Guides
How to Create a LinkedIn Content Strategy [Step-by-Step Guide]
Utsav Patel
Updated: Nov 20, 2024
If you've been wondering how to make your mark on LinkedIn, you're not alone.
With over 770 million members worldwide, LinkedIn has become more than just a platform for job hunting – it's now a powerful stage for sharing your expertise, building your personal brand, and connecting with industry leaders.
But here's the thing — simply posting random content whenever you feel like it won't get you the results you're looking for.
That's where a solid LinkedIn content strategy comes in. Whether you're a business professional looking to establish thought leadership or an entrepreneur aiming to grow your network, having a well-planned approach can make all the difference.
In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover everything you need to know about creating and implementing a LinkedIn content strategy that actually works.
What is a Content Strategy for LinkedIn?
LinkedIn content strategy is like a roadmap to success on the platform.
It's more than just deciding what to post – it's your complete game plan for what content you'll share, when you'll share it, and most importantly, why you're sharing it in the first place.
In simple words, your LinkedIn content strategy is essentially the bridge between where you are now and where you want to be on the platform. It outlines your goals, defines your target audience, and sets clear guidelines for the type of content you'll create to reach those goals.
But here’s what makes LinkedIn content strategy different from other social media strategies — it needs to strike the perfect balance between being professional and being personable.
Unlike other platforms where casual content might work well, LinkedIn requires a more refined approach while still maintaining that human touch that makes your content relatable and engaging.
For example, if you’re a thought leader, your strategy might focus on sharing your unique perspectives on industry trends and engaging in meaningful discussions.
The key is that every piece of content you publish should serve a specific purpose and move you closer to your goals.
Remember, your LinkedIn content strategy isn't set in stone – it's a living document that should evolve as you learn what works best for your audience and as your professional goals change.
How is LinkedIn Content Strategy Different from Other Social Media Platforms?
When you're crafting content for LinkedIn, you're playing in a completely different ballpark compared to other social media platforms.
While platforms like Instagram focus on visual appeal and X (Twitter) thrive on quick, snappy updates, LinkedIn demands a more nuanced approach that reflects its professional nature.
There are four main aspects of LinkedIn that make it different from other social media platforms.
Audience Mindset — When people scroll through LinkedIn, they're in a professional headspace. They're not looking for entertaining dance videos or casual life updates – they're seeking valuable insights, industry knowledge, and professional growth opportunities. This means your content needs to deliver real value.
Content Lifecycle — The content lifecycle on LinkedIn is also quite different. While a tweet might have a lifespan of just a few hours, your LinkedIn posts can generate engagement for days or even weeks. This is because professionals often take their time to digest and interact with content that resonates with their professional interests. You don't need to post as frequently as you would on other platforms because quality always trumps quantity on LinkedIn.
Networking Dynamics — On LinkedIn, every interaction has the potential to lead to meaningful professional relationships. When someone comments on your post, they're not just engaging with your content – they're potentially opening doors for professional collaboration. This means your content strategy needs to focus on encouraging meaningful discussions rather than just accumulating likes.
Platform Algorithm — LinkedIn’s algorithm also favors different types of engagement. While other platforms might prioritize viral, shareable content, LinkedIn's algorithm tends to reward thoughtful discussions and industry-specific insights. Therefore, your strategy should focus on sparking conversations through thought-provoking questions and valuable perspectives rather than chasing viral moments.
Role of LinkedIn in Personal & Business Branding
Nowadays, LinkedIn serves as your virtual professional identity card – but it's so much more than just an online resume.
Whether you're building your personal brand or managing your company's presence, LinkedIn offers unique opportunities to shape how you're perceived in the professional world.
For your personal brand, LinkedIn acts as your professional storytelling platform. It's where you can showcase not just what you do, but how you think and what you stand for in your industry. Through your content, you can position yourself as a thought leader, share your expertise, generate leads, and build credibility in your field.
When it comes to business branding, LinkedIn provides a unique environment where you can humanize your company while maintaining professional credibility.
Unlike other platforms where businesses might struggle to connect authentically with their audience, LinkedIn allows you to showcase your company culture, share employee stories, and demonstrate your industry expertise in a natural way.
