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How to turn a blog post into a LinkedIn post

GoMimic TeamOctober 202614 min read

A blog post doesn't shrink into a LinkedIn post. It has five or six ideas, a heading for each, and room to explain. A LinkedIn post has room for one idea, and most readers only see its first line before deciding whether to tap "see more".

So the job isn't cutting a post down. It's picking the one thing in it worth saying on LinkedIn, and saying it the way that client would. This guide walks through how, step by step, with a full worked example at the end: one real-looking blog post turned into a company page post and a founder post. The examples in each step come from that same post, about restaurant food costs, so you can see how they fit together.

The short version

  1. Decide whose post it is. A company page and a person write differently.
  2. Pick one idea from the post. The number, the mistake, the story or the claim.
  3. Write the first line last. It's the only line most people see.
  4. Build three to five short paragraphs around that one idea, using what's in the post.
  5. Close with a clear next step or a specific question, not "Thoughts?".
  6. Decide what to do about the link.
  7. Check it against the source, then send it to the client for sign-off.
Seven steps to turn a blog post into a LinkedIn post: decide whose post it is, pick one idea, write the first line, build the body, close with a next step, decide on the link, then check it and send it to the client.
The first line gets the most attention, because it's the only line most people see.

Before you start: whose post is it?

The same blog post makes two different LinkedIn posts depending on who is posting it.

Two lists. A company page speaks as we, shares what it sees across its customers, offers a practical fix, and can point to a template, guide or service. A person at the client speaks as I, tells a specific moment, can admit a mistake, and can hold an opinion the company wouldn't sign.
Same blog post, two different posts.
  • A company page speaks as "we". It can share what the business has seen across its customers, and it can point to something useful: a template, a guide, a service. It shouldn't pretend to have feelings or a morning routine.
  • A person, usually the founder or an expert at the client, speaks as "I". Their post works best as a specific moment: something they saw, got wrong, or changed their mind about. It can have an opinion the company page wouldn't put its name to.

Many clients want both, and there's a reason. LinkedIn has said that employees' networks have, on average, ten times as many connections as their company page has followers. That figure is from 2017, so treat it as a direction rather than a measurement, but the point holds: people reach people a page doesn't.

Ask the client which one they want before you write anything. If the answer is both, that's two posts, not one post with two signatures.

Step 1: Find the one idea worth posting

Read the blog post and look for the single piece that works without the rest of the post around it. There are usually four kinds:

A blog post about food costs, with four kinds of idea that could each make a LinkedIn post: a number (twenty minutes every Monday), a mistake (reading food cost once a month), a story (the bistro owner in March) and a claim (monthly numbers arrive too late).
Most blog posts have more than one LinkedIn post in them.
  • A number. Something the post measured or counted. "Twenty minutes every Monday." "A month before it showed up in the numbers."
  • A mistake. Something readers are probably doing that the post says doesn't work.
  • A story. A specific moment with a specific customer, if the post has one.
  • A claim. A plain statement the client is willing to defend, ideally one some readers will disagree with.

A blog post often has more than one of these. That's good news: each one can be its own LinkedIn post, a week apart. More on that below.

What doesn't work is the summary. "In our latest post we cover five ways to improve your food costs" gives the reader no reason to stop, and no reason to click either.

Step 2: Write the first line

LinkedIn shows only the start of a post in the feed, then a "see more" link. LinkedIn doesn't publish exactly where the cut falls, and it varies by device and by how the post is laid out. Third-party formatting guides put it at roughly 140 characters on a phone and about 210 on a computer. On a phone, that's about one line.

That makes the first line the whole post for most readers. Write it last, once you know what the post says.

First lines that get skipped: a question, an announcement, and a generic claim any business could write. First lines that get read, taken from the post itself: a number, a specific moment, and a plain claim.
A good first line could only have been written about this post.

What tends to work, all of it drawn from the post itself:

  • Lead with the number. "Twenty minutes on a Monday caught a price rise a month early."
  • Name the mistake. "A monthly food cost number tells you what went wrong a month after you could have fixed it."
  • Start in the moment. "Last March I sat down with a bistro owner whose food cost looked fine on paper."
  • State the claim plainly. "Monthly reports are a history lesson."

