How to Repost on LinkedIn (and When to Add Your Thoughts)

How to repost on LinkedIn

1. 01

   Click the repost icon.

   Under the post, click the two circling arrows between Comment and Send. A small menu opens.

   

2. 02

   Pick an option.

   Repost instantly shares the post to your network straight away, with nothing to write. Repost with thoughts opens a composer with the original post attached underneath.

3. 03

   Write your thoughts (if you chose that).

   Add a line or two, and @mention the author if you like. Use "Post to Anyone" to change who sees it.

   

4. 04

   Click Repost.

   Your repost goes live and a confirmation appears with a link to view it. If you'd rather it went out later, click the clock icon instead and pick a time.

How to repost on the LinkedIn app

On your phone, tap Repost under the post and pick one of the two options. If you add thoughts, type them, tap the audience dropdown next to your name to choose who sees it, then tap Post. LinkedIn Help still calls the options "Repost with your thoughts" and "Repost", while the desktop menu reads "Repost with thoughts" and "Repost instantly". Same options, new labels.

Source: LinkedIn Help: How to repost a post on LinkedIn.

Repost instantly or repost with thoughts?

Add thoughts when you have something to say about the post. Repost instantly when the post speaks for itself and you just want your network to see it.

My rule for clients: if you can't add a sentence that the original author didn't already say, repost instantly or don't repost. Look at the example above. "This looks awesome." adds nothing an instant repost wouldn't.

A fractional CMO I wrote for used to Repost instantly every client launch she liked. Nothing came of it, not even a like from the client. Then she started adding two lines on what the launch meant for the kind of buyer she works with. The clients started turning up in her comments, and a couple of their customers did too.

The exception is a post that's already doing a job. A recruiter I worked with reposted her clients' hiring posts instantly, with no commentary, and that was the right call. She wanted applicants clicking through to the original, not reading her take on it.

What to write when you repost

One or two lines: why the post is worth your network's time, and what you think of it. Five openers I use:

• The disagreement. "I think [author] is right. But [the part you'd push back on]." That's the line in the composer screenshot above.
• The receipt. "We tried this at [company]. Here's what happened: [one result]."
• The pointer. "Most people will skim this. Read the part about [X]. It's the bit we got wrong last year."
• The question. "@[author], how would this work for a team of [size]?" It gives the author a reason to reply.
• The credit. "@[author] has been saying this for a year. Worth reading the whole thing."

Mentions work in the with-thoughts text like anywhere else. How to tag someone on LinkedIn covers what to do when a name won't go bold.

The question works best when it's specific. A developer advocate I wrote for reposted a framework maintainer's release post with one question: how the new caching would behave in a monorepo. The maintainer answered in the comments, and that thread ran longer than the one under the original.

You can repost your own posts too, and the same rule applies. A VC I wrote for reposted a year-old post where she'd called a market shift early, with one line on top about what she'd got wrong. It did better than the original had.

How to undo or delete a repost

You undo a repost by deleting it. Find the repost on your feed or in your profile's activity (All activity → Posts), click the ⋯ in its top-right corner, choose Delete post and confirm with Delete. The original post isn't touched.

If you only want to change what you wrote, choose Edit post from the same menu instead.

How to repost as a company page

Page super admins can repost as the Page from its member view:

1. Open your Page's admin view and click View as member.
2. Find the post and click the repost icon.
3. Choose either option. If you add thoughts, click the dropdown next to your name.
4. Under Posting as, choose the Page. You can also set who can see it and switch comments on or off. Click Done.
5. Click Post. It appears in your followers' feeds with the Page's logo.

Source: LinkedIn Help: Repost a LinkedIn Page post.

Why can't I repost on LinkedIn?

Usually the post can't be reposted at all. The first three cases come from LinkedIn Help. The fourth catches Page admins:

• The original was shared with connections only. Other members can't repost it. Only public posts can be reposted.
• It's a Group post. Posts from LinkedIn Groups can't be reposted.
• You're not connected to the author. LinkedIn says it "may limit" reposting from members you aren't connected with.
• You're in your Page's admin view. To repost as a Page, switch to View as member first.

If none of these fit, click Send instead. It shares the post in a private message.

Source: LinkedIn Help: How to repost a post on LinkedIn.

Can you schedule a repost?

Yes, on a personal profile, if you repost with thoughts. The composer has the same clock icon as a normal post, so you can pick a date and time and it goes out then. Repost instantly can't be scheduled, because it's instant. Company Pages can't schedule reposts: LinkedIn lists reshares among the post types a Page can't schedule. The full walkthrough is in how to schedule a LinkedIn post.

Source: LinkedIn Help: Scheduled posts for LinkedIn Pages.

Repost vs share vs send

A repost puts the post on your feed for your network. Send shares it privately in a message. "Share" is the older name for reposting, and some guides still use it. A private Send doesn't show up in the post's list of reposts. A public repost does, so the author can see who reposted and read what they wrote.

The cheat sheet

The bottom line on reposting

Click the two circling arrows, then pick Repost with thoughts if you have something to add or Repost instantly if you don't. To undo either one, open the ⋯ on your repost and choose Delete post.

The mistake that matters is the with-thoughts repost that says nothing. "This looks awesome." is an instant repost with extra typing. A restaurant-group owner I wrote for used to put "Proud partner!" on top of every supplier post he reposted. We cut it down to the ones where he could say what that supplier had changed on his menu. He reposted far less often, and his feed stopped reading like a supplier noticeboard.

Frequently asked questions

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