7 Formulas For Writing Engaging LinkedIn Posts (With Help From AI)
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Two million posts are published on LinkedIn every day — so how do you make yours stand out?
Posting on LinkedIn can help you to build professional relationships and establish yourself as an expert in your field. But creating a captivating, useful post is vital if you want to cut through the noise.
Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn focuses on professional networking. It’s where people go to showcase their accomplishments, expand their professional reach, and connect with potential clients.
Therefore, when posting on LinkedIn, it's important to make sure your content is well-researched, relevant, and shows expertise. Here, we’ll teach you how to write a post on LinkedIn with seven proven formulas that make engaging the audience simple.
We previously wrote about improving your LinkedIn bio, and now it's time to see how to write better LinkedIn posts.
7 formulas for creating expert LinkedIn posts
You can post standard updates to your LinkedIn feed, just like other social media platforms. These are great for sharing personal accomplishments and quick expert tips that increase your credibility.
You can also create and publish your own articles. These can include more detail, provide your advice on a professional topic, and portray you as a thought leader.
Whichever you choose to produce, the following formulas will show you how to write a post on LinkedIn.
1. Problem, agitation, solution (PAS)
The PAS structure includes three vital stages.
First, introduce a problem. Describe one of your audience’s pain points.
Next, aggravate their problem. Add emotion. The more vividly you describe their problem, the more you demonstrate that you understand it. The reader should feel like you're speaking directly to them — this will gain their trust.
Then, finally, offer your reader a solution. For example, let’s say you’re a copywriter trying to find new clients via LinkedIn. The following post showcases your ability to solve readers’ problems.
2. Attention, interest, desire, action (AIDA)
According to the AIDA model, consumers move through four stages before making a decision: attention, interest, desire, and action.
Therefore, when creating an article on LinkedIn, you'll want to write content that follows these stages.
A. Attract attention to your brand.
Your target audience will become curious about your business or offer if you can catch their attention with something relevant to their interests.
B. Generate interest in your service.
Your reader needs to learn more about your brand and its benefits. Use interesting facts and quotes to make your content interesting.
C. Stimulate a desire to try it.
Your reader is interested in reading your article. Now’s the time to make them desire your service. Describe how your product will improve their lives.
D. Encourage action.
By this point, your reader has a reason to want your product or service. All that’s needed is a call to action.
3. Before-After-Bridge (BAB)
This three-step formula shows your reader what life was like before they had your service and then highlights how much better it will be after using it.
A. Before
Describe how the audience is unhappy with their current situation. Focus on their problems.
B. After
Provide a solution to the problem. Describe to the audience a solution that will help them achieve their goals.
C. Bridge
Now it’s time to connect the first two sections. Describe your product or service as a part of the solution to the problem, providing a list of benefits.
4. Promise, Picture, Proof, Push
While similar to the AIDA formula, the Four Ps formula offers elements that are more concrete and may be easier to follow.
A. Promise
This is where you detail what the reader will gain from your product or service.
B. Picture
Next, paint a picture for the reader. Use emotive language and imagery to engage on an emotional level and help them visualize how your service will change their lives.
C. Proof
Next it's time to back up the previous steps with facts. This proof can come in the form of statistics, figures, or anything that can put the logical side of your reader’s mind at ease.
D. Push
Finally, suggest an action to take. Your reader needs a compelling reason to act now, so highlight any time limits, discounts, or guarantees to sweeten the deal.
5. Inverted pyramid
The inverted pyramid method creates a hierarchy of content for your post. This formula recommends presenting the most pertinent information first, followed by more details and additional resources. It’s broken down into three parts.
A. The lede
Highlight your most significant principles in this paragraph. Start with a thought-provoking question or an engaging story.
B. The Body
Provide rich detail and crucial information here. Expand on the critical information you started your post with, rather than revealing new concepts.
C. The Tail
A tail is not a conclusion. Rather, it provides relevant and helpful resources that enhance the value provided in the previous sections.
6. The rule of three
Groups of three words, phrases, or ideas can be more effective and memorable. Here are just a few well-known examples:
When you focus in on three memorable points in your LinkedIn posts or articles, your reader is more likely to enjoy and remember the content.