What to avoid:

  • Opening with a question. "Are you struggling with food costs?" invites the reader to answer no and scroll on.
  • Announcing. "We're excited to share our latest blog post" tells the reader nothing about why they should care.
  • The generic hook. "Most restaurants get this wrong." Any business could write it about anything, which is why readers have learned to skip it.

Step 3: Build the body around that one idea

Three to five short paragraphs, one to three sentences each, with a blank line between them. That's what makes a post readable on a phone.

  • Say what the idea is. One or two sentences.
  • Give the evidence from the post. The example, the number, what happened.
  • Say what the reader can do with it. One practical step is enough.

Leave everything else in the blog post. If you find yourself writing "also" or "another thing", you've started a second post.

Use bullet points only if the content really is a list, like three steps in order. A post made of bullets reads like a slide, not like a person.

Step 4: Close with something specific

The last line decides what the reader does next. Two closes work:

  • A clear next step. "Message us and we'll send the count sheet we use." "The full setup is in the post linked below."
  • A specific question. "What's the one number you check every week?" is a question a reader can actually answer.

And two that don't:

  • "Thoughts?" It asks for nothing in particular, and it has become one of the most recognizable signs of a generic post. We covered where it comes from in how AI content repurposing actually works.
  • "Read the full post to learn more" with no link. It points at something the reader can't reach.

Step 5: Decide what to do about the link

This is the part of LinkedIn with the most folklore, so here's what's actually known.

  • LinkedIn hasn't said it penalizes links. The closest thing to official advice is from a LinkedIn product director, quoted by social media consultant Matt Navarra: make sure the post "could stand alone without the link".
  • Outside studies disagree. Some large analyses of posts, like AuthoredUp's review of more than 600,000 of them, find posts with a single link reach fewer people. Others find little difference. None of it is LinkedIn's own data.
  • "Put the link in the first comment" is a common workaround. LinkedIn has never said whether it helps.

The advice that holds whichever of those is true: write the post so it's worth reading without clicking anything. Then the link is a bonus, wherever it goes.

In practice:

  • If the client wants traffic to the blog post, include the link. Say in a few words what the reader gets by clicking.
  • If the post points somewhere else, like a template or a call, you may not need the blog link at all.
  • Whatever you choose, do it the same way every time for that client, so you can compare posts fairly.

Step 6: Check it against the source

Before it goes to the client, read the LinkedIn post next to the blog post and check:

  • Every number is in the blog post. Not rounded up, not "about" something it wasn't.
  • Every name, title and quote is in the blog post. And the client is happy for any customer to be mentioned.
  • The voice is right. A company page says "we". A person says "I". Neither talks about themselves in the third person.
  • It sounds like them. Read it as the client. Would they use that word? Would they ever use an exclamation mark?
  • The close has somewhere to go. If it mentions a link, a template or a message, that thing exists.

This step matters most when a tool drafted the post, because tools add numbers and phrases that were never in the source.

Step 7: Send it to the client

LinkedIn posts go out under the client's name, and in the founder's case under a person's name. They need a yes.

  • Send it with the blog post it came from, so the client can check the facts without hunting.
  • Send the week's posts together rather than one message per post.
  • Tell them what to check: facts, names and anything they'd rather not say in public. The format is your job.

If sign-off is where things stall, our guide to getting client sign-off without chasing covers follow-ups and what to do when a client goes quiet.

A worked example, start to finish

Here's the whole process on one blog post. The client is made up: a bookkeeping firm that works with restaurants, run by its founder, Dana. The blog post is written by Dana in the first person.

The blog post (an excerpt)

Most restaurant owners I work with look at food cost once a month, on the P&L. The trouble is that by the time that number arrives, the month's waste is already paid for.

Last March I sat down with the owner of a 60-seat bistro. Her monthly report put food cost at 29%, which looked fine. Her walk-in told a different story: her beef supplier had raised prices twice since the last invoice she'd checked closely.

We set up something small. Every Monday, someone counts the ten most expensive items on the shelves and writes down what they paid for each. It takes about twenty minutes.

Three weeks later, the Monday count caught the next price rise, a month before it would have shown up on the P&L.

