We have been looking at the way thousands of VPs at the largest U.S.-based technology companies are using LinkedIn, and one pattern stands out:
Female VPs post nearly twice as often as their male counterparts.
This held true across companies where hundreds of VPs are active on LinkedIn and those where LinkedIn activity is much lower.
While there could be many ways to interpret that, I’d like to propose this hypothesis:
Women post more because they get more out of posting.
Here’s what I mean by that:
Strengthening Your Network
Women do far more posts that involve their network than men do.
For many of us, LinkedIn has become a very important networking tool. LinkedIn is a place where we nurture relationships we’ve built over decades and provide support to people we respect.
Posts that fit into this category are posts that:
- Amplify job openings (yours or someone else’s),
- Spotlight a talented individual who’s been laid off,
- Congratulate someone on a new accomplishment, or
- Celebrate someone getting a new role.
These posts are kind gestures, but they are more than that. They communicate that you’re someone who shows up for others. You are a connector, a generous person, and a leader who shares the spotlight.
These posts create more powerful ties with the people in your network.
Being a Role Model
More women than men appear to be consciously acting as a role model.
Sharing milestones, challenges, and reflections on leadership allows others, especially other women, to see what you’ve achieved – and what’s possible for themselves.
These posts help lift up other women.
You can see on so many of the female VPs’ profiles that helping other women advance in their careers is important to them.
Posting on LinkedIn provides a very visible way to lead by example.
To be fair, many female VPs are being encouraged by their companies to have higher visibility. The businesses want more women on panels, doing speaking engagements and podcasts.
They know that when female leaders are visible, it strengthens their employer brand, improves recruiting, and signals to younger employees that there is potential to grow.
So there can be some outside pressure to post more. But it looks to me like the primary driver comes from the VPs themselves.
Controlling the Narrative
It might be our culture, but I see more women than men being intentional about personal branding.
It’s not about ego, it’s about agency.
When you post intentionally, and share your own insights, you make your values and your leadership style visible.
Posting about your team and congratulating them on accomplishments shows you value their hard work.
These posts help with recruiting, engagement and retention. But they also allow you to tell your own story about the way you lead.
When you are visible and active on a public platform like LinkedIn, you take your story into your own hands. And who can you trust more to get it right than yourself?
So, just to be clear, I don’t think women post more because we’re women. I think we post more because we’ve learned just how much LinkedIn can offer when you use it well.
What do you think?