How entrepreneurs can use social media to enhance their AI visibility [experiment]

Over the previous few months, I observed a sample whereas researching for purchasers. Once I searched Perplexity for B2B reviews or insights that I may cite for a venture, the supply checklist would seem like this: Gartner, McKinsey, peer-reviewed paper, then … John Smith on LinkedIn?

Between main publications, consulting corporations, and big-name {industry} leaders, AI platforms had been surfacing LinkedIn articles and posts by common professionals with one thing to say, however not essentially a big following. This sparked an thought— may I take advantage of LinkedIn for AEO (Reply Engine Optimization) to advertise my solopreneur enterprise? In conventional search, I may by no means compete in opposition to the likes of giant companies or enterprises.

Right here’s the experiment I ran and what I discovered about optimizing for AEO on LinkedIn.

Desk of Contents

LinkedIn for AEO: What the Analysis Says

First, I wished to verify that my plan to develop AI visibility by LinkedIn wasn’t simply based mostly on a hunch. Right here’s what the information says:

SEMrush and Meltwater each discovered that LinkedIn is the second-most cited URL by generative AI fashions, second solely to YouTube. Based on SEMrush analysis, 11% of pages cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI mode originate from LinkedIn.
Google AI Mode cites LinkedIn probably the most, with 14.3% of responses citing the community.
Meltwater’s analysis exhibits that 75% of LinkedIn citations come from particular person pages, not firm ones, and greater than half (51%) come from profiles with beneath 10,000 followers.
Lengthy-form articles (500–2,000 phrases) and mid-length posts (50–299 phrases) make up the largest share of AI citations.
Instructional and advice-driven content material is the preferred sort of format cited.

My Solopreneur Experiment: Does LinkedIn content material increase AEO?

As a solopreneur, I’ve relied on a mixture of referrals, {industry} teams, chilly outreach, and LinkedIn engagement for leads. Now, I’ve added LLM searches to that blend. Based on Loginix, 73% of B2B consumers now use AI instruments of their analysis. Right here’s why I assumed that optimizing for AEO on LinkedIn was a sensible transfer:

Three of my final 4 new purchasers contacted me by LinkedIn, so it is smart to lean right into a platform that’s already working for me.
AI search converts at 5.1X the speed of Google natural search, that means that prospects might be more likely to succeed in out if I can safe that coveted quotation.
It will take an enormous effort to maintain up a constant weblog technique on my web site, and even then, I in all probability couldn’t compete with giant companies and market web sites. Natural site visitors can also be declining, so why not redirect that power into LinkedIn?

Baseline: How I Ranked on AI Instruments Earlier than

To start out, I selected a selected scope for the LinkedIn experiment. As a substitute of a generic immediate, I optimized prompts round “case examine author,” which is a service space that I’m rising however haven’t actively marketed prior to now. I’m a reasonably inconsistent poster on LinkedIn, and the final article I printed there was in 2016.

To find out a baseline and construct a technique, I used HubSpot AEO. It took lower than 10 minutes to undergo their onboarding stream and enter my model, area, companies, and preferrred buyer profile (ICP). I entered a couple of case examine writers as opponents, then began brainstorming prompts.

I brainstormed prompts my goal buyer would possibly use, then HubSpot advised some associated prompts. These had been a mixture of branded (Are you able to advocate a case examine for X {industry}?) and unbranded (What are greatest practices for writing a case examine?). As soon as I used to be proud of the checklist, the software ran a search throughout ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to see how I fared.

The outcomes? I had 0.11% visibility throughout the prompts. Fairly low, however not zero. I had work to do.

Methodology

With a baseline and aim in thoughts, I set about optimizing my profile and publishing content material round the important thing subject and my experience.

1. Optimized My LinkedIn Profile

First, I reviewed my LinkedIn profile to make sure it precisely mirrored the experience I wished to be recognized for. I made certain that “case examine author” was distinguished and talked about in a number of sections. This was essential to sign to AI readers that my background and experience matched what I used to be speaking about.

2. Revealed Focused LinkedIn Articles and Posts

Subsequent, I printed two LinkedIn articles and two posts all about case research. HubSpot AEO gave me a listing of subject ideas, which I used for high-level inspiration. Then I sat down and wrote two articles on case examine greatest practices and classes discovered as a case examine author. I wrote these from direct expertise, no AI writing concerned. Every article included a canopy picture, the put up, and a bio on the backside. I engaged with any feedback that folks left on the posts or articles.

3. Monitored Progress

My LinkedIn AEO experiment ran for 3 weeks. Every week, I checked if my metrics had progressed. I additionally ran guide searches in incognito mode on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode to see for myself the responses that totally different prompts returned.

Outcomes: How It Carried out

For the primary two weeks that I used to be posting, the variety of citations didn’t budge. Then within the third week, some motion occurred.

1. Slight Improve in Citations

My model visibility charge ticked as much as 0.95% on Gemini, whereas staying mainly flat on ChatGPT and Perplexity. My model point out citations and owned area citations versus my opponents each elevated from 2% to five.3%.

2. A Victory on Google AI Mode

I achieved a serious win after manually working prompts for 3 weeks. Once I searched branded prompts like “Are you able to advocate a case examine author for X?” on Perplexity or ChatGPT, it really useful three to 5 writers who had been not me, then one other three to 5 platforms or companies.