The platform's B2B focus makes it particularly valuable for business branding. You can reach decision-makers directly, showcase your company's achievements, and build relationships with potential clients or partners.
Your content strategy here should focus on demonstrating your company's expertise while also showing the human side of your business.
Remember, your personal and business brands often intertwine on LinkedIn. If you're a business leader or entrepreneur, your personal content can significantly impact your company's brand perception.
This means your content strategy needs to consider both personal and business branding goals, ensuring they complement and strengthen each other.
The key to successful branding on LinkedIn lies in authenticity and consistency. You need to share content that genuinely reflects your professional values and expertise while maintaining a regular presence that keeps you at the top of your mind with your network.
Types of Content You Can Publish on LinkedIn
When it comes to sharing content on LinkedIn, you've got more options than you might think.
Here are the different types of content you can leverage to engage your audience and achieve your professional goals.
1 — Text Posts
Let's start with the foundation of LinkedIn content — text posts.
While they might seem basic at first glance, text-based content forms the backbone of most successful LinkedIn strategies, and there are several creative ways to make your written content stand out.
Story-Based Posts
One of the most engaging types of content on LinkedIn is story-based posts.
These are personal or professional narratives that share experiences, lessons learned, or transformational journeys. The key to successful story-based posts is authenticity and relatability.
For example, you might share a challenging project experience and what you learned from it, or describe a pivotal moment in your career that taught you something valuable.
In simple words, story-based posts are like mini-case studies.
You can start your posts with a strong hook that instantly grabs attention (i.e. I made a huge mistake at work last week…), build tension through the narrative, and end with key takeaways your audience can apply for themselves.
While writing story-based posts, just remember to break up your text into digestible paragraphs and use emojis strategically to make your posts more scannable.
Carousel Posts
While technically text-based, carousel posts allow you to break down complex topics into swipeable slides.
These are perfect for step-by-step guides, listicles, or presenting multiple aspects of a topic.
To create effective carousel posts, start with an attention-grabbing cover slide, keep each slide focused on a single point, and use consistent branding throughout.
The beauty of carousel posts lies in their versatility. You can use them to share industry tips, break down complex concepts, or showcase company achievements.
Just remember to keep your text concise on each slide and use visual elements to enhance understanding.
Poll Posts
Poll posts are an excellent way to engage your audience while gathering valuable insights.
You can use them to gauge industry opinions, understand professional preferences, or spark discussions about trending topics.
The key is to ask questions that genuinely interest your audience and provide meaningful options for answers.
List-Style Content
List-style posts are highly digestible and tend to perform well on LinkedIn.
Whether you're sharing "X Tips for Better Time Management" or "X Common Mistakes to Avoid in Project Planning," lists make your content easy to scan and remember.
However, while writing such LinkedIn posts, you need to break up your lists with line breaks, use numbers or bullet points, and provide brief explanations for each point.
2 — Visual Content
Now that we've covered text-based posts, let's explore how you can enhance your LinkedIn presence with visual elements.
Visual content can transform your messaging from simple text into engaging, shareable assets that capture attention in increasingly crowded feeds.
Images and Infographics
Visual content can dramatically increase your post's engagement.
When sharing images, focus on high-quality, professional photos that add value to your message. This could include behind-the-scenes shots of your work life, event photos, or custom-designed graphics that illustrate key points.
Infographics are particularly powerful on LinkedIn as they can convey complex information in an easily digestible format.
Whether you're sharing industry statistics, process flows, or comparison charts, make sure your infographics are clear, branded, and mobile-friendly.
Videos (native vs. uploaded)
Video content on LinkedIn comes in two flavors — native videos (uploaded directly to LinkedIn) and shared videos (linked from other platforms).
Native videos typically perform better as they autoplay in the feed and keep users on the platform. You can share everything from quick tips and industry insights to company culture videos and product demonstrations.
When creating videos for LinkedIn, keep them professional but personable.
More importantly, you should always include captions for accessibility and silent viewing, and try to keep most videos under 2-3 minutes unless you're sharing detailed tutorial content.
