17 Clever Ways For Creators To Boost Their LinkedIn Engagement

Most people treat LinkedIn like a party they showed up to without saying hi to anyone. They post. They ghost. Then wonder why no one’s talking to them.

I’ve coached over 600 people trying to grow on LinkedIn and built a 380,000+ following in the last 18 months, and this is something I hear all the time: “I’m posting, but no one’s engaging. What am I doing wrong?”

If you want to actually connect, you need to treat LinkedIn like what it really is: a room full of conversations. That means commenting, messaging, and sharing content that evokes an actual emotional response, not just scrolling and hoping for likes.

And yes, great content is essential. But the secret is that engagement usually starts before you ever hit “post.”

In this blog, we’ll break down clever, simple ways creators can boost engagement, even if you’re just getting started. These are the same tactics I’ve used with founders, coaches, and agency owners trying to turn LinkedIn into a legit growth channel.

And if you want a head start, check out Saywhat’s LinkedIn content creation tool. It helps you turn your experience into scroll-stopping posts, get feedback from a real community, and stay consistent without burning out.

What is LinkedIn Engagement?

Engagement is how people interact with your content − views, likes, comments, reposts, and clicks. But the meaning behind that engagement is what actually matters.

When someone comments on your post, they're not just engaging − they're investing. They've paused their scroll, thought about what you said, and decided to step into the conversation. That's trust. That's attention. And on LinkedIn, attention is currency.

I learned this the hard way when I first started posting. I was obsessed with getting as many eyeballs as possible on my content, thinking bigger numbers always meant better results. I was completely wrong.

Why Impressions Matter Most (But Engagement Drives Them)

Impressions are the north star metric - that's how many people actually see your content. But visible engagement is a big driver of them.

LinkedIn also tracks invisible engagement - dwell time, private shares, link clicks, and profile visits. These signals matter to the algorithm even though you can't see them publicly.

When someone comments on your post, LinkedIn shows it to a portion of their network.

Comments from industry experts are really valuable - their networks are exactly who you want to reach. One thoughtful comment from a leader (e.g. CMO of Adobe) can push your post to hundreds of relevant eyeballs.

Every day, I go through my posts to check for genuine questions and comments. The AI-generated "Great post!" comments - I tend to skip. But real questions, disagreements, or shared experiences? I try to respond to every single one. It's relationship building in public.

Even at my scale, there aren't many of them! Most are meaningless.

The Power of Reposts

Reposts are incredibly valuable - they're essentially free distribution to an entirely new audience. Early on, I thanked every reposter individually. It takes time, but those people become your biggest advocates. They're literally putting their reputation behind your content.

Engagement Rate Is... Complicated

Here's what most people don't tell you: engagement rate varies wildly by topic. Feel-good posts about kind leadership? Sky-high engagement. Controversial takes or content on salary negotiations? Much lower - but often the same number of people are seeing these posts.

Engagement rate is most useful for comparing your own content performance, not benchmarking against others. A 2% rate on a post teaching people how to build AI agents might be more valuable than 5% on a motivational quote - it depends entirely on who engaged and what action they took.

The real questions: Was the content relevant for your target audience? What was your clickthrough rate? Did it start conversations that matter?

That's when engagement becomes meaningful.

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Why is LinkedIn Engagement Important in Personal Branding?

On LinkedIn, your audience isn't passively scrolling - they're actively watching.

Every comment I respond to, every conversation I join, every time I show up in their feed, I'm sending a clear signal: "I'm here. I care. I'm listening."

That builds trust. Trust leads to conversations. Conversations lead to relationships. And relationships drive revenue.

If you're treating LinkedIn like a one-way broadcast platform, you're completely missing the point. This is a network, and engagement is exactly how you network.

I learned this during my journey from building a $400k+ ARR business on LinkedIn. The growth didn't just come from posting more - it came from engaging better.

The Algorithm Follows the Crowd

The LinkedIn algorithm rewards content that gets engagement early. When your post gets liked, commented on, or shared within the first 30–90 minutes, LinkedIn sees it as "valuable."

That gives it a push to more of your audience, then beyond your network entirely.

The more engagement your content earns, the longer its shelf life. I've had posts get 1,000,000+ views days after posting, all because engagement snowballed from those important first interactions.

No initial engagement? You're invisible, no matter how brilliant the content is.

Engagement Leads to Reach and Real Opportunity

Most business owners think reach comes from paid ads. But on LinkedIn, organic engagement is your advertising engine.

