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Hala Taha15 April 2025

The 4-Step Formula to Go Viral on LinkedIn (2025 Masterclass)

9Frameworks
15Insights

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Frameworks in this episode

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster09:00

Engagement Pods Are Not Necessarily Cheating

Hala argues that off-platform engagement groups can be legitimate when they consist of real people with related audiences who genuinely support one another. Her podcasting pod developed beyond reciprocal engagement into friendships, events, and professional collaboration.

  • Operate the community outside LinkedIn
  • Use real humans rather than automated engagement tools
  • Group people with aligned niches and audiences
  • Treat reciprocal engagement as the beginning of a community
  • Avoid creating the pod through a LinkedIn group chat

It has to be off LinkedIn for it to be considered an engagement pod.

Hala Taha · 09:00

And in fact, I've created amazing communities using engagement pods.

Hala Taha · 09:30
#engagement pods#community#linkedin growth#reciprocity

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take18:00

Massive LinkedIn Virality Depends on Its Editorial Agenda

Hala distinguishes ordinary algorithmic success from exceptionally large distribution driven by LinkedIn's editorial priorities. Content about hiring, recruitment, promotions, internships, graduation, and selected cultural themes is more likely to align with the platform's desired identity.

  • Creators can engineer strong performance without editorial promotion
  • Exceptional reach may require LinkedIn's human or editorial support
  • Career and recruitment topics align with LinkedIn's core business
  • Positive news and selected awareness themes may also be prioritized
  • Not every post should be designed for maximum reach

The last stage of this algorithm is that you need to align to LinkedIn's editorial agenda.

Hala Taha · 18:30

And every post has a purpose, right?

Hala Taha · 20:00
#editorial strategy#virality#recruitment#linkedin content

Explainer· 6

Explainer01:30

Why LinkedIn Is an Underrated Business-Growth Platform

LinkedIn users arrive prepared to discuss professional problems, evaluate solutions, and interact with salespeople. The platform also offers creators relatively low competition and substantial organic reach compared with more saturated social networks.

  • Users are already primed to solve business problems
  • Business-oriented outreach feels more natural on LinkedIn
  • Lower creator competition makes prominent visibility more attainable
  • The algorithm still provides meaningful organic distribution

LinkedIn is an amazing underrated platform.

Hala Taha · 01:30

You just need to learn the rules, and you'll do really well on LinkedIn.

Hala Taha · 03:30
#linkedin#personal branding#organic reach#business growth
Explainer05:00

The Business Models Behind LinkedIn's Algorithm

LinkedIn's distribution system reflects the company's two major commercial priorities: retaining attention for advertising and supporting its recruitment marketplace. Understanding those incentives helps explain why engagement, time on platform, and career-related content receive favorable treatment.

  • Advertising rewards content that keeps users on the platform
  • Recruitment gives LinkedIn an incentive to promote career content
  • Algorithmic priorities follow the company's revenue model
  • Creators can improve decisions by reasoning from platform incentives

So number one is through advertising. So they want to keep people on LinkedIn for as long as possible.

Hala Taha · 05:30

And number two, they have a job functionality similar to ZivRecruiter and Indeed.

Hala Taha · 05:30
#linkedin algorithm#advertising#recruitment#platform strategy
Explainer08:00

Why LinkedIn's First 90 Minutes Matter

LinkedIn tests a newly published post by observing early engagement and negative user signals. Fast interaction from first-degree connections can help a post pass this testing period and progress toward wider distribution.

  • LinkedIn tests posts for roughly 30 to 90 minutes
  • Early likes and comments provide positive distribution signals
  • Reports and flags can stop momentum
  • First-degree connections are especially useful during the initial test

This is also called the golden 90 minutes of LinkedIn.

Hala Taha · 08:00

And at this stage, it's really important to get a lot of engagement.

Hala Taha · 08:30
#linkedin engagement#golden 90 minutes#content distribution#social media
Explainer11:30

How LinkedIn Builds an Interest Cloud Around Your Account

LinkedIn associates accounts with subjects based on profile language, published content, and engagement behavior. Consistency between those signals can establish topical authority, while posting about an unrelated subject may receive weaker distribution.

  • Profiles accumulate topic-related keyword signals
  • Engagement behavior affects the content LinkedIn serves
  • Profile copy and post topics should reinforce one another
  • A small cluster of consistent subjects can establish expertise
  • Abruptly changing topics can weaken distribution

Where every user basically has an interest cloud.

Hala Taha · 11:30

You want congruency. You want the keywords that you put in your posts to also be on your profile.

Hala Taha · 13:00
#keywords#topic authority#personal brand#linkedin seo
Explainer14:00

Why a LinkedIn Share Is More Valuable Than a Comment

LinkedIn engagement actions do not contribute equally to content distribution. Hala's agency uses a point model in which shares, particularly shares with captions, carry considerably more weight than likes or comments.

  • A like is treated as a relatively weak signal
  • Comments carry more weight than likes
  • Long comments may carry slightly more weight than short ones
  • Shares are among the strongest on-post distribution signals
  • A share with a caption is described as the highest-value on-post action

A comment is two points. A long comment is two and a half points. A share is four points. A share with caption is four…

Hala Taha · 14:30

So your goal as a content creator is to get as much shares as possible.

Hala Taha · 14:30
#content scoring#shares#engagement#linkedin algorithm
Explainer22:30

How to Make LinkedIn Outreach Feel Relevant Instead of Spammy

Effective outreach starts with a genuine reason for contacting a person, such as a shared interest, professional community, or engagement with a relevant creator. The opening message should establish common ground and offer useful content before requesting anything in return.

