Making the Most of Your Strategy with LinkedIn Pods

Samuel Cruz -

You may know the following feeling: “I researched, dedicated myself, and managed to create a good article! Okay, publish!” And then:

Is the content not good? Maybe the way I wrote it? What do I need to do for it to take off? LinkedIn engagement pods can be great tools for the initial boost that your content needs by leveraging the LinkedIn algorithm and tools that automate LinkedIn engagement pods.

Don’t know what LinkedIn engagement pods are? See our video tutorial by clicking here!

In this article, we will show you the main challenges of the pod strategy and what you can do to improve your reach. The text is divided into sections. You can go through the sequence or go directly to the topic of interest. Ready to get into it?

  1. Nice content
  2. Finding (and nurturing) good pods
  3. Relevant comments (forget the “great post!”)
  4. Proper use and safety

1 - Content is king, and will always be

Okay, we all know that. But the point here is: there is no silver bullet where you press a button and that’s it! A million views, business, fame, and wealth. If they’re promising you that elsewhere, ok. However, you must be very wary of this.

We value good content. Content that is well built and enjoyable to read, that knows how to explore different media resources and which achieves the proposed objective.

But what happens sometimes is that a lot of good content cannot be “consumed” by a reasonable sample of people. For several reasons, even though it is of good quality, this content is only the first barrier of dissemination (be it for the timing of publication, algorithm, etc.).

Like a catapult, with LinkBoost you can give the initial boost to that content you believe in. So you guarantee more visibility at the key moment after posting and a higher probability of engagement. Users interact with their LinkedIn feed by liking and commenting on posts, and this engagement can be time-consuming. However, while boosting visibility is important, genuine engagement is crucial for long-term success. Optimizing LinkedIn content for better engagement, such as using engagement pods, can significantly impact visibility and interaction on the platform. Authentic interactions that reflect true expertise and interests foster meaningful connections and enhance trust in professional relationships.

But it will always be the content itself that will tell you how much you can keep flying.

Understanding LinkedIn Engagement Pods

What are LinkedIn Engagement Pods?

LinkedIn Engagement Pods are groups of users who agree to mutually engage with each other’s content on LinkedIn to boost visibility and engagement metrics. These pods can be manual or automated, and their primary goal is to increase the visibility of LinkedIn posts and gain engagement in the form of likes, comments, and shares. By participating in a LinkedIn engagement pod, members can help each other’s content reach a wider audience, making it more likely to be seen and interacted with by others on the platform.

How do LinkedIn Engagement Pods Operate?

LinkedIn Engagement Pods operate by having members agree to like, comment, and share each other’s posts on a regular basis. This can be done manually, where members share their post links and agree to engage with each other’s content, or through automated tools that use AI to engage with posts. In manual pods, members typically share their post links in a group chat or forum, and other members are expected to engage with those posts. Automated LinkedIn pods, on the other hand, use software to automatically like and comment on posts, saving time and ensuring consistent engagement. Both methods aim to increase the visibility of posts and gain engagement, but they differ in terms of effort and authenticity.

Benefits of Using LinkedIn Engagement Pods

Using LinkedIn Engagement Pods can have several benefits, including:

  • Increased visibility: Engagement pods can help increase the visibility of your LinkedIn posts, making them more likely to be seen by a wider audience.
  • Boosted engagement metrics: By gaining likes, comments, and shares from pod members, you can boost your engagement metrics and make your content appear more popular.
  • Networking opportunities: Engagement pods can provide opportunities to connect with other professionals in your industry and build relationships that can lead to new business opportunities.

These benefits can significantly enhance your LinkedIn strategy, helping you to gain engagement and build a stronger presence on the platform.

Finding good LinkedIn engagement pods

Okay, I have a relevant, quality post and I want to give it an initial boost. But where?

