For years, LinkedIn was just another social tool for me. I had a profile, a decent network, and sometimes shared an update.

I recently started posting more often, but I didn’t see much progress with my reach.

So I wondered: what if I approached LinkedIn the way I build products? What if I treated it as an experiment to see what works?

Products grow by testing, measuring, and learning. Why not apply the same logic to personal branding?

Note: This page will grow with me. I’ll keep adding my learnings and results here, so you don’t need to jump between different pages. Scroll down for the latest updates.

Most of this experiment plays out on LinkedIn. You can find my latest posts here: Marina Hernandez Garcia | LinkedIn

Hypothesis

If I apply product management principles to LinkedIn (testing, iterating, and learning from data) I can grow my reach, share more value, and create opportunities.

Current Baseline (August 2025)

• Followers: 2,200
• Contacts: ~2,000
• Posting: 2x/week (Mondays + Thursdays, 9am)
• Commenting: 3–4 times per week
• Average engagement: ~7 reactions, ~1 comment per post
• I also did an analysis of my recent posts to have an idea of how they perform:

Date	Topic / Hook	Views	Reactions	Comments	Format	Image	Notes / Hypothesis
10 Jun	Netflix “did you miss the plot twist”	355	4	4	Reflection	Stock/photo?	Low reach, but got some discussion. Timing or hook may have limited spread.
16 Jun	Birthday experiment with Lovable	3,165	30	14	Experiment	Tool demo screenshot	Outlier. Personal + tool + experiment drove high engagement.
10 Jul	Lesson: “What vs Why” (PM learning)	610	11	0	Learning takeaway	Quote/diagram	Solid engagement. PM lessons resonate well.
15 Jul	Kodak post (business reflection)	456	8	3	Reflection	Historic image	Moderate performance. Comments suggest topic interest, but not viral.
~16 Jul	Platform Thinking course	361	9	0	Announc.	Course visual	Low reach. More like “news update” than conversation starter.
~19 Jul	Uber $800 ride	346	7	0	Anecdote + shock value	Meme	Reactions okay, but no comments → story didn’t invite conversation.
22 Jul	AI student in Vienna art school	307	3	1	Current trend / AI	Illustration?	Very low. Possibly too niche, or audience didn’t relate.
25 Jul	“When I started posting more…”	603	12	0	Personal journey	Plain text	Solid reach, but no comments. Good for showing my authentic voice.
27 Jul	How Lovable works (tool explainer)	404	6	3	Tool breakdown	Screenshot	Middle-level engagement. Useful, but narrower audience interest.
10 Aug	Siesta cultural reflection	587	17	2	Cultural anecdote	Light visual	human, fun, relatable.
15 Aug	Mistake in big audience (learning post)	471	14	0	Vulnerability story	Meme	Good reactions, but no comments. Vulnerability works, maybe needs a question.
18 Aug	Daniel Kahneman quote (people & behavior)	357	7	1	Learning reflection	Quote card	Low–mid reach. Might blend into many similar posts.
21 Aug	“Some products don’t make sense at first”	626	5	1	Product reflection	GIF	High impressions, but low reactions. Hook didn’t keep attention.

Preliminary Findings

These are a few takeaways from my posts from June to August:

1. Content that shares a personal story or experiment tends to perform better.
   • Example: the “birthday experiment with Lovable” post had far more reach (3,165 impressions) compared to other reflections.
   • Posts where I talk about mistakes or lessons learned (e.g. giving the wrong answer in front of an audience) also got above-average engagement.
2. Images help, but not all images drive the same results.
   • Simple reflection posts with a stock photo or illustration often stay below 500 impressions.
   • Posts with a clearer visual (like the “what vs. why” product lesson) or something unusual (like Lovable) performed better.
3. Hooks matter.
   • Posts starting with a strong, relatable question or bold statement (“Did you miss that plot twist…”) had more comments, even if total reach stays low.
   • Neutral or abstract hooks seem to get lost in the feed.
4. Engagement distribution is uneven.
   • On average, most posts sit around ~400–600 impressions, 5–10 reactions, and 1–2 comments.
   • A few posts stand out as clear outliers (Lovable experiment, mistakes post). This suggests the algorithm is rewarding personal storytelling more than short reflections.
5. Format might be the next lever to test.
   • So far, all posts have been single-image reflections.
   • To push reach further, I could experiment with carousels (multi-slide images), short videos, or text-only posts with strong hooks.
6. The role of selfies is still an open question.
   • Many creators on LinkedIn use selfies to increase reach and build a personal connection.
   • Personally, I don’t feel comfortable posting selfies just for the sake of it, especially when the content is unrelated. I prefer using visuals that reinforce the message.
   • That said, I’m open to testing selfies in a thoughtful way. For example, when attending an event, sharing a milestone, or connecting the post directly to my own experience.
   • Hypothesis: Relevant selfies may increase impressions and reactions, but should be used selectively to stay authentic.

Note: One of my guiding principles is to only share content that provides real value. For me, that means:

• Avoiding posts designed only to attract attention without substance.

• Sharing things people can learn from or find genuinely interesting.

• Focusing on experiences I’ve tested first-hand whenever possible.

