The LinkedIn Growth Hack No One Is Talking About (Yet!)

[00:00:00] What if you could approach LinkedIn content the same way SEO experts approach search engine rankings? What if AI could help you actually crack LinkedIn's algorithm? We're going to cover a brand new way of looking at LinkedIn content in, well, we're going to explore it together. So make sure you listen to the very end of this next episode of your Digital Marketing Coach podcast.

[00:00:26] Social media, content influencer, marketing, blogging, podcasting, vlogging, TikToking, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, SEO, SEM, PPC, email marketing. There's a lot to cover. Whether you're a marketing professional, entrepreneur, or business owner, you need someone you can rely on for expert advice. Good thing you've got Neal on your side.

[00:00:53] Because Neal Schaffer is your digital marketing coach. Helping you grow your business with digital first marketing, one episode at a time. This is your digital marketing coach. And this is Neal Schaffer. Hey everybody, this is Neal Schaffer and welcome back to your digital marketing coach.

[00:01:18] If you're an entrepreneur, startup, founder, small business owner, marketer, trying to make LinkedIn work for your business, but struggling with time and resources. Well, join the club. You are definitely in the right place. Now imagine this. And I've been thinking a lot about this lately. And that's why I want to share with you today on this dedicated episode. What if you could approach LinkedIn content the same way that SEO experts approach Google rankings?

[00:01:42] What if there were tools designed to help you understand LinkedIn's algorithm and create content that actually gets seen? That is exactly what we are going to dive in today. And I use this analogy because for years, SEO professionals have studied search engine algorithms, fine-tuned their strategies, and optimized content for maximum visibility. And guess what? Why don't we try to apply that same principle to LinkedIn?

[00:02:08] If you've been following my journey, and hopefully you've been following my journey, you know that I recently, well, back in September, I published Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth. And I've been exploring ways to expand on the strategies I teach in the book to create a full-blown paperback copy out of it. Right now, it's only e-book. My research has led me to what I believe is a game-changing realization, that LinkedIn content can be optimized just like SEO, and that AI tools are making this easier than ever before to do.

[00:02:37] So today, I am going to introduce you to a new way of thinking about LinkedIn content. I'll explain why blindly posting content might not be enough anymore, how AI tools are helping entrepreneurs crack the LinkedIn algorithm, and why I am giving these tools, according to this podcast today, my official thumbs up, even after previously recommending sticking to ChatGPT alone. And I will explain why. So let's take a step back and talk about SEO.

[00:03:05] If you want your website to rank on Google, you don't just write content randomly and hope for the best, right? This is exactly what I did for more than a decade until I came across my own library of content concept that I talk about in digital threads. Because SEO experts analyze search trends. They do keyword research. They optimize their content to match what search engines want. For example, if you're writing a blog post, you could just sit down and type whatever comes to mind. And sure, you might get lucky. But the chances of that post actually ranking on Google?

[00:03:34] Well, you really need to get lucky because I'd say, especially these days, very slim unless you follow SEO best practices. So what if I told you, what if we can imagine that LinkedIn might work in the same way? So a lot of people are still treating LinkedIn like an online journal or just a place to promote what they do. And I'm guilty of that as well. I'll be completely honest. Posting whatever comes to mind or whatever they publish on other outlets like my blog or my podcast and hope it takes off.

[00:04:03] Sometimes it does, but most of the time it doesn't. That's because LinkedIn has an algorithm just like Google. The problem is most people don't think about how the algorithm works. They don't analyze what's performing well or why, or they limit their analysis of what's performing well or why to just their own content. They don't take a strategic approach to crafting content that maximizes reach.

[00:04:25] Now, as you know, Google recently released its Helpful Content Update, which rewards content that provides real value and punishes content created just to rank. LinkedIn and really any social network operate under the same principle. They reward engaging, valuable, and relevant content. So here's my big question. If we have SEO tools to analyze what works on Google, why aren't we using tools to analyze what works on LinkedIn?

[00:04:51] Well, the answer to that is that some entrepreneurs already are, and they are seeing massive results. So this is where AI comes in. Now, I've talked a lot about ChatGPT on this podcast, and I've generally advised against using too many third-party AI tools, unless they are for audio or visual, which ChatGPT is still not up on. But for LinkedIn, I'm going to make an exception, and here's why.

[00:05:15] While ChatGPT is a great tool, it is not optimized for LinkedIn, and if you want to optimize it for LinkedIn, it is going to take a lot of training. It's hard enough to optimize it for your own voice, right? It can generate content, but it doesn't analyze LinkedIn's data to tell you what actually works on the platform. It is not being run and optimized by people that have seen success on LinkedIn or tools that have customers that have seen success on LinkedIn that they can train their data on, right?