However after I ran the identical search in Google AI Mode, it really useful just one author prominently: Mandy Bray. I’ll take that as a win. Curiously, my mini-experiment mirrored the information that Google AI Mode and Gemini cite LinkedIn greater than their friends.

In Context: What I Realized From My LinkedIn AEO Experiment

General, my visibility on AI search remains to be decrease than I would really like, however I discovered a couple of helpful gems to assist me contextualize that knowledge and make a recreation plan transferring ahead.

1. Focus issues.

Most solopreneurs already know {that a} area of interest helps you get found and join with prospects. It additionally helps for AEO. In the event you’re a generalist advertising advisor, the AI system will battle with how you can categorize you and might be much less prone to make a advice. Once I immediate an AI software with a broad request for a service supplier, it nearly at all times asks me to slender my request down earlier than giving names. Dwelling in on only one or two companies or industries you need to be greatest recognized for, then optimize for these.

2. There’s worth in each branded and unbranded mentions.

As a solopreneur, the gold normal of AEO is having an AI search software advocate you by identify. Nonetheless, that isn’t the one type of victory as I see it. Most of the content material ways utilized by corporations to chase branded mentions (High 10 distributors for X) merely don’t make sense for solopreneurs. I’m taking part in the lengthy recreation, and I’ll take unbranded mentions the place I can get them. Prospects within the consciousness funnel looking for assist planning a case examine should still come throughout my articles or give me a comply with — these aren’t zero-sum for me.

3. Claude received’t advocate solopreneurs.

I ran guide prompts on Claude.ai, which is way and away the preferred AI platform for my audience (entrepreneurs). I used to be shocked to be taught that Claude received’t advocate freelance writers or solopreneurs. It flat-out refuses when requested, and as an alternative offers a shortlist of platforms and greatest practices for hiring freelancers. So in the event you’re hoping to get really useful by Claude, that received’t occur (not less than for now).

4. I loved advantages exterior of AI citations.

The train pressured me to be disciplined and create the kind of thought management content material that I write for my purchasers day by day. It wasn’t exhausting — all of the data and experience had been in my head. I simply wanted the correct motivation and a deadline to get transferring.

Whatever the variety of AI citations, the experiment precipitated me to put up extra actively than regular and assume extra strategically about what was on my profile and web site. A couple of of the outcomes:

My LinkedIn profile views went up over 200% prior to now 28 days.
Whereas the articles themselves didn’t generate an enormous variety of impressions or engagement, it was nonetheless an enchancment. Since I began publishing, put up impressions grew 237%, and put up engagement grew 340%.
A contact reached out particularly asking me about case examine writing as a result of he observed it in my profile.

5. Three weeks wasn’t lengthy sufficient.

I knew that three weeks can be tight, and it wasn’t actually sufficient time to maneuver the needle. Information exhibits that frequency issues: Three-quarters of authors cited by AI instruments posted on LinkedIn not less than 5 occasions within the earlier 4 weeks.

Whereas these small profile tweaks and modifications made an impression, I do know it would take an ongoing effort to develop my visibility throughout all platforms. AI solutions change consistently because the fashions replace and new pages are listed. A latest examine discovered that the typical AI quotation lifespan is simply 11 to fifteen days.

My Sport Plan for Solopreneur AEO Transferring Ahead

After this experiment, I really feel energized to proceed publishing, posting, and optimizing for AI search. I really feel assured on this tactic as a result of I do know I’ll see the ROI of my efforts throughout a number of channels: AI search, conventional search, and LinkedIn. Right here’s what I plan to prioritize transferring ahead.

1. Proceed publishing articles and posts on LinkedIn. HubSpot generated a superb checklist of content material concepts, which I can take and make my very own. I plan to proceed posting about case research, but in addition write about different companies I supply.

2. Analyze opponents. This train gave me a listing of freelancers and solopreneurs who rank extremely on AI search. I plan to dig into their LinkedIn profiles, web sites, and on-line presence within the coming weeks to see what I can be taught.

3. Prolong my AEO efforts to my web site. My portfolio web site is newly refreshed and covers all the pieces I’ve to supply, that are 4 core companies and three core industries. The analyses I ran by this experiment helped me notice that I additionally want service-specific or industry-specific pages. I plan so as to add pages with key phrases and portfolio samples for higher visibility in these areas, resembling:

Freelance content material author for edtech
Case examine author for SaaS
Gross sales enablement author

My Recommendation for Different Solopreneurs

Solopreneurs and freelancers: Preserve posting, continue to learn, and cease ready for the shopper work to decelerate or the proper thought to look.

Along with guide searches, you should use an AEO software to set a baseline and see a plan. HubSpot AI Search Grader offers a fast snapshot of the way you rank, or you possibly can trial the complete HubSpot AEO product to trace progress, sentiment, and extra.

Lastly, use AI instruments for ideation, however by no means substitute your voice. Not each subject or thought advised is smart for solopreneurs, so use your instincts to create a plan. When writing recommendation or academic content material, your distinctive POV is probably the most helpful factor it’s important to supply — put it on full show.