If you've spent the last quarter increasing your posting cadence but your engagement has barely budged, your problem probably isn't volume. It's quality.
Most marketers hit publish wondering whether a post will perform. Will it reach enough people? Will it generate comments? Will the algorithm pick it up?
They're asking all the wrong questions while overlooking a much more important one:
Is it even worth reading?
Brand strategist Angus Clark believes that's the only filter that should count. As he puts it, "Is it worth reading? If it is, they'll stick around."
It's a deceptively simple question. It doesn't ask whether your post is optimized, whether you've followed the latest LinkedIn trend, or whether you've squeezed in enough keywords. It simply asks whether you've given someone a genuine reason to spend their attention on what you've written.
That shift in thinking changes everything. Instead of chasing volume, you start creating content people actually want to come back to. And, increasingly, that's what LinkedIn seems to reward.
Every social media manager knows the drill: You've written a post, tweaked the opening line multiple times, shortened it, expanded it, added a statistic, removed the statistic, then finally decided it's good enough. But before you schedule it, ask one final question:
If this appeared in my own feed today, would I actually stop and read it?
Not because you wrote it, but because it's genuinely worth someone's time. That's the Worth-Reading Test.
It's actually harder to answer than it sounds, especially when you're close to the work. But it's also one of the quickest ways to separate content that exists to fill a content calendar from content that deserves space in someone's feed.
Notice what the question doesn't ask. It doesn't ask whether the post is short or long, whether you've chosen a carousel over a single image, or whether you've followed the latest trending format. Those things can all help, but none of them makes a post worth reading on their own.
We've all seen LinkedIn posts that follow every best-practice recommendation yet disappear into the feed because they don't say anything interesting. We've also seen long-form posts ignore half the conventional advice and still spark hundreds of meaningful conversations.
When asked whether long-form content still works on LinkedIn, Angus' answer is simple:
"Don't worry, they're working."
Why? Because length isn't the deciding factor. Value is.
That's an important distinction at a time when good formatting is abundant but original thinking isn't. The brands standing out aren't necessarily publishing more often – they're publishing ideas people genuinely want to stop for.
For years, likes have been the default measure of success on LinkedIn. They're also one of the weakest signals you can rely on. Tapping the like button takes almost no effort and often reflects agreement more than genuine value.
Saving a post is different. It's a conscious decision that says, "I want to come back to this." Maybe it's a framework you want to use, an idea you want to reference, or a post you simply don't have time to read properly right now. Whatever the reason, you've decided it's worth more of your attention.
That's why Angus pays close attention to saves. As he explains: "I have 45 saves of my own content on LinkedIn. People out there are reading my stuff and saving it for later."
A good barometer is to think about your own behavior. How often do you save a post? Probably not very often. Most of us only do it when something feels genuinely useful, memorable, or worth revisiting. Thoughtful comments and shares tell a similar story. They require someone to actively engage with an idea rather than simply acknowledge it.
Those signals matter even more now because some of the metrics marketers once relied on have become harder to interpret. Since Apple Mail Privacy Protection and ongoing LinkedIn algorithm changes, open rates, reach, and impressions no longer provide such a clear picture on their own.
Saves, comments, and shares are stronger indicators that your content has earned something far more valuable than visibility: attention.
Join social media managers, marketers, creators and in-house teams sharing what works right now: practical advice, honest conversations, and direct access to some of the smartest people in social.
Join the community.png)
If saves are one of the strongest indicators of content quality, the obvious next question is this: what makes people hit that save button?
Angus points to three broad categories: educational content, well-argued hot takes, and creative ideas that make people feel seen. They look very different on the surface, but they all have one thing in common: they're difficult to scroll past.
Educational content gets saved because it's genuinely useful. Not generic advice like "post consistently" or "know your audience," but practical frameworks, fresh perspectives, and ideas people want to revisit before their next campaign or planning session.
Well-argued hot takes earn saves for a different reason. A clear, defensible point of view gives readers something to think about long after they've finished reading.
Then, there are the posts that make people feel understood.
Angus points to a campaign his agency created around the different types of coffees that marketers order. It wasn't educational or particularly controversial. It was relatable. Marketers immediately saw themselves in it, and the comments were filled with people saying they felt seen. Those are the kinds of posts people will return to later.
Notice what's missing from that list: an endless stream of "three quick tips" posts.
As Angus puts it: "Those posts are not telling a story. They are selling you something."
And that's the difference. Formulaic content is designed to be consumed quickly, whereas stories, original ideas, and memorable observations stay with people. If your audience can scroll past your post without learning something new, considering a new perspective, or feeling seen, what reason do they have to come back to it later?
The good news is that you don't need to wait until your next content planning session to put this into practice.
Simply open LinkedIn, pull up your last 30 posts, and go through them one by one. For each, ask the same question: Was this genuinely worth reading?
Try to answer honestly. Don't ask whether it performed well, whether your manager liked it, or whether it ticked every box on your content calendar. Ask whether it was worth another person's time.
You'll probably notice a pattern. Some posts will still feel relevant months later, whereas others were probably published simply to keep up your consistency.
Now compare your answers with the data. Which posts earned the most saves? Which sparked thoughtful comments rather than quick reactions? Which prompted people to share them with colleagues?
Look for the overlap. The posts you answered "yes" to should also be the ones generating the strongest engagement. If they aren't, keep digging.
Maybe your ideas are solid, but your opening isn't giving people a reason to stop. Maybe your posts are useful, but they're trying to cover too much at once. Or maybe you're publishing too much content that says the right things without adding anything new to the conversation.
The goal isn't to achieve a perfect score, but to understand what your audience consistently keeps returning to. Once you know that, your content strategy becomes much simpler.
Instead of asking, "What should we post this week?" You start asking, "What would actually be worth someone reading?" It’s a much harder question, but it’s also the one that leads to better content.
To run this exercise with your team, start with The Polish/Rough Audi – a resource built around the worth-reading test to help you identify which posts are worthy and which are filling the feed.
Or, if you want to eavesdrop on the conversation behind this idea, listen to our chat with Angus Clark on the #Seen podcast.
And don’t forget: The most successful brands aren't the ones posting the most. They're the ones giving people a reason to come back.
Sked's tools are designed to streamline your workflow, enhance team collaboration, and deliver exceptional results for you and your team.
Get Started
