<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0e9e2007-4dea-4309-b5b1-99c906ba06d6/1d00e6e8-78c0-4402-aade-594485c36df2/Founder_Bullet.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0e9e2007-4dea-4309-b5b1-99c906ba06d6/1d00e6e8-78c0-4402-aade-594485c36df2/Founder_Bullet.png" width="40px" /> My Gift to You: Hey Founders. Use this to grow your LinkedIn faster than you thought possible. This guide will help you 10x your following in half the time. Let’s win together.
- Matt
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This format combines your hook with a visual image to catch the audience's eye. This winning combination stops scrollers in their tracks. Once they’re convinced to click "See More," you deliver massive value through a list of interesting statements or surprising ideas related to the hook.
As with all LinkedIn posts, the Hook of your Long-form List post is especially important.
Focus on the first three lines of the post:
The first 3 lines of the post are the only thing that’s seen in the main LinkedIn feed – until you click “See more” to read the full post.
In other words, this is the ONLY thing most people see – and then move on. Because it’s not compelling enough.
That’s why you should spend 60% or more of your total time creating LinkedIn content on these three lines.
Get it right. Don’t develop the rest of the content unless these three lines are strong.
Note that blank lines are included in the 3-line limit – so even if there’s only 2 lines of text here, if you have a blank line between, that counts toward the 3 line total.
Three tips for great hooks in this format:
For the body of the post, you’ll want to come up with between 7 and 9 items for your numbered list.
This isn’t a law: that number of items just tends to perform well on LinkedIn.
What matters most is that you provide big value without asking the reader to read a full 10,000 word “blog post” of content.
Keep each line of your list short - between 3 and 12 words per line.
The less you need to make your point, the easier your post is to read!
Experiment with format, but I like this approach:
After your complete your list, consider adding a short End of Post Summary. Try to end on an inspirational or provocative note.
(Remember: short lines and as few words as needed!)
I also recommend adding in a short “Call to Action section” after your main post ends.
Separate that section with a “–” as a divider to make it clear it’s not part of the main post.
In the call-to-action, ask for engagement.
Ask them what they thought of the post. Do they have any additional tips?
Even better if you can offer a clear incentive for them commenting, such as a future post you’ll provide.
Any increase in engagement and LinkedIn will take that as a signal to boost your long-form list even further.
(Bonus: You can add an image to the post to give it extra appeal in the LinkedIn Feed. This isn’t necessary, but I recommend it! Every bit of value helps.)
Study these top examples of Long-form Lists from my own LinkedIn page:
This took me 10 years to learn
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Long-form Carousels are essentially long-format lists broken into a series of square, clickable images. This allows viewers to easily read a longer series of bite-sized posts without having to click to a new page. Carousels take some extra work to generate (see instructions below), but can win you millions of impressions once you can crack their code.