6 LinkedIn Posts Every Founder Should Avoid, says Himani Kankaria [LinkedIn Personal Branding Strategist]

Look at the above image where an MD of a lubricant company is sharing the challenges you face in entrepreneurship. For instance, if the Managing Director of a lubricant company keeps sharing general entrepreneurship lessons, it does little to strengthen his position in the industrial ecosystem. His content would make a more substantial impact if it focused on manufacturing insights, lubricant innovations, or sustainability trends- topics his target audience actually cares about. They may sound motivational, but they rarely build authority. Everyone has heard those lines before; they could come from a podcast clip, a quote generator, or ChatGPT’s first draft. “A founder’s content should reflect lived experience, not recycled philosophy,” Himani Kankaria shared during our conversation. “Your audience follows you to understand how you think, not to hear what they’ve already read a hundred times.” The problem isn’t sharing lessons; it’s sharing lessons without context. Founders who turn personal observations into teachable moments build stronger connections than those who simply broadcast advice.

How to share entrepreneurial insights on LinkedIn that resonate?

• Tell the story behind the learning: Instead of saying “Persistence pays off,” explain when persistence mattered in your journey — perhaps when you waited six months for a client breakthrough or pivoted a product after three failed launches.
• Be specific: Replace “Never give up” with “We were rejected by 12 investors before one said yes, and here’s what I changed in my pitch each time.”
• Write for your peers, not your followers: Frame your content for founders, investors, or operators who’ll appreciate the nuance, not for a generic audience looking for inspiration.
• Make it actionable: Share one practical takeaway others can implement, not just a broad life lesson.

Avoid the below things when sharing entrepreneurial content on LinkedIn

• Copy-pasting quotes from famous entrepreneurs without adding your perspective.
• Posting motivational lines that could apply to anyone, anywhere.
• Writing advice posts that don’t reveal your journey, mistakes, or learnings.

Generic advice might bring likes. Context-driven stories build trust — and trust is the only currency that scales a founder’s personal brand.

4. Reposting Company Profile’s Sales Pitches

One of the most common mistakes founders make is using their personal LinkedIn profile as an extension of their company page. The intention is understandable. They want to amplify visibility for product launches, awards, or marketing campaigns. But the execution often feels transactional and detached from the founder’s voice. “Your LinkedIn profile is not your company brochure,” says Himani Kankaria. “People follow you to understand how you think, not to see what your marketing team already posts on the company page.” Reposting promotional content without context makes your profile look like an advertising feed. A founder’s post should add meaning that only they can bring: the story, the thought process, or the decision that shaped the outcome. At Missive Digital, we have observed this pattern across several clients. Engagement levels tend to drop significantly when founders repost company updates, even when they add short captions or thoughts. The algorithm deprioritizes reposts, and the audience perceives them as less personal. That does not mean you should never share company updates. Post them only when it is truly necessary. For example, a strategic milestone, funding announcement, or something deeply tied to your leadership. And when you do, do not expect high engagement. Measure value in credibility, not clicks.

How to make company updates more founder-worthy on LinkedIn?

• Tell the story behind the news: Instead of reposting “We launched our new feature,” explain why it matters or what customer insight inspired it.
• Offer a founder’s perspective: Share what this milestone taught you about product thinking, leadership, or decision-making.
• Add a reflective tone: Mention what challenges the team faced or how you approached them.
• Connect it to your vision: Explain how this step fits into the larger journey of your company’s growth.

Avoid the below things when reposting the Company’s LinkedIn page posts

• Copy-pasting captions directly from your company page.
• Using your personal feed purely for sales or promotional posts.
• Posting company flyers or graphics without any narrative.

Your company page builds brand awareness. Your founder profile builds credibility. The two should complement each other, not mirror each other.

5. Jumping on Every Trend

Every week, a new trend takes over LinkedIn. From viral post templates to awareness days and breaking news, something is always demanding attention. Many founders join these conversations simply because others in their network are posting about them. “Trends can make your content visible for a day, but they rarely make your brand memorable,” says Himani Kankaria. “Founders should aim to lead conversations, not chase them.” A clear example of this surfaced when global discussions around Trump’s tariff decisions began dominating LinkedIn. Almost overnight, many IT founders started posting their opinions, echoing headlines and sentiments that were already circulating. Most of those posts neither offered a unique angle nor contributed anything new to the dialogue. They were created because everyone else was doing it. The result was predictable. Engagement dropped, and the posts vanished from visibility within hours. More importantly, they added no value to the founder’s professional narrative. If you do not have a distinctive perspective or relevant experience connected to the topic, there is no advantage in posting about it. Being quiet sometimes protects your credibility better than following the crowd.

How to decide if a trend is worth joining for LinkedIn content?

• Check relevance: Ask if the topic connects with your company values, customer challenges, or leadership philosophy.
• Find your angle: Share an original point of view. For example, if you talk about tariffs, link it to how global policies impact your hiring or pricing strategy.
• Stay authentic: Use your own tone and avoid forced opinions that sound borrowed.
• Know when to stay silent: Posting nothing is better than posting something that feels unnecessary.

Avoid the below things when trying to choose trending topics for LinkedIn content:

• Jumping into trending hashtags or world events just to appear active.
• Copying post formats or opinions from other founders.
• Commenting on industries or issues that have no connection to your business.

Trends reward attention. Thought leadership rewards trust. Founders who build a lasting digital presence focus on relevance, not recency.

6. Thought Dumps Without Context

Every founder has moments of sudden insight. Maybe during a meeting, a drive, or while reading a book. Many of these thoughts make their way straight to LinkedIn in the form of short, standalone statements like “Execution beats ideas” or “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”