I remember the first time I spent an hour writing a LinkedIn post, hit publish, and watched it get 47 views. No comments. Two likes — one from my college friend, one from my mother.
I thought LinkedIn was broken. Or maybe nobody cared about social impact content. Or maybe I was just not interesting enough.
Turns out, none of that was true. I was just writing LinkedIn posts the wrong way.
Over the years, I have learned what works and what does not. Some posts I wrote reached thousands of people. Some disappeared into the void. The difference was never luck. It was always craft.
If you are a social entrepreneur trying to build visibility on LinkedIn, this is what I wish someone had told me when I started.
Why LinkedIn Matters for Social Entrepreneurs
Before we get into the how, let me tell you why I even bother with LinkedIn.
When I started Marpu Foundation, I had no connections. No corporate network. No reputation. I was a teenager trying to convince serious business people to trust me with their CSR budgets.
LinkedIn became my door.
It is where CSR heads discover NGOs. It is where journalists find stories. It is where potential partners, donors, and collaborators notice your work. It is where you build credibility without needing a PR agency.
One good LinkedIn post can do what months of cold emails cannot. It puts you in front of people who would never have found you otherwise.
But here is the thing — most social entrepreneurs write LinkedIn posts that nobody reads. They share updates nobody cares about. They sound like everyone else. And then they wonder why LinkedIn does not work for them.
It does work. You just have to learn how to use it.
The Biggest Mistake I Made Early On
When I started posting on LinkedIn, I wrote like I was filing a report.
“Marpu Foundation conducted a tree plantation drive in Hyderabad. 500 saplings were planted. We thank our volunteers and partners for their support.”
That is not a post. That is a press release. And nobody reads press releases on social media.
The problem was I was writing about what we did instead of why it mattered. I was listing facts instead of telling stories. I was trying to sound professional instead of being human.
The moment I changed my approach, everything changed.
Start With a Hook That Stops the Scroll
LinkedIn is a crowded feed. People are scrolling fast. You have about two seconds to make them stop.
Your first line is everything.
If your first line is boring, nobody reads the rest. If your first line is interesting, people click “see more” and keep reading.
What makes a good hook?
Conflict or tension.
“I was rejected by 14 companies before one said yes.”
A surprising statement.
“The worst advice I ever received was to think big.”
A question that triggers curiosity.
“What do you do when your biggest donor suddenly stops funding?”
A bold opinion.
“Most CSR activities are a waste of money. Here is why.”
Your hook does not have to be dramatic. It just has to create a gap — a reason for the reader to want to know more.
Write Like You Talk
LinkedIn is not a formal document. It is a conversation.
The posts that perform best are the ones that sound like a real person talking. Not a brand. Not an institution. A human being with thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Read your post out loud before publishing. Does it sound like something you would actually say to a friend? Or does it sound like a corporate announcement?
Remove the jargon. Remove the buzzwords. Write in simple sentences. Use “I” and “you” freely. Do not be afraid to be conversational.
The social sector is full of complicated language. Impact assessment frameworks. Theory of change. Stakeholder engagement matrices. Nobody wants to read that on LinkedIn.
Say what you mean in the simplest possible way. Clarity beats cleverness every time.
Tell Stories, Not Updates
Here is the difference between a forgettable post and a memorable one.
Forgettable: “We distributed 200 solar lamps to students in rural Telangana this week.”
Memorable: “Last week, I met a girl named Priya in a village with no electricity. She studies under a streetlight every night because her home is too dark. When I handed her a solar lamp, she did not say thank you. She just started crying. That moment broke something in me. It also reminded me why I do this work.”
Same activity. Completely different impact.
People do not remember statistics. They remember stories. They remember emotions. They remember moments that made them feel something.
Whenever you write about your work, find the human story inside it. Who was affected? What changed for them? What did you feel? What did you learn?
That is what people connect with.
Make It About Them, Not Just You
Here is a trap I fell into for a long time. I kept writing about myself and my organization. My achievements. My milestones. My updates.
Nobody cares.
Okay, that is harsh. Some people care. But most people scrolling LinkedIn are asking one question: “What is in it for me?”
The best posts give something to the reader. A lesson they can apply. A perspective they had not considered. Inspiration for their own journey. Practical advice they can use.
