You pour your soul into “proper” thought‑leadership…and 9 people like it. Then you share a throwaway story and your inbox explodes. Here’s what’s really going on and how to use it on purpose.
You’re right that those specifics make it feel very “about you.” Here’s a version with more generic, relatable examples swapped in:
If you’ve posted on LinkedIn for more than a few weeks, you’ve probably had this experience:
You spend half an hour crafting a thoughtful post about your industry. You share real numbers, useful lessons, and something you genuinely learned the hard way.
Tumbleweed.
Three likes, one of which is your business partner being supportive.
Two days later, you make a throwaway joke about office life, meeting overload, or a ridiculous pop‑up you saw on a website.
And your notifications light up.
Funny isn't it?
It’s also frustrating.
Here’s what’s going on and how to use it without turning into a full‑time clown.
People are not on LinkedIn for you. Sounds obvious, but it helps explain a lot.
When someone opens LinkedIn, they’re usually:
- Avoiding a task for a few minutes
- Looking for something less boring than their inbox
- Mildly curious about what people in their industry are doing
They’re not thinking:
“Today, I will carefully search for someone to help with my positioning and website.”
So when they scroll, anything that feels like “extra work” loses.
Long, dense paragraphs. Heavy jargon. Lecture tone.
On the other hand, anything that looks like a quick hit of recognition wins.
A joke about a website that behaves like an annoying salesperson.
A screenshot of a “limited time offer” that turns out to be there every single day.
A founder admitting they once winged a big client call with zero prep and what they learned from it.
Those posts feel like little breaks.
They’re easy to engage with which is why reach shoots up.
Reach isn’t the same as respect.
Viral jokes are fun – we make plenty of them.
But if all you ever post is jokes, you train people to treat you like a comedian, not a potential partner.
The trick is to let your lighter posts carry bits of truth about your work.
The “annoying website” story isn’t just a gag.
It proves:
- You care about user experience
- You hate interruptive design that gets in the way
- You build things that feel smooth and respectful to the user
The “limited time offer” post isn’t just dunking on a tactic.
It tells people:
- You understand how pricing and trust actually work
- You protect clients from bait‑and‑switch approaches
- You’ve seen how this plays out in the real world
The “winged client call” story isn’t just random vulnerability.
It shows:
- You’ve learned the cost of poor preparation
- You understand pressure and responsibility
- You’re willing to be honest about your mistakes
So yes, the lighter posts get more attention.
But they also give people a very clear sense of what you’re like to work with.
That’s why they belong in the mix.
Your serious posts might be about the wrong person
When “serious” posts flop, it’s often because they’re secretly aimed at your peers, not your clients.
You’re trying to impress other marketers.
Or you’re reacting to an industry debate nobody outside your niche cares about.
Instead, think about the tired founder who will see your post between a supplier email and a school run.
They’re asking themselves:
- Does this help me right now?
- Does this make me feel understood?
- Does this person sound like they get my world?
If your serious post is mainly explaining a trend for other LinkedIn creators, your buyer will scroll past.
If it’s explaining something they actually bump into every week – “should I rebuild the website?” “do I really need to post on LinkedIn?” – they’ll stay.
The seriousness isn’t the problem. The subject is.
Use your funny posts as an entry point, not the whole show
We think about it like this:
- Lighter posts help people notice you
- Useful posts help them trust you
- Clear offers help them buy from you
When a joke goes big, it’s tempting to chase that feeling.
But the better move is to make sure that, when someone clicks through to your profile after laughing, they hit a wall of clarity.
Your headline says what you do.
Your About tells a story that matches the tone of your posts.
Your Featured section shows examples of work, not just memes.
That way, the joke isn’t wasted.
It’s the beginning of a relationship instead of a one‑off performance.
Once you accept that, you can stop being annoyed when the silly post wins.
You can start using it.
Every time a “stupid” post reaches more people than expected, ask:
“If this is the first thing they see from me, what do I want them to discover next?”
Then fix that next thing.