Going Viral on LinkedIn: Strategies That Any Business Can Use

At Single Grain, we understand the value of LinkedIn. After all, we helped our clients drive 193% more MQLs with LinkedIn ads.

But what does it take to go viral on LinkedIn? There are a few simple steps that all businesses should follow.

Key Highlights

• LinkedIn has a complex algorithm, so understanding how LinkedIn ranks posts will help you go viral.
• Some post topics perform better on LinkedIn. The best viral post topics include motivational stories, business insights, “aha” moments, workplace culture, trends, and industry issues.
• LinkedIn’s algorithms favor consistent posting, so aim to post five to seven times daily.
• Users find businesses, jobs, and accounts using LinkedIn’s search engine, so optimize your posts for SEO by including keywords in the content and hashtags at the bottom.
• Engage with other accounts by commenting on posts.
• A successful post has persuasive writing. Your posts should be well-written and concise, with a compelling CTA.
• Ask questions to get more engagement from your followers.
• Stay authentic to yourself and your business. Try not to lose your identity by going viral.
• Don’t be afraid to be controversial and have a unique point of view.
• Create content that evokes emotion but remains professional.
• Repurpose your content for LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
• Join LinkedIn groups in your niche to connect with other professionals in your industry and grow your following.
• Going viral doesn’t happen overnight, so stay persistent.
• Monitor LinkedIn metrics, such as engagement rates and impressions, to ensure your posts are successful.

Understand LinkedIn’s Algorithm

Creating viral posts means you must understand the complexities of LinkedIn’s algorithm. While it may seem daunting, this is the best way to know how LinkedIn ranks posts and how your audience engages on the platform. As with many social media platforms, LinkedIn recommends posts based on activity. You’ll see the most success by tapping into those interests and demands.

Here are ways to work with LinkedIn’s algorithm:

• Create content that engages your audience
• Avoid linking to an external source (such as your website)
• Monitor how users interact with your posts

Choose the Right Topics

Not all content performs well on LinkedIn. The best-performing topics tend to resonate with a broad audience while staying relevant to your niche. Here are the top content categories that tend to generate high engagement:

• Motivational stories: Personal success stories, overcoming challenges, and career wins inspire and engage users.
• Business insights: Valuable content that offers unique perspectives on industry trends, entrepreneurship, and business growth strategies.
• Aha moments: Sharing knowledge, lessons learned, valuable insights, and epiphanies related to business and professional life.
• Workplace culture: Topics about remote work, leadership, HR policies, and company culture resonate widely since they apply to professionals across various industries.
• Trends: Keeping up with your competitors and others in your niche. This can also include popular content types on LinkedIn (such as videos over written content).
• Industry issues: Discuss the challenges in your niche and what your audience can do to overcome them.

Why do these topics perform well? Because they appeal to a total addressable market (TAM), anyone in the workforce can relate, comment, and engage.

If increased reach and engagement are your goals, broad topics work well. However, if you’re focused on business-driven outcomes, consider aligning your content more closely with your industry expertise to attract the right audience that translates into sales and business growth.

Post Frequently (Five to Seven Times Per Week)

Consistency is key when aiming for a strong LinkedIn presence. Posting five to seven times a week signals to LinkedIn’s algorithm that you are an active and reliable content creator. If your posts also appear regularly on your followers’ feeds, it shows you’re a credible and trustworthy professional.

Here’s why this matters:

• Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn rewards frequent content creators with increased reach.
• Engaging regularly builds familiarity and trust with your target audience.
• Frequent posting allows for experimentation, helping you refine your content strategy based on performance.

However, it’s essential to maintain quality over quantity. If your posts lack engagement or don’t provide value, they may hurt your visibility in the long run.

What if you’re unsure what to post? Engaging with your community has the same effect, which brings us to our next point.

Optimize for Search Engines

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful search engines. Sixty-five million people search for jobs on LinkedIn every week, and more use LinkedIn to search for connections, MQLs, industry trends, and more.

Your posts can gain more visibility when you optimize them for LinkedIn’s search engine. Include popular keywords in your posts and LinkedIn hashtags at the bottom.

Format your content to enhance readability. Use bullet points to separate key sections and include emojis when necessary.

Engage With Others (10-30 Comments Per Day)

Source: Aware

Posting every day is not enough. Engagement plays a crucial role in growing your brand on LinkedIn.

Here’s an effective engagement strategy:

• Reply to comments on your posts: As soon as people comment on your content, respond to them promptly. This encourages more interactions and extends the post’s lifespan.
• Comment on other people’s posts: Find 10 to 30 relevant posts daily and leave meaningful comments. This expands your reach to a new audience and builds relationships with key influencers.
• Be strategic: Engage with posts from people in your industry, potential clients, and thought leaders. Over time, this increases your visibility among the right people.

What if you’re not getting a lot of comments on your posts? Try using a more persuasive CTA. Commenting on other posts will also expand your reach.