[00:05:41] So that's where these tools come in because there are a growing number of AI tools that are being built specifically for LinkedIn. These tools do something really smart. They scan LinkedIn's most successful posts, identify trends, and provide insights into what works best. Think of them as SEO tools, but for LinkedIn. Here's how they work. They track high-performing LinkedIn posts across different industries.

[00:06:08] Now, there's a gray zone in terms of what content you can and can't access on LinkedIn. None of these tools are using the OAuth to – they are basically – I'm going to say a little rogue, right? But just like you and I can go on the LinkedIn profiles and copy and paste posts, these tools have sophisticated ways of doing that. Let's put it that way, right? So they are monitoring, and once they have customers using their tool,

[00:06:34] they can obviously use a growing amount of their own data from their own customers as well. But needless to say, they are tracking these high-performing LinkedIn posts. They are identifying common themes, formats, and engagement triggers. And they are providing recommendations and templates based on what's actually working. And every tool is slightly different based on their users and their founders, how they develop the software, and how often and what content they are scraping.

[00:07:00] So, in other words, it's the same thing about AI in general. Instead of starting with a blank page, you can start with data-driven inspiration. It's just like SEO. When you research keywords and you study top-ranking pages, you don't copy them, but you use them to inform your strategy. These AI tools do the same thing for LinkedIn content. Now, let me be clear. The goal is not to copy-paste AI-generated posts. No, no, no, no, no. That just adds to the noise, as we all know.

[00:07:29] Instead, it's about using these tools to understand what resonates on LinkedIn and then creating original content in your own voice. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Neil, you've always said stick to ChatGPT and avoid third-party AI tools. What's changed? Great question. The reason I recommend sticking with ChatGPT before is because most AI writing tools are generalized. They generate content, but they don't optimize for specific platforms,

[00:07:54] in which case you are better off just using ChatGPT and at least fine-tuning for your own voice to begin with, and then moving on. But these LinkedIn-focused AI tools are different. Unlike ChatGPT, which is trained on the entire internet, these tools are trained specifically on what performs well on LinkedIn. They don't just generate content. They analyze trends, engagement metrics, and algorithm patterns to help you create posts that actually get seen.

[00:08:21] And that's why I'm now giving these tools my thumbs up over ChatGPT when it comes to LinkedIn content creation. If you want more reach, more engagement, and more visibility on LinkedIn, these tools will give you a strategic edge that ChatGPT, I believe, simply can't, unless you do a heck of a lot of training to get it to that point. Now, I don't have the data to back this up yet, other than the customers using these tools and the success stories and the impressive results that I've seen, right?

[00:08:48] So I plan to begin implementing this and reporting back to you. And I encourage you to do the same. So I know you're probably wondering, well, Neil, what are these tools that I speak of, and how can you start using them? And without bringing up the name of one tool over another, I am going to include links to a few of my top recommendations in the show notes, before, and played around with. So be sure to check them out. But here is my challenge for you. And I plan on doing the same.

[00:09:16] Start experimenting. If you've been posting on LinkedIn without much traction, try, and I plan to do this as well, but try using one of these tools to analyze top-performing content in your industry. You can often do keyword searches and find content in your industry based on keywords that has had a lot of success. See what's working. Adapt it to your own style, your own perspective, your own experience, your own expertise, and track your results.

[00:09:46] I'll be doing the same, and I'll report back with my findings in a future episode. And it's funny because I have a chapter in Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth dedicated to the use of AI on LinkedIn, but this is going to be another chapter that I plan to create for this new book that I'm working on. So what do you think? Have you tried any of these AI tools before? Are you excited to experiment with them or are you skeptical? I would love to hear your thoughts. DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram. Let me know your experience.

[00:10:13] And if you found this episode valuable, share it with a fellow entrepreneur who could use a smarter approach to LinkedIn. Thanks for tuning in. I'll see you in the next episode. This is your digital marketing coach, Neil Schafer, signing off. You've been listening to your digital marketing coach. Questions, comments, requests, links, go to podcast.neilschafer.com. Get the show notes to this and 200 plus podcast episodes at neilschafer.com

[00:10:43] to tap into the 400 plus blog posts that Neil has published to support your business. While you're there, check out Neil's digital first group coaching membership community. If you or your business needs a little helping hand. See you next time on your digital marketing coach.