Niche writing is the new trend for engagement – not TikTok (3 big LinkedIn tips)
"TikTok is the accelerant, not the fuel." Sarah Powers
Your content is the fuel, and it needs to be niche (specific).
Social media platforms might change – but niche content is behind engagement.
Proof: some of the most successful LinkedIn contributors (and my favourite people to follow) have created a highly engaged following by spotting a niche or a challenge and being consistent:
Justin Welsh on LinkedIn (228k followers) – sound advice for one-person business owners
Rob Mayhew on LinkedIn (55k followers) – funny and relatable marketing agency sketches
Lea Turner on Linkedin (150k followers) – straight-talking and friendly brand building advice
People always ask them about their strategy – and they tell people repeatedly.
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The above people have systems they use – each unique to them (they've worked hard to figure it out).
Their systems (in my opinion) are built around monitoring audience engagement and social listening. At the core of their social content is this:
Showing up daily with niche advice or entertainment
Being human and writing with space
Talking to people with similar interests or need them (challenge)
It's that simple. Yet, we all overthink it.
Why Niche Content Is Engaging
Successful creators or contributors are great at sticking to a niche, posting regularly, and understanding people.
They place social engagement and community first and find clever ways of monetising their skills – not the other way around. They don't write a blog and then promote it – they build an engaged audience and then funnel.
Blog content and services build on challenges faced and provide value.
Content is about people:
What are you good at or interested in?
Understand the people in this space (challenges)
Find out how you can help them
Write about your niche by using the TIE method:
Teach
Inspire
Entertain
I've taken a look at three pieces of content from my favourite LinkedIn creators and popped them into my TIE method.
Justin Welsh On LinkedIn – Inspire
Justin is a breath of fresh air to Linkedin – regularly popping up on my feed with golden nuggets for one-person businesses.
Why is this content successful?
Stays on topic -- within his expertise
Targets a challenge = virality
Great hook line – first sentence
Uses space with short sentences
Gives free advice
No link – often uses address dot me
Inspires me to build my business (and yours) with content
Justin talks freely about his system – repurposing content, using space, and posting regularly.
Justin also spends a lot of time engaging meaningfully on other people's posts.
He has a Linktr.ee – the links include free growth guides, 1:1s, and courses.
“Play the long game: nothing worth achieving happens overnight, no matter what you hear or read on the internet.” Justin Welsh – Good Copy interview
Rob Mayhew On LinkedIn – Entertain
Rob has introduced TikTok videos to LinkedIn, and he's smashing it.
Who is he? Well, in the marketing community, Rob's content is the first video you watch on a weekday morning to get your giggles in.
Rob is a comedian and marketing pro – he creates marketing agency sketches.
Why is this content successful?
Stays on topic -- within his expertise
Attracts my attention with 'agency' in the text
Jumpers always make me laugh
Sketch is always a relatable moment
Entertains me – belly laughing
Rob's main link is his TikTok channel – which has 116k followers. He's drawing in new followers by repurposing his content on other social channels.
Rob's content is highly targeted at marketing professionals.
Lea Turner on LinkedIn – Teach & Inspire
Lea seems to have beautifully dominated my feed with her vibrant posts – she's straight-talking and incredibly likeable – using proof of concept with everything she does.
Why is this content successful?
Stays on topic -- within her LinkedIn expertise
Focuses on a challenge (judgement)
Hook sentence at the start
Highly personal posts that resonate with people
Use of white space and often emojis
Teaches and inspires
Lea uses a Linktr.ee link to offer community meet-ups, free resources (LinkedIn cheat sheet), courses, training, and much more – take a look.
Key takeaways:
Show up daily with niche advice or entertainment
Be human and write with space
Talk to people with similar interests or that need you (challenge)
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