Master the Art of Copywriting

One of the biggest game-changers for viral success is persuasive writing. Crafting compelling LinkedIn posts requires:

• Clarity and simplicity: Avoid jargon and write in a conversational tone.
• Storytelling: People connect with stories more than facts and figures.
• Strong hooks: The first line of your post should grab attention and encourage users to click “See More.”
• Conciseness: Keep paragraphs short and easy to skim.
• CTAs: Encourage users to comment, share, or engage with your post.

Ask Questions

If your goal is to encourage engagement from your followers, start asking more questions. Whether users comment on their answers or share your post with their connections, this is a simple way to boost engagement and visibility.

Which questions should you ask? This varies by industry and profession, but any “who, what, when, where, why” question can increase interest and responses.

Stay Authentic

Many content creators fall into the trap of chasing engagement and lose their true identity. Going viral on LinkedIn is as simple as letting your guard down and being yourself. The reason is simple: if you come off as a regular person, you’re more approachable and relatable.

The most successful LinkedIn influencers stay true to their unique voice and message while staying professional. Here’s how to balance the two:

• Write how you speak: Natural, conversational writing resonates better than overly polished, robotic text.
• Avoid clickbait: While strong hooks are essential, misleading your audience for engagement can hurt credibility in the long run.
• Ignore negative comments and trolls: Not every comment deserves a response. Focus on meaningful interactions.
• Quality over quantity: Prioritize content that provides value.

If you stay authentic and provide real value, your audience will recognize and appreciate your content.

Have a Unique Point of View

Even though LinkedIn is a professional platform, don’t be afraid to be controversial and post your opinions. Users aren’t interested in consuming the same regurgitated information; people are keen on reading new and different takes on various topics in their industry.

After posting your unique take, invite your followers to comment and share their thoughts. This increases engagement rates and builds deeper connections with your followers.

Harness Emotions

Even in professional settings, humans are still emotional. If your content evokes emotion, your followers are likelier to interact with your post.

That said, LinkedIn is still a professional platform. Choose your emotional content wisely to ensure you still have a trustworthy and reputable image.

Here are some best practices to remember:

• Have a positive view
• Handle strong emotions, like sadness and anger, carefully
• Use the “hero’s journey” when possible
• Incorporate a personal story

Don’t think you can only express yourself emotionally through writing. Content creators can evoke emotions with visuals, too. Use all of LinkedIn’s content types, such as carousels, GIFs, and videos. Even adding emojis can make your posts more appealing. Polls are also an easy way to enhance engagements without being too vulnerable.

Repurpose Content

Source: Nonprofit Marketing Guide

Your business will likely post on other social media platforms besides LinkedIn. Repurpose content for LinkedIn and across all channels. This increases your chances of going viral on LinkedIn and other platforms.

Remember that all platforms have complex algorithms, and some post types are more successful on one platform than another. All social platforms also have trends, and marketers must create platform-specific content that coincides with these trends.

What are some content repurposing examples? You can repost a blog as a LinkedIn article and then repurpose that into a short-form video or an image carousel.

Join LinkedIn Groups

There are over two million LinkedIn Groups. Chances are, there are quite a few in your niche that you can join.

There are many reasons why LinkedIn Groups can improve your chances of going viral. These groups are an excellent networking opportunity. You’ll also learn about industry trends, new insights, and other developments that will put you ahead of the curve.

Your posts also have a likelier chance of gaining traction in small groups. If the group followers engage with your posts and connect with you, your profile and posts will be more visible to a broader network.

If you can, join multiple LinkedIn groups–about five or six–to reap the benefits.

Bonus Tip: Patience and Persistence Pay Off

Viral success doesn’t happen overnight. Even top creators face low engagement rates before creating viral content. Consistency is key. If your content isn’t taking off immediately, keep experimenting, refining, and engaging. That persistence separates successful content creators from those who give up too soon.

If you’d like help with getting your LinkedIn presence going, we have a team of LinkedIn experts at-the-ready to assist you!

How to Analyze Your LinkedIn Marketing and Posts

Source: AgencyAnalytics

While certain factors make it likelier that a post will go viral, LinkedIn marketing is still personal. In other words, LinkedIn’s marketing success will look different for all companies based on audience, industry, and goals.

Since there is no one-size-fits-all formula for LinkedIn marketing, brands can monitor core metrics to ensure their posts gain traction. Fortunately, LinkedIn analytics offers a glimpse into various KPIs. These metrics include:

• Engagement rates (in the form of shares, likes, and comments)
• Post impressions
• Followers
• Clicks
• Audience demographics
• Video views and watch time
• Page views

What if you’re tracking these LinkedIn metrics and aren’t generating the results you need? Experiment with your posts. Find the posts that perform best and see what’s different about them. This can include writing about various topics or using another tone. You can also include stronger CTAs and create posts that drive more engagements, such as questions or polls.

Going Viral on LinkedIn Is Possible

Going viral on LinkedIn isn’t about luck—it’s about strategy. Not all content performs well on LinkedIn, so knowing what engages your audience is key.

Try these strategies to increase your chances of reaching a larger audience, building meaningful connections, and driving impact.

If organic LinkedIn marketing isn’t working, advertising is always an option.

If you’re ready to build your brand LinkedIn, Single Grain’s LinkedIn experts can help!👇

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