This is for you…
If you’re tired of getting just 1-2 likes on your LinkedIn posts (probably from a supportive friend) and are now tempted to buy likes and comments.
Let me stop you right there.
I know the temptation to get 1,000+ likes and comments on your LinkedIn posts.
We all want to go viral on LinkedIn.
It’s easy to believe that kind of engagement will lead to more visibility, more leads, and more success.
But it rarely does that.
LinkedIn engagement pods might give you a boost in numbers, but those numbers are empty. If your ideal audience isn’t engaging, then what’s the point?
Worse, these pods can damage your credibility. People can tell when engagement feels fake, and trust is hard to rebuild.
Don’t waste time on tactics that won’t deliver real results. Instead, consider these 7 reasons why engagement pods can do more harm than good.
What Are LinkedIn Engagement Pods?
A LinkedIn engagement pod is a group of users who like, comment, or share each other's posts. This can be done manually or using an automation tool.
The goal is to get as many likes and comments as quickly as possible to beat the LinkedIn algorithm.
Sound a great way to increase engagement, right?
But it’s not.
It’s a shortcut that offers no meaningful leads.
But don’t lose hope jsut yet.
There are a few reasons to use LinkedIn engagement pods.
Why Use LinkedIn Engagement Pods?
2 main reasons why LinkedIn engagement pods are attractive:
[1] Quick Engagement
Within 10 minutes of posting, you can get 10+ likes and comments on your post.
Why does this matter? Because LinkedIn’s algorithm favors posts with high early engagement, pushing them to a wider audience in your network.
We tested this ourselves with an experiment:
We created two LinkedIn posts(post 1 and post 2). We shared post 1 in an engagement pod.
The result?
Post 1 got 2X more impressions than post 2.
Here’s the proof:
[2] High Profile Visibility
Once your post reaches a broader audience—like 2nd or 3rd-degree connections—it’s crucial to capture their attention and convert their curiosity into action.
Share specific solutions that resonate with your ideal customer, like, “Here’s how we reduced churn by 25% in 3 months.”
Offer immediate value. Your profile should clearly communicate who you help and how.
Finally, include a clear call to action, such as “Comment ‘help’ for the playbook” or “DM me for a walkthrough.”
These simple steps will help turn views into meaningful conversations and leads!
In short, you need to have an optimized LinkedIn profile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JluyYqRkQMg
7 Reasons You SHOULDN'T Use LinkedIn Engagement Pods
[1] You Risk Losing Your LinkedIn Account
LinkedIn engagement pods come in two forms:
1. Social groups
2. Chrome extension
Groups are dead because nobody has the time to engage with anyone’s posts manually.
This is exactly the problem that Chrome extension-based engagement pods solve. They automate comments and likes.
And this is where it gets risky…. LinkedIn hates Chrome extensions and does not want users to use such automation tools. Here’s their official stance on the matter.
If LinkedIn finds out you are using automation tools, your LinkedIn account WILL get banned.
[2] You Damage Your Brand's Credibility
The heart of any brand is the audience.
When they engage with you for real, it can inspire your next post and create meaningful conversations or probably a new client.
But with engagement pods, you get only surface level comments like “Great post,” “1 agree with you,” or “Totally with you.” Sometimes, they’re even worse, like they’re from a bot, not a person!
These comments don’t help you grow. They’re just empty words.
[3] You Generate Fake Engagement
With LinkedIn engagement pods, your LinkedIn impressions definitely go up. But does that actually help your business? Not really.
Those comments flooding your posts?
Don’t be misled—these comments aren’t coming from your actual prospects!
Instead, you end up with a surge of meaningless comments that don’t convert, leaving you with the same frustrating results as talking to a wall.
[4] You Skew Your LinkedIn Analytics
In 2022, Hootsuite ran a study to see how effective LinkedIn engagement pods are.
The findings?
54 likes, 24 comments, and 216 impressions. Not bad, eh?
However, these results are from when LinkedIn was generous. It used to distribute your content to more and more people.
But at present, it is super hard to crack the LinkedIn algorithm until and unless you produce high-quality content.
Ex: In one of my recent posts, we received 49 likes, 49 comments, and over 10,000 impressions.
