10 Brutal Truths About Writing I Learned After Posting Over 300 Times on LinkedIn

15 Jun 2025 #writing

I made my first $100 online on LinkedIn.

It was pure luck. Or a happy accident. Dunno. I wanted people to notice my coding blog and I started to share links to my posts on LinkedIn, pretending to steal their users.

Of course, it was the wrong strategy. I got almost zero engagement on LinkedIn and almost zero visits to my blog. Social media platforms want their users trapped in the platform.

But by sharing those blog posts, the head of marketing of a software company reached out and asked me to write something similar for them. Boom! My first $100.

At some point, I gave up posting and abandoned my LinkedIn account.

But those $100 were in the back of my head. In 2024, I challenged myself to write 100 native posts on LinkedIn to revive my account and see what happened.

Since then, I’ve published over 300 posts. This is what I learned:

1. There’s no a single skill called “writing”

Writing isn’t just one skill.

It’s a collection of subskills:

• Writing hooks,
• Formatting and editing,
• Storytelling,
• Copywriting,
• Offer creation…

You have to practice and master each one.

2. Writing can feel lonely

We all start from almost zero, apart from ex-coworkers and friends as connections.

In my first days, I published my posts and sat down waiting for people to come and like and comment my posts… and waited… and waited… and waited. It was a small town in the Wild West before a Mexican standoff.

Make friends and interact with other accounts. Otherwise, it’ll be you and your screen alone.

3. Writing is an infinite game

And like any other infinite game, you lose if you stop playing.

So keep writing. Write as if nobody is watching. Write for your past self. And keep writing because you don’t know who you’re helping.

4. An intention makes you start but a system keeps you showing up

Find ways to capture ideas and the content you consume and turn them into content.

I keep an eye on everything I consume: books, podcasts, and social media posts. I capture and connect those ideas, and then I write about them.

I write 10 bad ideas a day. Credits to James Altucher. Most of those 10 ideas come from the content I consume. In fact, this post started as a 10-idea list. And I stole this subject from a creator I follow.

When you look with the right attitude, there’s content everywhere.

5. You can’t predict your next hit

Often, my most viewed posts are the ones I write to mark the calendar and call it a day. Not the ones where I spend time choosing the right image or crafting the best post body.

Since you can’t predict your next hit, keep posting, look at the data, and iterate.

6. Hooks can make a huge difference

Picture this, someone busy or bored at work is scrolling down their LinkedIn feed, waiting for the next dopamine hit.

You have to make them stop scrolling with your posts. For that, you need an attention-grabbing first line. That’s what in LinkedIn terms is called a “hook.” It’s your welcome sign.

Often I just repost the same post, but with a better hook and, boom! I get way better engagement.

A good hook can make a huge difference.

7. If it can benefit one person, you can write about it

When I started writing, it was hard to decide what to write about.

You’re throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. But if what you’re writing can benefit one person, you can write about stories, lessons, mistakes, rants, challenges… Anything.

Remember you’re writing to serve your readers, not to show how smart you are.

8. Writing is the front door for sales

Build an audience and serve that audience and you’ll make money. I’m still figuring this out. I’ll share results in the future.

9. Your best writing course is noticing your behavior as reader

If you want to get better at writing, stop being a dopamine junkie and put on your creator glasses.

Every time you stop to read something, ask yourself:

• Why did this post make me stop?
• What type of visuals did it have?
• What structure did it use?
• What hook did it use?
• What call-to-action?

Then replicate that in your content. Steal like an artist.

10. Don’t give up on an idea unless you try it multiple times

You can’t predict your hits. Remember? And if a post has low engagement, it doesn’t mean it was a bad idea.

Give it another lick of paint and try it again. Don’t worry there’s nothing wrong with repurposing old content. Nobody will notice. And everybody does it.

Writing on LinkedIn (or anywhere online) makes people see you as an expert. Maybe you’ll land your next job from posting. You’ll make new professional connections (your network is your net worth). Or simply you’ll make $100. I can promise anything, but why not trying it yourself?