Build a Pod to Increase LinkedIn Impact

I have used LinkedIn for years to stay connected with professional contacts. Today, it is an important way for me to market Kurtz Digital Strategy to people who know me as well as professionals who need digital marketing services.

When I was asked if I would participate in a LinkedIn pod, I was happy to give it a try. The results have been amazing, with my posts and articles reaching far more people than ever before.

What’s a LinkedIn Pod?

A pod is a collection of people who agree to comment and engage with each others’ content. My pod was created by someone who wanted to build a community of female business owners.

Here’s how it works:

• When anyone in the pod posts to LinkedIn, the link is shared on a group message.
• I look at the content and post a comment.

This takes time, as I need to read content from diverse professionals and understand enough to post a meaningful comment. I have learned a few things in the process!
I was feeling somewhat grumpy about the amount of time this was taking, so I took a closer look at whether the time spent was doing anything for me. The answer is a resounding yes!

Real Results

My LinkedIn posts have gone from roughly 5 views to more than 200. I now get comments, typically several per post. These results include pod members as well as people outside of the pod.

Article views are less impacted. I still only earn a handful of those on each article.

A surprising result is that views of my profile are way up. I am getting about 75 a week, up from less than 5 per week previously.

Andrea Gepner, Chief Financial Officer at Accountable CFO and member of my pod, is also seeing results. “The value to me is increased engagement across LinkedIn and increased visibility to potential clients. Also has increased my relationships with current connections. And gave me a whole new group to speak to.”

Case in Point

Maggy Sterner, Brand & Business Coach, is also a member of my pod. She wanted to be more active on LinkedIn but didn’t “want the feeling of just tossing messages in bottles into the ocean.” Like many of us, the tried that and just didn’t feel like it worked.

The pod works for her, too. “With my pod, I feel connected to a real audience of real people who respond thoughtfully to what I write. It encourages me to write more to my virtual pen pals!”

Maggy got some unexpected results. “I feel so much more creative about what I’m posting, I’m posting more, and I have a new community of people – that’s huge in this time of physical isolation.”

What a Pod Can Do

A few months into this effort, I find that participating in a pod takes time but yields tangible results. If LinkedIn is a core social media channel in your digital marketing strategy, it is worthy of consideration.

In Maggy’s words, “We’re always taking about engagement as a goal for social media marketing and this pod makes it easy to write, I have more ideas, and I feel genuinely, authentically engaged with people in a way I’ve not experienced before.”

Maggy and I both routinely advise our small business clients to be real and authentic with their online messages. The pod approach is a great way to do just that.