Everyone hates performative LinkedIn posts. Workers feel like they have to write them anyway.
Workers are increasingly feeling pressured to maintain a 'personal brand' on LinkedIn, leading to a rise in performative content and AI-generated posts. While many find the trend cringeworthy, the perceived necessity for career advancement has created a competitive environment where even ghostwriting services are becoming common.
Why it matters
The shift highlights how professional networking platforms are evolving into spaces dominated by algorithmic optimization and performative labor.
Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI Many workers feel they need to build a personal brand on LinkedIn to get ahead. Some companies are even paying ghostwriters to create LinkedIn posts for their employees. The posting arms race has also fueled performative content, oversharing, and AI slop. Workers on LinkedIn are finding themselves in a catch-22: They may cringe at the self-promotional, carefully polished posts that fill their feeds, but still believe they need to build a personal brand of their own. Some companies are even stepping in to post for them. Corporate ghostwriting firm Hat Tip creates LinkedIn posts for founders and, increasingly, their employees. Founder Christian Di Bratto calls it a sales and marketing strategy for a world where brands may be losing their appeal. He recently quoted a client $8,400 a month to write LinkedIn posts for three employees, three times a week.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in