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Writing for conversation: A different approach to LinkedIn content

Two women in business attire talking and holding drinks at a conference networking event
Create content that is a conversation starter, think networking rather than broadcast. (AI-generated image)

Writing readable LinkedIn content is, of course, important, but writing to encourage engagement or action on your LinkedIn post is an increasingly important strategy.

LinkedIn wants genuine and meaningful interaction with content. It’s not merely about broadcasting anymore; it’s about conversation and value.

The platform increasingly seems to reward posts that get people talking and valuable content that people want to save, share and send to others.

So how can you write to encourage engagement that goes beyond a simple ‘like’?

First of all, think of it as striking up a conversation with your peers and potential clients as you would at a networking event.

💡 Comment on other people’s posts. Aside from being great for visibility, showing goodwill and a willingness to have a conversation is more likely to be reciprocated.

💡 Don’t just share company news, share a view or observation about something happening in your industry.

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It’s no joke: The power of using clear and simple language in business

Business language under scrutiny in comedy show W*nkernomics

There is a segment in comedy stage show W*nkernomics: Just Touching Base where the two employees are trying to find out what it is the company they work for actually does.

They visit the website and instead of plain English find it stuffed full of wordy corporate language that leaves them none the wiser.

Employees not knowing what their business does may be an absurd notion, purely for comic effect, but company websites that do not clearly state what they do are far more common than they should be.

You know the sort of thing:

  • End-to-end workspace solutions = office fit out
  • Curated collaborative environments for the modern workforce = serviced offices
  • Optimising asset performance across the built environment = building management

This language might sound powerful and clever, but it isn’t.

Phrases like this can feel evasive or lacking in confidence.

It begs the question, why don’t they want to clearly say what they actually do? Why are they hiding behind unclear language?

Then there is visibility.

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How to leverage value from trade shows and conferences with B2B content

Outdoor pavilions at the UKREiiF property trade show in 2025

Trade shows and B2B conferences are expensive to attend, but there are ways to start leveraging the value in the weeks before by using content.

Here’s a content strategy and ideas for what to publish in the 5-6 weeks leading up to the event opening, and how it might help you once you are at the show.

Why create content in the run-up to a trade show or conference?

• Good content can position you or your team as experts and the people to talk to, opening the door to meetings. It can shift your position from simple attendee to authority.

• It can help get the conversation started before you go, and once there, it can give people an easy reference point when meeting up: “I read your LinkedIn piece on…”

• The algorithm rewards early movers, and you benefit from the rising tide of search and interest in the weeks before the event.

• If your LinkedIn profile pic is clear and up to date, pre-show activity on the platform can make you easily recognisable.

What content should you publish/post in the run-up to a trade show or conference?

Make sure your content is specific, and showing a bit of personality can help amplify its effect. Here are some content ideas for any trade show or conference:

Thought leadership series

Harness your expertise or that of your senior spokespeople and develop a series that creates a talking point, for example:

• Something that no one or not enough people are talking about.

• A contested issue or a different approach to solving an industry challenge.

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Audience and content reach: Does size matter?

Does size of audience matter? Photo by Wan San Yip on Unsplash

Social media has opened up the potential audience reach for business content, but is size everything?

Some metrics feel important, and going viral is no doubt a buzz, but it can be fruitless if the right people aren’t seeing and responding to your content.

On the very few occasions I’ve gone what could possibly be considered viral on LinkedIn, it’s mostly ended up in more ‘random’ people seeing my content and a raft of spammy comments.

Yes, you want your content to be seen, but quality should trump quantity.

The best audience for your content

I was recently asked to talk to the marketing team of a European commercial property developer about press relations and tactics for getting more coverage.

One question asked was about the value of getting press coverage on a freely accessible news website versus coverage on a site behind a subscription paywall.

Freely accessible might imply there is a bigger audience, but that doesn’t mean more people or even the right people will see your quote or op-ed.

If someone has subscribed to a website, they are already invested in the type of content being published.

It is also highly likely that the publisher will send subscribers emails with the latest headlines or round-ups of key stories and articles.

That means the news story or article you appear in is going into the inbox of an already engaged audience, so it arguably stands a better chance of being read.

The question is whether you would rather the piece you’ve been quoted in appear in the inbox of a smaller number of engaged readers or an unknown number that may or may not be interested.

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Make it an event: Delivering successful round tables

A group of men and women in business attire sat around a long narrow table. They are listening to one person speaking.
Moderating a round table at MIPIM 2019

Round tables can be a great event format for generating high-trust, peer-level conversations rather than one-way marketing, but what makes a successful round table?

You can use round tables to:

• Bring together senior industry stakeholders

• Share real industry challenges and workshop ideas.

• Kick off a campaign or as part of a campaign

• Means for gaining qualitative insights

• Generate a variety of insightful content

• Build a reputation as a leader within the industry and a brand around which experts gather.

How to deliver a successful round table?

PURPOSE: Have a clear aim. What do you want to get out of the people that you are gathering together in one place?

How do you want to use their knowledge and experience? Is there a particular question you want them to answer or a problem you want them to solve?

GUESTS: Think about the best combination of guests to deliver on your purpose.

You don’t want a group that is going to say similar things, so make sure there is a variety of voices with different experiences.

Will the people around the table learn something from each other?

Are there people who will challenge thinking and, therefore, help drive the conversation in a more interesting way and deliver better results?

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