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Welcome to do this, not that, the podcast for marketers. We share quick tips, things you can do right now, and then we add a little bit of chaos at the end of every episode. We also keep it short, like this intro. Let's check it out. We are back for do this not that podcast presented by Marigold. And today I'm going to talk about stuff on LinkedIn and Instagram I'm not supposed to talk about. Should you be liking your own post? Should you be commenting on your own post? Does it help? And I'm gonna rip through all of it because you know what people are like. Should I do that? Is that cringe? Is that stupid? Am I wasting my time? And here's the secret, and I'm break it all down. It helps to drive engagement on Instagram, on LinkedIn, and on other platforms. So let me dig into it right now. So first off, let's talk about LinkedIn. There's a tactic that I do that I've been doing for a long time. It works incredibly well. And now I have some data to support it. So when we. When I post something on my LinkedIn feed, okay? And within the first 30 minutes of me posting that, not only do I like my own post, but also I will like the post from different company pages my company has. So my company has some company pages. We have one for subject line.com, we have one for Guru Media Hub and for another agency that we have. And I'll just change the thingamabob and I will like it from those different accounts. And so right out of the gate, my post will have like three or four likes. Now, that sounds incredibly cheesy. Trust me, I get it. And if you're saying, well, I don't have other company pages to do that, why not? You could start a company page in three seconds, right? You can go on LinkedIn. You start a company page, you stick a logo on it. Like, I created a company page for this podcast, the do this, not that podcast company page. The page is 20 followers. Nobody cares about that page. But I can now use that page to like and comment on any social media posts that we put up. And you're like, well, Jay, that is embarrassing. That is fake engagement. That's garbage. And here's the deal. And there's data to support it. Now, when you see a post and it has no likes and no comments, you scroll by it, you're like, oh, maybe this isn't good. Maybe this is a piece of garbage. But whether you believe that consciously or subconsciously, it doesn't matter. That's what we do. Now, when you see something that has like three to nine likes and stuff, it feels like, oh, this thing's kind of working. Maybe I should jump in and pile on. Then when you see anything with 10 or plus 10 plus likes or whatever, like, oh, this thing's valid. I got to get all involved with this. And so we looked at 100 different posts of various types. And in the first 30 minutes, we commented and liked from these different company pages. And then for the other posts we did not, we want to see did this change engagement, we found is those posts where we liked and commented from three company accounts versus not at all had a 40% higher overall, like an engagement count. When the post finally fizzled out after a few weeks beyond doing that tactic, which I know is like, are you kidding me? Here's the one we all really wonder about. The one that we all really wonder about. And this is on LinkedIn Instagram. I'll break down Instagram in a second. Should you like your own posts, period, and should you comment on your own post, period, from your account, not switching to another company page or whatever? And here's the deal. So this company called Just Connecting did this massive, massive study, okay? And they looked at 1.3 million posts. They just did this study. And what they found is that engaging with your own LinkedIn posts does increase reach and visibility, okay? Actually to the tune of about 17%. Meaning that if you like your post, it helps. But then when you really want to, do you do you then want to comment on your post and you then can tag people in the comments. You could ask a good question in the comments to kind of get it going. So people think, oh, that hurts. That hurts circulation. It does not. It helps. I'll tell you somebody who does a great job with this is Justin Welsh. Now, you may follow Justin Welsh because he has like a million plus followers on LinkedIn. He's a monster. But what he does and he says, and he does this all the time, he actually waits an hour. I think that's too long. Okay? He waits an hour and then he'll go and he'll comment on his own post. And what he does on his own post is he shares a bonus tip. So he goes in after an hour and he puts a comment on his own post. He writes, bonus tip. And like all capital letters, colon. And he goes, you should blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then that bonus tip gets, like circulated to more people. They come back to the post the other Thing that is huge is actually resharing your own LinkedIn post. And you could do this 12 hours later, 24 hours later. It also gives an incredible lift. So in general, on LinkedIn, if you're playing the game of, hey, I