The rest of the post covers how to set up the count sheet, which items to include and how to compare against invoices, and ends with a free template to download.

Picking the idea

The post has all four kinds of idea. The mistake is reading food cost monthly. The number is twenty minutes every Monday. The story is the bistro in March. The claim is that monthly numbers arrive too late to act on.

For the company page, the mistake is the strongest opening, and the template gives a clear next step. For Dana, the story is the obvious choice, because it happened to her.

The company page post

A monthly food cost number tells you what went wrong a month after you could have fixed it.

Most restaurant owners we work with check food cost once a month, on the P&L. By the time it arrives, the month's waste is already paid for.

The fix is small. Every Monday, count the ten most expensive items on your shelves and note what you paid for each. It takes about twenty minutes.

One 60-seat bistro we work with started in March. Three weeks later, the Monday count caught a supplier's price rise a month before it would have reached the P&L.

We've put the count sheet we use into a free template. Message us and we'll send it over.

The example company page post, annotated. The first line names the mistake and sits above the see more cut. The next lines give the problem and one practical fix, then the bistro example as evidence, then a close offering the template.
Each part does one job, and every fact in it comes from the blog post.

Everything in it comes from the blog post: the monthly P&L habit, the twenty minutes, the ten items, the bistro, the three weeks, the template. The 29% is left out because it only matters inside the story, and this version isn't telling the story.

Dana's post

Last March I sat down with a bistro owner whose food cost looked fine on paper. Her monthly report said 29%.

Her walk-in said otherwise. Her beef supplier had raised prices twice since the last invoice she'd read closely.

So we tried something small. Every Monday, someone counts the ten most expensive things on the shelves and writes down what they paid. Twenty minutes, one sheet.

Three weeks later, that count caught the next price rise, a month before the P&L would have.

I still read monthly reports. I just don't run a kitchen off them anymore.

Same source, same facts, a different post. It's in the first person, it's a moment rather than an argument, and it ends on a line that sounds like Dana rather than a call to action. A founder post doesn't have to sell anything.

The one line to check with Dana before posting is the last one. It's an opinion the blog post implies but never states in those words, so it's hers to approve.

One blog post, several LinkedIn posts

A blog post usually has more than one idea worth posting. Each makes its own post, spaced out so the blog post stays in front of people for longer.

A schedule of four LinkedIn posts from one blog post: in week 1, the company page posts the mistake and the founder posts the story; in week 3, the company page posts the how-to; in week 5, the founder posts the claim.
Different angles, spread out, keep one blog post working for weeks.

From the example above, that could look like:

  • Week 1, company page: the mistake, with the template as the next step.
  • Week 1, Dana: the bistro story.
  • Week 3, company page: the how-to. Which ten items to count, as a short list.
  • Week 5, Dana: the claim. Why she stopped trusting monthly numbers on their own.

Keep the angles different. Four posts making the same point in four ways reads as repetition, not persistence.

Other LinkedIn formats worth knowing

A text post is the default, but a blog post can also become:

  • A document post. Upload a PDF, PowerPoint or Word file and LinkedIn shows it as pages people swipe through, which is what most people mean by a LinkedIn carousel now. Files can be up to 300 pages and 100MB, and both people and company pages can post them. It suits a how-to or a list from the blog post: one step per page. (LinkedIn's own carousel posts are no longer available for regular posts, only for ads.)
  • A LinkedIn newsletter. Any member can start one. A company page needs at least 150 followers. Subscribers get a notification for each edition, so it suits a client who publishes regularly and wants each blog post to reach the same readers.
  • A LinkedIn article. Long form, up to 125,000 characters. You can publish a version of the blog post here, but ask the client first whether they want the same text in two places.

