đĨ Cheating social: how top voices are skipping ahead
Ever wonder how some of those LinkedIn Influencers keep jumping in follower and engagement counts in mere hours?
It's not just their great content, they are using engagement pods: a third party integration that cheats the algorithm.
Last week I hosted Daniel Hall on my LinkedIn Live. He has uncovered more than 400 "influencers" who have cheated their way to the top through his series #spotapod.
Watch the full episode here.
(He is also a former foster youth survivor, award winning foster/adoptive dad of 7 remarkable children, and has had an amazing 4.5 decade career as a software engineer. Truly beautiful human).
In short, engagement pods are 3rd party browser extensions that allow LinkedIn users to opt into automated engagement. For example, if you're in one, and you publish a post, fellow members will automatically comment on your post, as though they were bots.
In other words, they game the algorithm with fake comments.
The scary part? These extensions have access to all of your data and can post on your behalf. Other members of the pod can pre-type what they want other members to comment, giving over full control of your online voice (or "digital soul" as Dan describes it) to other members.
So the next time you're studying an influencer's content and strategy to see how you can duplicate their success, check Dan's page to see if they have been busted yet, or read up on his tips for spotting pod members.
What to know this week
đī¸ Corporate America has a warranted reputation for being toxic. But can we be too hard on leadership? Hear the conversation on my Shots From the Winchester podcast episode.
âī¸ Posting memes for your brand? You could be infringing on copyright laws. Fair use doesn't apply to all meme content, and brands are getting sued.
đ Do you have to love your own brand to sell it effectively? Or is it enough just to love helping people...and is there a difference?
đĒđ¸ I'm back from vacation :) Come say hi.
đĒŠ Having trouble getting what you want? Try mirroring. A technique used by master negotiators like Chris Voss, repeating just a few words back to the speaker has been proven to build trust and facilitate fruitful conversations.
đ Did you get your free month of Skillshare? Link here to sign up for unlimited course access for 30 days.
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