Video doesn't work all the time on LinkedIn. Not at all.

This image post performed better than 50% of video posts.

Hey , this news may not be what you wanted to hear.

You will get some privvy information on this newsletter I hope it's useful, let me know. It's based upon continuous video posting over a sustained 50 day period. Here's some insights.

I wanted to test a series of control measures week by week. I started in May.

→ Weeks 1-2 I tested posting over alternate times at random points. I quickly learned that posting at a fixed time improved engagement.

🟢 My Theory - both LI and your audience want to know when to expect your posts. If you don't post on a regular schedule LI and it's algo can't learn when to supply your content to your audience.

✴️ My Feedback - A number of regular consumers from the 30K viewers of content said they were inspired after I fixed my outgoing posts before the business day started. I popped up and spurred them on. Cool.

→ Weeks 1-2 I tested videos with and without subtitling. Any post missing subs just bombed.

🟢 My Theory - I had a hunch this would be the case. I've made content since 2011 on Facebook and 2012 on Youtube and knew subs were important for SEO. LI is an audio free platform and in its own marketing certification course for its video ads it says 85% of people don't use audio.

✴️ My Feedback - I ran a poll in the week preceding the launch of video making in May. Exactly 85% of respondents said they didn't listen, just watched.

→ Weeks 3-4 I tested content types. I classified content in the following categories two of which never worked. The categories where;

1. LI News
2. Video Tips
3. Behind The Scenes (BTS)
4. Community
5. Funday Posts. (not my idea for the name).

This actually stuck as my content strategy for the second month. The reason was, I gained access to the data app Shieldapp.ai. It blew my mind!

I finally had access to exactly who, what and when my posts were being engaged with.

🥊 This forced me into a corner. Here's why.

I am not funny. Just not funny. Intentionally funny, no. Unwittingly funny, possibly.

You can probably see where this is going.....I had to decide how to deal with the hot potato, which was that, being funny is not easy. I am am not a comedian.

☞ So posts with my idea of nerdy fun where out.

Likewise. Community posts about issues I believed in. Out.

My people. The people who consume, respond and book actual work from me, wanted this.

1. Expertise delivered in pocket sized insights, no selling.
2. BTS action from me doing stuff.
3. LI News of how my journey was going. But................................
4. The missing link?!?!?!?

And this was a category I had to add to tag my posts

. The 'Personal Touch'

Any post where I shared an emotion I was feeling, a failure moment, a doubt of my purpose. They did well. Especially with engagement.

Which leads to the final control test I conducted. On alternate days I did not engage with anyone else on LinkedIn. I just posted and replied to comments.

What happened. Crickets. Like. Utter silence. No views. Nothing.

Some of what I've written might not be news to you. Plenty of LinkedIn gurus post this sort of insight, but I couldn't be more clear on the stats. No engagement on other peoples posts meant none on mine.

🙏🏻 So here's what I am committing to for the next few weeks. I am cutting down my video posts to just three a week. I'm moving house and it's the summer hols, we're all taking a break right?

I'm going to post one BTS, one LI News Update and one 'teachy' insight into using video.

😱 Plus. I also can't do weekly newsletters. And this is for a good reason. I'm getting work in thanks to my video campaign on LinkedIn and I need to let myself some slack. SO if you don't mind, in future, these will come every two weeks.

🫣 In two weeks time I am going to show you some unsually interesting research from a D2C friend of mine Chris Talintyre who busted the market in extreme sports and lifestyle at Factory Media and Time Inc and who has some views on B2B marketing....

Get yourself on Shieldapp.ai and learn more about who is watching, engaging and sharing your content using this link - I just became an affiliate!

Don't agree with something I've written or need to find out more about what I have been doing learning video on LinkedIn, email directly at matt@mattmilloy.com or message me on LinkedIn and I'll have a chat!

See you in 2 weeks.

Matt