Refactoring LinkedIn Share Post Generation for a Personal Touch

This post details a small but important change in how we generate content for sharing on LinkedIn, focusing on aligning the tone with the platform's user experience.

The Goal

The primary goal was to shift the voice of automatically generated LinkedIn share posts to a first-person perspective. Since the posts are published from the user's profile, using "I" instead of third-person references creates a more personal and engaging tone.

The Change

Instead of referring to the user in the third person (e.g., "Meet X" or "he/she"), the updated generation logic now crafts posts from the user's point of view. For example, a previous version might have said, "Meet John Doe, who contributed to Project Y." The updated version now says, "I contributed to Project Y."

This change required refactoring the text generation templates to use first-person pronouns and phrasing where appropriate. The logic ensures the generated content remains concise and informative while adopting a more relatable voice.

Impact

This refactoring aims to improve the authenticity and personal connection of shared content on LinkedIn. By speaking directly from the user's perspective, the posts are more likely to resonate with their network and encourage engagement.

Example

Here's a simplified illustration of how the text generation logic was updated:

Previous approach:

if (user.name) {
  text = `Meet ${user.name}, who worked on feature Z.`;
}

Updated approach:

if (user.name) {
  text = `I worked on feature Z. Check it out!`;
}

Takeaway

Small adjustments in voice and perspective can significantly impact how content is received. By aligning the generated share posts with the user's personal voice, we aim to create a more authentic and engaging experience on LinkedIn.