LinkedIn Live
LinkedIn Live allows you to broadcast real-time video content to your network.
This feature is perfect for hosting Q&A sessions, conducting interviews, streaming events, or sharing live announcements.
The key to successful LinkedIn Live sessions is preparation — have a clear agenda, promote your session in advance, and engage with viewers' comments during the broadcast.
3 — Interactive Content
Moving beyond static posts and visuals, interactive content takes engagement to the next level by actively involving your audience.
These features turn passive scrollers into active participants, creating meaningful two-way conversations on the platform.
Polls
While we mentioned polls under text posts, they deserve special attention as interactive content.
They're excellent for driving engagement and gathering quick feedback.
You can use polls to understand industry trends, gather opinions on professional topics, or even conduct market research.
LinkedIn Events
LinkedIn Events allow you to create and promote professional gatherings, whether virtual or in-person.
You can use this feature to host webinars, networking sessions, or industry conferences.
The key is to create compelling event descriptions and actively engage with attendees before, during, and after the event.
LinkedIn Stories
Though more casual than regular posts, LinkedIn Stories can be a great way to share quick updates, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or time-sensitive announcements.
You can use Stories to show the more human side of your professional life while maintaining an appropriate business context.
LinkedIn Newsletter
One of the platform's most powerful features is the ability to create and publish your own newsletter.
This allows you to build a dedicated subscriber base and share regular, in-depth content with your audience.
Your newsletter can focus on industry insights, professional development tips, or company updates.
To make your newsletter successful, we recommend choosing a specific niche or theme, maintaining a consistent publishing schedule, and creating valuable, original content that your subscribers can't find elsewhere.
Which Types of Content Perform Best on LinkedIn?
When it comes to content performance on LinkedIn, not all posts are created equal.
However, there are certain types of content that consistently rise to the top of the feed and generate more meaningful interactions.
Fortunately, there are various content types that perform great on the LinkedIn platform.
Personal Story-Based Posts
As mentioned earlier, personal story-based posts tend to be among the top performers on LinkedIn.
Why? Because they combine professional insights with human experience. When you share a personal challenge you overcame at work, a lesson learned from a project failure, or an inspiring career transformation story, you're creating content that's both relatable and valuable.
These posts typically perform best when they follow a clear structure: hook, challenge, solution, and lesson learned.
How-to Posts
Another high-performing content type is "how-to" posts that provide practical, actionable value.
Whether you're explaining how to improve productivity, master a specific skill, or navigate a common professional challenge, your audience appreciates content they can immediately apply to their work lives.
These posts perform particularly well when you break down complex topics into simple, step-by-step instructions.
Data-Driven Content
Data-driven content with unique insights also tends to generate significant engagement.
When you share original research, industry statistics, or compelling data points with your own expert analysis, you're providing value that your audience can't easily find elsewhere.
Most importantly, remember to present your data in an accessible way – using bullet points, clear comparisons, or simple infographics can help make the information more digestible.
Thought Leadership Pieces
Thought leadership pieces that challenge conventional wisdom or offer fresh perspectives on industry trends can also drive substantial engagement.
However, the key here is to back up your viewpoints with solid reasoning and real-world examples.
In other words, you can’t expect to simply be contrarian and expect to make it big — your audience wants to understand the logic behind your thinking.
Timely Content
Timely content that addresses current industry events or challenges tends to perform well too.
When you can connect your expertise to what's happening in your industry right now, you're more likely to capture your audience's attention.
Just remember to maintain professionalism and avoid controversial topics that might alienate your network.
Native Content
Native content (posted directly on LinkedIn) generally performs better than external links.
While it's fine to occasionally share links to valuable resources, LinkedIn's algorithm tends to favor posts that keep users on the platform.
This is why text posts with carousel-style formatting, native videos, and LinkedIn articles often see higher engagement rates.
Interactive Content
Interactive content, particularly polls and questions that encourage discussion, can also drive significant engagement.
However, the key is to ask questions that genuinely interest your audience and prompt thoughtful responses.
When posting interactive content, though, you must avoid superficial engagement bait – your audience can tell the difference.
