Why I’m Taking An (Indefinite) Break from Posting on LinkedIn

And why I’m definitely coming back someday

I don’t talk about it much, but I’ve had my own “LinkedIn is love” phase.

I started posting in 2018, back when the #30DaysOfSocial challenge was making the rounds. I was going through a knowledge renaissance of sorts (you mean people will pay me to write??), and I had loads to talk about. Several of my posts got a lot of traction back then — I never went viral, but I got an average of several thousand views. And most of my early freelance clients contacted me after reading my posts.

So the LinkedIn thing definitely works. I’ve seen it for myself.

And judging by the number of creators who continue to attract followers and clients through LinkedIn, it still works in 2023.

But somewhere around early 2020, that stopped. Nothing to do with the pandemic — the idea flow ceased, and somehow it wouldn’t start back up anymore. I’ve tried a bunch of times to revive it, experimenting with different tones and styles:

• Cheery MBA-style posts about motivation and growth
• Extra-curricular posts about hiking and mental health
• Everyday lessons about writing and beyond
• The selfie post (I know, cringe)

None of them clicked, not to the point of real traction anyway. (Except for the inevitable random likes from random dudes on the selfies.)

So I did the sensible thing — I decided to stop posting.

But wait, isn’t that just giving up?

Nope.

This isn’t some angsty “I quit” deal. This is a carefully thought-out decision I came to after a good deal of shuffling back and forth (hence the multiple failed attempts to build posting momentum).

Look, if I’m going to be a creator, I want to do it right. I want to use my creativity, my life experiences, my ADHD/depression and my goals to their best advantage — and that takes time, effort and being ready. Even if I were to bust out the time and effort, I’m currently not ready to build on LinkedIn.

I’m just not. And here’s why.

Standing out is much harder

Way more people are freelancers and creators now, so merely posting about being a freelancer won’t get you brownie points anymore.

To become a true influencer, you need a voice and a core message unlike any other. And goes without saying, that’s a lot harder than just “being yourself”.

From what I’ve observed, the best LinkedIn writers have

• A central philosophy that they truly care about
• The ability to inspire emotion through their posts
• A consistent writing style (ie no wild experiments with format)
• A regular posting schedule, at least 4–5 times a week

A lot of people think they know what that means, but actually don’t. Which is why I see so many writers spewing out the same generic copywriting tips and “consistency is key” Tweets on a black background.

When you don’t have a niche, you tend to fall back on dull content

Recently, Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi shared a great piece on overdone LinkedIn content. I agree with every single one of those points.

No one on LinkedIn cares about my conversation with my mom about how my cats keep getting into my cupboard.

No one cares about cringe career advice spun out of random everyday occurrences: “Child pestering me for candy = lesson on persistence”. (Geez.)

No one cares about my mountain vacation pics. It might get likes, every picture with a girl in the outdoors gets likes, but likes aren’t impact.

And what I want as a creator is to have real impact, even if it’s just on a handful of people.

In general, I do better with long-form content

All of my short stories are at least 5000 words long.

I suck at flash fiction and microfiction. I wouldn’t even know where to start with them.

In the professional writing context, I’m almost exclusively a long-form writer. Sometimes I’ll ghostwrite LinkedIn posts, but the in-depth kind, not the cutesy kind. And I’ve tried to write ad copy and failed miserably. (Like so bad, they refused to pay me. LOL.)

That’s not a commentary on the form, obviously. Short-form content is crucial for grabbing attention online, and it’s something I need to work on. LinkedIn, to its credit, allows for more in-depth posts (as compared to something like Twitter), so I do see a future for myself on it.

But until I practice it a little more on my own, I’m not comfortable sharing the works in progress.

And yes, some amount of practicing in public is necessary. But practicing in public only works when you have something solid to start practicing with — a theme, a set of ideas. I had that with Medium, which is why I could commit to writing regularly on Medium.

But LinkedIn? At this stage, I’ll basically end up being one of those people posting “felt cute, might delete later” type selfies.

Ew.

When I build, I want to have enough bricks on hand

Some people advocate “just starting” when it comes to any social media platform.

