How Lawyers can Use Smart Commenting to Get Noticed on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool for legal marketing. Between profile optimization, professional groups, paid advertising, and thought leadership, LinkedIn offers plenty of opportunities to get noticed. There are lots of places where professionals can create dialogues and engage with prospects – but not all comments are created equal. Follow these tips use LinkedIn comments the smart way – and stand out. 

1. Actually read the post

This seems like it goes without saying, but it’s obvious that many people don’t read content before responding to it. The author who created that piece worked very hard on it, so it’s at least worth your time to digest what they created before writing a comment that may not even be relevant. Furthermore, other readers can tell if you read the article and it doesn’t create a good impression to create a comment that isn’t based on the article in its entirety. 

2. Put some thought into your comment

It can be tempting to write simple LinkedIn comments like “Great post!” or “Thanks for the ideas”, but those don’t really add much value. It may appear as though you didn’t follow point number one above, or it could create the impression that you didn’t really understand or agree with the article. Aim to add to the conversation. Leave an engaging comment or ask a question to further the dialogue. 

3. Mention other commenters

Mentioning or commenting directly on other commenter’s posts is a great way to keep the conversation going. Scroll through the comments and see if anything jumps out at you. If it does, make sure to mention the commenter specifically so that they can see your reply. You want to notify others that you called them out, which will hopefully encourage them to respond or add another thought. 

4. Mention the author

When you leave comments, reference the author. If you begin typing their name, a dropdown box should appear where you can choose their name. This is a great way to get the author’s attention. 

5. Ask a question

The real goal is simply to keep the conversation going. Is there anything you didn’t understand? Is there another angle that you could mention, or an area that you want to know more about? Ask the question in the comments. 

Although engaging with posts is important, you may be wondering what types of posts to comment on. Not all content is worth your time, and it makes sense to engage with articles that have a lot of eyes on them to enhance your exposure. Make the most of the time you spend on LinkedIn. 

1. Look for a high comment count

Posts that already have a high comment count are more popular. If there’s a lot of engagement, your post is more likely to be read and you can create traction with a wider audience. 

2. Focus on industry-specific content

LinkedIn has several capabilities for finding groups or content that are relevant to your verticals. Pick items that are specific to your areas of expertise so that you can add real value in your comments. The other readers of that content are also more likely to be in your target market as well. 

3. Follow thought leaders

It’s important to understand who the influencers are in your industry. Spend some time doing research on LinkedIn and follow these people. Start building a relationship with them and add value to the conversations happening around their content, and eventually their followers will begin to recognize your name too. 

4. Seek out active and current authors

While it may make the author feel good, it doesn’t do much good for you to leave LinkedIn comments on old articles or on content from people who aren’t active. Make sure the items you comment on have been recently posted, and are from people who have an active presence on LinkedIn. 

5. Ask yourself if you’d share the content

If you wouldn’t want to share an item, then it’s probably not worth your time to leave LinkedIn comments. Take the time to comment if it’s an article that you’re genuinely interested in, know a lot about, or believe can generate an engaging conversation. 

Takeaway: 

Being active on LinkedIn is an important way to help your profile stand out and reach people who are looking for your skills. We suggest spending ten minutes a day performing LinkedIn activities like making connections, LinkedIn comments on content, or developing your own thought leadership.

If you need help developing a strategy for utilizing social media in your digital marketing strategy, contact us today. We have vast experience helping lawyers and law firms achieve measurable success through social media.