Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Improving the Reach of LinkedIn Content - The Never Ending Saga

Improving the Reach of LinkedIn Content - The Never Ending Saga


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It is no secret that the organic reach of LinkedIn content has declined significantly in recent years. This applies whether one is talking about posts in groups, LinkedIn Publisher posts, or status updates. There has been a lot of debate about why this is taking place and what to do about it. It really shouldn't be this hard to achieve results.  It's a source of frustration and I definitely have not found a magic bullet. Many Linked In members have been experimenting to find approaches that work but it's not easy to do though.

LinkedIn Status Updates are visible when members click on "Home". Members can also creat their own status updates by sharing their own updates, photos, articles, and videos from "Home".


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Clicking on "Write an Article" takes members to LinkedIn Publishing where they can share longer form blog posts.

I've addressed LinkedIn Publisher here:


Today, we'll focus on LinkedIn status updates.  Some members think it's just too much work to try and get results from status updates. I tend to lean in that direction. Even if one has thousands of connections, status updates are distributed to very few of them.

One thing is certain if you are successful in "cracking the code", status updates that attract a lot of views can drive significant traffic to your website and blog posts.


5 Things we Know for Sure About Improving the Reach of Status Updates

What are some of the strategies that can improve the reach of status updates?  I've discovered a few things.

  • post without photos - text only posts tend to do better Here is an example but, unfortunately, a short question like this is of limited use for business status updates:

0 Ase Thrnbey Brome MEA Team Building, Innovation, and R.O.I An Executive's Guide to Boosting the Bottom Line


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  • the more people who like and comment on status updates shortly after they are posted, the more viewers the status update will attract

  • grow your base as the impact of likes and comments is magnified when members have 30,000+ connections

  • connect with as many highly connected individuals as possible and let them know that they are welcome to like and comment on your status updates if they find them to be of value

  • don't hesitate to ask members with a lot of followers if they will do you a favour and help you improve the reach of your content (i.e. by liking and commenting)

Compare the results of 2 status updates to the right. 

The first received a like and comment from a member with more than 30,000 followers. 

The result? 

146 vs 5,232 views

Learn From the Experiences of Others


I have stumbled across approaches that seem to work for some members and I will be experimenting with some of them.

For example, James Carbary is not on beBee but he gave me permission to pass on what he shared on LinkedIn.

A few months ago, his status updates were only attracting 100-200 views. 

In the last 3 weeks, he experimented with some new strategies and his content on LinkedIn has been viewed over 115,000 times. His updates regularly get between 2,000 - 40,000 views. 

James attributes his success to 8 specific strategies.

1) He started writing LinkedIn status updates instead of articles. 
2) In his status updates, he uses 1 sentence paragraphs. 
3) He avoids using links in his status updates and, instead, shares them in the first comment. 
4) He posts regularly based on experiences that take place during the course of his day. 
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5) He uses list posts. These seem to appeal to readers.

List posts can be numbered or bulleted. To the right is an example of a list post. I just posted it. let's see how it does.

6) He does not shy away from posting controversial content. It triggers a reaction.
7) He replies to every comment. 
8) He follows individuals who are successful in generating a lot of views.

With the increase in volume, James has generated a number of quality inbound business leads for business.

Number 1 is a given. I have stopped publishing on Publisher.  It's pointless.

I am going to experiment with 2, 3, 5, and 8.  Will you join me and report back and share your results?


It Only Take One....BUT


Engagement on status updates from ONE well-connected member has far more impact than the likes and comments of dozens of members with fewer connections.  


BUT this strategy does not work for Publisher posts. The same well-connected member who helped me generate over 5000 views on my status update by liking and commenting also liked and commented on a Publisher post. Two days after publication, despite receiving 15 likes, 6 comments, and 5 shares, it only has 36 views.

There is only so often that you can ask people to do favours for you. (After a while, it will become annoying.) 

Work on growing your own base as the numbers required to achieve consistent results are significantly higher than one might expect. 

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My network is far from shabby but, clearly, thousands of connections are not enough to generate results. (I have 4377 connections and 5277 followers.)

Here, yet another result that can be attributed directly to the generosity of member with a lot of connections who liked and commented on my status update. 

If you think it's worthwhile, experiment until you find strategies that achieve better results for you. If despite your best efforts, it's not working, explore what other platforms have to offer. For example, on beBee, 100% of your connections see 100% of your posts 100% of the time.


For discussion:

  • What strategies have you found to be effective in improving the reach of LinkedIn status updates?

  • Which of the strategies suggested in this post do you plan to try?

  • At the end of the day, do you think all of these efforts are worthwhile or is it just too much work for too little return?

An update:


""""""
#LinkedIn Content #LinkedIn #Ending Saga #Reach #LinkedIn Publisher
Comments

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #19

I've done some experiments. Here is an update: An update: - Improving the Reach of LinkedIn Content - The Saga Continues https://www.bebee.com/producer/@anne-thornley-brown/improving-the-reach-of-linkedin-content-the-saga-continues

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #18

Shocker, the LinkedIn status update about a beBee post has had 1,436 likes 1 comment and 4 likes in less than one day. One of the people who liked it must have a huge network. I used 1 sentence paragraphs and put the link in the first comment.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #17

#23
Great so far. I am going to try just one line and the link in the comment and see what happens.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #16

At this point, I also want to say that one should not have to use a million time-consuming workarounds to get their content viewed. Content should be visible to connections and followers....period. Not even posting in groups works as members are not notified of new content and in many instances, announcements no longer work. They work in 1 of my 6 groups.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #15

Philip Calvert Which approach did you try? How many followers do you have?