Goals (by December 2025)

• Follower growth:
  • Base: +200 (reach ~2,400)
  • Stretch: +300–400 (if some posts take off)
• Reactions: Double average reactions (from ~7 → 15 per post)
• Milestone posts: At least one post with 30+ reactions (stretch: 50)
• Comments: Grow average comments from ~1 → 3+ per post
• Opportunities: Gain more visibility for collaborations, speaking invitations, and networking.
• Positioning: Be known as a curious product manager who shares interesting information on building better products and more thoughtful ways of living and working.

Experiment Plan

• Content buckets: rotate between personal growth lessons, product/tech stories, creative tools & systems.
• Engagement: comment daily on others’ posts, aiming for thoughtful replies (not just “great post”).
• Format tests: storytelling hooks, question-driven posts, visuals (memes, photos, carousels. Just reopened my Canva account ).
• Metrics tracked: impressions, average reactions, comments, follower growth, profile views.

Iteration

Every few weeks, I’ll review what worked and what didn’t. Did a personal story get more comments? Did a framework post work better? I’ll keep adjusting based on what the data shows.

Why I’m Doing This

I don’t just want to use LinkedIn. I want to learn from it.

This experiment is about testing how curiosity, experimentation, and product thinking can turn posting online into a space for growth.

Experiment Entry — August 25, 2025

Post: “I believe curiosity is the most underrated career strategy. For me, it started with an experiment.”

For this post, I tested a principle + personal story format.

The structure was:

• Hook: a clear principle (curiosity is the most underrated career strategy).
• Story: a real experiment (tweaking the source code to build interactive documentation).
• Outcomes: written as a short, scannable bullet list.
• Reflection: two lines about how curiosity creates opportunities.
• Mini-framework: “3 Rules of Curiosity that guide my career.”
• CTA: “Has curiosity ever changed your career path?”

Results

• 561 impressions (my baseline is ~500–600).
• 13 reactions and 2 comments (my baseline is ~7 reactions, 1 comment).
• The “3 Rules of Curiosity” mini-framework worked well and made the post easy to remember.
• The question at the end did not bring many stories in the comments.

Takeaways

• Starting with a principle + personal story works better than only writing general reflections.
• Using a clear list (rules, steps, principles) helps with readability.
• The CTA at the end needs to be stronger
• This was text-only. I want to try similar content with a photo next time.

Experiment Entry — September 1, 2025

Post: “This is the Vasa ship…” + 3 photos from the museum.

For this post, I tested a historical story + product analogy format supported by original photos.

The structure was:

• Hook: “This is the Vasa ship.”
• Story: The warship that took 2 years to build and sank after 1,300 meters.
• Contrast: “A masterpiece of ambition. A failure of fundamentals.”
• Lesson: A ship’s first job is to sail. A product’s first job is to work.
• CTA: “Have you ever seen a project sink because the basics were ignored?”
• Visuals: 3 original photographs from the museum, making the story tangible and personal.

Results

• 610 impressions (baseline ~500–600).
• 19 reactions (well above baseline of ~7).
• 0 comments, despite the question at the end.
• 4 profile views.

Takeaways

• The combination of storytelling + personal photos boosted engagement significantly in terms of reactions. People respond better when there’s a personal touch instead of stock or generic images.
• The hook was curiosity-driven and effective. It made readers stop and pay attention.
• The photos made the story feel authentic and credible, showing it wasn’t just a borrowed anecdote.
• The CTA didn’t land. While people reacted, they didn’t comment.
• The profile views show that stories + visuals help with visibility and branding, even when comments are low.

Next Steps

• Keep using personal photos whenever possible.
• Test alternative CTAs.
• Try shorter storytelling next time: get from hook → conflict → lesson in fewer lines.

Update – November 2025

A few months ago I decided to be more intentional with my LinkedIn activity. Nothing complicated, just a bit more structure. I wanted to make sure I share content that is useful for others and also reflects who I am. At the same time, I wanted to understand what people enjoy reading and try to bring these two things together.

Back in August, most of my posts were short reflections. They were maybe interesting, but mostly for me. So I changed my approach. Since I enjoy learning new tools and trying small experiments, I started sharing them on LinkedIn and on my website. I have fun creating these projects, thinking a bit outside the usual patterns, and trying to solve daily problems that many of us have too.

From August 18 to November 15, the results have been very positive. My content reached more people, my profile grew in a steady way, and I already reached the goals I set for December. I’m also close to the stretch goal, which tells me that this direction works for me.

What I’ve learned from my posts:

Practical projects work better than theory
When I share something I actually built or tested, like the Tapas App (which also showed a carousel), the supermarket-price automation with n8n, or my experiments with Claude Code, the posts usually reach more people and get better reactions. I feel comfortable writing about these topics and it’s easy for others to connect with.

People prefer simple explanations
Clear and straightforward writing seems to work better for me. I don’t try to sound perfect or use complex language. I just explain what I did and why.

A small story helps
Posts where I show the problem, what I tried, and what happened tend to perform better than a short note without context. It makes the content easier to follow and more relatable.

Not everything brings the same level of engagement
Questions at the end don’t lead to many comments.
Short posts without a clear example or story don’t usually get much attention.
This isn’t negative, it simply helps me understand what is worth focusing on.