Do LinkedIn Pods Work? (Or Are They Principally Embarrassing?)

This previous November, I made a decision to do an experiment. I wished to see if LinkedIn pods really labored or in the event that they had been only a waste of time.

For these of you who don’t know what a LinkedIn pod is, it’s principally a bunch of people that agree to love, remark and have interaction with one another’s posts. The idea is that by doing this, your content material will probably be boosted by the LinkedIn algorithm. So, I made a decision to hitch a couple of pods and try it out for myself.

I’m not essentially a longtime LinkedIn thought chief with 1000’s of followers, however I put up about my writing work on a reasonably common foundation and have even gotten a couple of shoppers via LinkedIn. So a couple of extra followers and engagements with my posts undoubtedly wouldn’t harm.

Right here’s what I discovered from my expertise with LinkedIn pods.

• Amplify the attain of your content material
• Make it easier to get extra engagement in your content material (likes, feedback, shares)
• Provide prolonged networking alternatives
• Interact staff to help your model

The idea is that LinkedIn favors posts with extra engagement, so if you may get extra likes and feedback, your put up will carry out higher.

That is particularly vital as a result of the LinkedIn algorithm divides content material on the platform into three sorts:

1. Spam: Posts with unhealthy grammar, too many hashtags, or accounts that put up too regularly could also be marked as spam.
2. Low-quality posts: Posts that don’t comply with greatest practices, or don’t get sufficient engagement, will probably be labeled “low-quality.”
3. Excessive-quality posts: Posts which might be simple to learn, encourage questions, and incorporate robust key phrases will probably be labeled high-quality and, due to this fact, will probably be proven to extra customers on LinkedIn.

The query is: is engagement sufficient to make a put up “high-quality” within the eyes of the LinkedIn algorithm? I got down to put this concept to the check.

Easy methods to be part of a LinkedIn pod

There are a few other ways to hitch a LinkedIn engagement pod.

First, you can begin your personal pod by creating a bunch message thread with LinkedIn customers you’d prefer to pod with. We’ll name this a guide LinkedIn pod.

Second, you should use LinkedIn-specific pods, the place you be part of LinkedIn teams centered on creating pods. Search “LinkedIn pods” or “engagement pods” in your LinkedIn search bar and see which of them relate to your trade.

There are additionally third-party apps like lempod particularly constructed for automating LinkedIn engagement pods.

Lastly, LinkedIn pod teams exist on different social media websites. There’s the LinkedIn Development Hackers pod on Fb and numerous different pods on platforms like Telegram.

Methodology

I experimented with all 4 sorts of engagement pods to see which of them labored greatest. I used a distinct LinkedIn put up for every technique in order that I might precisely observe any variations in engagement throughout strategies.

Right here’s a breakdown of that course of.

Guide pods: I used a weblog put up on scheduling Instagram reels.

Earlier than the experiment began, I had 12 likes, 487 impressions, 0 shares, and a pair of feedback.

LinkedIn-specific pods: For this technique, I used a weblog put up I’d shared on recession advertising and marketing.

Earlier than the experiment began, I had 5 likes, 189 impressions, 1 share, and a pair of feedback.

Automated LinkedIn pods: I used a put up I wrote for Hootsuite on social media share of voice.

Earlier than the experiment began, I had 2 likes, 191 impressions, 0 shares, and 0 feedback.

Cross-platform LinkedIn pods:

I used to be not capable of be part of any cross-platform pods, so no posts had been used right here.

Guide LinkedIn pod technique

I began off by making a guide LinkedIn pod of my very own. I selected a small group of my author associates (as a result of they perceive the analysis course of) to pod up with. I despatched them a fast message outlining the technique and inspired them to work together with one another.

Fortunately, they’re all good sports activities, and I instantly began receiving a barrage of LinkedIn notifications exhibiting the help of my friends.

I additionally instantly observed some new (stranger) accounts creeping my LinkedIn profile.

And I even received this message from a random “LinkedIn” worker (fairly sure this was spam).

That each one occurred in simply a few hours!

LinkedIn-specific pod technique

I additionally joined a couple of LinkedIn group pods centered on digital advertising and marketing and social media.

The variety of members actually various in these teams. One had over 1,000,000 members, on the others had only a few dozen. I selected a mix of high-member pods in addition to a couple of smaller ones. If vainness metrics have taught me something, it’s that simply because lots of people are in your circle, it doesn’t imply they’re really paying consideration.

Among the pods I discovered in my search had been described as inactive, so I stayed away from these.

Of all of the teams I joined, Recreation of Content material was the one one which appeared to have common posts from different customers.

The principles of GoC had been fairly easy:

There is just one put up ever current within the group, and it’s made by an admin. They repopulate this put up each couple of days so it stays related. Group members can then touch upon the put up with their LinkedIn put up hyperlink and different members are supposed to have interaction with them.

As I went via the weekday put up feedback, I did see numerous folks replying to feedback with phrases like, “Completed! Right here’s my hyperlink.”

After I clicked via to their posts, I might see likes and feedback from those self same group members.

So, yeah, this was working. Not less than when it comes to garnering extra likes and feedback.

I went in and adopted go well with, partaking with posted hyperlinks and commenting with my very own hyperlink after I used to be completed.

And I slowly began to see engagement reciprocated alone posts.

Automated LinkedIn pods with lempod technique

I additionally put in the lempod extension on my Google Chrome browser. lempod gives a digital market stuffed with LinkedIn engagement pods you may be part of.

I joined a couple of pods centered on digital advertising and marketing and social media.

