Consider you’ve just posted an insightful article on LinkedIn that will impress your professional network. But instead of gaining traction, the post lingers—unread and unappreciated. What went wrong? Many factors can affect how well your content performs on LinkedIn, but one of the most important is engagement rate and LinkedIn content strategy.
Boosting your content’s engagement rate helps your post get seen by more people and can lead to connections with industry leaders, job opportunities, and more. In this guide, we’ll explore a reasonable engagement rate on LinkedIn and how you can improve your rate to boost your content performance and go viral.
There’s no need to worry if you’re unsure where to start. Megaphone’s viral on-demand platform quickly boosts your engagement rate and increases your odds of going viral. You’ll get access to a library of trending topics and prompts to help you create high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
What Is LinkedIn Engagement Rate?
LinkedIn engagement rate measures how many people interact with a page’s posts through likes, comments, and shares. A higher engagement rate reflects that more people care about your brand’s content. LinkedIn posts with low engagement do not appear on as many feeds as those with high engagement.
That means brands focusing on LinkedIn engagement can connect with industry experts, acquire more customers, and increase brand visibility. To enhance your LinkedIn strategy further, you can use tools to get emails from LinkedIn and connect with potential leads more efficiently.
Why Does Your LinkedIn Engagement Rate Matter?
A better engagement rate on LinkedIn drives people to take an interest in your brand. When new viewers see positive comments on your posts, they are more inclined to follow your content. Improved engagement prompts the LinkedIn algorithm to push more of your content on user feeds, improving visibility and helping you reach a broader audience. Tracking your engagement rate gives you insights into necessary improvements.
A proper balance of likes, comments, and shares reflects a community that genuinely likes your brand. You need to reevaluate your LinkedIn content strategy if your posts get more likes but almost no comments or shares. Better engagement builds credibility and establishes brand loyalty. Enhanced engagement allows you to gather feedback from an audience of diverse demographics. This assists you in improving your services and providing a better customer experience.
What Is a Good Engagement Rate on LinkedIn
A solid engagement rate for LinkedIn is around 2%. Yet, this can vary significantly based on the content being shared. For instance, the average engagement rate for posts and articles on LinkedIn is around 2%. However, this number can climb up to 5% or even 6% for highly targeted content that resonates with a particular niche audience.
How Is the Engagement Rate Calculated?
Engagement rate measures the percentage of interactions (likes, comments, shares, and clicks) relative to the total number of views. The formula is Engagement Rate = (Total Interactions ÷ Total Impressions) × 100. For example, if a post has 100 likes, 10 comments, 5 shares, and 10 clicks out of 5,000 impressions: Engagement Rate = ((100 + 10 + 5 + 10) ÷ 5000) × 100 = 2.5%
What Factors Influence Engagement Rate?
A few factors influence engagement rate, including Audience relevance. Posts tailored to your audience’s interests tend to perform better. Content quality. Informative, thought-provoking, or visually engaging content attracts higher engagement. Frequency. Posting too often or too infrequently can impact engagement. Timing. Posting when your audience is most active helps. Call-to-actions (CTAs). Encouraging comments, likes, or shares can increase interaction.
Leverage Megaphone for Better Reach
Megaphone is a viral on-demand platform designed to boost your online presence authentically and organically. Our software connects you with influential creators in your niche to help you grow impressions, followers, and leads without relying on paid ads. Key features include:
A sophisticated engagement network,
A private engagement pod service (coming soon),
Diverse creator partnerships for sponsored posts, X spaces, and newsletter ads (coming soon).
Megaphone caters to startup founders, marketers, emerging creators, and ghostwriting agencies seeking to amplify their digital footprint and social proof. Our complex matching algorithm ensures you partner with your field's most suitable and valuable creators. Go viral today with our viral on-demand platform.
Megaphone is a viral on-demand platform designed to boost your online presence authentically and organically. Our software connects you with influential creators in your niche to help you grow impressions, followers, and leads without relying on paid ads. Key features include:
A sophisticated engagement network,
A private engagement pod service (coming soon),
Diverse creator partnerships for sponsored posts, X spaces, and newsletter ads (coming soon).
