What having a viral LinkedIn post taught me...
I never thought I'd write a blog post about going viral on LinkedIn. Mainly because I never thought it would happen to me, and also because there's something a bit cringey about writing about going viral, isn't there?
But here we are. One post about my ridiculous collection of unread business books, and suddenly I'm dealing with numbers I've never seen before: 1,400 comments, over 100,000 impressions, 415 profile views, 98 new followers.
And honestly? It was brilliant. And absolutely exhausting. And I'm not sure I want it to happen again anytime soon.
The LinkedIn notifications were relentless and my other content got completely overshadowed by this one post.
Why I wrote the post
The post wasn't strategic in the "let's go viral" sense, but I did write it with engagement in mind because every post needs a purpose (engagement, sales, authority, etc) and it was directed at our ideal clients - SME leaders. So I looked at my bookshelf, felt annoyed with myself for having yet another stack of unread business books, and thought "I bet our ideal clients do this too."
I took a photo of my embarrassingly large collection (and that wasn't even all of them!), wrote exactly what I was thinking, and posted it. The tone was conversational, slightly self-deprecating, and completely honest. Because that's how I always write on LinkedIn – I'm talking to people who run SMEs, who are juggling all the same challenges I am, who probably feel like frauds sometimes too and don't always get it right (who does?!).
Why it connected
I think it worked because it was real. Not polished, not trying to sell anything, not positioning me as an expert who has it all figured out. Just a business owner admitting to a very human, very relatable problem.
Business owners are drowning in content that tells them what they should be doing. But we're starved for content that says "hey, I struggle with this too." The vulnerability hit a nerve. And I didn't use AI, so it was very much natural language, which connects.
Plus, let's be honest, we all have those shelves/folders/bookmarks full of things we "should" consume but never do. The business books can be the visible symptom of something much bigger: the gap between our aspirations and our reality.
The Results (The good bit)
The numbers were mad:
Over 100,000 impressions
1,400+ comments (and counting)
98 new connections (who were ideal clients)
415 profile views
People joining my email list
People subscribing to my newsletter (hi, if that's you!)
Potential new clients reaching out
But here's the crucial bit: those 98 new connections? They were all my ideal clients. People who run SMEs, who face the same challenges, who would actually benefit from what I do.
This happened because – and this is the big lesson – I always write my posts to my ideal audience. Every single post I write is directed at people who run small and medium businesses. I'm not trying to appeal to everyone; I'm having a conversation with a very specific group of people.
If I'd written that post differently, or if I wasn't already strategic about my audience, I could have ended up with hundreds of random connections who'd be completely wrong for my business. What a waste of time that would have been.
The Results (The not so good bit!)
Going viral is a massive time suck. Massive.
At first, I replied to every comment because people were sharing genuinely helpful advice and being incredibly kind. It felt rude not to respond, but when I hit over 1,000 comments, I had to stop. I just didn't have the time to keep up, and I also didn't want to continue to fuel the post.
Ignoring comments feels rubbish, really rubbish. People took time to share thoughtful advice, and I couldn't acknowledge all of it. I felt like I was being rude, even though logically I knew it was impossible to reply to everyone. But, it was taking way too much time to do it. So if you commented and I didn't reply, I'm so sorry, but thank you for sharing, I'm very grateful.
Also, my other content got completely overshadowed, and I had some cool stuff to share!
The Big Lesson: Always write to your ideal client
The reason this worked out well for me (rather than being just a vanity metric boost) was not pure luck. I am strategic with my content, and it paid off.
Every post I write on LinkedIn is directed at my ideal client. Specifically people who run SMEs and are dealing with the messy reality of trying to grow a business. This means when something does take off, the people who engage are the right people. They're potential clients who actually need what I offer.
If you take one thing from this rambling post, let it be this: always write your content to your ideal client. It doesn't matter if fewer people see it initially. It matters that the right people see it.
And if you don't know who your ideal client is - we can help you with that at The Pocket Strategist !
For those interested: Here's what I did about my book problem....
I cleared out my bookshelf ruthlessly. Went from dozens of books down to just 12 – only the ones I'd actually already read and would reference again.
I'm not buying any more business books. Possibly ever. If there's a book I'm interested in, I'll decide why I want it, then research it properly first – listen to podcasts with the author, read summaries, check if I can get the core concepts elsewhere. I think doing that will mean I lose interest or get what I need through my research.
I'm switching to biographies instead. Turns out I prefer reading people's stories rather than business frameworks with endless padding.
One in, one out rule. I'll only buy a new book once I've finished what I'm currently reading.
It's okay not to finish books. Revolutionary concept, I know. But if I'm not enjoying it or getting value from it, I'm giving myself permission to stop and pass it on to someone else.
No book clubs. Several people suggested joining book clubs for accountability, but the thought of being forced to read something I'm not enjoying sounds like my personal hell (sorry!).
My conclusion
Going viral was a reminder that I'm building for the long game, not chasing quick wins. Yes, the visibility was brilliant, but sustainable growth comes from consistently connecting with the right people, not from viral moments that derail your week. Sometimes the best business strategy is choosing steady progress over short-term highs - even when those highs feel really good for your ego.
So, here's to the long game!
Katherine - Founder, The Pocket Strategist
