LinkedIn Posts, Decoded
LinkedIn is a magical place where everyone is passionate, every setback is a growth opportunity, and a man's flat tyre on the motorway taught him five lessons about leadership. It's also, genuinely, where many people find jobs. So let's learn the language.
The translations
"I'm humbled and honoured to announce..." Translation: I am neither humbled nor honoured. I am thrilled and want you to know.
"After an incredible 4 years, it's time for a new chapter." Translation: anything from "I got a great offer" to "a restructuring happened and HR approved this wording."
"I usually don't post, but..." Translation: I post. I'm about to post.
"Agree?" Translation: please comment so the algorithm shows this to more people.
"This is the most important thing nobody is talking about." Translation: 40,000 people are talking about it. I'm one of them now.
"My 5-year-old taught me a lesson about B2B SaaS." Translation: my child said something cute and I will now relate it to quarterly pipeline.
"I rejected a candidate because they didn't send a thank-you note." Translation: please argue with me in the comments. (Many people will.)
"Open to work." Translation: exactly what it says, and nothing to be embarrassed about. Seriously. Support these people.
"Excited to share I've completed the Advanced Certificate in..." Translation: I learned something and I'm proud. Honestly, good for them.
"Thrilled to join [Company] as Chief Visionary Evangelist." Translation: nobody knows what this title means, including the person who has it.
The broetry format
I got rejected 47 times.
47.
Then something changed.
I stopped applying.
And started BUILDING.
Here's what I learned 馃УOne sentence per line maximises "see more" clicks. It's the poetry form of the professional world.
How to actually use LinkedIn well
Under the jokes, it's a genuinely useful tool:
- Write a clear headline that says what you do and what you're looking for.
- Share real work: a project write-up, a chart, a lesson from a real problem. Specific beats inspirational.
- Comment thoughtfully on posts from people in your field. Good comments get noticed more than generic posts.
- Message people with a specific, small ask. Not "can you get me a job," but "could I ask you two questions about your team?"
- Celebrate others. Congratulate colleagues, share their launches. It builds goodwill that comes back.
My personal rule
I'll post about things I built or learned, with enough detail to be useful to someone. If a post would make sense without changing a word on any other social network, it's probably fine. If it needs "humbled" and three rocket emojis to work, I close the app and go for a walk. Agree?