How often should you post on LinkedIn? My 4-month experiment

Let me start with a confession.

I joined LinkedIn in June 2010. And for the next 15 years, I posted once every month or two. Mostly announcements. I genuinely thought that's what LinkedIn was for!

Had I taken it seriously back then, I'd have had at least 100K followers by now. Oh well. Better late than never, right?

So this year, I decided to experiment properly. I'll walk you through exactly what I tried, what happened, and what I'd do if I were in your shoes.

My little experiment, month by month

So why didn't 4 a day work?

Quick disclaimer: this isn't a scientific study. It's just my honest read.

In October, I kept my 2-a-day schedule and then dropped in extra posts whenever a random thought popped into my head. Some days, that meant 4 posts with hardly any gap between them.

Here's what I learnt. LinkedIn doesn't show your post to all your followers at once. It shows it to a few people first, watches whether they stop and read, and then shows it to more. When your posts are bunched together, none of them gets that fair chance.

Tip: Give each post some breathing room. Leave at least 4 to 5 hours between two posts.

The posting ladder I'd follow today

First, a gentle reminder: not every post will go viral, and that's perfectly okay. The more you post, the more chances you give yourself. So start experimenting from day one.

Step 1: Start with 3 posts a week. Feeling ambitious? Go for one a day.

Step 2: Post when your audience is around. No data yet? If you write for working people, try 10:30 to 11:30 AM. Stick with it for at least a month.

Step 3: Notice what moves. Keep an eye on your follower count, and on which posts get reactions, comments, reshares and profile visits.

Step 4: Step up to 2 a day. One in the morning, and one in the evening when people are relaxing and scrolling after work.

Step 5: After a month or two, try 3 a day. Most top LinkedIn creators post several times a day.

Could you jump straight to 3 a day? Sure. But climbing step by step is much less stressful, and you'll actually know what's working for you.

What flopped (so you can skip my mistakes)

My flops were mostly generic posts. You know the kind: posts anyone could have written.

What worked? Posts about things I was building, strong opinions, and personal stories. My post about why I chose to stay back in Nagpur is still one of my favourites, and people loved it.

The algorithm will keep changing. What works today may not work tomorrow. But stories people can relate to? Those always work. That's the one thing that hasn't changed.

Your 30-day challenge

Here's a fun one. Pick a step on the ladder and stay with it for 30 days. Note down your follower count today, and check it again at the end.

Your results might look different from mine, and that's completely fine. These first few weeks are all about discovering what works for you and your audience.

I'm still experimenting too, and I'll keep sharing what I learn right here in the community. We're figuring this out together.

Now I'd love to hear from you: how often do you post right now? And if you've ever tried posting more, what happened? Tell me in the comments!