How to Build an Audience With LinkedIn Posts in 2025

According to the most recent statistics published by the platform, there are over 1 billion LinkedIn users. If your posts can consistently reach even 0.001% of these, you’ll have built an asset that can:

• Generate a stream of leads for your business (with no ad spend);

• Boost your career prospects; and 

• Give you a platform to share your most valuable insights to an audience with a professional focus.  

  
  

This, of course, is easier said than done. 

Unless you want to use shady audience-building hacks (and you don’t), the only way to build a LinkedIn following is to consistently post good content.

I can show you how. 

Consistency 

Above, I said you need to “consistently post good content.” There are two separate requirements here; your content must be good, and it must be consistent. 

In my experience, “consistent” almost always comes before “good.” There are a few reasons for this. 

Firstly, if you’re new to LinkedIn posting, you won’t be writing top-class content right off the bat. It takes practice.

Having a small network on LinkedIn can actually be an advantage when you’re publishing your first posts; if nobody’s reading your content, it doesn’t matter too much how good or bad it is. 

I’ve often scrolled back through my old posts, found something cringe-inducing, and hastily clicked “Delete.” However, each and every poorly-conceived post helped me become a better LinkedIn writer, and to deliver more effectively for my ghostwriting clients. The same will be true for you. 

Of course, if you already have a large network that you built without posting, this advice isn’t as easy to follow. You’ll need to be a little more careful about what you publish in the early days (although you should still be open to some trial and error). 

Don’t worry; the rest of this article will show you how to avoid the most common LinkedIn posting mistakes.

Writing Posts People Will Read

Like all online platforms, LinkedIn has an algorithm that dictates which posts go viral, and which ones flop. 

I refer to the algorithm throughout this next section; there’s a lot of useful information out there when it comes to the technical structure of your posts. Most of the data I refer to comes from the most recent edition of Richard van der Blom’s Algorithm Insights report; unless it’s otherwise attributed, you can assume any data I cite comes from there. 

The more closely you adhere to best practices, the more impressions your posts will get (all other things being equal). Impressions aren't everything, but they are very important. The more people you reach with your posts, the easier it will be to make your LinkedIn profile work for you.

However, it’s important to remember that you’re writing posts for other humans, not for bots. The creators that make the biggest splash on LinkedIn are those who write posts people are excited to read.  

In other words, you can follow every algorithmic guideline to the letter, but it won’t do you any good in the long run unless you’re saying something interesting. 

Length & Structure

LinkedIn sets an upper limit of 3,000 characters on posts, but I rarely get anywhere near this. Research shows that a large proportion of LinkedIn users access the platform via mobile; nobody wants to read an essay on their phone while standing on a bus on the way to work.

To engage your readers, you need to keep things brief. 

Van der Blom’s research suggests that the sweet spot is between 600-1,200 characters for text-only posts, and 900-1,500 for posts accompanied by an image. This range gives you plenty of room to provide value, but not enough to flesh things out in great detail. 

Additionally, you should keep paragraphs short – two sentences max.

Topic Selection

One of the most common mistakes I must prevent ghostwriting clients from making is covering too broad a range of topics in their posts. 

To build a loyal audience, you need to focus on a few core subjects. When you repeatedly post about specific themes, you establish yourself as a go-to voice in those areas.

If you’re a SaaS founder, you might focus on team leadership and the advantages of bootstrapping vs. venture capital. If you run a commercial law firm, you could discuss the importance of negotiating experience when it comes to settling litigation. 

When you maintain a narrow area of focus that is squarely within your field of expertise, your followers will come to recognize you as an authoritative voice. 

NOTE: Whatever you do, do NOT discuss your politics on LinkedIn. If you have strong feelings about the results of the most recent election in your country, find a more suitable platform upon which to air them. You can’t afford to stake your professional reputation on your political views in 2025. 

Formatting 

Certain post formats do better than others, on average. For example:

• Document posts (posts with native attachments, like carousels) attract 1.26 times the reach of the median post. They can also provide a useful way to explain multi-step processes or break down data.

• Polls achieve 1.46 times the visibility of standard posts on average. They also provide a natural way to invite participation from other platform users.

• Posts with images attract 1.16 times more impressions, and an eye-catching image will get doom-scrollers to stop in their tracks and read your post. 

• Video posts also do slightly better than average. This mirrors a recent trend towards video content on other platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.

  
  

So, you should experiment with different formats, particularly if you have a knack for producing visuals. However, quality content will always be the most critical factor. Don’t use a format simply because it’s trending; choose the one that provides the best vehicle for your message.

Also, remember that formatting posts can be time-consuming. If you’re trying to post consistently without committing too many weekly hours to LinkedIn, you might be better off keeping things simple. 

Emojis

Despite its professional focus, LinkedIn is still a social platform. Many of its most successful creators use emojis to lighten the mood and add visual cues. 

Other highly successful accounts avoid emojis completely, and that’s fine too. This isn’t a make-or-break consideration. 

If you are going to include emojis, do so sparingly and strategically. For instance:

• Use checkmarks (✅) to organize bullet points (the platform’s own publishing tool won’t let you add ordinary bullets).

• Add lightbulbs (💡) to highlight insights.

  
  

  

  
  

Engagement

Succeeding as a creator doesn’t begin and end with your content. Social media is designed to be, well, social; those who interact with others on LinkedIn will go a lot further than those who don’t.

So, if people comment on your posts, you should comment back. This, first of all, is good manners; however, it’s also important for technical reasons. 

Posts on which more than 50% of comments receive a reply benefit from a boost in reach of 30% or more on average. The platform will also reward your own content when you spend time interacting with posts from other profiles. 

Need Help?

If this all sounds like a lot to handle by yourself, there is another way.

I offer LinkedIn ghostwriting packages for business leaders in tech and professional services. I can sit down with you once a month (or more frequently, if desired) to decide on topic selection, posting frequency, audience engagement, and every other element of your strategy. 

From there, I’ll write and schedule all your posts, giving you the chance to request two free rounds of edits every time. There may be a little back-and-forth for the first few posts; however, once I get used to writing in your voice, the process will require very little input from you (if that’s what you’d prefer). 

Let me take the stress and uncertainty out of your LinkedIn growth, so that you can concentrate on your business. 

To learn more about how this all works or to discuss pricing, please fill out my contact form (it’s right at the bottom of the homepage) so that we can arrange a free consultation call.