Just because you can run a LinkedIn poll, doesn’t mean you should. I see it every day on LinkedIn: polls asking “What’s your favourite coffee?” or “Which day of the week is most productive?” These types of posts might generate hundreds of votes and dozens of comments, but they’re missing a massive opportunity. While people may celebrate their “high engagement,” they’re not converting that attention into meaningful business outcomes.
Using LinkedIn polls the right way can be incredibly powerful for you. They’re an excellent way to conduct market research, generate your leads, and build relationships. You have to, however, use them the right way. The difference between vanity engagement and business results comes down to intentional design and strategic follow-through.
Let me share the framework I’ve developed for creating polls that don’t just generate clicks, but actually help to drive revenue and build your business.
The true power of LinkedIn polls
LinkedIn polls lower the barrier to engagement while providing valuable data about your professional network. LinkedIn polls should be professionally relevant, so no, asking your audience if they’re a cat or a dog person isn’t going to cut it. Your connections expect to gain insights, contribute to industry discussions, or help solve business challenges.
This creates an incredible opportunity. When done right, polls become research tools that help you understand your market, identify potential clients, and position yourself as someone who thinks strategically about industry challenges. They turn your passive followers into active participants in conversations that can lead directly to business opportunities. The best LinkedIn polls? They don’t simply ask questions. They help you to better understand the thinking behind your business decisions. They help you learn about people’s preferences, decision-making, and their challenges. You can use your LinkedIn polls to respond to your audience’s needs, realign your content strategy, and support better sales conversations.
Market research
Instead of paying substantial sums of money to run focus groups or surveys, you can use LinkedIn polls to gather key insights, directly from your target audience. The trick is asking questions that reveal decision-making processes, and not only about their preferences.
For example, instead of asking “What’s your biggest marketing challenge?” try “When evaluating marketing agencies, what’s the first thing you look for?” (Yes, I checked the character limit on this so you can use it!) The second question gives you actionable insights about how people assess marketing service providers.
I’ve also seen some consultants use polls to stress test their messaging before launching new services. A financial advisor might ask, “When planning for retirement, what worries you most: market volatility, inflation, or having enough saved?” (And yes, I checked the character limit there too!) The responses do more than just generate engagement. They dig into the emotional triggers that resonate with the audience. People are happy to share their opinions and challenges in a poll format. It’s easy, quick, and they’re quite likely to vote on a poll that feels like a professional discussion rather than market research.
Lead generation
If you want to use LinkedIn polls for lead generation, you need to think beyond the question.
Your LinkedIn poll is just the entry point. The real value comes from how you nurture the relationships that develop through the conversation. You can start with a poll that identifies your ideal client or target audience. If you’re a business coach, don’t ask generic questions about productivity. Instead, ask something like “What’s preventing your team from hitting their quarterly goals: unclear priorities, resource constraints, or execution challenges?” This question naturally attracts business leaders who are experiencing growth challenges. They are exactly the people who might need your services. Then, you must make sure to respond effectively to your poll participants. Don’t just thank them for voting. Engage with their comments, ask follow-up questions, and offer to continue the conversation privately.
Conversation starters
Use your LinkedIn polls as a platform to start conversations. Design polls that naturally lead to deeper discussions about industry challenges, best practices, and strategic thinking. Comment on industry problems, strategic decisions, or current affairs that are relevant to your industry. These conversations become the foundation for lasting professional relationships. When someone shares their strategic thinking in response to your poll, you can learn more about how they make decisions, what they value, and where they might need support.
The real results of your LinkedIn poll
The true test of your LinkedIn poll’s effectiveness isn’t engagement metrics. It’s business results. Track how many meaningful conversations your polls generate, how many new connections you make, and how many business opportunities emerge from poll discussions. Then, create and stick to a simple system for following up with poll participants.
Remember that polls are conversations, not broadcasts. Engage genuinely with everyone who participates. Share insights, ask follow-up questions, and look for ways to be helpful. The people who get the most business value from LinkedIn polls are those who approach them as relationship-building tools, and not just content creation tactics. What LinkedIn poll would you like to run today?
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