Finding the right engagement pods can significantly improve your LinkedIn audience and overall content performance. A LinkedIn pod is a group of users who have agreed to enhance engagement by interacting with each other’s posts through likes, comments, and shares. An engagement pod group is a collective of individuals who collaborate to enhance each other's visibility on LinkedIn by actively engaging with each other's content. There are numerous options for engagement pods. The main categories that define it are:

  • Pod subject
  • Channel
  • Community

Pod Subject: LinkedIn posts

We believe that the adherence of published content to the subject proposed in each pod is fundamental to a long-term successful strategy. Crafting a well-designed LinkedIn post, considering the timing, and utilizing engagement pods to boost likes and comments are crucial for increasing visibility and reach. However, it is advisable to avoid LinkedIn engagement groups and instead focus on leveraging your existing network to boost engagement on your posts.

If you are a member of a pod with 30 participants whose theme is Human Resources, it would not be convenient for someone posting about Bitcoin. But it is very difficult to control the content at all times.

For this reason, LinkBoost has tools to control group quality:

Join Request: Admins can accept or reject the entry of a new member (the admin can evaluate through the LinkedIn profile if that person is somehow related to the proposed pod subject).

Ban Users: Admins can also ban a user who is going against the rules established by the group (e.g.: posting on another topic or in another language).

Report: To assist the admins, any member can report any rules violated by another pod participant, making it easier for the admin to manage and maintain a good quality pod.

The appropriate use and adherence to the subject will always depend on the group itself, however, some features make the work easier.

Another important feature: if you don’t have an invitation to a specific pod, you can find several LinkedIn groups on our Marketplace that align with your interests. Just enter your interests in the search field and you’re done. You can ask to join whatever group you want.

Channel

LinkedIn pods can also vary according to the channel: manual or automated (like LinkBoost). These groups, categorized into manual and automated pods, often raise concerns about the authenticity of engagement and potential violations of LinkedIn’s policies.

Engagement pods work by creating a group where members mutually engage with each other's content to boost visibility and connections, emphasizing the principle of reciprocity in interactions.

Manual: They are closed groups that can be made in different channels. For example, a group on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Slack. These are known as manual LinkedIn engagement pods. They can also be created for a specific niche, like growth marketing or machine learning.

In these groups, each one sends the link to their post and the participants must interact (like and comment) with each other.

Some groups have good discipline and commitment. Still, a lot of time is spent on this dynamic. Imagine yourself with 1, 3, 30(!) likes and comments to do repeatedly, just to comply with the pod rules. What if in your turn, you only had 3 or 4 interactions? Also, you have to remind others to interact again and again. It is sometimes a stressful and time-consuming job.

Automated: To simplify this dynamic there are tools such as LinkBoost, which automate these interactions. You enter the app, ask to participate in a pod with a topic of your interest and that’s it! Interactions are made automatically between all participants.

This way, you can save a lot of time and the interactions are done in a balanced way between the group.

A good way to improve group performance is to connect with participants. Posts with 1st-degree interaction show “cleaner” signs of engagement, contributing to the quality of reach.

On LinkBoost, you can easily see the group members and directly access the profiles on LinkedIn, just by clicking on the name of each one.

Taking care of the subject, the balance between posts, and the connection between members, you will be in a good engagement pod. LinkBoost has several resources that can help you with this task.

The comment in the post is an important sign of engagement. However, a consequence of some pods is that the vast majority of comments end up being superficial/generic.

That kind of comment is not all bad. They are relatively common in normal interactions and can also be useful in your strategy. The secret is to balance them with slightly more elaborate comments.

In the manual pods, the volume of interactions to be fulfilled is great, and to decrease this time, the comments are of the “great post” type, for almost everyone.

In automated pods, however, there is the possibility for the content owner himself to edit the text of the comments he would like to see in his post. This would prolong the idea originated in the content, increasing the quality of the interaction.

Example: I make a publication about a Webinar that I am going to launch. In the comment, I can already schedule an interaction like: “I just signed up!” and a random user will automatically make that comment.

However, most of the time users do not do this and end up using the same default comments as always.

To help participants create more relevant and quality comments, LinkBoost implemented an exclusive feature: the Comments Library!

There, you will find more than 200 suggested comments. They are divided into several categories of posts such as Congratulations/Compliments, Pre-Launch, Content Oriented, Invitations, etc. You select a category related to your post and add “template” comments linked to the theme of your post. You can still edit them to make them even more customized, increasing their relevance without much effort.

It is a place between generic and super specific comments, balancing automation, and quality (this balance is our mantra!).

