How much of what you see on LinkedIn is still written by people? In 2023, the social networking app launched an AI-powered assistant to generate personalized writing suggestions, which 7 in 10 users now rely on when posting a comment or reply.
Quality comments are the most effective metric to increase visibility, according to the 2024 LinkedIn algorithm report. (When your post receives a comment judged as valuable, it boosts reach by 15 times more than receiving a like and five times more than a share.) If the vast majority of comments are AI, what does that mean for building your brand?
Customer service influencer Craig Davis, who has over 26,000 LinkedIn followers, spoke with b. on how to keep your LinkedIn presence organically growing and organic-sounding.
Craig Davis / LinkedIn
b.: So, what would you say makes a LinkedIn comment stand out and genuinely add value to the conversation?
Davis: Well, from my experience, a good comment that stands out starts with reading the post. Share your own tips, resources or a story that shows you’ve read the post while expanding on its message. Keep it straight to the point, while also keeping mobile readers in mind because most people read the comments on their phone. So you want to make sure the comment is easy to read and follow …
Let’s say someone landed a new job or a promotion. I wouldn’t just congratulate them, but I’d ask an interesting question like, “What are you most looking forward to learning in your new role?” Asking questions like this shows others that you’re engaged, increases your chances for a response, and makes your profile stand out.
b.: How can people show off their expertise without coming off as too self-promotional?
Davis: Well, the fine line is you want to strike a balance as someone who’s helpful and knows their stuff … So in other words, being a helping hand for the people that may not [know] you.
b.: Tell me a little bit about your 12 years of customer service experience at Hilton Worldwide. During that time, what did you learn about interactions in the workplace that translates to what you’re doing now with helping people write better LinkedIn messages?
Davis: What I’ve learned regarding my experience from working at hotels is that people want to be heard. They want to be seen and valued. It’s more about how you treat others with respect, and it’s also how you treat yourself with respect.
So I take that same approach with my comments. It’s going above and beyond in the same way I would do with customers.
b.: What are some of the most common mistakes you see business professionals make when commenting on LinkedIn?
Davis: One of the biggest mistakes that I see when it comes to comments is people using AI to automate their comments. It robs them of any personality and the ability to share your experiences with your audience. It just feels soulless and heartless.
b.: There’s a pop-up feature on LinkedIn that suggests prewritten messages. Is this a helpful tool or could it lead to everyone sounding the same?
Davis: It’s something that makes the messages more robotic, and it’s not personalized. It doesn’t feel like a human is speaking to a human. It feels like a robot is speaking to a human, and it just doesn’t feel good.
b.: Should LinkedIn users use AI when writing comments?
Davis: First off, if you’re using AI, you have to ask yourself, “Why … ?” Because you never needed AI to write a book report at school. So there’s no reason why you would actually put that into social media.
I wouldn’t think that you should be using AI unless you’re trying to practice writing comments to be able to get better. It’s more like training wheels. When you’re going to speak with other top thought leaders, you can’t be using AI for it, because then you’re just not being honest to who you are.
So personally, I’ve never used AI. I’ve always been someone that focuses on the old-school way of putting in the work every day, no matter how I feel.
b.: Do you think people use AI because they want to sound like everyone else and fit in?
Davis: My feeling about why people use AI a lot is because, one, it would come down to getting things done quickly at the sacrifice of quality. Second, there are people who don’t speak English as their first language, so they use AI to be able to train themselves. And third, the reason why people use AI most of all is because they don’t want to put in the work of what it takes to be excellent, so they use it more of like a crutch, instead of focusing more on developing their own skills …
It comes down to getting out of your comfort zone a little bit. I understand that it’s scary … because now you’re someone that’s not fitting in with the crowd. But at the same time, if you’re going to stand out and become the best version of yourself, you have to do things that other people won’t do.
b.: With the acceleration of generative AI, how do you predict LinkedIn comments will evolve?
Davis: Regarding the next couple of years, and even longer than that, there’s going to be a bigger gap between generic AI prompt comments and people leaving value-driven comments. People who put a price on putting in the work in their words to make sure they express themselves, those are people who will win out in the end.
b.: Have you seen examples where well-crafted LinkedIn comments led to measurable career or business opportunities?
Davis: I’ve seen it, and I can even testify to it. Last year [career coach] Loren Greiff invited me to be a guest on her podcast after reading one of my comments. It shows that when you leave good comments consistently at a high level, there are people who take notice.
b.: What advice would you give to small-to-medium business owners who are trying to build up their own brand presence on LinkedIn?
Davis: First, figure out the topics you’re interested in and the people you want to engage with. Make a list, track when they post, and try to comment early. But whether you’re first or not, focus on leaving a comment that adds value and speaks to the author’s words. If they ask a question, answer it — but always read the post first. Too many people skip that step and end up commenting on something that’s already addressed, which just shows they didn’t pay attention.
Not every comment that you’re going to leave will be as well-received as you would think. Look back at the comments you leave, and focus on how you can improve on them. You want to make sure the comments two days from now are better than the comments you left two days before. Having that mindset is how you shatter your own limitations and improve.
It’s all about experience. If you are using AI, I mean, you can use it for a bit, but sooner or later, just like when you ride a bike, you have to take the training wheels off. It’s a skill. It takes practice. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.
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