So, what is a document style post?
Quite literally, document style posts are simply pdfs or documents that are added below the main text of your post.
Once you have finished writing the text for your post, you simply upload a pdf file as opposed to an image. Now of course, you will need to make sure that any graphics that you have created have been saved as a pdf instead of an image, but after that, it really is as simple as clicking ‘add file’ and selecting your chosen pdf from wherever you have stored it on your computer. The clever thing about this is that it will appear as a single image in your post but once viewers began to engage, they will need to scroll through the pages of your pdf as if viewing a slide show or reading a book.
The interactive nature of document posts can increase engagement by playing to people’s curiosity – they are less expected than an image and can somehow appear more professional. Having several slides within your document post can encourage viewers to stick around simply because they are curious to find out what’s next!
It is no surprise that LinkedIn, just like the other social media platforms wants its users to hang around for as long as possible and if your posts encourage your viewers to do just that, then you will be rewarded by a gentle push from the algorithms thereby increasing your reach. The reasoning behind this is that, if people are taking time to view your content, then it must be good content!
Now there are a few things to bear in mind when creating your document style posts:
Firstly, make sure that any text is big enough to be readable. Cramming your document with lines and lines of tiny text will simply discourage viewers and let’s face it, none of us have time to download, enlarge and re-view content, so if it can’t be read the first time, then it is unlikely to be read at all – less is most definitely more in this case!
Secondly, make sure that your document size is correct and accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. It is easy to appropriately size documents in programs such as canva – you are looking for 1080 x 1350 px ideally. This can be done by selecting create post, followed by custom size, and setting the size that you need before creating your design. Add multiple pages to your design to create a carousel of eye-catching slides.
And finally, remember that LinkedIn engages a different audience to Instagram for example, so try to make sure that your slides contain some substance in the form of text that informs or gives value to your audience, simply making a slideshow of pictures may not create the right level of engagement from your ideal customer; you want them to get to know you – people buy from people after all.
TOP TIPS
- If creating your post in Canva, when you come to download your design, be sure to select PDF before you download
- Write some attention-grabbing copy to make sure that viewers are keen to view your document
- Create more than one page to make a carousel of slides – keep the slides eye-catching and make sure that text is clearly VISIBLE!
In summary, creating designs and visuals for your next LinkedIn post through document style posts, can turn your static text into something that pops and helps you to gain interest. Carousel posts by their nature are interactive – they require the viewer to engage and scroll through – thus keeping them on the platform for longer and more importantly keeping them focused on your content. Why not give them a try and watch your engagement grow?!