Historically, I’ve sucked at that. I start with some vague idea of what I want to write about, coast along on the novelty for a while, experience the inevitable moment of disillusionment when ideas no longer “come to me” — and then I drop off, lose any traction I’d gotten up to that point and it’s back to square one.

I’m done with all that.

Before I resume LinkedIn posting, I want at least a month’s worth of content prepped and ready, with ideas for several weeks more. I want a clear set of content pillars, a tone and voice to stick to and enough buffer ideas that I don’t have to fall back on random selfies or vacation pics. And that’s non-negotiable.

Note: If you enjoy posting LinkedIn selfies, you do you. That’s fine. But it’s not my vibe. I’ve tried, and I felt weird and inauthentic every time. (And honestly, I’ve never really liked posting selfies on any platform, even Instagram.)

Right now, it’s just stressful

My ADHD brain struggles to take on too many uncomfortable things at once.

It took me a long time to develop routines I like. And I’ve only just gotten into a groove with my Medium writing, something I tussled with for a long time.

To immediately work on a new skill, and one that I don’t have a natural flair for, is too overwhelming for me right now. And I don’t want to force myself to do it and risk undoing all the progress I’ve made on reducing my stress levels.

No platform is that life-changingly urgent. When I’m ready, I’ll make it happen.

So, what am I currently up to on LinkedIn?

I’m obviously not disappearing entirely. LinkedIn is vital for me as a freelancer — it’s the best place to find clients outside of a personal network. So apart from randomly scrolling the Jobs page and wondering what “competitive salary” really means, here’s what I’m doing.

Engaging with other people’s posts

Visibility matters. Every potential client is checking out my LinkedIn page, and while an active presence may not be the deciding factor, it certainly won’t hurt.

So while I take a break from posting myself, I’m engaging with posts I like. Those tend to be:

• Breakdowns of how and why certain B2B articles worked
• Thoughtful freelancing advice, especially ones with personal stories
• Interesting takes on trends in the industries I write about
• Quality posts on other topics that matter to me, such as mental health, DEI or fitness

And nope, none of those generic “wow, keep it up” comments. I try to ask questions, add insights or share experiences that I believe are relevant.

Also, no, I don’t get ChatGPT to write those comments (as several commenters patently do).

Cold DMing prospects

It’s thankless and boring, but I have no option. I’m in a country where I have no contacts and no prior work/education buddies to fall back on. So sending requests and hoping 5% get back is the only way I can make myself known as an available writer.

After a lot of practice, I’ve worked on a cold DM template that isn’t too sales-y and allows the recipient to take a call on whether or not they want to proceed. It’s still early days and I don’t have enough data on how well it works, so I won’t share it right away. But honest truth — it’s a pretty good one. I’d respond if that DM came my way. 😎

Identifying and following smart people

Amidst all the noise, there are some truly remarkable writers on LinkedIn.

I follow them for tips on writing better B2B SaaS content, how the editorial process works, lifestyle and productivity advice, learning resources, freelancing advice and so on.

Most of the time, those people tend to be top-tier freelancers or influential content managers/editors.

I have a tremendous lot to learn before I can crack the absolute top-paying freelance assignments, and I want to learn from people who are either there already, or are the gateway to my getting there.

Working on my website

I’m so excited about this! After much debating, I’ve decided that a website will help me showcase my skills, work ethic and personality much more effectively than just a portfolio link. I plan to include this in the “link in bio” section as well as in the posts I write (where relevant).

If I’m being honest, I don’t really want to be a LinkedIn celebrity.

I don’t want bazillions of followers or a Top Voice badge or whatever else people lust after.

But I do see myself creating a strong presence on LinkedIn through authentic, experience-based and actionable content — which is what I endeavour to do here on Medium too.

Earlier, I used to think I had to have it all figured out. Now, I’m willing to wait. LinkedIn is a high priority long-term, which merits having a well-thought-out strategy for content that I’d like to be known for. And I’d far rather give myself the space to tinker with that strategy and bring it to a credible degree of perfection, in terms of both writing quality and an abundance of ideas.

That way, when I do resume my LinkedIn journey, I can hit the ground running — and then keep running. :)