How To Post Engaging Comments on LinkedIn

If you want to increase the number of people looking at your LinkedIn profile and expand your network, then writing engaging comments on LinkedIn is the fix!

A robust LinkedIn profile isn’t enough to capture attention. Sorry. You need to be active on the platform.

As a social network, LinkedIn rewards people who post engaging content and comments.

What do I mean by reward?

Your profile gets more visibility. By leaving meaningful comments on LinkedIn updates, you gain the attention of the author, the author’s network and others.

Liking isn’t enough to improve your profile’s visibility.

And I realize not everyone can or should be writing articles, but you can add your two-cents.

Below is all the information you need to help you write engaging comments on LinkedIn.

General Commenting Guidelines

There are no rules per se, but there are guidelines or etiquette you should follow. Keep these things in mind:

• Be professional at all times
• Be civil. Do not slander, criticize or insult other commenters
• Check grammar, punctuation, spelling before submitting comments
• Add value to the post by adding your thoughts on the topic/issue
• Be sure to keep it relevant to your areas of expertise
• Be generous, gracious and polite
• Don’t self-promote
• Avoid dense blocks of text
• Don’t use ALL CAPS
• Remember, your name, picture and headline accompany every comment you make

If you don’t think you can do this from your phone or mobile device, then use the desktop version of LinkedIn.

Try using Grammarly to instantly check your spelling and grammar! (affiliate)

What To Do Before You Post Your Comment On LinkedIn

Before you leave a comment, make sure you have read the full article. Often headlines don’t convey the article’s full message.

And before you leave your smart comment, review the other comments to see if anyone else has the same thoughts. If so, you can like their comment and reply to the person. (This is a great way to meet new people!)

It’s also important to make sure the article’s topic or subject matter is relevant to your career goals.

Think carefully about the topic before commenting. But also consider the popularity of the poster and the article/post. You are looking to hang with the right people and meet new connections in the right field. Be strategic and invest your time wisely.

Where To Find Articles To Comment On

Your LinkedIn home feed is filled with articles and updates your network is already sharing.

If you want to keep in touch with people, commenting on the status updates they share is a great way to build the relationship and stay top of mind.

You can also look at the recommended hashtags and top news sections “What people are talking about now” on your LinkedIn home page. If you find a relevant hashtag, follow it and status updates using the hashtag will appear in your home feed. (Consider following the hashtags related to your career goals: #productmanagement #finance )

How To Post A Comment

Once you find the right status update to comment on, all you need to do is click on the ‘comment’ button immediately under the update.

If you want to reply to a comment, look for the comment bubble under a person’s existing comment. Replying here allows you to respond to that person’s thoughts.

But if you want to add to the comments of the overall article, be sure to select the option immediately under the post/update.

What Should Your LinkedIn Comment Say

Here’s the tricky part. You want to come across the right way – confident, genuine, competent, knowledgeable, complementary, humble, or some combination of all of these.

Leaving a comment like “Great post,” “Nicely done,” “I agree” or other trite responses doesn’t help you or the author.

And never attack or insult the person or the article. Instead of posting something negative, ask a question instead or look for some point you do agree with. It is possible to respectfully disagree. If you do decide to do this, think about how it will be perceived by different readers/viewers.

Here are other ideas to help you write an engaging comment:

• Tag the author and explain why you agree
• Add additional perspectives
• Expand on a topic in the article
• Tag other people you know who may have helpful input
• Add data or links to relevant resources (not your own)
• Ask a clarifying question
• Explain your success applying the advice from the article
• Include an alternative solution (with data or examples)

Who Can See Your Activity?

Anyone you are connected to can click on your profile and see your activity. This includes likes, comments and articles you’ve shared. It also includes articles you’ve written on LinkedIn.

Here’s who else can view your activity… ANYONE on LinkedIn.

Anyone who is also commenting on a post can see your comment as well as the people in their network (1st-degree connections).

This is a good thing and a dangerous thing. Leaving a negative, disgruntled, angry comment only reflects poorly on you!

Finding Time To Leave Engaging Comments

This formula may help with your time management.

Here’s an example of how comments unite you with your network (and the inspiration for this article).