just put a post out there, I hope it does well, you're not really playing the game. And as cheesy and as gimmicky as this sounds, it works. Now on Instagram, let's talk about the value there. There's absolutely no value whatsoever of you liking your own post on Instagram at all, other than the social proof that it actually actually has a like, right? You want it to actually have a like, but it doesn't actually like on LinkedIn. It actually helps you circulate it when you like your own post and comment on it. It doesn't do that at all on Instagram. But there is one tactic that actually will increase your comment volume overall by about 20%, and this is per Instagram, and that is pinning a comment. I don't think enough people are doing this. So on Instagram, you can write the comment, or if somebody else wrote an amazing comment that gets people talking, that's great, too. So let's say you put a post out there and then you go on your own. It doesn't matter if it's a company page or personal page, you go on your own Instagram post and then you say something building off of whatever the post is, right? You could say, and when we do this, we think this. What do you think about this? Whatever. Something like sensational. And then the way that you pin a comment in a post is you just hold down the comment, right? And then it says, you want to pin it or not? And you say, yes. And then that pin, that comment will stay at the top of the feed so for everyone to see. And then that's the reason it increases people commenting is it's the most sensational comment. And then people jump in wanting to react to it and give their answer to it, whatever, as opposed to just the comments being like, hey, great post, or I agree, or who cares, or whatever. The bottom line is with social media, you need to feed the beast, okay? You do. You have to put out great content that doesn't suck, obviously. But then you also have to understand the little things that kind of trigger other people to want to engage. And if you think it's cheesy, you think it's gimmicky, you think, oh, that's so loser to do that. Yeah, it is. But then don't be on social media because what are we doing here? What's the game? We're trying to get more people to see our stuff. I don't. That's, that's the reality. All right, since you didn't ask. Coming up, that is the ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous portion on this podcast, which I want to take you through because I have stupid stuff to share. But before we do that, this podcast is exclusively presented by Emma. Emma is an email sending platform. Listen, you don't like your email sending platform. I like mine. I do. Emma's incredible for attention, marketing, loyalty, marketing, you name it. Emma, it's from Marigold. Now, just for listeners, this podcast, here's the deal. They gave us this offer. 50% off for 3 months. Your esp is too expensive. 50% off for 3 months. What do you got to lose? All you got to do is go to jschwettelson.com/emma. That's J Schweddelson dot com. Check it out. All right, let's get into. Since you didn't ask. So I just finished watching the Biggest Loser documentary on Netflix. And by the way, I'm sure you won't be shocked to know this, I probably saw every episode of the first 12 or 13 seasons of the Biggest Loser back in the day. I was all in on it. It was terrible. I mean, I'm a horrible person now that I think back because all I was doing was like, oh, wow, at least that's not me. Right? That's what I did watching the show. And I probably was eating something while I was watching it, which is even weirder. But yeah, and it's kind of messed up now that I think about it. You know, I feel bad seeing these people who kind of did the show, lost the weight, gained the weight back. That sucks. I will tell you because I told everybody on the show that I was going to be very transparent about this. So here's my transparency. I, a few months ago, I told on the show, I said I was going to go and try one of those weight loss things, you know, wegovy, the ozempics, the whatever, the shots. So I did that. I did it. So I went out there and I got. And by the way, I don't think we go he's ever going to sponsor this show. So hopefully I'm not doing anything irresponsible by talking about them. Let me just talk about my experience. You do you. If it works for you, I'm all for it. I have a lot of friends that it works for. Don't even. Don't at me. Okay, I get it. So that's my disclaimer. So, okay, So I used WeGovy, all right? I went on a govi, and there's, like, these different dosage. You move up in the dosages after, like, one week, two weeks, whatever it is. Okay? So I start with a govi, and I'm on the lowest dose, whatever, and I start taking it, and I'm an idiot. My wife's like, you're not doing this, right? Because I basically was like, if I take the shot, then I could eat whatever I want. And she's like, no, you have to kind of lean in. You can't just be eating more because you think you're taking the shot. It magically works. Because at that low level, it wasn't, like, suppressing my appetite at