Every time someone comments or likes your post, it shows up in some of their network's feed. That expands your reach without spending a dollar. Your content becomes discoverable through people, not just algorithms.

If you're selling anything relationship-driven, like consulting, coaching, services, B2B products, this is how you stay top of mind. It's how people start saying: "I see your stuff all the time."

Ignoring Engagement Literally Kills Deals

Let's be blunt: ignoring people who engage with you is throwing money down the drain.

If someone comments on your post and you don't reply, here's what they're thinking:

• "They're not really interested in connecting"
• "They probably don't have time for someone like me"
• "I'll check out someone else who actually responds"

But when you respond, even briefly, you accelerate trust. And trust shortens the buyer cycle.

I've met new Saywhat customers in comment threads because I showed up consistently, responded thoughtfully, and treated the platform like what it actually is: a room full of real people watching, thinking, and deciding.

That said, there are a lot of meaningless AI-generated comments on LinkedIn these days. I don’t typically respond to these.

Engagement Isn't Optional - It's Your Competitive Edge

If you're serious about growing a business on LinkedIn, engagement isn't a vanity metric. It's how you measure relevance. It's how you earn reach. It's how you build trust that turns into action.

Treat every comment like the start of a conversation. Show up in DMs with value, not a pitch. And remember: when it comes to LinkedIn, the relationships are the ROI.

Start Growing on LinkedIn in Minutes

Building your business on LinkedIn doesn't need to be overwhelming. Sometimes, the smallest tweaks create the biggest results.

Saywhat provides the tools and educational community to help grow your LinkedIn presence authentically:

• Turning your experience into content: Transform your expertise into LinkedIn-ready posts in minutes
• Content inspiration: Search through 5 million LinkedIn posts so you never get stuck for ideas again
• Streamlined commenting: Build your community without getting buried in notifications
• Analytics that matter: Track which posts actually perform so you can double down on what works

Ready to get started on LinkedIn content creation? Try Saywhat free for 7 days and discover how to create content that actually builds your business today.

How LinkedIn Engagement on Personal Profiles Differs from Company Pages

Most people treat company pages and personal profiles the same on LinkedIn, then wonder why one performs and the other doesn't.

I've run both sides of this equation. Grew my personal profile to 380,000+ followers and recently been building the LinkedIn Growth By Will McTighe alongside it. And I can tell you firsthand: they need completely different approaches.

Personal Profiles Are Human; Company Pages Are Businesses

When you post as a person, people connect with you. Your story, your tone, your face. They respond to honesty, vulnerability, and clarity.

These days, it's not about polishing every post to perfection, it's about being relatable. Some of the most engaging posts I've ever shared were the ones I wrote in five minutes, speaking directly to what I was thinking, feeling, or figuring out in real time.

Real stuff. That's what gets comments, DMs, and shares.

What Works for Personal Profiles

If you're posting from a personal profile:

• Speak in first person like you're talking to a friend
• Share your lessons, not just your wins, people connect with struggle
• Write exactly how you talk (it makes you stand out)
• Connect the dots back to what you do, but don't hard sell every post

It works because you're giving people a reason to care before you ask them to click.

Company Pages Feel Cold (And Here's Why)

Here's where most people struggle. Company pages feel inherently cold. Even if you've got brilliant content, people just don't engage with logos the way they do with faces.

You'll post something insightful from the company page and it gets 12 likes, while your teammate posts the same thing from their personal profile and gets 300 engagements.

That's not a platform glitch. That's human behavior.

So What Actually Works for Company Pages?

Company pages have unique advantages personal profiles don't. You can run LinkedIn ads from them, sponsor content to reach specific audiences, and post job listings. They're also where people go to verify you're a real business.

The engagement hack? Use your company page as a content hub for your team to amplify. Post once from the company page, then have 5 team members share it with their own commentary. Suddenly that one post reaches 5 different networks with personal credibility attached.

Show faces.

Seriously. Humanize the business by featuring team members, customer stories, and behind-the-scenes content. Create a mascot. For example, the Duolingo owl works because it gives a faceless company an actual personality people can connect with.

Company pages also let you track better analytics, build follower lists for retargeting, and showcase social proof through employee connections. Think of it as your credibility engine while personal profiles are your relationship engine.

The Real Strategy

Personal profiles start conversations. Company pages close deals.

Your personal profile builds trust and starts relationships. Your company page provides the social proof and credibility people need before buying. Use both strategically - personal for engagement, company for conversion.