7. The Four Us
This formula maintains that content must be urgent, unique, useful, and ultra-specific: the four Us.
A. Urgent
The urgency of your headline or the first sentence of your post encourages people to read on.
B. Unique
Original content stands out. Include your personality, and don’t make generic points.
C. Useful
Provide your readers with value. Do this by sharing relevant information, knowledge, an opinion, or an insight that solves the reader’s challenge.
D. Ultra-Specific
Keep your target audience in mind when writing your post. Keep it specific by focusing on your niche and using your own personal expertise and experience.
As an example, note how these seven formulas are advice uniquely for content writers, and how each one provides detailed guidance on exactly what to write.
How to write an attention-grabbing hook for LinkedIn
Whichever formula you choose to craft your LinkedIn post, you’ll need to include an effective introduction or hook to attract your audience.
Here are some tried-and-tested techniques for grabbing readers’ attention.
1. Tell personal stories
A personal story or relatable anecdote can get readers emotionally invested. If your post inspires strong feelings in them or resonates with their own experiences, they’re more likely to engage with it.
2. Use statistics
Use a statistical hook for more informational posts. Statistics can enhance your credibility as well as pique readers' interest. This article actually started with one:
Search for relevant statistics online to emphasize your point. Alternatively, simply write your opening sentence into Wordtune and select Statistical Fact from the Spices menu, and Wordtune will suggest some details for you.
3. Lead with an example
Providing an example in the first few sentences of your LinkedIn post will give readers a concrete understanding of your point.Lost for words? Try typing your proposed opening line into Wordtune: How can your content grab your readers' attention?
You can then click on Give an example to let Wordtune help demonstrate your message: For instance, you can use eye-catching visuals, intriguing headlines, and storytelling to draw your readers in and keep them engaged.
4. Provide an analogy
An analogy explains a concept by comparing things that are similar in some ways but different in others. By opening your LinkedIn post with an analogy, you can convey your message more effectively.
If coming up with analogies isn’t your strong point, utilize the Analogy feature on Wordtune. This handy tool actually created our example above!
5. Offer an explanation
Similar to an example, offering an explanation within your hook helps provide more detail and context to what you’re saying in your post.
Luckily, you can use Wordtune to help with this, too. Simply type in your opening point, such as: Finding a copywriter is hard.
Then, select Explain from within the Spices menu and harness the power of AI to provide you with a detailed explanation: This is because copywriters have to be able to communicate effectively, have a good understanding of the target audience, and have the skills to craft compelling copy.
Hashtags, emojis, and bullet points — should you use them on LinkedIn posts?
The short answer is — yes, but sparingly.
Hashtags are great for reaching people outside your network, but don’t overdo it. Choose three relevant to your topic, and be sure to vary them between posts. LinkedIn suggests hashtags based on your post's content, but you can also type a relevant word into the search bar for inspiration.
Emojis can add fun and playfulness to your posts, introducing personality to what would otherwise be a wall of text. However, use them strategically. Just one or two per post can help to emphasize a particular point, add nuance, or make your content stand out.
Lastly, bullet points are great for LinkedIn posts, especially if you have a lot of points or tips to share. Emojis can even be used as bullet points — two birds, one stone!
How to write a CTA for a LinkedIn post
Don’t miss a chance to direct your audience toward something beneficial for your brand. Your CTA should be a clear and concise statement that encourages the reader to take a specific action.
On LinkedIn, this can be anything from asking them to sign up for an event to directing them to your business blog/website to read more content. Your text should offer a solution to the reader's problem that they can use right away.
Conclusion
Establishing yourself as an industry thought leader is the goal on LinkedIn — and these seven tips should help you get there. Be sure to craft a strong hook to entice readers, use relevant hashtags and a couple of emojis, and close your post with a compelling CTA directing your reader wherever you want them to go next. If you want to read more about Linkedin writing, check out our guide to writing company profiles.
You can lean on the powerful features of Wordtune for ideas and edits. Spices, such as Explain and Give an example, can be particularly helpful for LinkedIn posts. With this helpful editor as your guide, crafting a compelling LinkedIn post can be easier than ever.
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