How to Write Viral Content for LinkedIn

It's Will McTighe here. I grew from 4,000 followers to >170,000 followers on LinkedIn between March and September 2024. Here is my take on how to write content that performs well on LinkedIn.

What to Write About?

Share What Matters to Your Audience

Talk about what you know or what you’re learning that your target audience wants to hear. On LinkedIn, people follow you for education. Share your best ideas for free, and then offer services to help implement them later.

Start with proven topics

When you’re just starting out, focus on writing about topics that have already proven successful in your niche. This means choosing subjects that have worked well for others in the past.

Use tools like Saywhat (LinkedIn viral content database), Kleo (Individual LinkedIn creator crawler) or Favikon (which finds successful content from big creators on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok) to discover these topics.

Check out the successful posts from larger creators in your niche to understand what people enjoy—from the topics they cover to the formats they use. Once you have a good idea of what resonates, start creating your own content!

How to Write Great LinkedIn Content

There are three important parts to a written post:

1. Hook
2. Body
3. Call to Action

Hooks

Spend 30% of your time on the first 3 lines. Come up with multiple versions of it. Wait till you’re done writing the whole post then finalize the hook. The hook is your first impression. Your goal is to create intrigue to stop scrolling. Check its appearance on different devices before posting using Saywhat or Kleo's post previewer.

P.S. Your visual is part of your hook. Here’s an example of a good hook.

Body & Writing Style

A few important tips:

• Write in a Conversational Tone: Avoid jargon! Imagine you are talking to a friend.
• Write for Skimmers: No long blocks of text. >70% of LinkedIn usage is on mobile. Use lots of line spacing, and easy-to-read text structures (staircases, etc).
• Remove Unnecessary Words: Use Grammarly to proofread your text. Make sure each word earns its place. Use tools like Hemingway Editor to make it concise and direct.
• Use Simple Punchy Language: After I finish writing a post, I put it through ChatGPT with the prompt “please rewrite this at grade 5-7 reading level and make it punchier and more succinct” and edit from there.
• Avoid Passive Language: Don’t use the passive voice or adverbs. Focus on active, clear statements.
• Highlight Key Points: Place your best points at the beginning and end of your post to capture and retain attention.

Call to Action (CTA)

There’s only one rule for good CTAs: simple and actionable. Your CTA should have ONE clear message and ONE action for your readers.

Examples: “Sign up for my newsletter” or “Book a discovery call”.

The 7-Step LinkedIn Content Checklist

Here’s a content checklist I developed over the last 6 months. It will make your content creation process more efficient, especially when you’re starting out.

Once you’re done writing (and editing), check to see if your post includes:

1. A hook that creates suspense or authority?
2. A call to action?
3. A beautiful visual?
4. Does it help my target audience to achieve a goal?
5. Does my target audience look good by sharing this?
6. References your experience/perspective/authority?
7. References a reputable source?

Want to make this process a little easier?

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