If you've spent any time scrolling through your LinkedIn, you probably get sick of the self-congratulatory updates and toxically-positive posts after two minutes. But some influencers are embracing the cringe and making themselves the butt of LinkedIn jokes – and making millions in the process.
LinkedIn doesn't just want to be a job board – the platform wants to become creator-focused like Instagram or Twitter. But the platform's having a tough time escaping the self-aggrandizing virtue-signaling posts.
Some call this new style of LinkedIn posts “broetry.” From the CEO who posted a selfie of himself crying before laying off workers, to those who brag about taking less vacation to prove they're #blessed and #builtdifferent, many LinkedIn posts start with a clickbait title, lack substance, and end with a cliché life lesson.
But some influencers are finding LinkedIn content creation to be lucrative, even if it's cringy. Some are flipping the joke on its head as they rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars posting inspirational, conventional wisdom on a platform described as “a puffy Patagonia vest in website form.”
Some of the most successful LinkedIn content creators make up to $2 million dollars annually. The most successful even find brand and career coaching deals from successful engagement on the platform.
Takeaway: Content creators aren't necessarily compensated for groundbreaking ideas or for being right – they get compensated when they're interesting. As cringe as LinkedIn posts can be, they're getting views and clicks, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, for some.
