How to not be cringey on LinkedIn

We’ve all seen them. The posts that make you cringe. The connection requests that feel like a one-way ticket to a sales pitch. The content that leaves you wondering, is this LinkedIn or Facebook?

LinkedIn is brilliant for building your brand, making connections, and actually landing business.
But some habits? They’re doing more harm than good.

Here are a few LinkedIn behaviours that could use a hard rethink. My top LinkedIn peeves are:

1. The Instant Sales Pitch
It starts off innocently enough:

“Hey, I see we have 50 connections in common.”
Seems legit. I accept.

Not even 10 seconds later:

“I help businesses like yours get 500 leads a week! You’re missing out!”

Mate, no.

🚫 Why this doesn’t work: It’s like proposing on the first date. Too soon, too pushy, and way too generic.

✅ What to do instead: Engage first. Comment on posts. Personalise your message. Make it relevant. Not just another copy-paste pitch.

2. The ‘BUY FROM ME’ Posters
Every single post is a sales pitch. Every caption screams LOOK AT ME! BUY MY THING!

🚫 Why this doesn’t work: If every post is just selling, people stop paying attention. They start wondering why no one else seems to be buying.

✅ What to do instead: Share insights. Tell stories. Celebrate wins with your audience, not at them. The best sales content doesn’t feel like sales content.

3. The Brag-Fest – Look at me Kimmy!
You should absolutely celebrate your wins. But if every post is a humblebrag, award announcement, or screenshot of another milestone, it starts to feel… one-sided.

🚫 Why this doesn’t work: People want a conversation, not a running commentary of how amazing you are.

✅ What to do instead: Share the lesson behind the win. Instead of “I just made the Top 100 Entrepreneurs List!” try “Here’s what I learnt along the way (and what I’d do differently next time).”

4. The Post-and-Ghost
Dropping content but never engaging? It’s like throwing a party, making a grand entrance, and then disappearing.

🚫 Why this doesn’t work: LinkedIn is about building relationships, not broadcasting. If you never reply to comments or interact, why should people keep engaging with you?

✅ What to do instead: If you’re posting, commit to showing up. Reply. Start conversations. Comment on other people’s stuff. That’s how LinkedIn actually works.

5. The Made-Up Life Lessons
You’ve seen them:
“My toddler refused to eat his broccoli today. It reminded me of how we resist things that are good for us in business.”

Or worse:
“The barista got my coffee order wrong. It made me reflect on the importance of active listening.”

🚫 Why this doesn’t work: Not everything needs to be a profound metaphor. People can spot a forced story a mile away.

✅ What to do instead: Tell real stories. Not everything is a life lesson. And if it is, make sure it’s not straight from the ‘LinkedIn cringe’ playbook.

(Side note: There’s an entire Instagram account Best of LinkedIn, dedicated to these posts, and the comments are brutal. Highly recommend.)

So, What’s the Fix?
If you want to stand out on LinkedIn without the cringe, here’s what actually works:

✔️ Post with purpose, not just to fill a gap.
✔️ Build relationships before pitching.
✔️ Create content people actually want to engage with.
✔️ Mix your sales content with value-driven posts.
✔️ Be real. People can tell when you’re faking it.

And if you’re thinking, Cool, but how do I actually do that? 

The LinkedIn Game Plan

A strategy designed to bring in leads and close sales—without making you sound like a desperate salesperson.

A personalised strategy where you get:
✔️ A play-by-play guide to setting up your LinkedIn foundations
✔️ What to talk about so your audience actually listens
✔️ How to show up and engage without feeling awkward
✔️ A connection strategy that builds real relationships (not just numbers)
✔️ A content plan so you’re never stuck on what to post.

Sound like something you need? Get in touch and ask about my LinkedIn Game Plan.