Megaphone caters to startup founders, marketers, emerging creators, and ghostwriting agencies seeking to amplify their digital footprint and social proof. Our complex matching algorithm ensures you partner with your field's most suitable and valuable creators. Go viral today with our viral on-demand platform.
2. Turn Your Team into Brand Advocates
Transforming your employees into brand advocates is one of the most underutilized secrets to boosting LinkedIn engagement. When your team shares behind-the-scenes content and company updates, they boost visibility and humanize your brand. For example, Adina Jipa, Socialinsider's Founder, consistently shares authentic team moments and company milestones.
Her recent post about team challenges and growth got engagement not because it was polished but because it was real. Joel Gascoigne, Buffer's CEO, demonstrates another practical approach. His post about launching a newsletter shows how leaders can create engagement by being open about their processes and thoughts. By sharing insights into how he operates while building "a long-term, independent, profitable business," he builds trust and authority with his audience.
3. Optimize Your Profile for Engagement
Your LinkedIn profile is your online resume and is often the first impression you make on potential connections. To optimize your profile for engagement, ensure your headline and summary are compelling concise, and highlight your unique value proposition. Include relevant keywords and showcase your expertise through a well-written and professional profile summary. For example, instead of a generic headline like " Marketing Professional," opt for something like "Digital Marketing Specialist | Helping Businesses Drive Revenue through Strategic Online Campaigns."
4. Engage with other people's content
LinkedIn engagement is not all about pushing out content — au contraire. One of the most effective ways to boost your LinkedIn engagement is by actively participating in conversations. When you engage with other thought leaders in your industry, you're not just being social but strategically positioning your brand in valuable discussions.
Take Socialinsider's approach, for example. Our social media team has a specific KPI to engage meaningfully with at least four industry experts daily. Here's an example: they offered a witty response to Samantha Robinson from Scrappy Lizard Marketing. This got additional engagement and visibility, creating a ripple effect.
5. Publish Engaging Content
LinkedIn's publishing platform, now known as LinkedIn Articles, allows you to share long-form content directly with your connections and beyond. Publishing insightful articles or thought leadership pieces positions you as an industry expert and encourages engagement from your network. Add visuals, include relevant hashtags, and encourage comments and shares to increase visibility and reach. For instance, a marketing professional could share an article titled "5 Data-Driven Strategies to Improve Your Social Media ROI" with practical tips and actionable insights.
6. Leverage Polls and Multi-Image Posts for More Impressions and Likes
Some content formats are more efficient at driving LinkedIn engagement than others. A recent analysis at Socialinsider reveals that polls generate the highest impression rate on LinkedIn in 2024. Polls work exceptionally well because they require minimal effort from users to engage, create instant interaction opportunities, and spark discussions in comments. Due to quick engagement signals, they also show up more frequently in feeds.
Similarly, multi-image posts consistently outperform other content formats across all page sizes when generating likes. Multi-image posts work well because they create a narrative through visual storytelling and keep users engaged longer as they swipe. You can provide more value through a multi-image post as they allow for detailed explanations or visually appealing step-by-step guides. Here are a few LinkedIn poll best practices: Keep options clear and concise. Run polls for 3-5 days (sweet spot for engagement). Engage with comments during the polling period.
7. Participate in Groups
LinkedIn Groups allow you to connect with like-minded professionals and engage in meaningful discussions within your niche. Join relevant groups and actively contribute by sharing valuable content, asking thoughtful questions, and providing insights. Group discussions allow you to showcase your expertise, establish credibility, and expand your network. For example, a web developer could join groups like "Front-End Web Development" or "User Experience (UX) Design" to share industry best practices and contribute to discussions.
