9 Easy Writing Hacks
Do you struggle with what to post? Do you want to increase your engagement results? Would you like to generate more leads through your LinkedIn content?
If so, use these 9 easy writing hacks to take your posts to the next level.
1. Use Plain Text
Plain text posts can be highly effective! You don't have to go overboard with fancy imagery or slick videos. All you need is a powerful message that resonates with your audience, an "aha moment" if you will.
Before you begin writing, it's important to clarify the purpose of your post and how it will add value to your connections. Ask yourself, what is the main point you want to get across, and how will your audience benefit from reading your post? Keeping these questions in mind will help you create content that is both engaging and impactful.
2. Use a Killer Headline
To make a strong first impression, you only have about two seconds to capture a user's attention. This means your headline or opening statement must be compelling enough to make them stop and think, "I need to learn more." As a result, it's essential to channel your inner journalist and aim for impact. On LinkedIn, the following techniques have proven to be effective:
Utilizing statistics
Sharing inspirational or motivational quotes
Asking thought-provoking questions
Offering helpful how-to advice
Injecting humor
Making bold or provocative statements
Using clickbait headlines (although use with caution)
3. Use a Story
No matter what industry you're in, you're ultimately dealing with people who crave connection and relatability. One effective way to establish this connection is by sharing personal stories that your audience can resonate with.
Leading with a story can help you create a sense of familiarity and establish a rapport with your audience. I've found that many of my successful marketing campaigns have been rooted in the principles of human-to-human marketing.
4. Break Up Your Text
Long paragraphs can be overwhelming, but short sentences are easy to read and visually appealing. I prefer to use short sentences that even a 14-year-old can understand.
To pique the user's interest, it's recommended to include three to four hard paragraph breaks between your headline and opening sentence. This creates curiosity as the user has to click on the "see more" button to continue reading.
5. Tag Others
Increase the visibility of your post by @mentioning someone, especially a notable individual with whom you have already established a relationship. This could be someone who has been influential in your career or business, provided valuable advice, featured you on their podcast or written a book you found helpful.
The aim is to prompt them to engage with your post through comments or responses. If they do, your LinkedIn post will have a higher chance of appearing in their connections feed.
6. Call to Action
After sharing your knowledge, it's important to guide your reader on what action to take next.
Would you like them to comment? Maybe you want them to like your post? Do you have a question for them to answer? Or, perhaps you'd like them to share your post with someone who could benefit from it? (This is a fantastic way to grow your network!)
Providing clear instructions encourages engagement and starts a dialogue, helping you establish a relationship. Based on my experience, posts that include specific instructions tend to perform better than those that don't.
7. Ask a Question
Encourage more engagement on your post by closing it with a question. This is critical for three reasons:
LinkedIn rewards posts with comments.
Posts with more comments have a higher chance of trending, which means they are more likely to be seen by a wider audience.
Trending posts have a higher chance of appearing in the feeds of 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections.
Asking for your connections' viewpoints not only encourages commenting, but it also flatters them. So, don't hesitate to end your post with a thoughtful question.
8. Add Hashtags
To expand your reach beyond your immediate connections, consider using hashtags in your LinkedIn posts. LinkedIn suggests using no more than three hashtags, but this may only be to keep posts from looking spammy.
When selecting hashtags, aim for a mix of niche and popular ones. You can discover relevant hashtags by searching for keywords related to your post and looking at LinkedIn's suggested tags based on your content.
9. Avoid External Links
Avoid including external links in your post. Doing so will result in lower engagement and views, as LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes content that keeps users on its platform.
To work around this, I suggest mentioning in your post that the link to your website, podcast, article, or YouTube clip can be found in the comments section. To ensure it's easily accessible, ask your connections to like that comment so that it appears at the top.