How to Find Viral LinkedIn Content Ideas

Hey, I’m Will McTighe. I grew my LinkedIn from 4,000 to over 180,000 followers between March and September 2024. Here’s what I’ve learned about finding content ideas that actually get noticed.

Struggling to Find Great Content Ideas?

I get it—it can be tough to constantly come up with fresh ideas. But once I figured out what worked, I was able to grow my LinkedIn by 180k followers in under 7 months. Here's my biggest lesson: it's all about the 80/20 Rule.

The 80/20 Rule of Content Creation

20% of your content will drive 80% of your results—whether that’s followers, clients, or engagement. Your mission is to find that 20% and repeat it.

So, how do you do that? Follow this three-part strategy for LinkedIn:

Part 1: Understand LinkedIn’s Core Themes

Start by understanding the main themes that perform well on LinkedIn:

• Follow top and fast-growing creators in your niche: See what they’re writing about and how people respond. Look for topics and visuals that outperform for them relative their other posts.
• Spot topics that keep going viral: Topics like leadership, emotional intelligence (EQ), and mindset are LinkedIn gold. While these topics are great for going viral, they won’t drive sales on their own.
• Remember why people use LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional network and was a jobs marketplace. Users are often looking for professional change—whether it’s a new job, career growth, or to make more money. Content that speaks to that, typically gets broader.

Part 2: Find Proven Ideas

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Find content ideas that have already proven to work.

• Follow fast-growing creators in your niche to see what’s performing exceptionally well for them.
• Share your take on viral topics: Put your unique perspective on what’s trending.
• Use Tools to Find Themes: Platforms like Saywhat, Favikon, Kleo and Taplio can help you discover what’s hot in your space.
• Experiment with formats as you grow: Play around with different post structures to find what resonates.

Part 3: Reuse Your Best-Performing Content

Your winning ideas shouldn’t be one-hit wonders—reuse and repurpose them.

1. Sort your content by impressions to see what’s performing best.

2. Repost winning topics every 1-2 months: It’s not about reinventing the wheel, but about doubling down on what works.

3. Refresh your visuals while maintaining your brand identity: Keep your aesthetic consistent, but don’t be afraid to give your visuals a new twist.

4. Switch up the format to keep things interesting:

   • 10 traits / behaviors / signs of.. top performing employees
   • Frameworks on topics like learning to say no
   • How to guides and tips like this one on job interview preparation)
   • Green flags / red flags for example company culture green flags).
   • Common mistakes people make in your niche like designing linkedin content
   • Steps to achieve something or solve a problem (e.g. 4 Step New Manager's Guide)
   • Do’s and Don’ts for specific situations (e.g. workplace language to build confidence)
   • Resource Sheets for example on soft skills)
   • Emotive Visuals for example on developing grit or creating change

P.S. Virality Doesn’t Always Mean Revenue

It’s easy to focus on going viral, but remember—likes and views don’t always translate to dollars. If your goal is to sell to customers, you need to make sure some of your content strategy does this:

1. Addresses Your Customer’s Problems: Don’t just aim for shareability. Speak directly to the pain points your target audience is facing and position yourself as an authority on the topic by sharing how you'd approach it.

   Example: "Struggling to convert leads into customers? I would approach this by doing [x], [y] and [z]."

2. Showcases Customer Testimonials and Results: Social proof is powerful. Share quotes from happy clients or ideally case studies that highlight your impact.

   Example: "Just last month, our client XYZ saw a 50% increase in their revenue by doing [x], [y] and [z]."

By mixing in posts that directly address your audience's needs and showcase how you solve those problems, you’ll not only build trust—you’ll also drive sales.

Remember: Content Creation is a Science

Content creation isn’t just about creativity—it’s also about finding what works and doing more of it. Treat every post like an experiment. Track your results, learn from them, and keep iterating.

P.S. Saywhat helps you find viral content ideas with a searchable database of 5,000,000 inspirational LinkedIn posts. If you're curious, you can sign up for the waitlist here.