8. Use Text-Based Posts to Drive Comments
Do you need fancy graphics or professional videos to boost your LinkedIn engagement? Not necessarily. Simple text-based posts can be engagement goldmines when crafted correctly. Text posts work because they tap into something fundamental: people's desire to share their experiences and opinions. Look at a few good examples from various brands. Plot's simple question about social media managers dreaming of going off-grid garnered significant engagement because it touched on a universal feeling in the industry.
9. Use LinkedIn Analytics to Inform Your Strategy
LinkedIn's built-in analytics provide valuable insights into your posts, articles, and overall profile performance. Monitor metrics such as views, likes, comments, and shares to identify which content resonates most with your audience. Analyze the demographics and interests of your followers to refine your targeting strategy. Use this data-driven approach to continually optimize your content and engagement tactics.
10. Respond to LinkedIn Comments and Messages
We talked about commenting on SMEs' posts, but don't forget to engage with your page — beyond just posting. When someone takes the time to comment on a post, they compliment you. They show they are interested and want to interact. Don't let it go to waste. When you respond to comments, you're Doubling the comment count naturally and increasing post visibility in the algorithm.
Encouraging others to join the conversation and build genuine professional relationships. If you pay attention, you'll notice that LinkedIn's most successful brands and influencers don't just reply with a generic "Thank you!". They build on the original comment, add new insights, and ask follow-up questions.
11. Play by LinkedIn's Algorithm's Rules
Let's talk about working with the LinkedIn algorithm, not against it. Now, no one knows all the algorithm's secrets (except its creators), especially given its dynamic nature, but at Socialinsider, we've tested and analyzed what works, and we're sharing the tea.
Here's what we've learned works for maximizing engagement and reach: Strong opening hooks; Clear headlines and text on visuals; Bullet points or numbered lists; White space for readability; Professional visuals; Valuable, actionable information; Relevant hashtags (3-5 maximum); Post timing aligned with audience activity — more on this below; Engagement elements: CTAs, questions, polls, mentions, etc. What LinkedIn loves and transforms into further engagement: Early interactions on the posts (the first 2-3 hours are crucial); Comments from relevant professionals; Shares with added insights; Sustained conversation.
12. Post When Your Audience Is Most Active
Timing can make or break your LinkedIn engagement. While conventional wisdom suggests posting during business hours, finding your optimal posting times is more nuanced. The first step is looking at the data to understand your audience's behavior patterns. LinkedIn analytics tools provide detailed insights into when your posts receive the highest engagement rates, not just views — an important distinction. It's one thing for people to be online and quite another for them to pay attention and engage.
While you might find posting best practices, the reality is that every industry and audience is different. B2B companies often see higher engagement during business hours, while global tech companies might find success in off-hours due to time zone differences. Your analytics tool can help you identify audience-specific patterns and adjust accordingly. Here are a few things to monitor: Track engagement rates by time and day; Monitor comment timing patterns; Analyze competitor posting schedules; Identify engagement trends.
13. Use Memes Strategically (If On-Brand)
While LinkedIn is primarily a professional platform, strategic use of memes can humanize your brand and drive engagement. When done right, memes break professional monotony, create relatable moments, and drive quick engagement, such as shares and comments. However, there's an art to doing it right. Maintain clean, safe-for-work content; credit sources when applicable; time posts for workday engagement; use universal professional experiences (like PLM's "quick post" request); keep it industry-relevant (like Planable's Canva-related meme).
14. Be Consistent and Engage Regularly
Consistency is key to maintaining an engaged LinkedIn presence. Regularly share valuable content, participate in discussions, and engage with your network. Set aside weekly dedicated time to engage on the platform and build relationships. By consistently showing up and providing value, you will foster a community around your profile and establish yourself as a go-to resource in your industry.
8 LinkedIn Influencers With High Engagement
1. Justin Welsh: Mastering Solopreneurship and Personal Branding
Justin Welsh knows how to build a personal brand. After working in the medical field for over a decade, Justin quit his job to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. Since then, he’s grown and sold several companies and now makes over $500,000 a year by himself. Justin Welsh is about helping other entrepreneurs achieve similar levels of success, and he focuses on creating actionable, digestible content to help them do it. Justin’s posts are relatable and often include personal anecdotes. They feature strong calls to action, encouraging readers to take the next step in building their brand.
