Have you ever hiked to the top of a mountain? The exhaustion and sore feet were probably an afterthought the moment you reached the summit and took in the beautiful view.
Or the vacation you spent at the beach building sandcastles with your kids that snapped you back to why you work so hard all year long.
And the solo trip that quieted the noise long enough for your brain to reframe what actually matters, so you could come home ready to close the year strong.
As a leader, your story is so much more than the thoughts, experiences, and accomplishments you contribute to your organization from 9am-5pm.
I’d actually argue that those personal life experiences are what give our professional life the energy and direction it needs.
Yet, even though our personal lives have so much influence over our professional ones, most leaders still share only the polished, ‘professional’ photos and insights when they go to post on LinkedIn.
And that’s a recipe for forgettable content.
How to Use Your Personal Story to Make Memorable LinkedIn Content
A simple post with a photo from the top of the mountain you climbed, paired with the exact feeling you had when you arrived, tied neatly together with a business lesson for your audience…this is LinkedIn gold.
When you come back from your vacation this summer, dig through your camera roll and spend some time noting down the highlights from the trip. What thoughts can you reflect on as you experienced those moments of relaxation or adventure or family time. Which of those experiences helped reset your focus or remind you of why you do what you do.
Identify that one moment, one lesson, or one shift. And from it, you can then create an abundance of valuable LinkedIn content for your audience.
Here are five post formats to get you started:
- The single photo. One great shot paired with one thoughtful caption tying the moment to a lesson. This is the loweset-lift way to make a big impact.
- The photo carousel. Three to five photos that, swiped together, tell the arc — setup, struggle, lesson learned.
- The b-roll reel. A handful of short clips — 5-10 seconds each — stitched into one short video. (Heads up: LinkedIn posts one video per post, so string your clips into a single reel rather than uploading them separately.)
- The text-on-screen story. Same photo across 5–8 slides, your story told in words over the top. This is the perfect format for when you want to give your story room to breathe.
- The pull-quote card. Take the single best line from your trip, set it on one clean graphic, and let it stand on its own.
Getting Personal On LinkedIn Isn’t Cringe — It’s Strategic Storytelling. When Done Right.
We know that people trust people — not logos. When don’t well, leaders can show up on LinkedIn and become that trusted face and voice over time.
And by showing up as real people — the kind of people who climb mountains and build sand castles with their kids — we can relate to one another not just as colleagues, but as human beings.
For our businesses, that means trust builds that much faster and buyers show up already sold.
At TwoRoads, we started something new! We’ve launched a new program, Leadership ROADS, to support Leaders, Founders, and Executive Directors in sharing their story on LinkedIn.
If you or your leadership teams could use some support developing a personal LinkedIn strategy and consistently creating content that builds trust for your business, let’s chat!