Document Posts and Carousel-Style Content
Document posts and carousel-style content have been showing increasingly strong performance.
These formats allow you to share detailed information in an easily digestible way, and they're particularly effective for how-to guides, listicles, and case studies.
The key is to make each slide valuable on its own while maintaining a coherent narrative throughout the presentation.
Remember, regardless of the content type you choose, consistency in quality and posting frequency plays a crucial role in overall performance. Your audience needs to know they can count on you for valuable insights, whether you're sharing a quick tip or a detailed analysis.
Steps to Build a Solid LinkedIn Content Strategy
Now that you understand the types of content that perform well on LinkedIn, let's walk through the step-by-step process of building a strategy that will help you achieve your professional goals.
Following these eight steps will give you a clear roadmap for creating and maintaining an effective LinkedIn presence.
Step 1 — Analyze Your Current LinkedIn Presence
Before diving into creating new content, you need to take a good look at where you stand right now.
We recommend to start by auditing your current LinkedIn profile and content performance.
This involves looking at your past posts and finding out:
Which ones generated the most engagement?
What topics resonated with your audience?
Which posts fell flat?
You need to keep track of these insights in a simple spreadsheet – this will become your baseline for measuring future success.
When analyzing your profile, think like a first-time visitor. What's the first impression when someone lands on your page?
Your profile picture, banner image, and headline create an immediate impact. You might think your profile looks fine, but small details like an outdated work history or a missing profile picture can hurt your credibility.
So, it is important to update everything and ensure each section tells a cohesive story about your professional journey.
Step 2 — Define Clear Strategic Goals
Setting goals for your LinkedIn presence goes beyond just wanting more followers or engagement.
You need to tie your LinkedIn activities to real professional outcomes.
To get started, you need to ask yourself:
What does success really look like to you?
Do you want to establish yourself as a thought leader?
Generate leads for your business?
Land your dream job?
Each of these goals requires a different approach.
So, you need to break down your big goals into smaller, measurable objectives.
Instead of saying "I want to be a thought leader," set specific targets like "I want to be invited to speak at two industry conferences this year" or "I want to grow my newsletter subscriber base to 1,000 readers in six months."
These concrete goals give you something tangible to work toward.
Remember that your goals might evolve as you grow your presence. That's perfectly fine – just make sure to document these changes and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Step 3 — Identify Your Target Audience
Understanding your audience goes beyond basic demographics.
Ideally, you need to find out:
What keeps them up at night?
What challenges do they face at work?
What kind of content would make them stop scrolling and pay attention?
Based on your answers, you need to create detailed persona profiles that capture not just job titles, but also professional aspirations, pain points, and content preferences.
If you're in sales technology, for example, your content might resonate with both sales managers and CEOs – but they have different needs and interests. This is why you need to choose your primary audience first.
This focus will help you create more targeted, effective content.
We even recommend spending time where your target audience hangs out on LinkedIn. For instance, you can join groups they're in, follow the thought leaders they follow, and pay attention to the conversations they're having.
This research will give you valuable insights into the topics and types of content that capture their attention.
Step 4 — Develop Your Content Strategy Framework
Your content strategy framework is like your game plan for LinkedIn success.
In order to win big on the LinkedIn platform, you need to have a clear structure for your content. This process begins with identifying 3-5 main topics or themes that align perfectly with your expertise and interest of your target audience.
For example, if you're in human resources, your pillars might include employee engagement, talent acquisition, workplace culture, and leadership development.
After identifying the main topics, you also need to think about your brand voice. It matters more than you think. While maintaining professionalism is important, don't forget to show the real side of you. After all, your audience wants to connect with a real person, not just a professional facade.
So, make up your mind whether you want to be formal & professional or causal or conversational. You can consider sharing personal stories and experiences that relate to your professional insights.
For instance, you might share a challenging leadership moment you faced, or how you balanced work and personal life during a major project. These authentic glimpses into your journey help your audience relate to you on a human level.
There's no right or wrong answer, but you need to stay consistent. Your audience should recognize your content even before they see your name.
