How to Get More Shares on LinkedIn

Getting your LinkedIn posts shared is the secret to unlocking exponential reach. While likes are nice, a share is an endorsement - it's someone in your network telling their own network, This is valuable, you need to see this. This guide breaks down the practical strategies and frameworks you can use today to create content that people are genuinely excited to share, transforming passive scrollers into active advocates for your ideas.

Understand Why People Share on LinkedIn

Before creating any content, you have to get inside the head of your audience. People don't share content just because it's good, they share it for reasons that benefit them. When a professional shares a post, they are implicitly making a statement about themselves. They're usually thinking one of a few things:

• "This makes me look smart." Sharing insightful analysis, unique data, or a forward-thinking opinion helps people build their own personal brand as an expert or a thought leader.
• "This will help my network." Sharing a helpful tutorial, a useful framework, or a job opportunity is an act of generosity. It positions the sharer as a supportive and valuable connection.
• "This is exactly what I was thinking!" Content that articulates a common frustration or a powerful belief that your audience already holds is incredibly validating. Sharing it is their way of saying, "I agree with this so much that I'm putting my name on it."
• "This represents my values or company mission." Sharing content about company culture, social responsibility, or industry ethics helps people align themselves with a particular set of values.

If your content doesn't check at least one of these boxes, it’s unlikely to get shared. Think less about creating content that you want to post and more about creating content that someone else would want to be known for posting.

Strategy 1: Create Content That Serves, Teaches, or Inspires

Shares are earned, not given. The fastest way to earn them is by providing tangible value that goes beyond superficial observations. Your content needs a purpose, and that purpose should laser-focus on helping your audience.

Go Deep with Actionable How-To Guides

Generic advice is forgettable. Specific, step-by-step guidance is shareable. Break down a complex process into simple, easy-to-follow steps that someone can apply to their own work immediately. Think about the common problems your audience faces and offer a clear solution.

Example Topic Ideas:

• "5 steps to write a cold email that actually gets a reply."
• "My exact framework for planning a quarter's worth of content in one afternoon."
• "How to give constructive feedback to a direct report without making it awkward."

Instead of just saying "give good feedback," actually write out the phrases and questions someone could use. This is practical value that someone will want to save and share with their team.

Share Unique Insights, Data, and Opinions

LinkedIn is flooded with rehashed content. To stand out, bring something new to the table. Originality gets attention and respect. You don't need a huge research budget to do this.

• Run a Simple Poll: Ask your network a pointed question about a trend in your industry. Once the poll closes, create a separate post sharing the results and your analysis of what those results mean. This is original data that only you have.
• Share Proprietary Data: Did your company analyze 1,000 sales calls? Discover a surprising trend in customer support tickets? Turn that internal learning into an external insight. You can say, "We looked at data from 500 recent hires and found the #1 skill they had in common wasn't what we expected."
• Take a Contrarian Stance: Respectfully challenge a popular opinion in your industry. If everyone is saying "always do X," write a thoughtful post about why you believe "sometimes you should do Y instead." A strong, well-argued opinion is a magnet for engagement and shares.

Tell Compelling Stories

Data informs, but stories connect. People are wired to remember narratives far more than they remember statistics. Frame your lessons and insights within a story to make your content more memorable and relatable.

Effective Storytelling Angles:

• The Failure Story: Be vulnerable and share a mistake you made in your career and, most importantly, the lesson you learned from it. This builds trust and authenticity. Example: "In 2019, I lost our biggest client because of one dumb assumption. Here's what happened..."
• The Client Success Story: Showcase how you or your company helped a client overcome a specific challenge. This isn't a sales pitch, it's a narrative that presents a problem, a process, and a resolution. It highlights your expertise through a real-world example.
• The Origin Story: Explain the "why" behind a decision, a project, or even your company mission. People are much more likely to share content when they feel connected to the purpose behind it.

Strategy 2: Format Your Posts for Maximum Readability

Even the best ideas will fall flat if they are presented as a giant, intimidating wall of text. On social media, you have seconds to capture someone's attention. Formatting your post properly is just as important as the content itself.

