If you're looking to position yourself as an expert online, you need to be on LinkedIn. It's become one of the best places to grow your authority, and these LinkedIn tips will help you be seen as an expert in your industry. First, let's look at the data. LinkedIn now has more than 1.3 billion members, and more than 130 million of them are decision-makers. For years, marketers have pointed to an analysis by the social media platform Oktopost that found more than 80% of B2B leads from social media came from LinkedIn, far ahead of what was then Twitter (now X) and Facebook. That research is now more than a decade old, but LinkedIn is still the place where professionals go to talk business.
Here's the part I love: most people on LinkedIn scroll, read and react, but they don't post much themselves. And there's a lot of reading going on. LinkedIn says more than 1.8 million feed updates are viewed every minute. That's a big audience for anyone willing to share helpful, honest content, and a real chance to get your ideas in front of the right people organically.
Here's how to use LinkedIn effectively in five easy steps.
#1 Understand the algorithm
LinkedIn's algorithm isn't like other social media algorithms. You have your first-degree "connections," and those connections have their own connections, your second-degree network, and so on. It's tempting to think a few hundred connections automatically puts you in front of hundreds of thousands of people, but that's not really how it works. Your posts are shown mostly to your connections and followers. From there, LinkedIn decides who else might find them useful based on what the post is about and each person's interests. A comment or reshare from someone in your network can carry your post further, too.
Today the feed puts relevance and real expertise ahead of popularity. LinkedIn uses AI models that try to understand what a post is actually about and who would find it useful, whether those people are in your network or not. It pays attention to how long people actually spend reading a post (LinkedIn calls this "dwell time"). And it's actively cutting back on engagement bait, recycled posts and fake engagement like comment pods and automated comments. Thoughtful conversation in the comments is what moves the needle. So the "secret" to the algorithm is pretty simple: post clearly about what you know, for the people you want to reach, and stick around to talk with them.
#2 Show up authentically
On LinkedIn, some people think they have to present themselves as this flawless professional. And yes, that's partly why someone will hire you (or want to spend money with you, or refer you to the right professional). But people do business with people, not products or services.
LinkedIn is your chance to show off your amazing work and experience, and also your humanity: who you are and the things you care about. Because at the end of the day, people want to work with people they like.
#3 Get clear on your strategy
If you're a thought leader in your space, you get hired more, you get more notoriety, you can serve more people, and you can make a bigger difference in the world. That's what thought leaders do. But to be a thought leader, you have to have thoughts. You have to come up with original ideas and share them through podcasts, videos, blogs, newsletters and so on. Just posting on social media isn't enough (unless your goal is to be an influencer, which isn't really the same thing as a thought leader).
What kind of content creation brings you the most joy? If it's writing, try LinkedIn articles or a LinkedIn newsletter, which members can subscribe to. If it's talking, try a native video series. If you love teaching step by step, try a document (carousel) post. Pick three or four things you could talk about endlessly (they don't all need to be work related), and make those pretty much the only things you talk about. Staying focused helps people, and LinkedIn, understand what you're an expert in. Then use LinkedIn to spread that thought leadership, build authority and make real connections with people.
One more update: LinkedIn used to have a separate "creator mode" setting. It was retired in 2024, and its tools, like follower analytics, a Follow button and access to newsletters and live events (for eligible members), now come with your profile. You don't have to switch anything on. Just make sure your headline and About section clearly say what you help people with.
#4 Take advantage of the feed
Use the feed. The feed is where you share updates, articles and insights with your network and beyond. Remember, most members aren't posting much, so there's room for you. If you already have a blog, don't just drop the link. Rework the key points into a post that stands on its own and share it on LinkedIn.
What about links? For years the advice was "never link out," and lots of people still put their links in the first comment instead. LinkedIn's head of feed product has said that including a link doesn't, on its own, limit a post's reach. His advice is to make sure your post gives enough context that it could stand alone without the link. In my experience, native content (text, images, documents and video uploaded straight to LinkedIn) still tends to do best, because people can get the value without leaving the feed. So upload your content to LinkedIn, write a great caption, add a link only when it truly helps, and give people a clear call to action.
#5 Diversify your posts
There are five types of posts that do really well on LinkedIn. Used strategically, these posts spark real conversations, and that's exactly what the algorithm rewards. The five types of posts are:
Storytelling. These posts usually start with a catchy first line that hooks the reader. Share a personal story with tangible examples and end with a takeaway or an "aha moment." For example, during the pandemic I saw one woman open her post with "I tried not to cry," then walk readers through the moment she had to tell her children she'd lost her job. It was vulnerable, it got thousands of reactions, and it even led to job offers. Being "real" works. People want to work with people they like. Don't be afraid to get real.
Appreciation. Write a post about how much you admire someone and thank them for an opportunity they gave you (like speaking on a panel). Not only are you sharing that you spoke on a panel, you're honoring the person who gave you the opportunity, and your post may reach their network, too. It's a really thoughtful way to network and get people to see your content and profile. Just tag the people who were genuinely part of it; tagging a long list of people to get more reach can backfire.
Engagement. Invite people into a real conversation! Instead of "Please leave a comment below," ask a specific question you actually want answered. For example: "I'm launching a new product for small business owners. What's the one thing that would make it a no-brainer for you?" Then reply to the comments you get. LinkedIn is showing fewer "comment YES if you agree" posts, but a genuine question with a genuine back-and-forth is exactly what it wants more of.
Education. Share something that teaches people, like the key lessons from a blog post or a personal experience that led you to learn something new.
Announcement. Maybe you have big news, you're hiring, you just got featured in a great article, you moved offices or you left your job. It's the perfect time for an announcement post. These are usually positive and get lots of engagement.
Remember, there are content creators on LinkedIn and there are content consumers, and most people are consumers. You have the chance to be a creator: get seen, position yourself as an expert, grow your authority and your network, and as a result grow your business, simply by creating content on LinkedIn. Again, most people aren't doing this, and they're missing out. I've seen tremendous results for my clients when they've taken advantage of LinkedIn.
I hope this post helped you understand how to use LinkedIn effectively. Get ahead of it! Be the one who shines, and I promise you will grow your business. If you need help perfecting your LinkedIn profile, check out this blog post. If you want to work with me one-on-one to develop your personal brand, contact me today!