Remember, authenticity builds trust, and trust builds engagement. So, you should consider sharing your challenges, celebrate your wins, and let your audience join you on your professional journey.
Step 5 — Create Your Content Mix
Creating a balanced content mix is like planning a well-rounded meal – you need different ingredients to make it perfect.
After all, you don't want to share the same kind of posts all the time, or your audience might get bored.
Let's break down how to mix up your content in a way that keeps people coming back for more.
Start with your educational content – this should be about 60% of what you post. These are posts where you teach your audience something useful. You can even share tips from your own work experience, explain how to solve common problems, or break down complex topics into simple steps.
For example, if you're in sales, you might write about "How to Handle Customer Objections" or "Three Simple Ways to Follow Up with Leads."
Next, you can look for good content from others to share — this should be about 25% of your posts.
But don't just click "share" and move on. When you share someone else's post, tell your audience why you think it's important.
What did you learn from it?
How can they use this information?
This shows you're not just copying others but adding your own valuable thoughts.
Finally, for the remaining 15% of your posts, you can promote yourself of your business. But here's the trick – don't just say "Buy my product!" or "Look how great we are!" Instead, share success stories that show how you helped solve real problems.
If your company launched a new service, explain how it makes your customers' lives easier.
Most importantly, remember to keep your language simple and approachable. Write like you're explaining things to a friend over coffee. People connect better with content that feels real and honest rather than stiff and formal.
Step 6 — Build Your Content Calendar
Your content calendar is more than just a schedule – it's your game plan for consistency.
Besides, it’s better to post three thoughtful pieces per week than to share low-quality content daily.
To keep it simple, you can consider creating themed days to make planning easier.
Maybe Monday is for industry insights, Wednesday is for how-to content, and Friday is for success stories or case studies. This structure helps you stay organized while giving your audience a sense of what to expect.
Most importantly, make sure that you plan for major industry events, holidays, and company milestones well in advance. These provide natural opportunities for content that feels timely and relevant.
Step 7 — Set Up Content Creation & Publishing Workflow
Creating a smooth workflow saves you time and helps maintain consistency.
To get started, you need to build a content bank — a place where you store your LinkedIn post ideas, draft posts, and useful resources. This could be as simple as a Google Doc or as sophisticated as a project management tool.
Next, you need to break down your content creation process into manageable steps.
First, you can spend some time brainstorming and researching topics. After that, you can create your content as per your ideas. If you're creating visual content, make sure you have templates ready to maintain consistent branding.
Furthermore, you can even consider batching similar tasks together. You might spend one-morning writing several posts, another day creating visuals, and another to schedule LinkedIn posts in one go. This approach is often more efficient than creating posts one at a time.
Last but not least, it is recommended to create a review system that works for you. Even if you're a one-person team, let posts sit for a day before publishing them. Fresh eyes can catch errors or identify ways to make your content stronger.
If you're part of a larger organization, document who needs to review and approve content before it goes live.
Step 8 — Implement an Engagement Strategy
Engagement isn't something that happens after you post – it should be an integral part of your strategy.
This is why we suggest planning to spend at least 30 minutes each day interacting with your network. This includes responding to comments on your posts, engaging with others' content, and participating in relevant discussions.
You can even create guidelines for how you'll engage.
Will you respond to every comment?
How will you handle negative feedback?
What types of conversations do you want to start?
Having these guidelines helps you maintain professionalism and consistency in your interactions.
Remember that meaningful engagement takes time. So, don’t always leave generic comments like "Great post!"
Instead, share thoughtful insights that add to the conversation. Ask questions that encourage discussion. Or share relevant examples from your experience.
The key to successful engagement is authenticity. So, focus on adding real value to conversations and building genuine professional relationships. Your network will grow naturally when people see you as a thoughtful, engaged member of the community.
How to Measure Your LinkedIn Content Strategy Success
Now that you've got your content strategy up and running, you need to know if it's actually working.
Let's look at the ways you can track your success without getting lost in complicated metrics.
Key Metrics to Track
Success on LinkedIn isn't about watching random numbers – it's about tracking metrics that actually matter for your goals.
Here are the key metrics you should monitor to ensure your strategy is working.
