How to Get Out of a Social Media Slump: From 200K to 4.5M in 30 Days

It’s a tale as old as social media.

You put tons of effort into LinkedIn posts, only to watch them fade quietly into obscurity.

I’ve been there. It’s incredibly frustrating, especially as a financial advisor or professional, where every minute spent on social media could instead be spent onboarding a new client or nurturing existing ones.

It’s a slippery slope.

When your posts aren’t getting traction, it’s easy to lose motivation.

You post less, your reach drops further, and the cycle continues.

A month ago, I was stuck in exactly that place, pulling about 200,000 monthly impressions and questioning the value of my time investment. But instead of giving up, I made a few strategic adjustments to my approach.

The result? Within just 30 days, my LinkedIn posts surged from around 200K impressions to over 4.5 million.

Here’s my playbook for exactly how I turned things around, without paying for ads, buying followers, or spending all day posting.

Here’s a simple truth about LinkedIn’s algorithm: your content is shown to your followers/connections first. If your followers engage with it, LinkedIn shows it to their networks.

So, if you’re in a drought for reach, here’s your first goal: create posts your existing audience can’t resist.

What did I do? I lobbed up a meatball anyone would swing at:

Cute puppy pics. I mean, how could I not? (Post)

This is Poseidon:

Right?

While my usual mantra for financial advisors is to deliver educational and informational value consistently, there’s always room for personal posts.

Mix it up. Share personal stories, milestones, funny observations, or relatable challenges. This is an easy way to build initial engagement. Your followers enjoy seeing the person behind the advisor, which encourages more interactions, likes, comments, and shares.

▶️ Easy engagement expands your reach, creating a larger "engaged with" circle and setting you up for greater visibility on future posts.

Don’t fight the machine. Play the game they’re asking you to play.

Platforms reward users who adopt their latest tools early. Right now, LinkedIn is pushing video hard. They want to compete with TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Short clips explaining a timely topic or sharing practical advice perform exceptionally well.

They’re also launching interesting little features around it. If you open up the LinkedIn app, you’ll see their new dedicated video tab. Within that, you’ll see their new Trends feature.

This Trends feature groups videos about different topics. You can tap on one and click “post about this trend.” When you post your video, it gets clustered in with anyone looking at that trend.

The beauty about creating content on a platform with fewer professional content creators is that you’re not competing with many people. So jumping into these Trend clusters can really boost your views. LinkedIn’s algorithm pushes your content in front of far more eyes.

So what did I do when my initial puppy picture post only got a few thousand views?

I hit ‘em with a 1-2 combo and did a PUPPY VIDEO and posted it to the “WFH Hack” Trend. (Post)

Yes, it was silly, but you have to have fun sometimes. I’m usually posting about pretty serious stuff, so it was a nice break to share about my little fluff monster.

This one seems obvious, but it's the most challenging to maintain.

Even as I write it, I’m like, “But do I have to?”

Yes. If you’re complaining about how your posts don’t get any engagement or reach, but you’re spending no time at all engaging with other posts, you can’t complain.

If you never engage with your audience, why should they engage with you?

Most social media platforms are about community building. Think about each one of your posts as if it were an event you’re hosting. You need to do the groundwork in advance to build your network, talk to people, and get them to want to show up.

People aren’t going to start a conversation with you online without a little warmup.

The good news is that it’s easy to find the people who might engage with your posts. It’s the people on your feed.

People active on LinkedIn naturally feel more comfortable engaging with posts from users they recognize.

Spend just 10–15 minutes each day commenting meaningfully on your connections' posts. It’s not just a good networking practice; it signals to LinkedIn’s algorithm that you’re an active member who deserves to have your content pushed out more broadly.

Quick tip: When people comment on your posts, reply quickly and authentically. It encourages repeat engagement. It also provides a good signal to the algorithm that the post is worth spreading. Conversations are good.

Comments are usually opinions. If you want more people to share their opinions, make it easy for them. You need to pick topics they already have opinions about.

You don't have to chase controversy, but choosing topics where opinions naturally vary helps spark genuine interaction.

Two recent topics worked exceptionally well for me:

1) Tariffs and global trade policies: inherently political, even if my posts were nonpartisan economics discussions

2) Student loans: highly politicized and emotional for many people

For example, I recently posted about the risks of rising student loan delinquencies and the impact on the economy. It wasn’t far off from posts I’ve done about delinquencies in credit card debt or mortgages. Still, the mere mention of student loans spurred tons of comments from people opining on whether student loans should be forgiven or not, despite the fact that I never discussed loan forgiveness in the post at all.

Here’s the thing: none of this is a magic bullet. There’s no secret formula to guarantee viral success overnight, regardless of what social media gurus selling courses will tell you.

LinkedIn success is about building consistent habits, delivering value, and adapting based on what you learn.

I've been posting consistently on LinkedIn for about 18 months, and that's how I built this following. It wasn't an overnight process. Every time you post, analyze your results. Notice what gets traction and what doesn't, and then adapt your strategy accordingly.

And remember: chasing engagement with every single post isn’t necessary.

Engagement isn’t even always the key. One of my posts that reached half a million people last month only got two comments and a few dozen likes. It did well because it was a thoughtful, educational post that people watched and read through. They learned something from it.

Always prioritize value first. The best-performing posts on LinkedIn help people better themselves. Demonstrate your unique expertise and provide for your audience.

The bottom line: Whether you post five times a week or just twice, consistency and value are the two most important ingredients.

Want to keep that consistency simple and sustainable?

Share Scoops Pro helps financial advisors create compelling posts and newsletters in minutes.

Book a demo today and see how you can boost your visibility like me, without burning out.