Copywriting on LinkedIn: tips for high-impact posts
LinkedIn is now a professional network in every sense, and post copywriting makes the difference. Here are the tips for writing content tuned to the right audience, able to capture attention and deliver results.
~7 min read
COPYWRITING
LinkedIn post copywriting can make the difference. This is one of the best professional social networks, able to build credibility and create a meaningful network (thanks in part to its 700+ million members).
Even if some business owners still see it only as a recruiting platform, its role has changed over the years. According to Hootsuite, in 2021 LinkedIn had 15 times more content impressions than job postings (source: https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-statistics-business/).
Today this platform stands as a professional network where people learn, stay informed, and get to know and build relationships with other companies and professionals in their field.
That is why it is important not to overlook copywriting on LinkedIn in your strategy for communication and social media management.
Tips for writing on LinkedIn: when post copywriting makes the difference.
The (good) use of LinkedIn can prove essential to an effective marketing strategy for most companies and professionals.
That is why we have gathered a few tips for writing with successful copywriting on LinkedIn, the kind that brings home results!
1. Don’t leave the title to chance.
All content on LinkedIn is available for free, but not all of it manages to grab attention.
A catchy title, or one especially suited to the target audience, is a way to draw the eye, spark curiosity, and make people want to know more.
The length of the title matters too: the microcopy of a title for a LinkedIn post should not exceed three to five words. That is more than enough, if they are well chosen.
The title has to work like a hook: a concept or an idea that draws in the people interested in what you have to say and to offer, capturing enough of the prospect’s attention to take the next step.
For example, illustrating a threatening situation or a pain point familiar to the prospect will most likely catch the attention of a specific target audience. Still, depending on the reader, titles that confirm beliefs, that inform, or that stir a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out, literally the fear of being left out) can also work
Choosing the right copywriting on LinkedIn, including for the title, has to be based on knowing your own audience!
2. Plan your LinkedIn marketing strategy well.
Once you already have a well-kept page on this professional social network, it is important not to leave post publishing to chance.
In marketing, planning and studying your moves carefully is almost always the winning strategy.
Copywriting and posts on LinkedIn are no exception to this approach.
To develop a marketing strategy, you need to ask yourself the right questions. For example:
- What goals do you aim to reach on LinkedIn?
- What will LinkedIn be used for? To hire talent, to generate B2B awareness, find new clients, or stay connected with existing ones? The answer can be more than one, but it must be clearly identified.
- What budget do you have available for this platform?
Once these facts are known, you can begin to build a calendar, however rough, of the content to publish on LinkedIn, as well as starting to understand how to shape the copywriting!
1. Length matters, and so does SEO
According to research by BuzzSumo on content and the logic behind its success (or failure), posts with at least 1,000 words get 56% more shares on social media than content under 1,000 words.
In particular, content with a word count between 1,000 and 3,000 seems to perform best.
Of course, the content matters too: they can’t be mostly empty words… quality counts!
The length of a blog post is also a useful factor for SEO, that is, Search Engine Optimization. For it to be truly useful, though, the word count must be thought out not only for the audience but also for search engines, in particular through the use of Long Tail Keywords identified by studying your specific target!
That same research showed that long post titles are often linked to more social sharing. Those with a word count between 14 and 17 seem to be shared the most.
2. Watch the latest trends
Topics that have just reached everyone’s lips, innovative and trending, tend to have less competition online. For now.
That is why always keeping an eye on the latest trends is the best way to increase traffic to your blog.
You can discover trending topics using Google Trends, but also by staying alert on social media, reading the news, and talking with your clients!
Or you can use a free content marketing tool called Exploding Topics, extremely useful for grasping what is happening in your industry.
What is more, if you work only in the Italian market, you can anticipate which topic will trend by analyzing a foreign market that pioneers your industry.
3. Identify your audience clearly, that is, who your LinkedIn post copywriting should address
It is important to know who your audience is on this platform, how they use it, and what they look for while doing so.
What industry do they work in? In what role? What do they look for on the platform? What are their needs and their problems?
These questions are all relevant and essential to creating LinkedIn copywriting that is truly focused on the right audience.
There are a few LinkedIn strategies worth keeping in mind, such as the fact that the algorithm ranks posts based on factors like personal connections, relevance to interests, and likelihood of engagement.
