For years, the LinkedIn growth advice was simple:

Post educational content and you'll grow.

In late 2025, that advice changed.

Now most LinkedIn experts are telling you the same thing:

"Be authentic."

There is a lot of merit to this. AI has commoditized pure educational content.

But what does being authentic mean?
Does it mean posting about hard things you've been through?
Does it mean posting about your hobbies?
Your parents?

Because it is ambiguous, most people guess. They talk about their most traumatic life experiences. Or they post about what they did at the weekend.

Here's how I think about "being authentic:"

Share stories with a message attached.

The story is the vehicle for your message.

You want the reader to walk away with two things: 1) an idea they can apply, usually one related to your business, AND 2) feeling a little closer to you.

The best personal posts take one specific moment - a conversation, a failure, a decision - and turn it into a lesson the reader can actually use.

The most common mistake I see is that the takeaway isn’t really clear for the reader.

If they have to think, “what is the takeaway?” You’ve failed.

I post 2 personal stories each week - Friday and Saturday. Here are a few recent ones that worked:

These posts worked because the story was specific and personal, but the lesson was universal. Anyone reading it could walk away with something.

So how you replicate this yourself?

Step 1: Start with a hook only you can write

A specific number, date, or strange experience. Something that makes the reader think, "Okay, this is real and interesting. I want to know what happens next!" 

Step 2: Land the payoff

If you made a promise in your hook - deliver on it. In this case, it was the “phrase that keeps us sane:”

Step 3: Make the problem hurt

Use a specific moment or example that makes the reader think "I've been there."

Step 4: Then pivot 

Every good story has one. A conversation, a decision, a moment where the change begins. Share that moment clearly. This is where the reader starts to wonder, how did they get out of it?

Step 5: Walk them through what changed

Keep it simple. The more specific the steps, the more believable it feels.

The clearer the transformation, the more your reader believes it's possible for them too.

Step 6: End before you think you need to

Close with a single line that captures the point - and then finish.
I often kill the last 2 sentences of post drafts. Most people go on too long.

Before you publish anything personal, ask yourself:

Does this help someone move faster, think better, or learn something?

If the answer is yes, you've got something.

If not, the post isn't ready yet.

Think of one moment in your life or career that changed how you thought even slightly. Write it down. Be specific. Give it a date, a place, a person if there was one.

Then ask yourself: what could someone do differently if they knew this?

See you next week,

Will

P.S. Once you master this, here are 6 LinkedIn post ideas that generated >1 million views between them for me and my clients. Some are stories.

Will McTighe

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