It struck me today that some people aren’t regular users of LinkedIn (remarkable, I know). If that’s you, you might want to know how best to approach it all without looking silly…
Good news – not looking silly isn’t hard.
Bad news – looking silly, is similarly easy.
There is a keyword to bear in mind. And I’m grateful to Architect, Andy Matthews for reminding me of it:
Authenticity.
When posting on social media, whatever the platform, try to be authentic. Don’t try and be clever. Don’t try too hard to endear yourself to others. Avoid trying to entertain or amuse. Authenticity is key to success.
That matters even more when LinkedIn is being used as part of your marketing and business development. For consultants and other professional services businesses, the person behind the expertise is often just as important as the company page. People want to hear what you actually think, not a polished version of what everyone else is already saying.
Because those things can backfire. Use plain, simple language to make your point. Use brief, accessible sentences. Ensure what you’re saying is genuine. If you don’t believe what you’re posting, others certainly won’t.
Keep to things you care about. If you’ve been to a brilliant event and want to publicly thank the organisers, then do so. But if the event wasn’t so great, discretion is usually the better part of valour! Tag the people and companies you’re supporting, using the @ tag in your posts, so they know you support them.
Are You Genuine?
Others will spot if you don’t really understand or care about the topic you’re sharing. Be sure you’re genuinely interested in it and know what you’re on about.
LinkedIn itself is putting more emphasis on this. In 2026, the platform has been actively reducing the visibility of generic and repetitive content while trying to give more space to real professional perspectives and expertise. So authenticity isn’t just about how your content sounds. It’s becoming increasingly important to how LinkedIn itself approaches content.
Occasionally, consider posting something about your life outside of work. One of my friends discovered that pets at work go down well – but don’t overdo it! Our recent expertise and law rocks events made for great social posts.
A word of caution though. If you suspect that your views may not align with most other professionals around you, think twice. If you’re the type of person given to strong political views or opinions, consider how they might be received by the ‘man on the Clapham omnibus’. Or splashed on the front page of the newspapers. Maybe keep those thoughts to yourself?
So: post genuine meaningful content. Show enthusiasm and positivity. Use brief, simple language. Go light on the hashtags. And include helpful, relevant tagging.
And above all, keep it authentic!
For businesses using LinkedIn to support business development, that is probably the bit worth remembering. You don’t need every post to be perfect or particularly clever. You need people to gradually recognise your voice, understand your expertise and remember who you are when an opportunity comes along.
PS – while I’m here – a word of caution on hashtags: Avoid unnecessary use of tools such as hashtags – on LinkedIn particularly. People are using hashtags less and less. If you use a hashtag, keep it relevant and ensure it’s something people are using. If you make up your own hashtags, make sure you have hundreds of people who will share that hashtag with you, or it’ll be quite irrelevant. And you’ll look like you don’t know what you’re doing.