There are more social networks than ever before—the standard Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (ex-Twitter), Snapchat, and (obviously our fave) LinkedIn. There are also other mixed use social platforms like Discord (we’re on here, too), Substack, Threads, Circle and g*d knows what else.
Each serves a purpose and can be a powerful tool for growing your brand, building a network, and connecting with your community. I want to focus on LinkedIn (surprise 😉 surprise). I may be biased, but I see LinkedIn as THE only platform to get noticed as business professionals and become a thought leader that stands out.
There have been some big updates on the platform that present a STANDOUT opportunity for business professionals and companies who want to to extend the lifespan of their content, reach new audiences and drive business opportunities.
To understand why these updates are SO unique, let’s break down how other major Social Media platforms promote content and what drives success on each.
A Breakdown of What’s Working On Top Social Media Platforms
Here’s a quick breakdown of the top social media platforms. The one BIG differentiation between LinkedIn and the rest that I want to point out, is that LinkedIn’s revenue is NOT driven by advertising. That’s a huge deal. When you’re on Meta platforms, X, and TikTok, they’re making money off advertising to you. It’s a pay to play model. While advertising is a revenue stream for LinkedIn, it’s not the only one. LinkedIn is a product company with solutions for job seekers, recruiters, sellers, marketers and learners.
- Key Feature: Reels
- Success Driver: Short, engaging video content
- Algorithm Insight: Prioritizes new and popular Reels to increase visibility
Are you even doing Instagram right if you’re not creating eye-catching and entertaining reels? Instagram thrives on dynamic and visually appealing content, so chances are you’re missing out on a colossal exposure opportunity if you or your company have something visual to say. If you don’t want to create reels everyday and invest in paid ads, you may find this platform limiting for your growth.
💥 X (ex-Twitter)
- Key Feature: Tweets and Threads
- Success Driver: Timeliness and engagement (likes, retweets, comments)
- Algorithm Insight: Real-time relevance and trending topics
X is all about being timely and engaging. If you’re not part of the conversation in real-time, you might as well be sleeping. The X lords know that to be pushed up on X, you better be ‘on’ responding to news as it unravels from politics to sports to entertainment. With all the changes from Elon, many advertisers have left the platform leaving the future quite unknown for its longevity.
- Key Feature: Stories and News Feed
- Success Driver: Personalized content based on user interactions
- Algorithm Insight: Engagement-driven, favoring highly interactive posts
Facebook is still a place to share pictures of those dorky family vacations. So, it’s no surprise that it prioritizes personalized content that your mother-in-law loves to leave a thread of comments on. The more users interact with your posts on Facebook, the more likely they see them in their feed. This is a very effective platform to reach boomers and Gen-Xers especially if you use paid ads.
💥TikTok
- Key Feature: Short-form videos
- Success Driver: Viral, engaging, and entertaining content
- Algorithm Insight: Prioritizes content that receives high engagement (likes, comments, shares, and views)
TikTok is all about going viral with creative, engaging, and entertaining content. The platform’s algorithm focuses on pushing videos that get high engagement, making it crucial to capture viewers’ attention from the very first second. It can be very effective to reach cold audiences and get new organic reach IF you can create viral content that clicks with your audience.
- Key Feature: Professional content and thoughtful insights
- Success Driver: Value-driven, informative posts
- Algorithm Insight: Favors evergreen content for prolonged reach
LinkedIn’s focus on professional and insightful content sets it apart. The latest algorithm change means high-quality posts can now enjoy extended visibility. I love this new update because it’s even more reason to produce high-quality, educational content that truly speaks to your target audience.
The LinkedIn Algorithm Change
According to Entrepreneur, LinkedIn’s new algorithm changes in 2024 are designed to prioritize valuable, knowledge-rich content over viral trends.
This shift is a game-changer for those of us who share insights and advice and are looking to grow a high quality audience. The platform now prioritizes content that offers real value, encouraging deeper engagement and long-term connections. It’s different from other social media platforms that rely on a ‘quick blow up’—either their content goes viral within a short timeframe, or it belly-flops hard.
This means that once you post something of value, it’s more likely to be recommended to other accounts that the LinkedIn algorithm has deemed valuable. And it will keep doing so for weeks, months, (maybe years…) to come. Take my post from 6 months ago … to date, it has 37,540 impressions, 27, 713 unique views, 349 likes, 53 comments, and 2 reposts. It was a post from Dell Technologies InnovateHER AI Forum I attended. I shared about my experience with raw selfie photos and key takeaways from the speakers, which extended my visibility massively.
InnovateHER AI Forum
Analytics on my InnovateHER AI Forum Post
I’ve noticed the shift in my content, particularly when sharing actionable advice or personal anecdotes. Thanks to these changes, I’ve enjoyed extended visibility. Wooo! 👏 What a stark contrast to other platforms, where a post’s lifespan can pass by faster than a cat chasing a mouse.
That’s why StandOut Authority focuses on building thought leaders with influence and uses the power of LinkedIn to deliver that content. For us, it’s about quality over quantity content and connecting with the right people consistently.
