I Didn’t Expect This LinkedIn Post to Go Viral—Here’s Why It Did

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4-min Read

In May last year, something shocking happened to me.

I made one LinkedIn post that absolutely BLEW UP.

That one post gave me 1000+ email subscriber leads.

It was a simple post - less than 150 words.

And yet it pulled in massive engagement!

I’m talking 1000s of reactions and comments.

💡 What was it about?

A free resource giveaway—my 1000+ Marketing Prompts for ChatGPT—with a direct, no-BS call to action.

But a hidden engagement hack made this one post take off even further.

Here’s why this post went viral and how you can replicate it for your own LinkedIn content.

1. It Gave People Something Instantly Useful

I wasn’t vague.

I didn’t just say, “Hey, here’s a helpful AI marketing resource.”

Instead, I spelled out the value upfront.

I mentioned that they’ll get:

• 1000+ Marketing Prompts

• And it will cover SEO, Social Media, Email, Branding, etc.

• Totally Free

No fluff. No guessing.

Just clear, immediate value—so people instantly knew why they should care.

This is commonly known in marketing as a lead magnet.

Key Takeaway:
-> If you want people to engage, your content (whether it’s a post, a newsletter, or a product) needs to be:

• Specific (What’s inside? How does it help?)

• Immediately useful (Something they can apply right now)

• Easy to access (No unnecessary barriers)

Your audience is interested in the valuable “thing” you’re giving them.

• Templates

• Valuable insight

• Data

They want to reduce their effort, cut down time, or learn something useful to apply to their work.

In my case, prompts were pre-written templates to use with ChatGPT or other LLMs.

This would save them time learning how to write their own.

Where can you make your content clearer and more valuable to your audience?

2. The Image Sparked Curiosity

The post included a preview image of the 1000+ prompts, but here’s the catch: people couldn’t access the full thing unless they commented.

I wasn’t “hoarding” the value—I was making engagement part of the process.

The book was still free.

When people see just enough to be intrigued, they want more.

Just make sure to create a simple, beautifully designed image using Canva.

Key Takeaway:
-> Give a sneak peek to create anticipation.
-> Don’t hand everything over upfront—let curiosity do some of the work.

How could you apply this? Could you show part of an insight, a framework, or a result—so people lean in and want the rest?

3. The Call-to-Action Was Simple (And Then It Blew Up)

At first, I asked people to follow three simple steps to get the ebook:

1. Like the post (boosts engagement).

2. Comment "Prompts" (triggers LinkedIn’s algorithm).

3. Follow me (so they’d keep seeing my content).

This 3-step CTA was a psychological investment in my personal brand.

Audiences that subscribe via such posts are way more invested in what I have to say.

Of course this CTA worked incredibly well—but here’s what I didn’t expect…

The post gained so much traction that I couldn’t keep up with replies.

Hundreds of people were commenting, and I was responding manually with the link to my newsletter landing page.

(Note that LinkedIn has no auto DM feature like Instagram)

I now had a good problem: too much engagement to manage.

The Fix -> I Switched to a Direct Link After 3 Days

Eventually, I had to ditch manual replies and just drop the direct download link in the post.

Why this was still a win:

• I had already captured a ton of engagement early on, which gave the post momentum.

• LinkedIn had already boosted the post because of all the early activity.

• The direct link made it easier for even more people to grab it without waiting for my response.

Key Takeaway:
→ A 3-step engagement CTA can skyrocket engagement, but be ready if it scales faster than expected.
→
-> If something is getting traction, LinkedIn will keep pushing it—even if you tweak it later.

4. I Replied to Every Comment (And Turned Engagement into Growth)

Here’s where things got interesting.

Rather than just posting the link in the caption, I replied to every single comment with a link to my newsletter landing page.

Why?

• It kept the conversation going, which boosted visibility even further.

• It turned casual engagers into email subscribers (where I can provide deeper value).

By the time I finally had to switch to a direct link, I had already built massive momentum—and new subscribers were rolling in on autopilot.

Key Takeaway:
-> Your engagement fuels audience engagement—the more active you are in the comments, the more LinkedIn rewards your post.

Where can you start more real conversations with your audience?

5. Social Proof & The Viral Loop

The last small but powerful detail? I added:

“Repost to share with others!”

This encouraged natural sharing, which meant more visibility, more engagement, and more opportunities for people to discover the post.

Key Takeaway:
-> Ask people to share value with their network—many will do it if it’s useful.
-> Make it easy for others to spread your message.

How could you create reshareable content so people have a reason to share it?

How You Can Apply This to Your Own LinkedIn Strategy

If you want to create high-engagement posts that expand your reach, start with these three questions:

1. What’s the clearest, most immediate value I can give?

2. How can I package valuable information in a post to share with others?

3. How can I create curiosity—without giving everything away at once?

This works whether you're giving away a free resource, sharing an insight, or promoting a product.

So next time you post, ask yourself:
How can I make this post something people actually want to engage with?

Try it, test it, and let me know what happens.

Would you like to see more teardowns like this?

Reply and let me know!

P.S. Want my AI marketing prompt pack? Grab it here.

P.P.S. → Want to learn to create your own viral lead magnet post like this? Read this article

See you next week!

Justin Chia