Are your LinkedIn posts getting the reach and engagement you need? Looking for a written post formula you can repurpose?
In this article, we’ll explore content strategy on LinkedIn using the written word.

Why the Written Word Matters on LinkedIn
In today’s digital landscape, content creators constantly seek ways to capture their audience’s attention and build meaningful connections.
While platforms like LinkedIn offer a variety of content formats, the written word remains a timeless and powerful tool for engaging your audience. By mastering the art of storytelling through text posts, you can establish yourself as a relatable expert, share valuable insights, and inspire meaningful conversations with your professional network.
LinkedIn marketing strategist and author Michaela Alexis says LinkedIn is like the world’s largest networking event. Everything you post shapes how people perceive you, even if you never meet them. As a seasoned content creator, Michaela has witnessed the evolution of LinkedIn over the years and firmly believes in the enduring power of well-crafted text posts.
While many marketers feel pressured to focus on video content, Michaela argues that the written word offers distinct advantages over other formats, such as the ability to convey complex ideas and evoke emotions. Other advantages include:
- Non-linear format: Unlike video, text allows readers to skim and decide whether to engage more with the content.
- Attention-grabbing: Well-crafted text can draw people in, even in an age of diminishing attention spans.
- Timeless appeal: Text posts have consistently performed well on LinkedIn, withstanding the test of various content trends.
Well-written stories can be compelling, drawing readers in and making them lose track of time. Michaela says this “cozy content” is especially well-suited for platforms like LinkedIn, where users can engage with valuable content while enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. Features like newsletters and PDFs feel natural on LinkedIn because they align with users’ desire to learn, which is strongly associated with the written word.

Although writing may not be as flashy as video content, it remains a potent and often underutilized skill in social media marketing.
Michaela shares her insights on how to write compelling content on LinkedIn.
How to Create a Written Content Strategy for LinkedIn
#1: Reframe Your Mindset
To create engaging stories on LinkedIn, Michaela recommends reframing your mindset and approaching writing as a skill anyone can develop, even if you don’t consider yourself a natural writer. By reflecting on your experiences, challenges, and milestones, you can draw out insights and create authentic and relatable written content that resonates with your target audience.
It’s also crucial to stay updated on industry trends while infusing your unique perspective into your content. Combining your experiences with broader industry insights allows you to position yourself as a knowledgeable and trusted voice within your professional community.
Defining Success on LinkedIn
When measuring success on LinkedIn, many people focus on how many likes and views their content receives. However, there isn’t always a direct correlation between visibility and opportunities. What matters more is who you’re speaking to and the relevance of your content to your target audience.
For example, a post aimed at job seekers might not lead to new business opportunities for someone primarily working with executives and businesses. On the other hand, a story about a successful client could generate leads, even if it reaches a smaller audience.
To achieve success on LinkedIn, define what success means to you. Is it new opportunities, building influence, or expanding your network with specific individuals? Once you have a clear goal, consider what matters most to your ideal audience. Go beyond surface-level interests and explore their core values.
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GET THE DETAILSBy crafting stories that speak directly to these values, you can create content that resonates with your target audience and ultimately leads to the success you’re seeking on the platform.
Cutting Through the ‘Noise’ on LinkedIn
In today’s world of information overload, simply providing generic tips or advice on a topic is often ineffective. People are bombarded with information and may struggle to understand how it applies to their situation. To cut through the noise and forge connections with your audience, speak directly to them through authentic storytelling. This allows you to avoid coming across as an expert lecturing them.
For example, if you approach someone at a networking event and immediately start listing tips for being more productive, they might not be receptive because they’re not in the right mindset. Instead, focus on making a connection and breaking the ice, just as you would in person.
To generate ideas for your LinkedIn content, consider the stories you typically share at networking events. These stories likely resonate with your target audience, making them perfect candidates for LinkedIn posts. Keep a journal or notes file to capture these stories when they come to mind so you can easily reference them when writing your LinkedIn content.
#2: Generate Content Ideas for LinkedIn
Once you clearly understand who you’re trying to reach and what you hope to achieve on LinkedIn, you can use artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT to generate topic ideas that align with your audience’s interests.
To get started, describe your audience, role, and goals for the AI tool. For example, “My audience is [description], I am [your role], and my goal is [your objective]. What are some topics that might resonate with them on LinkedIn?” ChatGPT will then generate a list of potential themes or topics to explore in your content.