LinkedIn tends to show people content that will interest and engage them, and you can encourage that by knowing the interests of your target audience.
It is also good practice to avoid a writing style that is too cold, almost mechanical, except in certain specific cases.
Here too, the difference is made by the audience and the type of industry, but most people tend to prefer a tone of voice that feels spontaneous, even on LinkedIn.
So it is often (though not always!) useful to share the stories of the people who work in the company and to apply emotional copywriting techniques, without coming across as unprofessional. See also: employer branding
4. Remember the CTA (Call to Action), often forgotten in LinkedIn post copywriting
A CTA, or Call to Action, is content meant to prompt a viewer, a reader, or a listener to perform a specific act, usually in the form of an instruction or directive.
It is important to know what you want the reader to do, and to ask them to do it.
Whether it is visiting the company website, downloading a white paper, or reading a blog post, asking makes the difference.
Of course, so does explaining what benefits they will get by doing it.
Also, for LinkedIn posts with fairly long text, it is better to place Calls to Action not only at the end but also in the first part of the text. This way, a hurried reader will not miss seeing it.
This matters above all in long posts, perhaps truncated by the platform, since they require the user to click in order to see the full text.
In this case, you also need to pay attention to the readability of the text (adding spaces between sentences, for example) and to how the post display is cut off.
For example, by avoiding sentences cut in half and by taking great care over the first part of the LinkedIn post text.
The copywriting has to be able to nudge people into clicking, all the way to the end of the text! Asking a question often works well, even though there are no universal recipes.
5. Not only copywriting, but also striking media and the right timing.
The copywriting of a LinkedIn post is essential, but it is not the only factor that makes the difference.
For example, posts with photos and videos generally perform better on social media. The same holds for LinkedIn.
Usually, posts with images receive up to 98% more comments than those without, especially if you avoid stock images.
You can also upload presentations in PDF, PowerPoint, or even SlideShare format. To explore these aspects further: graphic design studio in Milan
Videos can drive up to five times more engagement on LinkedIn than any other type of content, and they play automatically as you scroll. On top of that, they get preferential treatment from the platform’s algorithm.
(source: https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-for-business/)
Timing matters too: it makes a difference not only to post content with good copywriting on LinkedIn regularly, but also to choose the best time and day in line with the company editorial calendar.
For example, the best times to publish on LinkedIn are almost always 7:45, 10:45, 12:45, and 17:45, but it depends on the country and the type of business.
Then, again broadly speaking, according to Hootsuite B2B brands would do best to post on Wednesday. (source: https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-for-business/)
Without forgetting hashtags, now essential for reaching professionals in the field, and the regular analysis of what works and what does not. (source: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/92930)
On LinkedIn, the copywriting of a post makes the difference. Timing, hashtags, and attached media all contribute to the result, and the text remains the element that leads people to stop and read. A catchy title, tuned to what works for the target audience, opens the way; well-placed Calls to Action and content shaped around the reader’s needs complete it.
Every post lives inside a planning strategy, supported by the regular analysis of what works, by the correction of any communication mistakes, and by consistency in publishing. When it makes sense, emotional writing techniques humanize the communication and bring the company closer to the people it wants to reach.
Frequently asked questions
Does copywriting on LinkedIn really make a difference?
Yes. LinkedIn is a professional network where credibility and relationships are built, and content earns far more impressions than job postings. A well-written post, with a title tuned to the audience and clear Calls to Action, is much more likely to be read and to carry the reader to the next step.
How do you write a good title for a LinkedIn post?
The title works like a hook: a few words, usually three to five, designed to spark the audience’s curiosity. It can echo a familiar pain point, confirm a belief, inform, or stir up FOMO. The choice always depends on knowing your own target audience.
How much do text length and SEO matter?
According to the research cited, posts with at least 1,000 words get more shares, and content between 1,000 and 3,000 words is among the best performing. Length also helps SEO, as long as you write the text for both the audience and search engines, with Long Tail Keywords tied to your target.
Beyond copywriting, what boosts a post’s performance?
Photos and videos improve performance: images bring up to 98% more comments and videos generate much higher engagement. Regularity also counts, along with the time and day of publishing, hashtags, and the regular analysis of what works.
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