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17 Clever Ways to Boost Your LinkedIn Engagement

1. Start the Engagement Cycle: Give First, Receive Later

Here's the reality - engagement on LinkedIn is like networking: you can't expect engagement if you're not giving it first.

I used to post my content into what felt like a LinkedIn void, wondering why nobody cared about it. Then I discovered the power of engaging with my network's content before expecting them to engage with mine.

Make it a daily habit to check your feed for fresh content from your connections. But here's the key – don't just scroll and double-tap. Provide real value in your comments. Instead of generic responses like "Great post!" or "Thanks for sharing!", offer an actual thought or question or share relevant experiences that actually contribute to the conversation.

I use Saywhat’s commenting feed to make this faster. It also establishes you as a credible community member, and the LinkedIn algorithm takes notice. More importantly, people start recognizing your name and reciprocating the engagement.

2. Borrow Authority From Others

Posting photos with more well-known people in your industry works because people stop scrolling when they recognize faces. But don't just say "Great meeting [person]!" Share a specific insight from your conversation that actually helps your audience. You can also write about industry leaders without meeting them. Break down their strategies, analyze their frameworks, or share how their work has influenced yours. The key is adding your perspective - don't just summarize what they said. Show how you've applied it. When you tag influential people in thoughtful content about their work, they sometimes engage. And when they do, your post reaches some of their network too.

3. Master LinkedIn Groups: Connect with Your Ideal Audience

LinkedIn Groups are hidden goldmines for targeted engagement – if you know how to use them properly.

Why? Because content is posted in reverse chronological order rather than being decided by the algorithm. So if your target audience is active there - they will see your content!

With thousands of active groups on LinkedIn, finding the right ones is important. Use LinkedIn's search feature and filter by 'Groups', but don't just look at member counts. Look for groups with active discussions that align with your industry or interests.

Boost Visibility Through Strategic Group Participation

Here's what I've learned after helping our customers evaluate the use of LinkedIn groups: quality trumps quantity. I'd rather have meaningful conversations in 3 targeted groups than post generic content in 20 groups.

Instead of just posting your content, engage in existing discussions first. Offer thoughtful insights, ask questions, and provide value to ongoing conversations. This approach establishes your thought leadership and attracts attention from both group members and the LinkedIn algorithm.

Higher engagement rates within groups can indirectly boost your content's visibility across the entire platform, leading to more profile views and connections.

4. Write A Weekly Newsletter

A newsletter is a way to build a deeper relationship with your existing audience. If you show up and add value each week, you create a direct line to your most engaged followers. No algorithm deciding who sees your content. No competing with the feed. Just you and the people who consistently want to hear from you. Here's my approach: Keep it under a 5-minute read. People are busy, and long newsletters just don’t get read. Focus on one topic per newsletter - don't try to solve all their problems at once. The best newsletters end before people feel done reading. Leave them wanting more, not checking how much is left to scroll through. Think of it like a good TV episode - satisfying but makes you excited for next week. I try to challenge a conventional belief in each newsletter. Others like to purely educate. Find what works for you. Anyway, building a deeper relationship with your followers over email makes them more likely to show up for you on socials too.

5. Show Your Personality: Be Human, Not Corporate

Think of LinkedIn as relationship-building, not broadcasting.

This means engaging with your network’s content (it gets reciprocated), but it also means writing in your own voice and showing touches of informality or humor. People connect with humans, not corporate robots.

6. Respond to Every Comment: Build Real Connections

When someone comments on your post with something meaningful, respond to them. Period.

This isn't just good manners - it builds genuine connections and may increase your post's reach to more people. I try to read through my comments each day and respond to the ones that are real humans asking real questions. That keeps those people coming back for me.

7. Tag Strategically: Increase Visibility Respectfully

Tagging is effective for increasing LinkedIn engagement – when done right.

When you tag colleagues or industry peers in your posts, they receive notifications, increasing the chances of engagement. But ensure your tags are relevant and respectful. Use this feature when the tagged individuals have a clear connection to your content. If they engage with your content, that can help boost its reach.

Random or irrelevant tagging leads to negative feedback and reduced engagement. I would cap it at 1-3 people max.

8. Cross-Promote Your Content: Don't Stop at LinkedIn

Once you've published content on LinkedIn, amplify it everywhere.

Use your other social media channels, email newsletters, and company blog to drive more engagement to your LinkedIn articles. Cross-promotion helps you reach your wider audience across different platforms and can significantly boost your LinkedIn engagement metrics.

You can also promote your posts in relevant groups, as long as they add genuine value to group discussions.