The primary one I used to be accepted to was known as “Content material + Social Media Advertising and marketing pod”. That appeared related.

I instantly posted the hyperlink to my put up. As soon as I shared the hyperlink, the display opened as much as an enormous graph, with an inventory of individuals “Members who will have interaction” and “Members who’ve already engaged.”

I cross-checked the “Members who’ve already engaged” tab with my precise put up.

And, yep. Certain sufficient, these customers had been now proven as new likes on my put up.

Inside only a few minutes, my impressions had grown from 191 to 206. I additionally had six new feedback. I watched this quantity steadily climb over the following hour.

Whereas I used to be seeing numerous engagement, I wasn’t seeing any profile views, direct messages, or anything which may point out these customers had been really keen on my work.

To not point out, the engagement was coming in quick. Each 45 seconds there was one other notification! Perhaps LinkedIn would contemplate my put up viral? Or, perhaps it might get labeled as spam.

I let the automation run till I noticed that each member of the pod had engaged.

Two hours later, I had 54 likes, 261 impressions and 24 feedback!

Cross-platform LinkedIn pods

I did attempt becoming a member of the “LinkedIn Development Hackers” group on Fb, however I used to be by no means permitted. It appears this group could also be inactive now. I didn’t discover every other lively LinkedIn pods to hitch on different channels.

Outcomes

TL;DR: At first look, it could appear to be the Automated LinkedIn pod was the best pod, however I really assume it was the Guide pod for causes that I’ll clarify under. Both manner, not one of the LinkedIn pods actually made an enormous distinction for me or helped develop my presence on the platform considerably.

Preserve studying for extra particulars and context on these outcomes.

Guide pods

This appeared like probably the most natural, most constant technique. As a result of I used to be leveraging folks I already knew, the feedback had been genuine, related, and honest.

To not point out, these individuals are really in my trade–which means if my posts present up of their feeds to their connections, it would assist me community additional.

Nothing about this technique got here off as spammy, although I don’t know the way lifelike it’s to ask my associates to do that each week.

Over the course of 1 week, my put up received:

• 13 likes
• 3 feedback
• 0 shares
• 507 impressions

LinkedIn-specific pods

Whereas this technique introduced in probably the most feedback, responses had been obscure and fewer related than these present in my guide pods. Plus, most of those folks labored outdoors of my trade. So, there seemingly isn’t a lot profit to my content material exhibiting up of their feeds or networks.

After the weeklong experiment, my put up received:

• 13 likes
• 364 impressions
• 2 shares
• 6 feedback

Automated LinkedIn pods

This technique actually introduced in probably the most likes and feedback. However, I didn’t see any related profile visits, direct messages, or connection requests come via.

Additionally, whereas there have been lots of new feedback, they had been all just about the identical:

• “Actually cool Hannah!”
• “Nice put up, Hannah!”
• “Thanks for sharing Hannah!”

To me, these obscure feedback sign that none of those customers really learn my put up (which is sensible, contemplating their profiles are being automated).

I can solely think about that different customers may see this and assume the identical factor. My spam alert is sounding.

After three hours, my put up received:

• 54 likes
• 24 feedback
• 261 impressions
• 0 shares

Cross-platform LinkedIn pods

I didn’t collect any further engagement from this technique.

What do the outcomes imply?

Listed here are the principle takeaways from my experiment.

Genuine pods have benefit

There’s actually some engagement to be gained from utilizing LinkedIn pods. Pods which might be made up of related, genuine connections inside your trade can actually assist to amplify your content material and get you extra views, likes, and feedback.

Spammy pods received’t get you far

However, should you’re making an attempt to sport the system by becoming a member of pods which might be full of faux accounts or which might be unrelated to your trade, you’re not going to see a lot profit. So what should you received 50, 100, or 200 likes? They don’t imply a lot in the event that they’re coming from accounts that may by no means do enterprise with you.

LinkedIn pods ARE embarrassing

I believe what struck me most about this experiment was the discomfort that got here with having so many unconnected strangers current on my posts. Certain, from a look it seems to be cool to have 50+ likes, but when anybody took a more in-depth look it might be fairly apparent the engagement was spam.

Simply as I wouldn’t counsel companies purchase their Instagram followers, I wouldn’t counsel they use engagement pods. Perhaps, in some circumstances, the place the pod members are hyper-relevant to your area of interest, it’s value it. But when it seems to be suspicious, likelihood is your viewers will discover. And the very last thing you need is to lose their belief.

Give attention to shut, related connections

Should you nonetheless wish to be part of a LinkedIn pod after studying this, one of the simplest ways to make use of them is to hitch ones which might be related to your trade and which might be made up of connections that you would be able to authentically have interaction with. This manner, you’re getting focused engagement that may result in priceless relationships (and, hopefully, actual clients).

Listed here are a couple of ideas for locating the appropriate LinkedIn pods:

• Take a look at teams associated to your trade or area of interest. Many of those may have pods related to them.
• Ask trusted connections in the event that they know of any good pods to hitch.
• Create your personal pod with a bunch of like-minded people.
• Keep away from overly spammy pods which might be solely centered on selling content material and never partaking in actual conversations.
• Most of all, concentrate on good, outdated, natural LinkedIn advertising and marketing. Whereas “hacking the algorithm” via pods is interesting, nothing beats placing within the work, one put up at a time.

Struggling to get sufficient engagement in your LinkedIn posts? Hootsuite makes scheduling, publishing, and boosting LinkedIn content material—alongside all of your different social channels—simple, so you may spend extra time creating high quality content material, monitoring your efficiency, and studying about your viewers. Strive it free at this time.

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