This feature is exclusive to LinkBoost and the library keeps growing! You can still save your default comments and save time on future posts.

Risks and Pitfalls of Engagement Pods

Increased Likelihood of LinkedIn Account Bans

Using engagement pods can increase the likelihood of your LinkedIn account being banned. LinkedIn’s algorithm is designed to detect and prevent spam and manipulation, and using engagement pods can be seen as a form of engagement manipulation. If LinkedIn detects that you are using engagement pods, your account may be banned or restricted, which can harm your professional reputation and limit your ability to use the platform.

Additionally, using engagement pods can also lead to:

  • Reduced credibility: If your engagement metrics are artificially inflated, it can reduce your credibility and make your content appear less authentic.
  • Lack of genuine engagement: Engagement pods can lead to a lack of genuine engagement, as members may only be engaging with your content because they are required to, rather than because they are genuinely interested.
  • Negative impact on LinkedIn’s algorithm: Using engagement pods can have a negative impact on LinkedIn’s algorithm, which can lead to reduced visibility and engagement for your content in the long run.

It’s essential to weigh the benefits and risks of using engagement pods and consider alternative strategies for boosting engagement on LinkedIn, such as creating high-quality content, engaging with others’ posts, and using LinkedIn’s built-in features to promote your content.

Proper use of LinkedIn algorithm

The appropriate use of the tool brings security and sustainability to your strategy. It also helps build genuine connections, fostering deeper engagement and community building. This is a major concern for our development team. Below we list some good practices and how we incorporate these rules for balanced use:

Users can utilize the LinkedIn search bar to find industry-specific engagement pods and B2B influencers by inputting relevant keywords or phrases.

  • Randomization: It is important to be aware of the pattern of engagement. In manual pods, this is not a problem. However, some tools trigger interactions right after the post is sent. This generates an accumulation of dozens of interactions in the first minute, making the automation pattern clear. With LinkBoost you can choose time intervals for each interaction (between 20 seconds and 3 mins), making the dynamics more natural.
  • Posting Limits: Is there a big discussion about what works best: publishing multiple times throughout the week with more “lean” content? Or fewer posts but betting on longer and more elaborate content?

We believe that there is no golden rule if the content is good. Several people have great results with short posts. However, as a standard model, we believe that between 3 and 5 posts per week are a good number.

At LinkBoost, regardless of free or premium plans (for now they are all free in private beta), there will always be a limit on the number of posts. Currently, each user can submit only one publication per day in each pod in which they are subscribed. This limitation protects the entire group from an excessive number of interactions during certain periods.

  • Pod Size: The first impression of being in a group with 600 participants can be a good one. But this interaction generally does not translate into sustainable results. The ideal is to connect with your group to the fullest and create balanced strategies, with consistency. At LinkBoost we limit the number of pod members to up to 100 people.
  • Consent / Agreement: Much of the security of this dynamic is in the consent of users to participate in it. No data or action is taken without the consent of the participants. At any time, you can adjust your settings to not like or comment automatically, individually on each of the pods. You can also leave a pod at any time. No questions asked.

Summary table and Final thoughts

The idea of ​​engagement pods is great. However, the manual model brings more work and stress than delivers results. Automation tools solve much of that burden. Still, current tools are lacking in balancing relevance, appropriate use, and consistency.

Also, these automation tools (as well as LinkBoost) have their revenue models linked to the number of posts or participation in pods. It would be normal for us to encourage users to post more and more, encourage subscription to more and more pods, and invite many people. But we do not believe in the sustainability of this interaction.

We believe in a balance between quality and reach.

Our idea is not to maximize the short-term result and fill the automation feeds. We want to create a support tool that is useful, simple but mainly sustainable. That's why we've created posting limits, moderation tools, and encouraged proper use. While manual models bring more work, automated tools can contribute to sustainable LinkedIn growth by enhancing engagement and visibility.

If you believe in your proposal, if you believe in its content, we will be happy to help you get started.

Interested? Take the opportunity to test LinkBoost without spending anything.

We are in full development and we like (a lot of) feedback.

The chat is open on the platform itself.

Usage experiences, requests for new features, questions, everyone is welcome.

Thank you!