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #14

Sara Jacobovici How is it coming? Have you tried any experiments? Here are the results of mine. Status Updates: - List Post: 8 Ways to Generate Revenue from Team Building - 301 views & 3 likes in 24 hours - Text Only + Link: Team Building: 3 Ways to Get More Bang for Your Buck - 470 Views, 6 likes & 2 comments in 2 days - Text, Photo + Link: Alcohol at events & Duty of Care at Corporate Events - 285 views, 5 likes & 3 comments in 2 days Publisher Post: - Team Building: 3 Ways to Get more Bank for your Buck - 46 views, 5 re-shares, 6 comments, 15 Likes - a total waste of time All of this activity generated 18 hits to my website. I have 129 hits with no referring links so if I am optimistic, perhaps some of those were generated by LinkedIn. If I am pessimistic (or realistic) perhaps it just too much work for too little return. Identical post on beBee: - Team Building: 3 Ways to Get more Bank for your Buck - over 500 views, 15 likes, 5 comments Paul \ I will give the #buzzBeBee hashtag on Twitter a try.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #13

Sara Jacobovici How is it coming? Have you tried any experiments? Here are the results of mine. Status Updates: - List Post: 8 Ways to Generate Revenue from Team Building - 301 views & 3 likes in 24 hours - Text Only + Link: Team Building: 3 Ways to Get More Bang for Your Buck - 470 Views, 6 likes & 2 comments in 2 days - Text, Photo + Link: Alcohol at events & Duty of Care at Corporate Events - 285 views, 5 likes & 3 comments in 2 days Publisher Post: - Team Building: 3 Ways to Get more Bank for your Buck - 46 views, 5 re-shares, 6 comments, 15 Likes - a total waste of time All of this activity generated 18 hits to my website. I have 129 hits with no referring links so if I am optimistic, perhaps some of those were generated by LinkedIn. If I am pessimistic (or realistic)perhaps it just too much work for too little return Paul \ I will give the hashtag a try.

David B. Grinberg

6 years ago #12

I agree with you, Anne, that status updates and/or discussion-related posts, and/or curating content results in higher engagement on LI than writing anything of Pulse. I know a lot of us here like to cross-channel pollinate by posting beBee buzz as status updates on LI. This seems to be working fairly well. cc: Jim Murray

stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

6 years ago #11

Prospects are unrevealed targets in marketnsegments that will be processed through funneling (succession of workflows) up to a purchase act.mThat applies to my way to doing marketing. Which might differ to others marketers when they market products or themselves. I also consider a former customer a prospect with respect, because we must work hard to deserve the renewal of his/her trust for the next purchase act. Many competitors consider their customers their property, and that is good for me...because customer loyalty is the hardest thing ever to keep alive and not to conquer.

stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

6 years ago #10

#11
I agree with your disagreement, it is the Concordia, remember what applies to one doesn't to the other...we are all unique ..i mentionned that i was expressing my opinion, and my opinion only...I don't have the prentention to apply what i express to al cases.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #9

#9
Well I am going to disagree with you on this point "Followers ain't your prospects. They are friends, competitors, passing by who pressed a button." If I want to engage with friends and family, I do that in person or on my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts, not from my business accounts. I expressed my feelings about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-4sPwiQMaQ

stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

6 years ago #8

For 20000$ per year you can start with HubSpot or MarkeTo...or you can invest way less and use OpenSourced solutions. I am here to help people make it happen with the money they have in their pocket. Because talent must not be stopped because of budget limitation.

stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

6 years ago #7

#8
in fact, to my own opinion, followers base does not matter, your customers are rarely a watching crowd. Audience on the other hand are anonymous ones that matters a lot, and you needs to address to them on a million scale basis. Funneling is important and mass marketing techniques and tools can help to convert them. Most people get confused when you have to qualify a prospect base. Followers ain't your prospects. They are friends, competitors, passing by who pressed a button.

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #6

#7
My pleasure. stephan metral \ud83d\udc1d Innovative Brand Ambassador for sure pay to play does improve impact but there are some members who are able to rack up 10s of thousands of followers, get featured regularly on Publishing channels, and generate thousands of views of their content with little effort.

Sara Jacobovici

6 years ago #5

#3
Thanks for the examples Anne \ud83d\udc1d Thornley-Brown, MBA. It has made a difference for me. Thanks for the time and effort. This helps!.

stephan metral 🐝 Innovative Brand Ambassador

6 years ago #4

Very good piece! Every obsevation is true. However everyone must recall that linkedIn is a , a)recruiting tool biggest database in the world b) made for 10 000 + employees firms c) a paid-per-promotion website. Do the maths, most is all about self centered promotions personal or corporate, some beleive the branding is free, while in fact you must pay. Social sellng doesnt come for free. LI is a cash machine. Money matters first. A global SM strategy brings results based on affinities and not only on beBee.

Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸

6 years ago #3

thanks a lot Anne \ud83d\udc1d Thornley-Brown, MBA!

Anne 🐝 Thornley-Brown, MBA

6 years ago #2

#1
My pleasure Sandra and Sara. Thanks for the feedback Sara. I have updated the post with examples of status updates and a list post.

Sara Jacobovici

6 years ago #1

Thank you so much Anne \ud83d\udc1d Thornley-Brown, MBA for taking the time to share your insights and strategies. Much appreciated.

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