Nail the First Sentence (The Hook)

The first two lines of your post are the only thing people see before they click "...see more". This hook has one job: make them curious enough to click. Avoid slow, boring introductions.

Examples of Strong Hooks:

• Start with a bold statement: "Hot take: Most team meetings are a complete waste of time."
• Ask a thought-provoking question: "What's one piece of career advice you wish you could give your younger self?"
• State a relatable problem: "You know that feeling when you've been working all day but feel like you got nothing done?"

Use White Space and Simple Formatting

Nobody wants to read a dense paragraph on a mobile screen. Break up your text to make it easy to scan and digest.

• Keep paragraphs short: Aim for 1-2 sentences per paragraph. One-line paragraphs can be especially powerful for emphasis.
• Use bullet points and numbered lists: They are perfect for laying out steps, tips, or key takeaways in a way that’s easy to read.
• Incorporate emojis sparingly: A few well-placed emojis can add personality and serve as visual separators, but don't overdo it. Keep it professional. ☑️ 💡 👉 are often good fits.

Level Up with Carousels (PDFs)

LinkedIn carousels are one of the most engaging and shareable formats on the platform. They allow you to turn a complex topic into a visually appealing, slide-by-slide story. Because they package so much value in one post, people love to share them as a resource.

Carousel Best Practices:

• Use a tool like Canva or Figma to create your slides (1080x1080 or 1080x1350 pixels work best).
• Keep text minimal and large on each slide.
• Start with a killer title slide that immediately tells people what they'll learn.
• End with a solid call to action, like "Share this if you found it helpful!"
• Export a high-quality PDF to ensure it looks crisp and professional when it renders on LinkedIn.

Strategy 3: Optimize and Promote Each Post

Creating great content is only half the battle. You have to give your post the best possible chance to be seen by the algorithm and by the right people.

Use Relevant Hashtags and Thoughtful Tagging

Hashtags help LinkedIn categorize your content and show it to people interested in that topic. A good strategy is to use a mix of broad and niche tags.

• Broad Tags: #marketing, #leadership, #technology (High volume, but high competition)
• Niche Tags: #productledgrowth, #revops, #b2bcontent (Lower volume, but reaches a more targeted audience)

Stick to 3-5 relevant hashtags. Too many can look spammy and may dilute your post's focus.

Additionally, tag any people or companies you mention in your post. This sends them a notification and encourages them to engage with and possibly share your content. However, never tag people irrelevant to the post just to get their attention - it's bad etiquette and will harm your reputation.

Include a Clear Call-to-Share

This sounds almost too simple, but it works. Directly asking for what you want can significantly increase your shares. After providing a ton of value in your post, end with a gentle nudge.

Examples:

• "If this resonated with you, I'd appreciate it if you shared this with your network."
• "Who on your team needs to see this chart? Tag them below or share this post."
• "What did I miss? Share this post and add your own favorite tip in the text!"

Be Present and Engage in the First Hour

The LinkedIn algorithm pays very close attention to how a post performs right after it's published. Fast engagement signals that the content is high-quality, and LinkedIn will show it to a wider audience.

For the first 60 minutes after posting, make it your priority to reply to every comment. Don't just say "Thanks!", ask follow-up questions to stimulate conversation and keep the engagement rolling. This community management will give your content the initial velocity it needs to gain traction and earn more shares.

Final Thoughts

Boosting your shares on LinkedIn isn't about finding a temporary hack, it's about consistently providing genuine value through well-crafted and strategically optimized content. By focusing on teaching and inspiring your audience, formatting for readability, and actively engaging with your community, you can turn your profile into a go-to resource people are eager to amplify.

Of course, the most challenging part of any content strategy isn't creating one great post, but maintaining that consistency over time. At Postbase, we built our platform to solve exactly that problem. After years of struggling with clunky tools, we created Postbase to make modern social media management feel simple, with a beautiful visual calendar for planning your share-worthy posts and rock-solid scheduling you can trust to get your content live, every single time.