The main point is that automated pods don’t help your LinkedIn numbers.
[5] You Waste Your Money
Investing in outbound tools is smart—they can give you a great ROI. But spending money on LinkedIn pods for fake likes and comments? That’s a shortcut that rarely pays off.
Instead, focus on growing your LinkedIn network organically.
For example, write about your ideal customer profile (ICP). Mention something specific, like a compliment you received from your customer, etc.
Share content that directly speaks to their pain points or goals.
For instance, if your ICP is SaaS founders, create posts about scaling teams, improving customer retention, or tackling churn.
This way, you’re building an audience of real prospects who care about what you offer—not random pod members who will never buy from you.
[6] You Stunt Your Long-Term Growth
The biggest issue with LinkedIn engagement pods is that they don’t deliver results, and thus, people abandon them.
If you’re thinking about using pods as a long-term strategy, take a step back.
Calculate the time and money you’d invest, and weigh that against the declining value they bring.
For example, you might spend hours engaging with pod members or paying for access, only to end up with likes and comments that don’t convert into leads or sales.
Instead, focus on organic strategies that scale.
FYI, here are my organic LinkedIn growth strategies.
[7] You Destroy Trust in Your Network
Sooner or later, people will find out if you’re using engagement pods, and when they do, it can damage the trust you’ve built within your network.
Authenticity matters.
Genuine relationships thrive on honest, meaningful interactions.
If your audience ever spots fake engagement, it not only weakens your credibility but can also harm your professional reputation in ways that are hard to recover from.
How Does LinkedIn Plan to Combat LinkedIn Engagement Pod Abuse?
LinkedIn continuously update their policies to ensure users see quality content and prevent spam.
Here's how LinkedIn handles misuse:
- Excessive engagement with people outside your first-degree connections may trigger flags on your account.
- Commenting on company posts without following the page can lead to problems.
- Large engagement pods are scrutinized, and members may face penalties.
- Posts linked to detected pods may be ghost-banned, rendering the engagement ineffective.
In other words, LinkedIn will find you and penalize you.
Alternative Method to Boost LinkedIn Engagement
Remember that post we recently had with 10K+ engagements? Here’s how we made it happen:
1. I Took a Strong Stand
I didn't just share basic tips – I challenged how people think.
This got readers fired up, sparked debates, and filled my comments with great questions.
2. I Stayed Glued to Comments
When someone commented, I jumped in within 10 minutes.
LinkedIn loves this. The more I responded, the more LinkedIn showed my post to others. It's a simple trick that works every time.
3. I Built Comment Threads
Instead of dropping one-line responses, I asked follow-up questions and shared extra insights.
This turned casual commenters into active participants who came back for more.
4. I Shared Real Solutions
No fluff – just practical tips people could use right away.
Every response I gave included specific actions my readers could take today. This kept them coming back for more valuable advice.
5. I Tapped My Close Network First
I messaged my closest connections and asked them to check out my post.
Their early engagement sent signals to LinkedIn that my content was worth sharing. Soon their networks started joining in too.
Additionally, you can boost impressions by sharing your posts in organic social media or community channels.
Since you are still here. I’m going to share a little more about SalesRobot.
SalesRobot is a sales automation tool that eliminates the need for manual intervention in cold email and LinkedIn outreach.
For LinkedIn outreach, SalesRobot can pull prospects from LinkedIn/Sales Nav search URLs and CSV imports, send hyper-personalized messages, follow-up with prospects, and more.
All on auto-pilot.
Now, let me tell you why you’d do better if you don’t buy fake engagement via a LinkedIn engagement pod and go with SalesRobot.
You can configure message sequences on SalesRobot with personalized cold messages. Our “AI brain” helps you write by calculating the probability of a positive response.
Not to mention, this could be the perfect opportunity to promote your new posts to prospects!
Also, we have a free LinkedIn post creator tool that lets you create posts for free. If you are interested - do check it out.
This barely scratches the surface of what SalesRobot can do.
Curious to see more? Why not take it for a spin with a 14-day risk-free trial and discover all the features I didn’t cover? 😉
Best of luck, and see you next time!
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