How I Mastered LinkedIn Posts in 89 Days

I posted on LinkedIn every day for 89 days. Some posts got 50 views. Others got 50,000. The difference wasn't luck—it was mechanics.

Here's everything I learned about what actually works on LinkedIn right now.

The Hook Is Everything

LinkedIn shows users the first 3 lines before the "see more" button. If those lines don't hook attention, nothing else matters.

The highest-performing hooks follow predictable patterns:

The contradiction: "The best career advice I ever got was 'quit your job.'"

The specific number: "I interviewed 47 CEOs. They all did this one thing."

The confession: "I got fired from my dream job. Here's what I wish I'd known."

The question: "Why do the most talented people often stay invisible?"

What doesn't work: vague statements ("Thinking about leadership today..."), announcements ("Excited to share..."), or obvious truths ("Hard work pays off").

Your first line is your headline. Treat it that way.

The Algorithm Reality

LinkedIn's algorithm in 2024 prioritizes dwell time—how long people spend on your post. This means:

Short posts get scrolled past. Posts under 100 words rarely perform unless they're from established voices with high engagement rates.

Long posts hold attention. The sweet spot is 150-300 words, formatted for easy scanning.

Comments matter more than likes. A post with 20 comments outperforms one with 200 likes and 2 comments.

Early engagement is critical. The first hour determines whether your post gets pushed to the wider network.

Formatting That Works

Wall-of-text posts die on LinkedIn. Nobody reads long paragraphs on mobile.

Format rules I follow:

• One sentence per paragraph (or at most two)
• White space between every thought
• Bullet points for lists
• Bold or CAPS for emphasis (sparingly)
• Break up long ideas into sections with line breaks

Compare these:

Bad formatting: "I've learned that the key to career success is building relationships. Too many people focus only on skills and forget that most opportunities come through people. Networking isn't just about events—it's about being genuinely helpful to others over time."

Good formatting: "Career success isn't about skills.

It's about relationships.

Most opportunities come through people you know.

But here's what nobody tells you:

Networking isn't about events.

It's about being genuinely helpful—consistently, over time."

Same content. Completely different engagement.

The Content Types That Perform

After 89 days of testing, certain content types consistently outperformed:

Personal stories with professional lessons. Failure stories especially. People love seeing others' struggles.

Contrarian takes on common advice. Challenge something everyone believes. Just make sure you can back it up.

Step-by-step frameworks. "How I do X" posts with numbered steps get saved and shared.

Genuine questions. Not rhetorical ones—actual questions you want answers to. They drive comments.

What underperforms: company announcements, job postings disguised as content, humble brags, generic motivation.

The Posting Schedule

I tested every time slot and day combination. The winner for my audience:

Tuesday-Thursday, 8-9 AM in my target audience's timezone.

Monday people are catching up. Friday people are mentally gone. Weekends are dead.

Post once per day maximum. Twice per day kills both posts. Three times per week minimum for the algorithm to notice you.

Engagement Strategy

Posting is half the game. The other half is engaging with others.

My routine:

Before posting: Spend 15 minutes commenting on other posts. Thoughtful comments—not "Great post!"—but actual additions to the conversation.

First hour after posting: Respond to every comment. Fast replies signal to the algorithm that your post is generating conversation.

Throughout the day: Check back every few hours to respond to new comments.

I also started actively engaging with people who engage with me. It builds genuine relationships, which matter more than vanity metrics.

The Authenticity Problem

Here's the hard truth: most "authentic" LinkedIn posts are carefully crafted.

The vulnerability is real. The emotion is real. But the structure, timing, and formatting are strategic.

This isn't dishonest—it's craft. A comedian's story about failure is genuine AND practiced. A professional LinkedIn presence works the same way.

Find your actual voice. Then learn the mechanics to amplify it.

What Changed for Me

After 89 days, my profile views increased 400%. I went from averaging 200 views per post to averaging 5,000. Several posts crossed 50,000.

More importantly, the right people started noticing. Client leads. Speaking opportunities. Collaboration requests.

LinkedIn rewards consistency more than brilliance. Show up regularly, pay attention to what works, adjust, and repeat.

The platform is more valuable than most people realize—if you learn to use it.

---

Want to develop your authentic professional voice? Try WriteBetter.ai to craft content that sounds like you.