When I write about a mistake I made, I am not just sharing my story. I am helping someone else avoid the same mistake.
When I write about something that worked, I am not bragging. I am offering a blueprint someone else can follow.
Always ask yourself: what does the reader get from this post? If the answer is nothing, rewrite it.
Be Honest About the Hard Stuff
The social sector has a positivity problem on LinkedIn.
Everyone is “thrilled” to announce something. Every project is “impactful.” Every partnership is “exciting.” Every milestone is “humbling.”
It is all so polished that it feels fake.
The posts that resonate most are the ones that tell the truth. The struggles. The doubts. The failures. The moments when you wanted to quit.
I have written about projects that did not go as planned. About times when I felt completely lost. About rejections that stung.
Those posts always get the most responses. Because they are real. Because other people are going through the same thing and nobody else is talking about it.
You do not have to share everything. But do not pretend everything is perfect either. People connect with honesty, not highlight reels.
Keep It Readable
Long paragraphs kill engagement.
When someone sees a wall of text, their brain says “too much effort” and they scroll past.
Break your post into short paragraphs. One to two sentences each. Let white space do the work.
Use simple formatting. A line break after each thought. Occasional bold or emphasis if needed. But do not overdo it.
The goal is to make reading feel effortless. Each line should pull the reader to the next line. Before they know it, they have read the whole post.
End With Something That Invites Response
The best posts do not just end. They open a door.
Ask a question. Invite opinions. Encourage people to share their own experiences.
“Have you faced something similar? I would love to hear your story.”
“What would you have done differently?”
“Drop a comment if this resonated with you.”
LinkedIn rewards engagement. When people comment, the algorithm shows your post to more people. A post with 50 comments will reach far more people than a post with 500 likes and zero comments.
Make it easy for people to respond. Give them a prompt. Make them feel like their opinion matters.
Post Consistently, Not Constantly
I do not post every day. I do not think you need to either.
What matters more than frequency is consistency. If you post once a week, post once a week every week. If you post twice a week, stick to that rhythm.
Consistency builds expectation. People start looking forward to your posts. The algorithm learns to trust you.
But do not sacrifice quality for quantity. One thoughtful post per week beats seven forgettable ones.
Do Not Chase Virality
I have had posts that reached a lot of people. I have also had posts that barely got any traction.
Here is what I learned — virality is unpredictable and often meaningless.
A post can go viral and bring you followers who do not actually care about your work. A post can get modest reach but bring you the one partnership that changes everything.
Focus on writing for your audience, not for the algorithm. Write for the CSR manager who might fund your next project. Write for the young founder who is two years behind you on the same path. Write for the volunteer who might join your mission.
Those people matter more than vanity metrics.
Your Voice is Your Advantage
Here is the truth about LinkedIn. There are thousands of social entrepreneurs posting about their work. Most of them sound exactly the same.
Your voice is what makes you different.
How you see the world. How you tell stories. What you find funny. What makes you angry. What gives you hope. Those things are unique to you.
Do not try to sound like someone else. Do not copy what worked for others. Find your own way of saying things.
It takes time. Your first fifty posts might feel awkward. But slowly, you find your rhythm. You discover what feels authentic to you. And that is when people start paying attention.
What I Would Tell My Younger Self
If I could go back and give myself one piece of advice about LinkedIn, it would be this: start before you feel ready.
I waited too long because I thought I had nothing valuable to say. I thought I needed more achievements, more credibility, more experience.
That was wrong.
Your journey is valuable at every stage. The lessons you are learning right now matter to someone who is one step behind you. Your struggles are relatable. Your small wins are inspiring.
You do not need permission to share your voice. You do not need a certain number of followers to have something worth saying.
Just start. Write what you know. Write what you feel. Write what you wish someone had told you.
The rest will follow.
Final Thought
LinkedIn is not about personal branding. It is not about looking good. It is about being useful.
Every post is a chance to help someone. To teach something. To inspire action. To start a conversation that matters.
As social entrepreneurs, we are not selling products. We are building movements. And movements grow when people hear stories that move them.
Your story matters. Your perspective matters. Your voice matters.
Use it.
write to me at raghu@marpu.org. Always happy to connect with fellow founders.
KADIRI RAGHU VAMSI 
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