We exchanged details, I sorted the repairs and moved on. Fast forward to this summer: he decided to take me to court, claiming thousands of pounds in damage for a car he had admitted at the time was untouched.
I shared the story on LinkedIn, complete with a photo of me standing next to the car. The post went viral with hundreds of thousands of views, hundreds of comments, waves of support, and more than a few “WTFs.”
It was one of my most visible posts ever. But it didn’t generate a single new business enquiry.
When viral doesn’t mean valuable
That’s the danger of chasing virality on LinkedIn. The dopamine hit is real, the likes, comments and views pouring in feel like progress. But more often than not, viral posts attract the wrong audience.
My car crash post connected with people on a human level, but it didn’t connect me with potential clients for my publishing business or personal branding consultancy. The attention was real, but the business impact was zero.
I call this the LinkedIn Illusion: confusing popularity with progress. Vanity metrics make us feel good, but they don’t always drive results.
The quiet posts that sell
Now, contrast that with another type of post I regularly share: updates about our writing retreats or LinkedIn training. These don’t go viral. A typical retreat post might get 40 or 50 likes and a handful of comments – hardly headline numbers compared to the car crash saga.
But here’s the difference: those posts directly sell spaces. They reach the right people, spark genuine conversations, and lead to bookings.
Less reach. Less noise. More business.
Why you actually need both
Here’s the nuance. Viral posts may not convert directly, but they do grow your audience. LinkedIn’s algorithm ensures that when someone in your network engages, their connections often see your post too. That’s how you build awareness far beyond your immediate circle.
And sometimes, those “random” posts are the nudge a lurker needs. Someone who’s been silently following your content for months might suddenly message: “I’ve been meaning to reach out.”
So it’s not about choosing between viral visibility and targeted posts. It’s about balance: using big-reach content to bring new people into your world, and consistent, relevant content to convert the right ones.
Redefining success
If you want LinkedIn to deliver for your business, stop asking “How many people saw this?” and start asking:
- Did this post reach the people I want to reach?
- Did it spark meaningful conversations?
- Did it reinforce my credibility in my field?
- Did it lead to real opportunities offline?
Those are the metrics that matter.
Final word
I don’t regret posting about my car crash – it connected with people, and that has its own value. But it was a sharp reminder that visibility and viability aren’t the same thing.
The secret is to use LinkedIn strategically: let the viral posts grow your reach, and let the focused, niche posts grow your business. It’s a balance I teach every day in the LinkedIn training we run for founders and corporates, because when you understand how LinkedIn really works, it stops being an illusion and starts being one of the most effective tools in your business toolkit.
