The LinkedIn Formula

I’m so sick and tired of seeing the same LinkedIn post over and over. And, I catch myself doing it too. At least, for the once-a-year post I make myself.

The script

You start with a hook. Something that sounds confessional and catches the eye. “I almost quit my job.” “Nobody talks about this.” “Three years ago I made a decision that changed everything.” Doesn’t matter which one, they all do the same thing.

Then a story. Keep it vague - you struggled, you tried stuff, something worked. If you can fit a mentor who said something obvious but you present it like it’s deep, even better. “My manager once told me: just start.” Right. Thanks. You’re him.

Then you pivot. “And that’s when I realized-” followed by advice that everyone already knows. Be consistent. Take risks. Show up.

Then the bullet points:

• Show up every day
• Be honest with yourself
• Start before you’re ready
• Stay curious
• Never stop learning

Two of those mean the same thing. Nobody notices because the line breaks make them look like separate ideas.

End with “Agree? 👇” or “What’s one lesson that changed your career?” and wait for the engagement. Or, any question will do really. Just engagement bait the end.

That’s the whole post. Five steps, interchangeable nouns, always works. And the best part is, it keeps on working! People will engage, comment that they’re so proud of you, blablabla, you know it. Good for the dopamine addiction.

The Why

I think and believe there are two main points why everybody follows this same script and template.

1. Because the algorithm likes it. Short paragraphs, emotional arc, call to action at the end. Someone figured out this shape gets reach, everyone copied it, and now my entire feed is the same post wearing different outfits.

I don’t even think people are being cynical about it, that’s the thing. Most of them genuinely think they’re sharing something. And the first person who posted it probably was. But the 400th person posting the same structure with “leadership” swapped for “resilience” is not adding anything.

I’m not going to say “just be authentic” because that’s literally step two of the formula. I don’t have a fix. I just think it’s funny that the platform people use to show how original they are is where everyone sounds exactly the same.

2. Fuel that dopamine addiction. People engage! Like, share, repost, attention, engagement, retention!!!

For me personally, I don’t like to talk or show too much about work. Not online, not offline. Not in a way where I feel too good to talk about it, or above others. But more in a way that I don’t believe it contributes anything. Sure, the standard “How’s work going?” question arises pretty often, and most of the time that’s out of genuine curiosity, but unless something has gone terribly wrong or much-much-much-much-much better than expected you won’t hear it from me.

Anyway, this was my small rant, hopefully now you’ll notice it too. Sorry not sorry. For my next LinkedIn post, whenever that may be, I’ll try to stick to this amazing template.