Improving AI-Generated Content for LinkedIn: Handling Markdown Links
Introduction
This post discusses an improvement made to the devlog-ist/landing project, specifically addressing how AI-generated content is formatted for LinkedIn. The issue was that markdown links, which are correctly rendered in most contexts, appear as broken plain text on LinkedIn. The solution involved adjusting the AI's instructions to generate plain URLs instead of markdown.
The Problem: Markdown on LinkedIn
When generating content for platforms like LinkedIn, it's crucial to consider the platform's formatting capabilities. LinkedIn's text editor doesn't fully support markdown. This means that any markdown links included in a post, such as [text](url), will not be rendered as clickable links. Instead, they appear as plain text, which can be confusing and unaesthetic for readers.
The Solution: Plain URLs
To address this, the instruction set for the AI content generator was updated. The AI is now explicitly instructed to generate plain URLs instead of markdown links. This ensures that links are rendered correctly on LinkedIn, as the platform automatically detects and converts plain URLs into clickable links.
For example, instead of generating:
[Click here](https://example.com)
The AI now generates:
Click here: https://example.com
This simple change significantly improves the readability and user experience of AI-generated content on LinkedIn.
Benefits
- Improved User Experience: Plain URLs are correctly rendered as clickable links on LinkedIn, making it easier for users to access the linked content.
- Enhanced Readability: The content is cleaner and more professional, as there are no broken markdown links.
- Simplified Content Creation: The AI handles the formatting automatically, reducing the need for manual adjustments.
Conclusion
By instructing the AI to generate plain URLs instead of markdown links, we've ensured that AI-generated content is properly formatted and user-friendly on LinkedIn. This highlights the importance of tailoring content generation strategies to the specific capabilities of each platform.
The key takeaway is to always consider the target platform's formatting requirements when generating content, especially when using AI. A small adjustment in the generation process can make a big difference in the final result.
