Everyone wants to "crack the code" on LinkedIn. There are formulas, hashtags, and companies who will charge you thousands of dollars just to get followers who may or may not be your target audience. Instead, comedian and keynote speaker Jan McInnis has found that success on the platform comes from authenticity, and paying attention to a few other things you might not have thought of.

"I'm not a LinkedIn expert," McInnis says. "I don't have millions of followers. But I do have some good engagement on some of my posts; which is better than the majority of posts I see out there! I've learned what works and what doesn't—for me."

One of her biggest surprises? Timing. Conventional wisdom says LinkedIn posts do best during weekday business hours, because it's a business tool. Yet McInnis's most engaging posts have appeared on Saturdays. In fact, her popular weekly newsletter—Keynote Chronicles - is a three-minute read of a "behind the scenes" story about her comedy career and how you can use this lesson in your business. It arrives in inboxes at 6:00 a.m. Eastern on Saturday mornings. "Turns out, people like starting their weekend with a good story," she says.

Another lesson: long-form posts seem to perform better than quick updates. "It sounds counterintuitive, but my longer posts, especially recently, are actually getting more traction," McInnis notes. A recent story she shared about spotting fake comedians (and business people) received more than 3,500 views almost immediately.

Not every format works, though. For McInnis, video consistently underperforms. Even when she uploads clips directly to LinkedIn, the results fall short compared to written posts. "Someone told me it's because LinkedIn doesn't want users clicking away. Whatever the reason, videos for me just don't bring in many views or engagement," she explains.

What does connect? Real visuals and real personality. Instead of stock photos, McInnis uses Canva designs and her own snapshots. "No matter how polished, stock photos look like stock photos," she says. And her content is always rooted in her own experiences—whether it's humor and stories from her keynotes, feedback from happy clients, or funny lessons learned along the way. "Being yourself is the best protection," McInnis adds. "When you share your own stories, nobody can imitate them."

For McInnis, LinkedIn isn't about playing to algorithms—it's about connection. Her advice is clear: focus less on being perfect and more on being real. That's what makes people stop scrolling!