How to Build Credibility on LinkedIn

May 13, 2025

For the last few years, ‘authenticity’, ‘credibility’ and ‘thought leadership’ have become buzzwords for companies and entrepreneurs alike. When it comes to social media, everyone is competing to be the best – the most authentic, the most credible, a true expert in their field. But how are brands or individuals supposed to establish themselves as experts? How can we garner trust from our audience?

According to Ty Heath, the director of the B2B Institute at LinkedIn, “real people and networks drive trust and credibility.”

This cannot be overstated, especially now as technology is becoming omnipresent in our lives – and our workplaces. When you add value to your content, you grab your audiences’ attention. When you use real people, especially your employees, as brand ambassadors, you don’t just make noise, you build relationships.

So, how exactly, can you build these relationships?

Here are seven tips to help you out:

Understand your audience’s attention span.

For example, when it comes to video content on LinkedIn, 7-15 second videos perform best. To find your sweet spot, consider running A/B testing (i.e. share two posts and see which performs the best).

Engage your audience.

Whether it’s a short poll or Q&A, it’s critical that you give your followers a chance to participate in any conversation that you’re having. Respond to comments, build on followers’ perspectives and utilize talking points for future posts.

Amplify other voices.

Employees and clients will always be your best brand advocates. If an employee or client shares a post that mentions your company, respond to it!

Leverage thought leadership.

When it comes to industry expertise, you cannot overlook thought leaders. Whether it’s a client or employee sharing insights, you must do your due diligence and increase the reach.

There are a few ways this can happen:

• Re-share articles that employees or clients write.
• Celebrate your employees and clients’ victories and milestones.
• Comment on other industry leaders’ content, thereby driving additional traffic to your page.

Be timely.

As a rule of thumb, “trending” posts should be responded to within 24 hours. While you can respond after this short period, you won’t see the same results.

Be concise, but invite conversation.

To drive maximum engagement, social media powerhouses like Hootsuite recommend keeping comments between 10-99 characters. A simple “This is great!” won’t get you the results you’re looking for, but a “This is an interesting point. At our agency, we don’t use any tools to schedule social media posts. What do you use?” may.

Finally, remember to be authentic.

While “authenticity” is a buzz word, there’s a right way to cultivate it.

As Lauren Freund, the social media manager of Canva, says, “Don’t forget your bread and butter.” The things that make you or your brand you are still important, even in the ever-changing media landscape. Stay true to your values, goals and voice and you’ll rise above the noise and into the credibility zone.