Once you have a list of potential themes, review and reflect on them regularly. For example, suppose fear of rejection is relevant for your audience. In that case, you might find that you experience rejection every week, providing ample opportunities to craft engaging stories.
Sharing both successes and failures can make your content more relatable and genuine. If someone only talks about the perfect aspects of their life, it can come across as insincere or robotic. You increase your trust with your audience by sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Stories about failure and the lessons learned from those experiences often resonate more with people, especially those looking to progress in their careers. Speaking on stage in front of a thousand people might be an impressive accomplishment. Still, it may not be as relevant or relatable to your audience as a story about overcoming a challenge or learning from a mistake, for example.
To ensure a steady supply of content marketing ideas, remember to seek out stories in your daily life. Write down interesting conversations with clients, aha moments from events or sessions you attend, and any other experiences that stand out to you. By taking stock of these experiences, you’ll naturally develop a conversational style that resonates with your audience.
Personal Profile vs Company Page
When it comes to balancing your personal profile and company LinkedIn page, think of your personal profile as your “handshake”—it’s how you meet and greet people, giving them a sense of who you are as an individual. The goal is to capture people’s attention and encourage them to visit your profile, where they can then discover and follow your company page.

Your LinkedIn company page, on the other hand, should be more focused and niche-specific. For example, a LinkedIn training business’s company page would primarily feature content related to that topic, with the occasional fun or lighthearted post thrown in for variety.

Remember that people are more likely to care about what you have to offer once they feel connected to you. You can build that connection and trust with your audience by sharing small stories and tidbits about your life on your personal profile. Once you’ve established that rapport, you can introduce them to your company and its offerings.
#3: Craft a Compelling Story on LinkedIn
When it comes to structuring a compelling story/post on LinkedIn, begin by answering these key questions:
- Why are you writing this post?
- Who is your target audience?
- How do you want your audience to feel after reading your post?
- What is the main goal or objective of your post?
Once you have clarity on these aspects, Michaela suggests following a simple yet effective formula to organize your thoughts and ideas. Begin with an attention-grabbing hook, delve into the narrative while focusing on relevant details, embed a key lesson or takeaway, and conclude with a clear call to action.
The Hook: Capturing Attention from the Start
The hook, which can be a question, quote, or cliffhanger, should hint at the story’s climax and entice readers to continue reading. Michaela emphasizes that the hook is crucial because it is the first thing people see and often determines whether they will engage with your LinkedIn content.

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Pinpoint your story’s most emotional or pivotal moment to identify the most effective cliffhanger. Think of this point as the “money quote” used in podcast episodes or the highlights shown in a “previously on” segment of a TV series. It’s not the story’s moral but rather the most dramatic or painful moment that leads to the lesson or resolution.
For example, you might start with a line like, “He rejected me again. I couldn’t believe it. This time, I was far from giving up.” This opening hooks the reader and makes them curious about what led to this moment and what happens next.

If you struggle to pinpoint the peak of your story, use AI tools for guidance. Write out your story, even if messy, and ask the AI to identify the cliffhanger. Use the output as the first line of your LinkedIn post.
Remember that the first line or two of your post is visible before readers click “see more,” so it’s crucial to grab their attention. However, avoid being clickbaity or misleading; ensure that the cliffhanger relates to the story without making readers feel duped. The goal is to build trust and connections with your audience.
The Story: Focusing on Relevant Details
Once you have captured your reader’s attention, it’s time to delve into the story. Composing a story that captivates readers and keeps them engaged requires following a well-structured narrative arc with a beginning, middle, and end.
First, provide context and set the stage for your story, helping readers visualize the situation. You might describe a conference you attended or your goal, such as speaking at a particular event. Introduce a struggle or roadblock that creates tension and adds depth to your narrative. In the example above, Michaela mentions being rejected by me for speaking at Social Media Marketing World and facing that rejection again.

As you tell your story, selectively focus on the most important parts and cut out irrelevant details. Instead of mentioning what you were wearing or other characters who don’t contribute to the main point, for example, concentrate on the key moments that illustrate your struggle and growth.
Conclude your story by reiterating the main lesson and creating an emotional connection with your audience. For example, Michaela ends her story about being rejected from Social Media Marketing World by saying, “This year marked my second year speaking at the best marketing conference around. And every time feels even more special because of my journey that made me see that rejection is really just redirection.”

