How to Get Engagement on LinkedIn

Chasing likes and comments on LinkedIn can feel like an uphill battle. You spend hours writing what you think is a great post, hit publish, and then... crickets. Before you give up, know this: getting real, meaningful engagement on LinkedIn isn't about gaming an algorithm, it's about learning a specific set of skills for building community. This guide will walk you through the practical, no-fluff strategies you can use today to create content that people actually want to talk about.

Start with a Strong Foundation: Your LinkedIn Profile

Before you even think about posting, your profile needs to do some of the heavy lifting. When someone sees your comment or post, their first move is often to hover over your name. What they see in that split second determines if they click through or scroll on. Think of your profile not as a resume, but as a landing page for your personal brand.

Your Headshot and Banner

Get a clean, professional, high-quality headshot where your face is clearly visible. Smile! You want to look approachable. Your banner image is an opportunity to add context. It can be a photo of you speaking, a design showcasing your company brand, a tagline about what you do, or a photo that represents your industry.

Your Headline is Your Hook

Your headline is the most important piece of real estate on your profile. The default format (Job Title at Company) is a missed opportunity. Instead, use it to explain who you help and how you help them. A great formula is:

[Your Role/Title] | Helping [Your Target Audience] with [The Problem You Solve/Value You Provide]

• Instead of: Marketing Manager at Acme Corp
• Try: Demand Generation Leader | Helping SaaS Startups Build Repeatable Revenue Engines

This simple change immediately tells people what you’re about and makes you more interesting to follow.

Your "About" Section is Your Story

Don't be afraid to write this section in the first person. This isn't a formal bio. It’s your chance to tell a short story about your journey, what you’re passionate about, and what drives you. End it with a clear call-to-action, like inviting people to connect, check out a project, or send you a message if they are struggling with a specific problem you can help with.

The Anatomy of a High-Engagement Post

Once your profile is in good shape, it’s time to focus on creating content designed to start conversations. An engaging LinkedIn post has three distinct parts: the hook, the body, and the CTA (Call-to-Action).

Step 1: The Hook (Your First Two Lines)

On LinkedIn, long posts get truncated with a "...see more" link after a couple of lines. Your first one or two sentences must convince someone to make that click. A strong hook is provocative, relatable, or curiosity-inducing. Strong hooks often take one of these forms:

• A bold or controversial opinion: “Job hopping isn’t a red flag. It’s a sign of ambition.”
• A relatable problem: “Worst feeling in the world? Pouring your heart into a project that gets canceled last minute.”
• A surprising statistic: “90% of startups fail, but not for the reason you think.”
• A question to the reader: “What's the best piece of career advice you ever ignored?”

The entire point of the hook is to stop the scroll and get the click.

Step 2: The Body (The Value)

This is where you deliver on the promise of your hook. The key is to make it incredibly easy to read on a mobile device. That means using lots of white space. No one wants to read a huge wall of text.

• Write in short sentences. One idea per sentence.
• Use single-line paragraphs. Break up your thoughts.
• Use bullet points or numbered lists. They make information scannable.
• Tell a story. Stories are the most powerful way to connect. A simple structure is Situation -> Conflict -> Resolution/Lesson. Share a failure and what you learned. Talk about a success and the steps you took to get there.

Step 3: The CTA (The Conversation Starter)

Your post shouldn't just… end. You need to explicitly tell people what you want them to do. A good call-to-action prompts conversation.

Instead of saying "Let me know your thoughts," be specific.

• "What’s one mistake you’ve made that taught you a valuable lesson?"
• "Reply with one tool you can’t live without."
• "Am I wrong here? Tell me why in the comments."

The goal is to lower the barrier to responding. A simple, direct question makes it easy for someone to jump into the conversation.

Choosing the Right Content Format

The LinkedIn algorithm rewards different formats at different times, but a healthy mix keeps your feed interesting and builds your audience. Here's a breakdown:

Text-Only Posts

Personal stories, observations, and motivational posts do exceptionally well in a simple text format. Their raw, unpolished feel can come across as more authentic. Use the hook/body/CTA structure and focus on clean formatting with plenty of white space.

Posts with an Image

An image can help stop the scroll. A high-quality photo of you, your team, or something that visually represents the topic can add a human element. Avoid generic stock photos if you can. A genuine, behind-the-scenes shot often performs better than a perfectly polished stock image.

Polls

Polls are one of the easiest ways to get direct engagement. People love to vote. The key is to ask a genuinely interesting or debatable question. After the poll ends, consider writing a follow-up post summarizing the results and adding your own perspective. This gives you two pieces of content from one idea.

Carousels (PDF Documents)

Carousels (uploaded as a PDF document) are a fantastic format for breaking down complex topics into bite-sized, digestible slides. You can create them in Canva or even PowerPoint. Use them to:

• Showcase a multi-step process.
• Repurpose a blog post into key takeaways.
• Create a mini-presentation on a topic you’re an expert in.

The act of clicking through the slides counts as engagement and signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable.

Video Content

Native video (uploaded directly to LinkedIn) can be powerful, but it needs to provide value quickly. Aim for videos under 90 seconds. A simple "talking head" video shot on your phone where you share a quick tip or a lesson is often more effective than something highly produced.

Engagement Isn’t a One-Way Street

This might be the most overlooked piece of advice: If you want to get engagement, you have to give engagement. You can’t just post your content and walk away. Building a community requires you to be an active participant.

Reply to Every Single Comment

When someone takes the time to comment on your post, always reply. A simple "Thank you!" is nice, but a better approach is to ask them a follow-up question. This keeps the conversation going and encourages more people to join in. A lively comments section is a huge signal to the LinkedIn algorithm.

Commenter: "Great advice! The storytelling part really resonates with me."

Your Reply: "I'm glad to hear that! Is there a particular storyteller you follow whose style you admire?"

Spend 15 Minutes a Day Engaging on Other People’s Posts

Before and after you post your own content, spend some time thoughtfully commenting on posts from others in your network. Don't leave short, generic comments like "Great post!" or "I agree!"

Instead, add to the conversation. A quality comment does one of these things:

• Adds to the point: Provide another example or resource that backs up their point.
• Asks a clarifying question: Shows you’re thinking deeply about what they said.
• Shares a personal experience: Connect their post to something that happened to you.

This activity not only builds relationships with other creators but also puts your name and headline in front of their entire audience.

Use Hashtags and Tagging Strategically

The 3-5 Hashtag Rule

Stick to around 3-5 relevant hashtags per post. Any more looks spammy. Use a mix of broad, niche, and branded hashtags.

• Broad: #Marketing, #Leadership
• Niche: #ContentStrategy, #B2BSaaS
• Branded: #[YourCompanyName], #[YourPersonalHashtag]

Tagging, But Only When It's Relevant

Tagging people or companies can be a great way to boost a post's reach, but only if they are genuinely relevant to the content. Are they mentioned in your story? Did their work inspire your post? Tagging them is appropriate. Randomly tagging influencers just to get their attention is bad form and will likely be ignored.

Final Thoughts

Building an engaged following on LinkedIn isn't about finding a shortcut or a "hack." It's about consistency, providing genuine value, and remembering there are real people on the other side of the screen. Show up, share what you know, tell your stories, and make a real effort to be part of the community.

For my own workflow, keeping all this organized is the hardest part. Showing up consistently requires a plan, and that’s why I rely on a visual calendar to see all my content at a glance weeks in advance. Using Postbase lets me drag-and-drop posts, plan out themes, and get everything scheduled properly so I can spend my actual time on LinkedIn focused on what matters: writing quality content and engaging in the comments.