Length, formatting and hashtags: a quick reference

  • Length. A post can be up to 3,000 characters. You'll rarely need most of it. One idea usually fits in a few short paragraphs. LinkedIn doesn't publish a recommended length.
  • The cut. Only the opening shows before "see more". On a phone, plan for one line.
  • Paragraphs. Short, with a blank line between each.
  • Hashtags. LinkedIn's own advice has moved. Its company page guide still suggests three to five, while a LinkedIn product lead said in 2025 that hashtags are "a nice to have, not a need to have". A few relevant ones at the end is a safe middle. None is fine too.
  • Images. LinkedIn's page guidance says images typically get twice the comment rate. An image or chart from the blog post is usually enough.
  • Scheduling. You can schedule posts on LinkedIn itself, from a profile or from a company page, up to three months ahead.
  • Editing. You can edit a post's text after it goes out, but you can't swap its image, and it will show as edited. Get the approval before posting, not after.
  • What LinkedIn says it rewards. Its help page says the feed considers whether a post "provides knowledge or advice". A post built on one real idea from a blog post is exactly that.
  • How often. LinkedIn says companies that post weekly see twice the engagement with their content.

The mistakes that get a post sent back

  • It summarizes the blog post instead of saying one thing.
  • The first line is a question or an announcement.
  • It adds a number that isn't in the blog post. Clients notice, and so do their customers.
  • The person's post sounds like the company, or the company's post sounds like a person.
  • It uses words the client never would. Every client has a few. Keep a list.
  • It ends with "Thoughts?"

For more on getting the voice right, especially across several clients, see how to write LinkedIn posts for agency clients that sound like them.

Doing this for many clients every week

One post is easy. Fifteen clients, each publishing two blog posts a month, each wanting a company post and a founder post, is where it gets hard. Every post means remembering who that client is, how they sound, which words they avoid and who signs off.

What makes it manageable is keeping one record per client and starting every post from it:

  • Their real published posts, so anyone writing for them can read how they actually sound.
  • Which LinkedIn posts they want: company page, founder, or both.
  • Words they use and words they'd never use.
  • Changes they've asked for, so nobody makes the same mistake twice.
  • Who signs off, and how quickly they usually reply.

Where GoMimic fits

GoMimic does this for agencies with many clients.

  • Both kinds of LinkedIn post. A company page post and a founder post are separate formats, so one paste can give you both. It can also write the slides and caption for a LinkedIn carousel, ready to post as a document, or a LinkedIn newsletter from the same post, alongside newsletters, X threads and other formats you pick for that client.
  • In each client's voice. GoMimic learns how each client writes from their own published posts. A habit only counts once it shows up in three of them.
  • Built to the conventions above. A hook that has to land in the first line, short paragraphs, and no "Thoughts?" at the end.
  • Sign-off included. Send the set to your client, who approves it from a link with no login.

It doesn't post to LinkedIn for you. You, or your client, still publish, which also means a person reads every post before it goes out. You can try it on one of your client's blog posts without creating an account.

Questions people ask

How long should a LinkedIn post be?

As long as one idea needs, which is usually a few short paragraphs. LinkedIn allows up to 3,000 characters and doesn't recommend a length.

Should the link go in the post or in the first comment?

Nobody outside LinkedIn knows for sure, and LinkedIn hasn't said. Write a post that's worth reading without the link, then pick one approach per client and stick with it.

Can the company page and the founder share the same post?

They can post about the same blog post, but not the same words. The company post speaks as "we" and offers something useful. The founder's post speaks as "I" and tells a moment. Identical text on both reads as copy and paste, because it is.

How many LinkedIn posts can one blog post make?

Usually two to four, one for each distinct idea in it: a number, a mistake, a story, a claim. If two of them make the same point, they're one post.

When should the LinkedIn post go out?

The first one in the same week the blog post publishes, while it's new. Space the others out over the following weeks.

Can I just post the blog's introduction?

It rarely works. A blog introduction is written to lead into the rest of the post. On LinkedIn there is no rest of the post, so the introduction ends up promising something the reader never gets.

Do I need hashtags?

No. A few relevant ones won't hurt, but LinkedIn has said they're optional, and in 2025 it said it was getting rid of its hashtag feed.

Can I use AI to write it?

Yes, as long as someone checks it against the blog post and edits it for the client's voice before it goes out. AI drafts tend to add numbers that were never in the source and fall back on the same openers and closes as everyone else. We cover what to watch for in how AI content repurposing actually works.

Should I post the whole blog post as a LinkedIn article instead?

You can, but it's a different job. An article reaches the people who click into it. A post reaches the feed. Most clients get more from a good post that sends readers to the blog than from a second copy of the blog on LinkedIn.

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