Everyone wants to be an influencer—it’s just about the trendiest thing you can be! And if advancing professionally is your thing, LinkedIn might be your social media app of choice. But if you’re noticing your LinkedIn isn’t getting quite the attention you want, it could be because you’re making a few common mistakes. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of the five most common reasons you might be getting unfollowed on LinkedIn.

Over-promotion

Don’t treat LinkedIn like a billboard for self-promotion. It’s tempting (don’t I know it), but it doesn’t help. While it's important to share achievements and updates—or else why even bother achieving at all?—overdoing it can come across as self-centered and spammy. The key is balance. I’d aim for keeping promotional posts to about 25% of your feed.

Personal Content

A LinkedIn audience is primarily interested in professional content. It’s a professional app, after all. Sharing too much off-topic or personal content can lead to unfollows. This doesn't mean you can't show personality, just don’t show...too much personality. One cat photo a month, max. Maybe two. Three is fine, but no more, okay?

Inactivity

Inactivity can lead to unfollows. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true: people often cull their followings, so if you haven’t posted anything relevant recently, yours may be on the cutting room floor. You definitely want your followers to know who you are, and to know what kind of content to expect from you. Aim for a consistent posting schedule, and make an effort to engage with others' content as well.

Negativity

Consistently posting contentious or negative content can be off-putting. This is true is regular conversations, too. Quality beats quantity on LinkedIn. Posts riddled with errors, unclear messaging, or nastiness can lead to unfollows. So if you want more followers, take your time, and be upbeat. I’m not saying it’s good to always be positive... just that it helps with a LinkedIn following. I support people expressing their opinions, but if your chief concern is growing your followers, keep this in mind—no one has ever scrolled a social media feed and thought, “wow, I wish there were more politics.”

Too Much Automation

Auto-replies or generic comments can come off as insincere—try to engage with people in the comment section, but with a personal touch. It’s an excellent way to keep followers around, and keep you well on the path to being a LinkedIn influencer (LinkedInfluencer...my term).