How to share effective storytelling on LinkedIn

Fast summary

• Research your audience, know what makes them tick and tailor your content to their needs, not just what you’re selling
• A well-structured post keeps the audience engaged from beginning, middle and end
• People relate to people, not computers. So keep everything you’re writing human. Remember, words matter.

Looking to gain more awareness around the professional services you offer?

Effective storytelling on LinkedIn is your ticket. In practice, this involves incorporating real elements in content, whether that be through testimonials or stories based on true events. Stories foster trust faster than facts alone and deliver long term benefits to the reputation and success of your brand.

Research your audience

To begin, know who you’re talking to; you need to understand the needs, desires, pain points and aspirations of the people you want to reach on LinkedIn.

To do this:

• Note the job function of your followers. It provides the context you need to create content that speaks to their daily challenges and goals.
• Review the industries of your followers. This helps you align content to industry-specific trends and conversations.
• Consider the geographic distribution of your audience. This allows you to optimise the time of posting as well as customise content to local events and news.

I also recommend consistently monitoring the data around post activity, including:

• Number of likes, reactions, shares and comments
• Volume of impressions
• Engagement rate across posts
• Follower growth after a set period of posting

This information helps you understand who’s engaging with your content, what types of posts resonate as well as when most of your audience is active online.

Your posts need structure too

As with any text type or storytelling format, a post needs a beginning, middle and an end. For LinkedIn posts, this translates as hook, context, action and takeaway.

• Hook – captivate audience attention with a statement that calls to mind a relatable situation, a learning or lucrative offering.
• Context – detail the who, what, when, where and why. This should expand upon the hook and communicate why the audience should care.
• Action – what is the action you want people to take after digesting the information in your post? Is it to encourage them to sign up to a newsletter, tune into a podcast or to think differently about something?
• Takeaway – offer a satisfying resolution which ties everything together and leaves the audience with a sense of fulfillment, a lesson or message they can apply to their own lives (it’s called “takeaway” for a reason).

Other essentials for formatting posts include:

• Use short paragraphs (the goal is to get people to scroll – it tells the social platform that your content is interesting and others should see it)
• Break text with line spacing
• Use authentic imagery

A well-structed post keeps the audience engaged, where they move from one point of interest to the next without losing momentum.

Story types that resonate (make it human)

Write for people, not algorithms. If people understand and associate with the story you’re telling, engagement will follow. Avoid complex jargon or words, tell it how it is and make it about your audience.

Here are three types of stories that cut through:

1. A challenge you overcame
   Research has found, including the Harvard Business Impact, people learn more from stories than information they read in textbooks. By taking learnings from your experience, you show someone else the way; you tell them what went wrong, explain the turning point and share the insight that changed your thinking.
   
   
2. A customer win
   Sharing instances of customers coming to you with a problem and then leaving with a solution goes beyond a sales pitch. It’s proof you’re someone who makes great things happen. In this story type, explain the customer’s setbacks, illustrate the process that shifted everything, discuss the moment that clicked and conclude with results so the audience can see what’s possible. Position yourself as a guide, not a hero (protagonist); that is the role of the customer. Framing the customer as the protagonist allows other prospectives to see themselves in the situation, where they’re enticed to request your services. Additionally, if you can, take the person you’re writing about (give them advanced notice and get their permission). Make sure they engage within 60 mins of your post.
   
   
3. A team insight or leadership lesson
   Demonstrate you and your team as a bridge between wisdom and application, making big ideas actionable for your audience. Offer case studies that support your view, share specific examples that serve as proof and above all, encourage readers to think independently about the topic. Pick issues that matter to your brand and expertise.

Keep posts focused on your audience; give them something to gain each time. When you consistently deliver storytelling that resonates, you build an audience that return for more.

Tools to make it easier

Sharing effective storytelling on LinkedIn doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. You can use MySocial.ai’s Campaign Builder for post frameworks, where you start from an image, or prompt the AI with your idea.

Remember – storytelling is a skill. It gets easier the more you do it.

Try your next story with MySocial.ai

Photo by Maegan Martin on Unsplash