all. So it wasn't working out of the gate. And then I went to the next level, okay? And here's the good news, bad news. It started to work, right? So I wasn't as hungry. I would sit down to eat. I couldn't eat all my food. That's the way it works. I'm like, okay, this is working. But something happened for me, which I ended up Googling and finding out and talking to my doctor. It only happens, like, 2% of people. Winner, winner, over here. So what happened was after, like, a few weeks on this thing, I developed the craziest. I mean, I have anxiety anyway, but I developed the weirdest anxiety ever. Like, the littlest thing would freak me out, right? Like, I'd be in bed. I'd be like. I turned to my wife. I go, is the door locked? She's like, what? Like. Like, I'd, like, like, wake her up. I should have. Did we lock the door? And she'd be like, yeah, we always like the door. What are you talking about? And I'm like, I gotta go downstairs. I. I don't think we locked the door. And I would lose my mind. I mean, the littlest things, you know, were setting me off. It was. It was. I mean, and forget it. I couldn't handle anything at work. I couldn't, like, respond to an email. I was like. I was, like, frozen. And I'm like, what's wrong with me? I thought I was having. I didn't know what I was, just not my personality. So I started Googling everything. And I call my doctor. He's like, you know, we've had that. A few people that have, like, I don't know, a baseline anxiety or whatever, you Got. I don't even. I mean, I'm not on medication for it or anything. Not that that's bad. You should be if you need to be. Whatever. He's like, yeah, it, like, exacerbates it. Is that the right word? And it makes it like way, way, way, way worse. So I'm like, oh, this is very bad. So I stopped taking it because I was like, this is wild. And then within two weeks, I was back to being myself. And I was like, whoa, that was wild. I guess what happens is in order for the weight loss thing to work, it messes, you know, with your brain a little bit. And I guess if you have other stuff in your brain, it may be like, makes it a bigger deal or a lesser deal. I don't know. That was my experience. That doesn't mean it's gonna be years of experience. I know. It helps millions of people. It's great. Everybody should do it. I don't care. I'm telling you what happened to me. So now I'm back to being a regular person. And now I have to try to not shove French fries in my mouth every time I see them, which I'm working on. I am. I'm actively eating way more salmon than I want to. It makes me nauseous every time I eat it. I like salmon. Just makes me nauseous. What am I talking about? Every time. Anyway, I appreciate you being here. What can you do? Listen, Guru Conference is coming up. It is our giant free virtual email marketing event. You think that we're gonna have unlimited seats? We're not. Okay. We will run out of seats. We have Nicole Kidman's gonna be there. We have Donald Miller, Amy Porter, Porter Field. We have. I mean, it's wild. Guruconference.com it's free. It's virtual. The world's largest email marketing event. I would say we're going to run out of seats in the next probably two to three weeks. So I would grab one. You're awesome. Keep it real and peace out later. You did it. You made it to the end. Nice. But the party's not over. Subscribe to make sure you get the latest episode each week for more actionable tips and a little chaos from today's top marketers. And hook us up with a five star review if this wasn't the worst podcast of all time. Lastly, if you want access to the best virtual marketing events that are also 100% free, visit guruevents.com so you can hear from the world's top marketers. Like daymond John, Martha Stewart and me. GuruEvents.com check it out.
In this episode, Jay Schwedelson delivers actionable social media tactics you can use immediately, focusing on whether liking and commenting on your own LinkedIn and Instagram posts actually works. Jay shares real-world data, his own playbook for social engagement, and offers an honest, personal update in his characteristically humorous and candid “oversharing” segment.
[00:05 – 04:10]
LinkedIn Tactics:
Jay advocates for liking your own posts and leveraging company pages (even if they have almost no followers) to boost early engagement.
He suggests creating additional company pages for this very purpose, noting, “You could start a company page in three seconds... stick a logo on it.”
Data-Driven Results: Testing showed posts where they liked/commented from three company accounts saw 40% higher engagement than those where they didn’t.
“When you see a post and it has no likes and no comments, you scroll by it. ... When you see something that has like three to nine likes, it feels like, ‘Oh, this thing’s kind of working. Maybe I should jump in and pile on.’”
— Jay Schwedelson [02:08]
Is this fake engagement / is it embarrassing?
“If you think it’s cheesy, you think it’s gimmicky, you think, ‘Oh, that’s so loser to do that.’ — Yeah, it is. But then don’t be on social media because what are we doing here?”