Remember to be transparent and vulnerable when sharing your experiences, which helps readers relate to your story. However, ensure you have fully processed the experience before sharing it publicly. Posting about a raw, unprocessed experience may come across as awkward oversharing and fail to provide value to your audience.
Here’s another example to help you get started writing your own stories on LinkedIn:
Let’s say you’re a marketing consultant specializing in LinkedIn, and you’ve just won an award for your work. Instead of simply announcing the award, you could tell a story about how a colleague encouraged you to apply despite your reluctance due to feeling like only big companies succeed in such contests. You could describe your surprise at being named a finalist and your ultimate shock and amazement when you were announced as the winner.
Another angle could be to share your background and the obstacles you’ve overcome. Alternatively, you could discuss your own career path, highlighting the twists and turns and how you may have been flipping burgers just a year ago.
By focusing on the story behind your success, you create a narrative that people can connect with emotionally. It becomes less about bragging and more about fate, hard work, and personal growth. When readers can see the path that led you to this point, they are more likely to feel invested in your journey and celebrate your accomplishments alongside you.
Note: You can also apply this storytelling approach to your LinkedIn bio. Instead of simply listing your accolades, aim to connect the dots for your audience, showing them how each step in your career has led you to where you are today.
The Lesson: Embedding Insights and Takeaways
Every great story offers a valuable lesson or takeaway for the audience. Michaela suggests that while stories often lend themselves to multiple lessons, focusing on one central insight per post is best to maintain clarity and impact.
When incorporating lessons into your stories, it’s important to ensure that they align with your goals and the audience you’re speaking to. One way to identify the key takeaways is to use AI tools. You can provide the AI with your goal and what you want people to walk away with, and it can help you extract the most relevant lessons from your story.
To ensure your lessons resonate with your audience, consider their perspective and what they would find valuable. For instance, if you’re a CEO discussing layoffs, you could focus on helping the affected employee find a new job rather than solely focusing on your own emotional challenges.
Additionally, be mindful of the language you use in your posts. Powerful words like “hate” can evoke strong emotions and potentially stir up anger in some readers, regardless of the actual content of your post. While such language can be a compelling hook, it’s essential to consider the potential impact on your audience and ensure that your lessons and overall message still come across clearly.
When crafting your LinkedIn stories, highlight the first and last lines. Psychology tells us that people remember these parts of your message more than anything else. While you should embed the lesson seamlessly within the story, reiterating it in your final line ensures that your audience walks away with a clear understanding of the story’s purpose and the insights you wanted to share.
If you find yourself with additional lessons or takeaways, Michaela recommends saving them for future posts and exploring different angles to keep your content fresh and engaging.
Like in real life, where memories and stories evolve, you can adapt your LinkedIn stories to highlight various aspects or cater to specific audiences. This approach allows you to maximize the value of each story, helps you maintain a consistent posting schedule, and keeps your audience coming back for more.
The Call to Action: Encouraging Engagement
When concluding your LinkedIn stories, always aim to invite conversation and engage your audience. The LinkedIn algorithm favors posts encouraging interaction and keeping users on the platform longer. Crafting a simple yet effective call to action (CTA) can help you achieve this goal.
Your CTA should align with the purpose of your post. For example, if you’re promoting a book pre-order, your CTA might direct readers to purchase the book. However, for more heartfelt stories or career-related posts, your CTA can be as simple as asking readers to relate to your experience, like “Tell me about a time this happened to you.” Your CTA can encourage them to share their own stories and perspectives in the comments section.
For sensitive topics, such as personal struggles or mental health, Michaela suggests providing a safe space for people to continue the conversation through private messages. This approach can help you build stronger relationships with your audience beyond the public newsfeed.
Remember to keep your CTA simple and clear, focusing on a single action you want your readers to take. Avoid using multiple calls to action or lessons, which can confuse your audience. Low-commitment asks, such as “Heart this if you needed this today” or “Heart if you agree,” can effectively encourage engagement while allowing readers to share their perspectives.
By crafting a concise and relevant CTA, you can enhance the impact of your LinkedIn stories and foster a sense of community with your audience.
Michaela Alexis is a LinkedIn marketing strategist who trains businesses to leverage the power of LinkedIn. Her forthcoming book is No Fear Networking: A Guide to Building Connections for the Socially Anxious Professional. Her LinkedIn Learning course is called Copywriting for Social Media. You can find her on LinkedIn. Check out more resources here.
Other Notes From This Episode
- Connect with Michael Stelzner @Stelzner on Instagram and @Mike_Stelzner on X.
- Watch this interview and other exclusive content from Social Media Examiner on YouTube.
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