  • Use the discovery source to establish common ground
  • Target people who have demonstrated interest in the subject
  • Offer something relevant before making an ask
  • Use shared interests, communities, and sincere compliments
  • Develop the conversation gradually rather than pitching immediately

And the way that I found them is how I established common ground.

Hala Taha · 23:30

I'm giving them something of value, giving them something for free.

Hala Taha · 24:00
#dm outreach#sales#common ground#linkedin networking

Story· 1

Story26:30

The Commute Routine Hala Used to Grow on LinkedIn

While holding a full-time corporate job and producing a podcast, Hala incorporated LinkedIn into existing parts of her day. She prepared assets in advance, wrote and published during her morning commute, checked engagement at lunch, and handled direct messages on the journey home.

  • Bank photographs, quotes, and videos before writing posts
  • Publish once in the morning rather than repeatedly
  • Use brief breaks to reply to selected comments
  • Handle direct messages during a separate time block
  • Integrate platform work into an existing daily routine

So I just told myself I was gonna post every single morning on the train.

Hala Taha · 26:30

Then on the way home from my commute, I would do all my DMs and I'd respond to my DMs and I'd retarget people on…

Hala Taha · 30:30
#daily routine#time management#consistency#linkedin growth

Tool· 1

Tool34:30

Three AI Uses That Speed Up LinkedIn Content Production

AI can accelerate ideation, visual production, and short-form video editing without replacing human judgment. Hala suggests learning from lookalike creators' formats, grounding generated posts in a personal story journal, creating additional images from an existing photo library, and extracting clips from long-form footage.

  • Analyze formats used by creators with the audience you want
  • Ground generated posts in personal stories and expertise
  • Edit AI drafts rather than publishing them untouched
  • Use image generation to extend a bank of authentic photographs
  • Use Opus Clip to locate promising moments in long-form video

And the thing is is that AI is like a really good assistant.

Hala Taha · 35:00

So you want to take that content and actually perfect it because it's not going to be perfect, but it will generate ideas and will…

Hala Taha · 35:30
#ai tools#chatgpt#opus clip#content creation#linkedin

Takeaway· 5

Takeaway06:00

The Signals That Make LinkedIn Treat a Post as Spam

LinkedIn initially scans posts for prohibited or low-quality signals. Beyond obvious violations, excessive tags, hashtags, links, and dense paragraphs can reduce distribution before a post has an opportunity to earn engagement.

  • Avoid profanity, nudity, and offensive material
  • Do not include unnecessary phone numbers or email addresses
  • Limit excessive tagging, hashtags, and links
  • Format posts for scanning rather than using dense paragraphs

So that's why on LinkedIn you see this line by line style that a lot of the influencers use because you actually don't want to…

Hala Taha · 07:00

They don't want to be lectured.

Hala Taha · 07:30
#linkedin algorithm#spam filter#post formatting#content quality
Takeaway16:00

LinkedIn DMs Can Increase Future Content Visibility

Direct-message conversations can support both relationship building and content distribution. Hala claims that when someone replies to a DM, that person becomes substantially more likely to see the sender's content during a future LinkedIn session.

  • DMs can strengthen the relationship between two accounts
  • Replies may increase future feed visibility
  • DM funnels can direct audiences toward podcasts and webinars
  • A DM strategy can amplify, but is not required for, viral reach

But on LinkedIn itself, the highest viral action is a DM.

Hala Taha · 16:00

So if you DM somebody and they DM you back, they're 85% more likely to see your content the next time they log on.

Hala Taha · 16:00
#linkedin dms#content distribution#relationship building#audience growth
Takeaway28:00

Why You Should Not Post and Ghost on LinkedIn

LinkedIn reportedly evaluates whether an author remains active after publishing. Hala recommends engaging with relevant creators immediately after posting, then returning periodically to selected comments and reshares to sustain momentum without over-commenting.

  • Stay active on LinkedIn after publishing
  • Comment on posts from creators with similar audiences
  • Reply to only some comments rather than answering everything immediately
  • Revisit the post periodically to renew activity
  • Engage with reshares to strengthen their content scores

Because LinkedIn also is judging author stickiness.

Hala Taha · 28:00

So as soon as you post, you actually want to go engage on other people's stuff.

Hala Taha · 28:00
#author stickiness#community engagement#posting strategy#linkedin
Takeaway31:30

How to Signal That You Are a LinkedIn Video Creator

LinkedIn is investing in video, but video does not automatically outperform other formats for every account. Creators may need to publish distinctive video consistently, use strong cover images, and include captions for professionals browsing without sound.

  • LinkedIn is actively investing in video distribution
  • Consistent publishing can train the platform and audience to expect video
  • Distinctive visual storytelling is preferable to generic talking-head clips
  • A strong static thumbnail can increase receptiveness
  • Captions matter because many professionals browse without sound

And basically you need to train LinkedIn that you're a video creator.

Hala Taha · 32:00

They're scrolling on LinkedIn without the sound on.

Hala Taha · 33:30
#linkedin video#video marketing#thumbnails#captions
Takeaway37:00

Hala's Timeline for Becoming a LinkedIn Influencer

Hala estimates that one year of sustained focus can establish someone as a LinkedIn influencer. AI may shorten content-production time, but hands-on posting, engagement, experimentation, and learning remain necessary—especially at the beginning.

  • Plan for a sustained one-year commitment
  • Set aside regular daily time for publishing and engagement
  • Use AI to accelerate preparation rather than automate relationships
  • Stay hands-on long enough to learn what performs
  • Turn the work into a repeatable habit

I would say one year of focus, you'll become an influencer on LinkedIn.

Hala Taha · 37:00

but the actual posting and engagement still needs to be you on LinkedIn.

Hala Taha · 37:30
#consistency#personal branding#linkedin growth#creator habits