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Organic is powerful. But put both together and you get outsized results.

And Factors.AI just released new data that proves it.

They found that accounts that engaged with organic posts saw win rates increase 8.7 percentage points. Paid engagement increased them 6.9.

But both together increased win rates by 10.8 points. Organic builds trust, but paid reaches the accounts that have never heard of you (most of them have not, you’re not THAT famous).

Their report, LinkedIn Revenue Engine report, reveals:

Get the LinkedIn Revenue Engine report →

(typical) and noticed my attention was being dominated by big graphics: Videos, infographics, banners, photos. They were friggin' everywhere, eating most of my screen.

I noticed I was seeing things instead of reading words, which isn't like me.

Hmm.

By comparison, text posts now get a tiny slice of screen space. See Exhibit A ↓

These are visual hooks. And they are dominating the feed right now — both in volume and literal on-screen space.

Most of us scroll LinkedIn on our phones, so text posts are real easy to scroll right past. Too easy for my liking.

That downsizing presents a real problem for me. I've been writing on LinkedIn for 11 years, and text-only is how I built much of my content empire. It’s easiest, cheapest, fastest, and overall the most efficient format. And most importantly, it works.

So I had a decision to make.

Ignore that visual hooks are trending and accept that my posts get a smaller and smaller slice of the screen.

Or start mastering visual hooks and turn the trend into my advantage.

What would you do?

There wasn't any desperation in it. I took it on as a creative challenge: would I like the process, the output, and the results?

Photos came first because they're the easiest. I travel, I'm out doing stuff, and my camera roll is full of stories waiting to become posts.

Then slide decks. I like them more than carousels, which LinkedIn now shows two cards at a time (a nightmare to design for). Plus I like that decks feel like a keynote, or like peeking at internal slides. (Who doesn't love juicy internal slides??) But writing a story in slides is hard and slow, even when you're repurposing a newsletter, so the learning curve was steep.

Then video. Clips repurposed from other platforms mostly flopped. A few native videos did well. Also time-consuming, but thank God I found an awesome editor. (Need a hookup? DM me. He's legit.)

This week we ran our first monthly metrics meeting. Don't let the title fool you. It's a grand old time.

Then Kristin put up a slide I'd never seen before. My top four posts of October were four different formats: text, slides, a photo and a video.

This is where the LinkedIn gurus would tell you, "See? You need videos, photos, carousels, everything. Go, go, go. More, more, more."

But I'm not Gary Vee. And you probably don't have a media team and a bucket of cash.

I went back through all 60 days, all 36 posts, and got the same story: four formats in the top four.

So I'm not going to tell you to never write a text post again. Dear god, I don't want that for me or you. Hell, my #1 post of October was plain text. The professional crowd on LinkedIn still respects the written word.

1. Prioritize visual hooks. Three of my top four had one. But don't force it. A great image earns you the stop. A mediocre one that doesn’t mesh with the caption is just a speed bump people scroll right over.

2. Don't go format crazy. I was reading one of Ben Settle's printed newsletters (yes, the paper kind) on world building, and one lesson stuck: the great world-builders pick one format and refine it for years. Some of his examples have been at it for 30+.

That's compounding effort, and you reset it every time you jump formats. Pick one or two you're good at and actually enjoy. Experiment, have fun, get better, and make it your thing.

As of writing these words with my warm-blooded hands, I am NOT mastering short-form video (yes, I know I posted 10 in October) or making baller infographics (even if I really wish I could). My one new format is slides.

3. Most importantly, it's less about the hook and more about the story. Look at what was underneath my top posts:

And that plain-text post? It didn't tell a story at all. It asked for yours. And 163 of you answered.

The story is the connective tissue between your words and your visual hook, whatever it is.

I've said it before and you've heard it a million times: the best story wins. That's truer on LinkedIn now than ever.

And if you want help:

Holler at you next Saturday,
Devin

PS: Did you enjoy this episode of The Reeder? If so, you’d make me sing “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan if you shared this link with one person with a quick “You’ll love this newsletter. Totally worth signing up.”

Pen by Devin Reed​
​Founder, The Reeder​

Follow me on LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok

I bring that Silverback gorilla energy. The job was basically already mine.

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