I saw a LinkedIn post recently that stopped me mid-scroll.
It called out a company for asking employees to drop their posts into Slack, so the team could jump in and engage. The reaction was strong. The claim was that this isn’t good marketing and that content should be left for the audience to judge.
The conversation in the comments on the post was interesting. I questioned the author on some parts of the claim and shared my perspective. But then I got blocked.
So we’re continuing the conversation here instead, because I think it raised a really important point. 😀
This article is inspired by the recent episode of the Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast hosted by Michelle J Raymond, which discusses this topic in more detail.
What is an Engagement Pod?
Engagement pods aren’t new. They’ve been around for years. Put simply, they are groups of people who pay to be part of the pod, who agree to like and comment on each other’s posts to boost visibility. Often irrelevant connections. Often forced. Always about reach.
These days, they have a lot of fancy names and avoid calling themselves engagement pods. But regardless of the name, the goal is the same. To try to game the system.
And let’s be honest. It can feel tempting.
When you’re staring at your own posts with zero or low engagement, and then your feed is full of ones that seem to hit the engagement jackpot over and over, it messes with your head.
But here’s the reality –
❌ Engagement pods are about gaming the system. Not serving the audience.
It’s also important to note that LinkedIn has wised up to these tactics, and we have seen changes to the algorithm to try to stamp out the behaviour. So the tactic isn’t as effective as it once was, but that’s a story for another article.
Where Does Employee Advocacy Fit?
This is where it gets uncomfortable. Because on the surface, some employee advocacy programmes look very similar. Drop a link to your post in Slack. Your teammates all jump in with likes and comments. Done.
In a way, the mechanics of how both employee advocacy and engagement pods work are very similar, and that’s where the confusion starts.
But I’d argue that real employee advocacy should be something very different.
It’s not about activity. It’s about people adding their perspective, sharing expertise and building real conversations in targeted communities. The main problem is that activity is really easy to measure. Other benefits not so much.
I created a poll to gauge where the line is between the two. Check it out for yourself at the link below, and feel free to add your opinion to the comments.
Where I Draw The Line Between Pods and Advocacy
Here’s where I draw the line. Not in the tools. Not in the process. In the intent.
If your goal is “everyone go and like this post”, you’re getting close to pod behaviour. It becomes a coordinated activity without much thought.
But if your goal is to help your team “add your perspective”, “share your experience”, or “help get this in front of the right audience”, that’s a very different conversation.
Because the difference isn’t the action itself. It’s the thinking behind it. That thinking shows up quickly in the quality of engagement. Generic comments, rushed responses, or AI-generated filler don’t move anything forward. Thoughtful contributions do.
That’s the shift most teams miss.
Does Co-ordinated Support Take Away The Chance to Learn?
One of the key points of the post that initially started this conversation was that this wasn’t a great marketing strategy, as ultimately, your audience should be the judge of what is/isn’t good-quality content that resonates with them.
By having all your employees support the post regardless of its quality, the person creating it never really gets the opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. At first, I rejected the idea, but after some extra time to mull it over, I think there is something to it.
There is a lot to be learned from trial and error. Building resilience to learn that not every post will be your greatest hit, and that many will flop, is a tough pill to swallow, but very necessary. But in the big scheme of things, it’s not that important.
LinkedIn Is a Team Sport
Ultimately, where I’ve landed on this topic is that your teams working together is one of the most powerful assets you can create. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. LinkedIn is a team sport. Company Pages and employees working together are powerful. It’s what I call the Power of Two.
But teamwork doesn’t mean forced engagement.
👉 Success for me is about topic alignment, relevance and meaningful contribution.
A Simple Test Most Businesses Fail
If you want to know where your programme really sits, try this.
If your employee advocacy programme disappeared tomorrow…would anyone outside your company notice?
Sit with that.
Because if the answer is no, you’re not building visibility. You’re just creating internal noise.
Final Thoughts
Helping your colleagues amplify good ideas isn’t gaming LinkedIn.
But if the only people engaging with your content are your coworkers, you’ve got a bigger problem. Because employee advocacy isn’t about likes or comments. It’s about visibility, credibility and real conversations that lead to sales relationships over time.
That’s the goal. Not looking popular, but being relevant to the people who actually matter.
So before you celebrate engagement numbers, take a step back and ask:
👉 Are we creating genuine conversations, or just coordinated activity?
Book a time here to discover how we can help your B2B Grow – https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins
Cheers
Michelle J Raymond
