In our last Marketing Masterclass article, we discussed the first two areas of LinkedIn that you should focus on to help you generate leads.
These are related to optimising your profile and growing your network with quality connections.
So, in today’s Marketing Masterclass article, we will discuss the three remaining focus areas. The first is a biggie: your content.
3. Let’s look at your content
Content is king on LinkedIn, but not just any content will do.
Here are some top tips on how to create posts that resonate:
Think about what you want to post:
Share insights related to your industry, tips that can help others, success stories, or even challenges you’ve faced. The goal is to provide value and to shine a light on what makes you special and unique.
The anatomy of a good LinkedIn post
Did you know there’s a formula for a good LinkedIn post? Here’s a diagram that displays the anatomy of a great post.

Your post should start with an engaging hook and focus on your reader’s problem or challenge.
Don’t be afraid to dive deep into the emotions attributed to that pain. It will help resonate more deeply with the reader. And don’t forget to add a clear call to action at the end. You should also encourage engagement (comments) by asking an easy-to-answer question.
Your post should be accompanied by a strong visual. That could include an image or a video.
Now, on the subject of images, did you know selfies get 20% more reach than those that don’t? If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ll know I’m a selfie queen!
Posting fun and sometimes silly photos of me often stop the scroll and encourages readers to read more.

When should you post?
You’ve got your content and network licked; now you’re trying to work out when to schedule your posts. (LinkedIn offers a feature to schedule your posts so you can batch them and send them out at your desired time).
Now, don’t let anyone tell you that the timing of your posts doesn’t matter. Find a time when your ideal network is online and stick with it. The LinkedIn algorithm likes you to stick with a set time, and your community likes it.
I usually post at 09:00, Monday through Friday. I didn’t schedule a post one day, and a few of my top fans messaged me to ask if I was okay! You’d be surprised; some people might just turn up to digest your content when you get into a regular habit.
Work out your frequency
How many times a week should you post on LinkedIn?
Well, that depends very much on you and your workload. Don’t commit to a frequency that you can’t sustain. You should aim for consistency rather than frequency. Posting once or twice a week is often more effective than flooding your feed daily.
Consider batching
I mentioned the concept of batching earlier. Batching is an approach to setting aside some time to dedicate to writing LinkedIn posts. I like to batch my posts on a Sunday afternoon, as it’s a quiet time for me. I give myself an hour to write a week’s worth of posts and then schedule them using the scheduling tool.
Here’s where you schedule your posts. Write your post, click the clock icon, and select your preferred time and date.

Batching your content creation allows you to have several posts ready in advance. This helps maintain consistency without feeling overwhelmed.
4. Build meaningful connections through engagement
LinkedIn is a game of two halves. It’s about posting content and engaging with others. Think of it this way. You post content, and you want people to engage with it. But if you go out and engage with other people’s posts, they’ll remember that, and they are more likely to return the favour with a like or comment on your posts.
Who should you engage with?
Start by focusing on engaging with the content of your closest connections, industry leaders, and influencers. This will increase your visibility within your network.
However, building an engagement list makes sense if you intend to engage regularly with your closest followers and influencers.
How to build an engagement list
To engage with the right people at the right time, create a list of key connections whose content you want to engage with regularly. Set aside time each week to interact with their posts.
You can use a simple LinkedIn search to create a saved bookmark page that displays a newsfeed of your engagees. I’ve recorded a screencast to show you how.
Remember to favourite this page once you’ve created your unique view. Then, you can return to it as often as you want to engage and enjoy a clean news feed of your preferred engagees.
Golden Rules of Engagement
When you engage with other people, you should follow a few rules.
- Always be genuine in your interactions—leave thoughtful comments that add value or humour rather than generic responses like “Great post!”
- Avoid using AI to generate a comment for you. People are getting more savvy about them, and they stick out. I’ve got a connection that will soon be blocked on my network, as all they ever do is comment on my post with AI comments, and it’s annoying and lazy.
So, what is a thoughtful comment?
Your comment could be sharing something about yourself that others might not know. It might be your way of sharing a bit of knowledge. Or you may want to have a joke with the poster.
Good-quality comments can spark conversations and increase the likelihood of others checking out your profile or contacting you directly through the DMs.
5. The DMs are where the magic happens
I always tell my clients this to encourage them to write DMs more often, and it is true: The DMs are where the magic happens.
Now I know that some people are intimidated by direct messaging people, especially those you don’t yet know, who you’ve only just connected with. But you should ALWAYS send a DM to new connections.
Here’s the DM I usually use for the first DM; you could adjust this to suit you.
Hi [insert first name],
It’s great to connect with you.
Now that we’re connected, I’m looking forward to reading your content in my upcoming news feed.
Wishing you a great weekend!
Smiles,
Jo
The DMs are where real connections are made.
Why should you DM?
DMs allow you to get to know someone deeper and earn their trust. Once they trust you, they may begin to share their struggles and challenges. And that is the perfect time to share how you can help. Cue leads!
When should you DM?
You should engage with someone’s content first and then send a DM. But if truth be told, I don’t always do that. I favour sending them a hi message instead of engagement first. I haven’t noticed these kinds of messages being ignored.
I get it if you’re scared of making the first move; feeling nervous is natural. It’s like stepping into a bar and sparking a conversation with a stranger. It’s probably not something you often do, and it will take you out of your comfort zone.
But if you feel comfortable trying it, start with a friendly message like the one I suggested above. An alternative could be acknowledging their recent post or sharing something relevant that you think they’d be interested in.

So now that you’re getting into the flow of sending those intro messages, I know what you want to ask me next.
How do I move people on from hello to let’s meet/talk?
Once you’ve overcome the initial pleasantries, start exploring their pain points, challenges, and struggles. Then, explain how you can help by offering advice, a service, collaboration, or even connecting them with someone who could help them.
Once you’ve done that and they are open to it, suggest setting up a call or arranging a meeting. With your DMs, getting disorganised and missing replies or follow-ups is easy. Use labels or folders (if available) in LinkedIn messaging to keep track of important conversations and follow-ups.
So, to summarise everything I’ve shared with you in this and the last article, I want to remind you that getting leads on LinkedIn requires effort across multiple areas. There’s your profile, your network, engagement, and DMs.
If you’re still unsure where to begin, I’m always here to help. If we’re not yet connected, send me a connection request at www.linkedin.com/in/jobuchanan, or drop me a DM if we are.