We are attempting to build a Linkedin community (a Linkedin POD) for people who want to increase their reach and improve their performance on Linkedin. You are welcome to join if you want to improve your posts’ performance on Linkedin. You need to produce content. For example, blogs, YouTube Videos,  etc., on the Microsoft Data Platform if you want to be a member. That is the only membership rule. Contact me on LinkedIn to get involved.

What is a LinkedIn POD?

I have started a POD which you can think of as a small community of people who help each other out to help promote their Linkedin posts. These posts can be on anything related to the Microsoft Data Platform, and the purpose of the POD is to interact with these posts. The interaction with the posts will generate interest which is picked up by the Linkedin algorithm and will then get your post in front of more of your network. The interaction can

• Grow your profile
• Increase your reach 
• Improve lead generation for your business, 
• Raise your business profile 
• Increase traffic to your blog

It’s pretty straightforward, LinkedIn likes it when you post on their site. They have an algorithm that looks at early interaction. From there, they decide how many people in your network to show the post. With more Comments and Likes more people in your network will see your posts.

Why do you need a Linkedin POD?

If you tell yourself I’m connected to 2000 people on Linkedin, I don’t need a POD. Think again. Have you posted recently, did that post get little or no interaction from your followers? How many views did it get? I bet it’s not many. I bet it is not 2000 or anywhere close to that number. I bet it didn’t get in front of your 2000 LinkedIn connections. 

I’m connected to 13K (~8.5K in 2020) people on Linkedin. Here’s an example of how one post that didn’t get a lot of engagement faired in terms of views

Low engagement number

Linkedin, much like the readers of your posts, wants you to create engaging posts. If your posts are not exciting or engaging, then Linkedin will only show your posts to a small percentage of your first-degree connections. If you write engaging posts that get lots of likes and comments, Linkedin will put your post into the feed of more of your first-degree connections, thus improving your performance. 

Here is an example of how one of my posts with lots of comments and likes performed:

High number of engagements

The POD is not to replace writing exciting and engaging content but more to oil the wheels of your interesting posts. If you can get 20 comments and likes in the first two hours of publishing a post, your post will likely do well on Linkedin – Comments are king, and likes are also excellent. 

Who can join?

The POD is open to anyone who wants to improve their Linkedin performance and creates content related to the Microsoft Data Platform. We have this limit to make the engagement easier and more straightforward. If you are data professional with a blog and create content on the Microsoft data platform, it will be simple for you to comment and get involved in the discussion on a Linkedin post on the topic area and vice versa. So for that reason, it is restricted to people whose Linkedin profiles show them to be a Microsoft data platform professional. If that is you and you want to expand your reach on Linkedin, you can use the POD, write an engaging post, and the POD will help you.

How to Join

The pod is run through a WhatsApp group (There is a signal group too). If you want to become a member, simply contact me through Linkedin (Make sure you send me your Linkedin Profile) or connect with me on Linkedin and send me a message saying you want to join the Linkedin Pod.

I will then send you links to join the WhatsApp group and the Signal group

How to use the LinkedIn POD?

Using the POD is a simple process.

1. Write and publish an engaging blog post, YouTube video, or article, and share that content on Linkedin.
2. Like your own post
3. When the Linkedin post is published, copy a link to the post and paste it into the POD WhatsApp/signal group chat.
4. Comment and like on All posts submitted to the chat group that day. 

LinkedIn POD Rules

The rules. Yes there are rules. Guidelines.  To make the POD effort as effective as possible. You must post at a consistent time, I have chosen 2 pm (BST/GMT) for this POD because just after lunch, the early afternoon is a good time to post. For European members, your posts will benefit from the after-lunch traffic. For members across the pond in the USA, you can still join and benefit from the POD as it’ll be 9 am on the east coast. The reality is, though, you can post at any time and if people are around to help support you, they will do so.

Rules

1. Any day you post to the POD, you must comment and like all other posts that day – it’s important to reciprocate. 
2. If you don’t have time to comment and like on all posts that day, then don’t use the POD that day. 
3. No abusive behaviour 
4. Only post once post per day. 

Update August 2023

Following some recent activity, the POD members have felt the need to change the rules slightly.  Well, more like adding one more rule. The rule is for people looking to promote their events, conferences, meetups and so on in the POD. Firstly, we are happy to support you in this endeavour and wish your event success. If you are in the POD and want to promote events, please continue to do so. If you want to join the POD and promote events, we will help you. It’s what we do. With that said, we need a new rule, and it’s a necessary amendment.

The following rule must be followed to promote your events in the POD.

5. Each member can promote one event-type post a week in the POD.

The rationale for this rule is as follows.  We, the POD admins, feel that putting more messages beyond this hurts you and your event. More than that, it feels like SPAM. Also,  it’s not in keeping with the intention of this group.

We are going baseball style, three strikes and your out system to enforce this rule. If you breach the rule, you will get a verbal warning in the group, a second strike, I will write to your personally informing you that you have reached stage two. My message will read, “Arthur! One more and you’re done” if you get this from me.  You need to adjust your content strategy.  Then if a third breach happens, you will be asked to leave the Linked POD house. Big Brother Style. And not really asked, removed. Forcefully.

The POD Admins – AKA The Poddy Blinders – By Order of the Poddy Blinders

Want to Learn more.

I’m not an expert in Linkedin or social media marketing. If you want to learn more, I’ll happily discuss it with you and recommend some of the resources and training material I have used to understand this process further. So if you want to chat, get in touch, use the contact form here.