— Jay Schwedelson [08:38]
[04:15 – 06:45]
Study Results:
Referencing a 1.3 million post study (Just Connecting), Jay notes liking your own LinkedIn post increases reach and visibility by 17%.
Commenting on your own post is equally beneficial:
“Engaging with your own LinkedIn posts does increase reach and visibility ... to the tune of about 17%.”
— Jay Schwedelson [05:10]
Example:
Justin Welsh posts a “BONUS TIP” comment on his own posts one hour later to create a second spike in engagement. Jay does not wait as long, preferring to act sooner.
Resharing Your Own Post:
Resharing 12-24 hours later can offer an additional significant lift.
“If you’re playing the game of, ‘Hey, I just put a post out there, I hope it does well,’ you’re not really playing the game. ... As cheesy and as gimmicky as this sounds, it works.”
— Jay Schwedelson [06:00]
[06:50 – 08:30]
Liking your own post:
“There’s absolutely no value whatsoever of you liking your own post on Instagram at all, other than the social proof...”
— Jay Schwedelson [07:00]
Pinning Comments:
Whether your own or someone else’s, pinning a sensational comment at the top increases overall comment volume by ~20%.
Mechanics: Hold down the comment and select “Pin”.
“That’s the reason it increases people commenting — it’s the most sensational comment, and people jump in wanting to react to it.”
— Jay Schwedelson [07:50]
On Social ‘Gimmicks’:
“The bottom line is with social media, you need to feed the beast... Then you also have to understand the little things that kind of trigger other people to want to engage.”
— Jay Schwedelson [08:32]
On Authenticity vs. Tactics:
“If you think it’s cheesy ... don’t be on social media because what are we doing here? ... What’s the game? We’re trying to get more people to see our stuff.”
— Jay Schwedelson [08:38]
[10:50 – 18:54]
Jay gets personal in his “since you didn’t ask” segment, sharing his experience with the weight loss medication Wegovy:
Admits to having watched nearly every season of “The Biggest Loser” and reflects on how his perspective has changed.
Shares candidly about starting on Wegovy:
Started at a low dose with minimal appetite suppression.
When moving to a higher dose, experienced unexpected, severe anxiety—a rare 2% side effect.
Details the impact: Anxiety spiked to the point he’d repeatedly check if the door was locked, struggle with everyday tasks, and felt completely unlike himself.
Stopped the medication, returned to feeling normal within two weeks.
“I developed the craziest... I mean, I have anxiety anyway, but I developed the weirdest anxiety ever. ... I would lose my mind... I was frozen.”
— Jay Schwedelson [14:15–15:00]
“So I stopped taking it because I was like, this is wild. And then within two weeks, I was back to being myself. And I was like, whoa, that was wild.”
— Jay Schwedelson [16:11]
Wraps up embracing healthier choices (with some comedic misery about “too much salmon”) and reiterates: this is just his personal experience, encourages listeners to consult professionals and do what works for them.
| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:05 | Main topic intro: Liking/Commenting on own posts | | 01:00–02:55 | Using extra company pages for “fake” engagement | | 02:08 | Quote on why early likes matter | | 03:00–04:10 | 40% lift in engagement: The experiment | | 04:15–06:45 | Liking/commenting on your own posts: Data & strategies | | 05:10 | 17% lift from liking your own LinkedIn post | | 07:00 | Instagram like: Only good for social proof | | 07:30–08:30 | Pinning Instagram comments increases engagement | | 08:32 | “Feed the beast” summary | | 10:50–18:54 | Jay’s personal Wegovy story |
Jay’s core message: social platforms reward perceived popularity and activity from the moment a post goes live. Gamifying the early engagement—through company pages, self-likes, comments, and pinned interactions—genuinely works, even if it feels a little “cringe.” On Instagram, pinning meaningful or provocative comments can kick up real conversations.
Plus, in a candid personal story, Jay models the value of transparency in public discourse—even if it gets awkward—and reminds listeners that every tactic (including those for personal well-being) needs honest evaluation.
For more actionable tips, chaos, and candid advice, subscribe to “Do This, NOT That.”