Engagement Rate
Your engagement rate is basically about how much people care about what you're sharing.
It's pretty simple to understand – it shows you the percentage of people who liked, commented, or shared your posts compared to how many people saw them.
For example, if 1,000 people saw your post and 100 people engaged with it, that's a 10% engagement rate. A good engagement rate on LinkedIn is usually around 2%, so anything above that means you're doing well.
When you’re posting regularly on LinkedIn, it’s important to pay attention to which types of engagement you're getting. Comments are usually more valuable than likes because they show people took the time to share their thoughts.
If you're getting lots of shares, that's even better – it means people find your content worthy of passing along to their own networks.
Reach and Impressions
Reach tells you how many people actually saw your content.
Impressions show you how many times your content was displayed – remember, the same person might see your post multiple times.
While these numbers are important, don't get too hung up on them. It's better to reach 100 people who care about your content than 1,000 who just scroll past it.
Profile Visits
When people are interested in your content, they often click through to check out your profile.
If you’re posting content regularly, this number should grow as your content strategy takes off. A spike in profile visits usually means you've shared something that really resonated with your audience.
More importantly, watch how many of these profile visits turn into meaningful actions.
Are people sending you connection requests?
Are they reaching out to discuss business opportunities?
These are signs that your content is attracting the right people.
Connection Growth
Growing your connections isn't just about the numbers – it's about building a quality network.
This is why you should make a habit of tracking how many new connections you're making each month and pay attention to who these people are.
Are they from your target industry?
Do they hold positions that align with your goals?
In addition, you should also keep a record of where these connections are coming from.
Did they find you through a specific post?
Did they connect after you commented on someone else's content?
This information helps you understand which of your LinkedIn activities are most effective at growing your network.
Analytics Tools
Now that you know which metrics to track, you need the right tools to measure them effectively. Let's explore both LinkedIn's native analytics and other helpful tools that can make tracking your success easier.
LinkedIn Analytics
LinkedIn's built-in analytics are actually pretty powerful, and best of all, they're free. You can find them right on your profile or company page. These tools show you everything we just talked about – engagement rates, reach, profile visits, and more.
The dashboard is easy to use. You can see how your posts performed over the last week, month, or even several months.
The best part about LinkedIn Analytics is “Content Insights” section. It shows you which of your posts performed best and why. This helps you create more of the content your audience wants to see.
In addition, LinkedIn also shows you details about your audience – where they work, what positions they hold, and even what times they're most active.
You can use this information to post when your audience is most likely to see and engage with your content.
Third-party tools
While LinkedIn's built-in analytics work great for most people, you might want to use additional tools as your strategy grows.
One standout tool that's specifically designed for LinkedIn personal branding and growth is Supergrow.ai.
Unlike general social media management tools, Supergrow.ai focuses exclusively on LinkedIn, helping you optimize your content strategy and grow your personal brand more effectively.
With Supergrow.ai, you can track detailed engagement metrics, analyze your content performance, and get AI-powered insights about what's working best for your audience.
The platform stands out by offering LinkedIn-specific features like LinkedIn post ideas, LinkedIn content creation, LinkedIn post scheduling, LinkedIn carousals, and comprehensive performance analytics tailored to personal branding on LinkedIn.
While other tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social can help you manage multiple social platforms, Supergrow.ai's specialized focus on LinkedIn makes it particularly valuable if you're serious about building your professional presence on the platform.
It helps you save time by providing actionable insights and streamlining your content strategy specifically for LinkedIn's unique environment.
Conclusion
Building a successful LinkedIn content strategy isn't something that happens overnight, but you now have all the tools and knowledge to get started on the right foot.
Remember that your strategy should be as unique as your professional journey – what works for others might not work for you, and that's perfectly fine.
The key is to stay consistent with your efforts while remaining flexible enough to evolve with your audience's needs and LinkedIn's changing landscape.
Most importantly, focus on providing genuine value to your network. Whether you're sharing industry insights, personal experiences, or professional tips, make sure each piece of content serves a purpose for your audience.
When you consistently deliver value, the engagement, connections, and opportunities will follow naturally.