There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that modern professionals know all too well.
- You don your content-creator hat, pasting a bold smile on your face,
- You draft and post your 3rd “thought leadership” social media copy of the week, and
- You add in just enough emojis to say, “Hey, I’m fun, but take me seriously.”
But alas! You bring in zero engagement whatsoever; not even that one pity-like from your uni roommate who still follows your every move online. ( Jack?! I know you’re there…)
Andd, it gets frustrating (like honestly) to see a very basic post like “Managers clock out of work last. Thoughts?” go up in Likes, Comments, and Shares. And in hindsight, those are also the kind of posts that sometimes receive a podcast invite. Go figure.
So I’ve decided. I hereby conclude that the internet is absolutely weird and off its rocker.
I will say that the internet is predictable, and that’s exactly the problem.
Because in a world where the algorithm is force-fed beige advice from all directions, topped with corporate-sounding shoptalk, and endless carousels (with gradients that all look the same) …
- You don’t need any more polish, but
- You do need UNpredictability.
In highly saturated sectors, predictability is now commonplace, it seems. But, being UNpredictable, though, will always bring you the wins and take you far.
When you see your audience neck-deep in déjà vu, tired from skimming similar posts on “The 5 Secrets to Success Before You Reach 30s,” you know they expect something different. Something refreshing. So how do you actually earn their attention again?
You do it without losing your professional edge or your mind. And this is how:
- Predictability Today is the Human Equivalent of “Loading … Please Wait”
If your content sounds like old elevator music or the actual elevator scene from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, we’ve got news for you buddy. It’s bad.
So don’t be surprised when people choose the stairs … or run for the hills. LOL.
You see, predictability breeds mental autopilot. Meaning, when your audience knows what’s coming next, from format to phrase to CTA, they scroll on by, and it’s not even out of rudeness.
It’s because their brains could only take in so much of the sameness before instinctively checking out. It doesn’t matter if there’s actual interesting information inside too.
So What Can You Do?
- Throw in a wrench or a glitter bomb into your format.
- Write a one-line post, say, a meme with a killer caption.
- Start your post with something so offbeat that they can’t help but pause or steal a glance again.
- Like “I once used a breakup strategy to close a client.” (Say what now?) Haha.
For Example: A friend’s consultant posted this – “My toddler taught me more about negotiating than my MBA degree.”
No leadership quote; just serious tone, with a touch of unpredictability, and a left-field opener that makes people click and read.
- Time to Shock Your Algorithm Back to Rhythm
Yes, LinkedIn’s algorithm does reward the engagement your posts receive. But let’s not forget this: Attention follows Emotion.
Emotion is the one that shows up when something unexpected taps your brain and softly whispers: “Hey, you haven’t seen this one before.”
And there’s even a fancy term for this brain jolt, called “Pattern Interrupt.”
So What Can You Do?
- Open your post with the complete opposite of what your audience expects.
- Say something controversial, but also true.
- Throw in a metaphor so absurd it circles back to brilliance.
- Like “Personal Branding is like Pizza. Everyone claims theirs is the best, but half of them are just reheated leftovers.” (The sneaky buggers!)
For Eaxmple: A post I read the other day began with – “Confidence is just overrated. Try embracing uncertainty.”
Cue the barrage of 30 or so responses from people debating in the comment section. There were 2 reposts even. Was this post a tad uncomfortable? Maybe. But did the post land as expected? Oh yes.
- Be Memorable? Ehh. Be Unforgettable? Hmmm!
Predictable brands are everywhere today. But, they’re easy to like and scroll past.
UNpredictable brands, on the other hand, are a little helter-skelter, but a lot more human.
See, you’re not someone in some personal branding competition; you’re in a personal “memorability” competition.
“Remember that super well-behaved post with 5 bullet points and zero personality!” said nobody ever.
So What Can You Do?
- Say that thing you’ve been second-guessing about all week.
- Share that weird analogy you thought at 3 A.M. on a work night.
- Break content/post format once in a while, and then show people why it still matters.
For Example: When a fintech founder shared a pitch of theirs that flopped recently, with GIFs too, her engagement went off the chain. It’s because people saw her.
- Personalities Speak Over Templates
Templates are nice and all guys. Everyone loves a good Canva or Adobe Illustrator moment.
But if your audience can guess your content before they can even read it, then Houston, we have a scroll problem.
Dear friend, frankly speaking, you’re a thinking, living, occasionally sleep-deprived professional with actual takes. So show some flavour and quit gatekeeping yourself.
So What Can You Do?
- Use your real voice and infuse your personality into your content. And elevate it.
- Mirror those risky but brilliant Slack team messages into your writing.
- Inject your humour, a good rhythm, and occasional contradictions into your posts.
For Example: A leadership coach ended her LinkedIn post with a CTA that said, “Go be chaotically brilliant, because the world’s got enough polished nonsense.”
And it was the best thing I read that day. Seriously. That line alone was reshared 25+ times because it hit like a stunner in a room full of LinkedIn bots. It sure felt real and human, I kid you not.
- Unpredictability Means Your Thinking Cap is On
Let’s resolve this today. Being UNpredictable doesn’t mean being random with content; it means keeping your audience on their toes. (No, physical force isn’t needed!)
There’s a big gap between chaos and intentional curiosity. And the best brands out here are the ones delivering a consistent, surprising experience.
So What Can You Do?
- Build the kind of rhythm in your content that invites originality.
- Maybe Mondays can be real, Tuesdays can be spicy drama, and Fridays can be fun.
- Create ample space to flex so that your personal brand can become a whole playlist.
For Example: A solopreneur in Wisconsin created “Unhinged Mondays” for sharing funny client stories, and “Strategy Thursdays” for serious business strategies. His engagement tripled, inbox kept flooding, and a growing community that actually kept looking forward to his posts.
The Final Take
Being predictable today makes you familiar.
You’d just be like the next person on LinkedIn.
But if you’re UNpredictable, on purpose, it will make you unforgettable.
In a digital world that’s trained to scroll past sameness, you can win by zigging where others usually zag. How?
- By surprising your audience, more than trying to constantly sell them something, and
- By being the personal brand that makes them stop, stare … and smile.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and:
- Be the plot twist in your feed that nobody expects.
- Be the jazz solo in a world of chorus loops.
- Be the comment they never expect, but can never stop thinking about either.
Because let’s face it, there’s nothing more professional than being too good to be ignored!
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