2. Leah Turner: Making LinkedIn More Human
Leah Turner is a LinkedIn coach who helps clients create effective strategies for using the platform to grow their businesses. She focuses on creating content that fosters genuine connections and helps establish your reputation as an expert in your niche. Leah’s posts are conversational, relatable, and often humorous. She uses storytelling to share her experiences and make LinkedIn feel more human. Her posts frequently encourage others to share their stories and experiences.
3. Daniel Murray: Data-Driven Insights for B2B Growth
Daniel Murray is an expert in B2B marketing and growth strategies. He’s the founder of Grow Class, a training program for marketing professionals, and he also hosts a podcast called The Revenue Vitals Podcast. Daniel’s experience as a marketing leader and podcast host informs his content on LinkedIn. He shares data-backed tips and insights to help businesses grow. His posts often come in threads that educate his audience on various aspects of B2B marketing.
4. Sahil Bloom: Thought Leadership for Entrepreneurs
Sahil Bloom is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer. He creates content focused on business, finance, and self-improvement. Sahil’s posts are often thought-provoking and encourage readers to shift their mindsets and consider new perspectives. He also provides actionable insights that can help entrepreneurs improve their businesses. His engaging storytelling style draws readers in and keeps them interested.
5. Vanessa Lau: Social Media Strategies for Personal Branding
Vanessa Lau is a business coach who helps online creators grow their businesses by leveraging social media. She focuses on teaching her audience how to use LinkedIn and Instagram to build a personal brand and establish themselves as industry experts. Vanessa’s content is highly educational and packed with valuable strategies and tips. She often creates long-form LinkedIn posts that outline strategies to help businesses grow. Her posts include step-by-step instructions to guide readers as they implement these techniques.
6. Dave Gerhardt: Building a Story-Driven Marketing Strategy
Dave Gerhardt is a marketing expert with years of experience in B2B and startups. He founded an independent company that helps businesses improve their marketing strategies. He also creates content on LinkedIn to share what he’s learned from years of experience. Dave’s posts combine personal anecdotes with professional tips to help readers improve their marketing efforts. His relatable content makes it easy to understand how to apply his advice to real-life situations.
7. Andy Foote: LinkedIn Strategy and Optimization
Andy Foote is a LinkedIn strategist and coach. He helps individuals and businesses improve their presence on LinkedIn to achieve their goals. His posts on LinkedIn share straightforward advice about optimizing profiles, creating engaging content, and improving visibility on the platform. He also covers how LinkedIn’s algorithm works and what you can do to get the most out of it.
8. Shay Rowbottom: Video Content and LinkedIn Growth
Shay Rowbottom is a video content creator who helps businesses understand how to leverage video on LinkedIn to increase engagement and grow their platforms. She creates engaging video posts that resonate on a personal level, and her posts offer actionable advice to help entrepreneurs get started.
The engagement rate on LinkedIn measures the level of interaction a piece of content receives relative to its impressions. The higher the engagement rate, the better. A reasonable engagement rate on LinkedIn averages between 2% and 5%. However, this can vary depending on the type of content. For example, LinkedIn posts that contain videos enjoy an engagement rate of 5.1%, while posts that contain documents have an engagement rate of 8.3%.
Leverage Megaphone for Better Reach
Megaphone is a viral on-demand platform designed to boost your online presence authentically and organically. Our software connects you with influential creators in your niche to help you grow impressions, followers, and leads without relying on paid ads. Key features include:
A sophisticated engagement network,
A private engagement pod service (coming soon),
Diverse creator partnerships for sponsored posts, X spaces, and newsletter ads (coming soon).
Megaphone caters to startup founders, marketers, emerging creators, and ghostwriting agencies seeking to amplify their digital footprint and social proof. Our complex matching algorithm ensures you partner with your field's most suitable and valuable creators. Go viral today with our viral on-demand platform.