

The feedback from LinkedIn helps me see what’s interesting and what isn’t. And, the comments give me ideas for new posts & articles.

It’s almost to the point now where I would pay LinkedIn for the opportunity to post in exchange for the feedback I get back.

But, shhhh, don’t tell them.