9. Embrace Strategic Authenticity: Share Your Real Story

Vulnerability drives engagement more than perfection.

It's tempting to portray a perfect life, but people connect with authenticity. Sharing your struggles and challenges resonates more deeply than success stories alone. Some of my highest-engaging posts have been about failures and lessons learned.

But there is some nuance here - I would focus on sharing stories about challenges you’ve overcome rather than your current challenges. People look to others for inspiration and to give them hope that things will turn out okay.

10. Tell Emotional Stories: Create Human Connections

Focus on storytelling that resonates emotionally with your audience.

Share real experiences, lessons learned, or challenges overcome, and frame them in a way that invites conversation. Authenticity connects – when people engage with stories that inspire or teach them something valuable, you're creating human connections, not just broadcasting information.

11. Use LinkedIn Live: Harness Real-Time Engagement

LinkedIn Live creates community like no other feature.

Live video enables real-time broadcasting to your network, providing immediate engagement opportunities. From Q&A sessions to industry insights, LinkedIn Live offers an interactive platform for connecting personally with your audience.

LinkedIn Live sessions get 24x more engagement than regular posts. Yes, it's challenging and scary to start livestreaming, but this can be a goldmine for boosting engagement and building community around your brand.

12. Perfect Your Profile: Master Your First Impression

An incomplete profile kills engagement before it starts.

Having a complete and polished profile makes a significant difference in engagement levels and follower counts. Make sure every section is thoughtfully filled out and you have a professional profile picture. LinkedIn is a professional platform – an incomplete or low-effort profile won't cut it.

13. Reduce Self-Promotion: Build Relationships Instead

Overly promotional content drives people away faster than bad coffee.

It's okay to share case studies once a week, but an overly promotional LinkedIn presence does the opposite of making sales – it repels potential customers. Provide value first, then sell.

People buy from people they like and trust, not from people who constantly pitch them.

14. Time Your Posts Right: Post When Your Audience Is Active

The best time to post is when your audience is actually online.

While this varies for everyone, Tuesday to Thursday between 7-9am US Eastern Time is generally a good time. For posting frequency, I recommend posting daily if possible. Just make sure the quality remains high.

15. Offer Valuable Resources: Create Content People Save

Content that offers downloadable resources performs exceptionally well on LinkedIn.

Worksheets, checklists, guides, and templates get shared widely because they provide immediate, practical value. Watch your resource make rounds on social media – it's a testament to how useful it is.

16. Write Like a Friend: Keep It Conversational

Write posts like you're talking to a friend, not delivering a corporate presentation.

Skip the jargon, add humor, and share stories people can relate to. Engagement happens when your audience stops scrolling and thinks, "I've been there!" A personal photo once or twice a week doesn’t hurt either.

17. Include Personal Images: Add Relatability

Personal images in unusual settings boost LinkedIn engagement by adding relatability to your posts.

End your posts with a simple and easy question for readers to answer like "What's your take?" - this helps encourage discussion.

*Ready to transform your LinkedIn engagement?

Try Saywhat's free 7-day trial and discover how our LinkedIn business building tool can help you implement these strategies more effectively and track your engagement growth.

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Try Saywhat Free for 7 Days to Create Good Content that can Help Build Your Business

Image Recommendation:

Building your business on LinkedIn doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Sometimes, minor tweaks can take you to millions of views. Saywhat provides the tools and educational community to help grow your LinkedIn presence authentically:

Turn Your Experience Into Content

When you have a lot of experience in an area, writing about it can feel daunting. Saywhat can help you create LinkedIn-ready posts that showcase your expertise in minutes. The process is simple. Saywhat automatically checks your experience, existing content and identifies your target audience, then it creates a daily post for you that you can tweak before putting it on LinkedIn.

Content Inspiration: Never Get Stuck Again

Saywhat gives you access to over 5 million LinkedIn posts so you can find content ideas to help you build your business. The database is searchable and will help you find posts in your niche so you can get ideas to create your own posts, articles and even comments.

Streamlined Commenting: Build Your Community Without Getting Lost

One of the best ways to grow your network on LinkedIn is through commenting on posts. When you comment on posts, you not only get noticed by the post author, you also get noticed by their network. Saywhat streamlines this process so you can build your community without getting lost in notifications.

Analytics: Track Your LinkedIn Performance

Saywhat also features powerful analytics that help you track the performance of your LinkedIn posts. The tool tracks which posts perform well so you can double down on them. This will help you grow your network and improve your business’s visibility on LinkedIn.