Tips for Creating Knowledge-Driven Content on LinkedIn
Now, let’s get tactical. Here are some specific tips for creating content rich in knowledge and advice, that resonates with your audience and gets you noticed on LinkedIn.
Know Your Audience
🔵 Understand who your audience is and what they want to learn about. Then choose 3-5 content themes connected to your audience and most importantly, your skills and experiences, and consistently create content around these themes. This ensures it resonates with your audience and you’re talking about topics within your subject matter expertise.
🔵 Use data analytics tools to track which types of posts resonate most with your followers.
Knowing your audience is the first step in creating impactful content. Always check your analytics to ensure that your messages are hitting home with your audience. I call it the ABC of content marketing – Always Be Checking.
If it’s not meeting your KPIs, then > refine + refine + refine.
Below is a peek into the last year of my audience analytics. What does this tell me? My content is being seen the most by people who are founders, CEOs, Co-Founders, Owners, and President’s of companies. This is how I knew my content needed to pivot, because this wasn’t the case a year prior to this.
My 2023 Audience Analytics
Share Insights and Advice
🔵 Focus on creating content that offers practical advice and solutions.
🔵 Don’t complicate it. Try breaking down complex topics into actionable steps or takeaways.
Sharing insights and advice to position you as a thought leader. I found that posts offering clear, actionable advice received the most engagement and made my audience look to me as a ‘go-to’ branding expert. 5 months ago, I posted 5 Ways to WERK (And Boost) Your Personal Brand Online, and it got 21K impressions and 16K unique views. I gave 5 easy to understand, value driven actionable steps they could take that day.
5 Ways to WERK (And Boost) Your Personal Brand Online
The top demographic of unique views from my post were mainly from people in companies of 10K+ employees and companies with 11-50 employees. So this tells me a lot about my audience, and how to cater to them with thought leadership content.
Top Demographic of Unique Views from my 5 Ways to WERK (And Boost) Your Personal Brand On LinkedIn Post
Leverage Personal Stories
🔵 Humanize your content by sharing personal stories and experiences.
🔵Consider being open about your personal life. People dig it.
I’m super honest about my personal life. My audience can see I’m a real human with real feelings, and it works. Sharing personal stories makes it easier for your audience to connect with you on a deeper level because you’re being transparent, vulnerable, and H-U-M-A-N. People love to see a touch of ‘I’m a real person with real emotions’ on the internet.
Consistency is Key
🔵 Post regularly to maintain visibility and engagement. We suggest 3X a week but even 1 post a week will go a long ways.
🔵Schedule posts in advance to make it easier for your future self to stay consistent. Batch creating content is a MASSIVE time saver.
Consistency keeps you top-of-mind. I use LinkedIn’s scheduling tools to schedule my content so I know that even when juggling family life with Josh and our kids, Skylar, Jayden, and baby Ava, posts are gonna post.
Engage with Your Community
🔵Respond to comments, share others’ posts, and participate in discussions.
🔵 Avoid falling into the comment rabbit hole by setting limits, such as 10 minutes a day of commenting and sharing content. And stick to them.
It’s like an online never-ending networking fiesta. Engagement is vital to nurturing your community and will 100% lead to INCREDIBLE connections and opportunities. Constantly commenting and responding to comments will fuel your growth in the algorithm. And don’t forget to build your network by sending personalized connection requests. Remember, your network is your net worth!
Show The Humans Behind the Brand
🔵 Highlight team achievements and individual contributions.
🔵 Humanizing your brand builds trust. Share some behind-the-scenes content about you and your brand.
Highlighting the achievements and contributions of your team members showcases the real people behind the brand. In my work with StandOut Authority , Joshua B. Lee (my hubby and business partner) and I like to get super real and share insider looks into what a day in our life looks like. This approach strengthens brand loyalty and trust with our audience because they know what they see (from us) is what they get. We received great feedback when we featured our team on International Women’s Day, our team felt seen, and our audience got to know more about who we are as a #famiLEE
LinkedIn Never Sleeps, But You Should Find a Healthy On and Offline Balance
One thing we know for certain is that there’s no certainty with social media. It’s ALWAYS changing, evolving, moving. One thing that won’t change is that, at its core, social media, particularly LinkedIn, is a place of community.
That’s why whatever algorithm changes LinkedIn HQ implements next Wednesday at 3:17 pm they will always be based on a commitment to prioritizing meaningful, value-driven content that fosters relationships and grows our workforce.
Shift your focus from viral trends to knowledge-based content to leverage the latest changes. This will maximize the reach and impact of your posts.
What are you doing to create meaningful content on LinkedIn? Share your strategies in the comments below! 👇
📢 Did you catch my LinkedIn LIVE with Cynthia Barnes the queen 👑 of sales herself?
Cynthia Barnes the Queen of Sales dropped really insightful truths about SALES & BRANDING.
Cynthia Barnes is a LinkedIn Top Voice, a TEDx speaker, and the founder of the NAWSP (National Sales Association of Women Professionals). She’s also the author of “Women. Sell. Better” and is here to empower women to own their sales brilliance.
💥She shared her secret strategies for nailing those discovery calls and building deeper connections with your buyers AND she gave the lowdown on why building your personal brand through social selling is CRUCIAL for success.