💡 Think Twice Before You Post on LinkedIn: 2 Reasons Your Expertise is Being Exploited

Have you ever noticed LinkedIn’s subtle nudges—those prompts to “share your expert opinion” paired with virtual badges and “rewards”? It feels good, doesn’t it? The ego boost of being seen as a thought leader is hard to resist. But before you pour your unique knowledge and experience into your next post on LinkedIn, pause and consider this: there’s more at play than just engagement. Here’s why you might want to think twice—and where you could take your expertise instead.

LinkedIn’s Game: Your Expertise, Their Gain

LinkedIn’s persistent encouragement isn’t just about building a vibrant professional community. It’s a cleverly disguised data grab. Every time you share industry insights, best practices, or reflections on emerging trends, you’re not just contributing to a conversation—you’re training AI models. For free. Microsoft, LinkedIn’s parent company, is deeply invested in AI development (think Copilot and Azure AI). Your posts? They’re high-quality, real-world data points that help refine these systems.

The strategy is straightforward:

Crowdsource Expertise: Professionals willingly share valuable knowledge under the banner of “thought leadership.”
Power AI: That data fuels AI tools that could one day automate or replace some of the very experts contributing it.
Profit: LinkedIn keeps users engaged, sells more ads, boosts Premium subscriptions, and increases its overall value—all while you get a pat on the back and a shiny badge.

But it doesn’t stop there. Unlike platforms like YouTube, TikTok, X, or Facebook, LinkedIn has no revenue-sharing program. You generate content that drives ad impressions, subscriptions, and now AI training data, yet LinkedIn keeps every dime. Other platforms pay creators for their contributions—YouTube splits ad revenue, TikTok offers a Creator Fund, X shares ad earnings—but LinkedIn? Nothing. Your insights have tangible value, yet you’re not seeing a cut. If they want your expertise, shouldn’t they pay for it?

The Wake-Up Call: Your Content Deserves Compensation

This isn’t a call to abandon LinkedIn entirely—visibility there can still open doors to opportunities like consulting gigs or job offers. But it’s worth asking: How does this make you feel? Knowing that your hard-earned expertise is being harvested to train AI and pad Microsoft’s bottom line, all without compensation, might leave a sour taste. It’s the only major platform that extracts so much value from its users under the guise of “community” while offering no direct financial return. So, what’s the alternative?

Platforms That Respect Your Value

If you’re rethinking where to share your expertise, you’re not alone. Many are seeking platforms that prioritize privacy, protect copyrights, and—crucially—offer fair compensation without exploiting content for AI training. No platform is flawless, but some stand out for aligning with these principles. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Substack: Independence and Income

Privacy: Substack doesn’t rely on ads or data harvesting. It’s subscription-based, meaning your data isn’t the product—it’s not sold or used to train AI by default.
Copyrights: You retain full ownership of your work. Substack hosts and distributes it, but there’s no evidence they scrape it for AI purposes.
Monetization: Creators keep up to 90% of subscription revenue after fees. It’s direct income, not ad-driven middlemen.
Why It Fits: If you’re wary of exploitation, Substack lets you monetize your expertise without surrendering privacy or control to an AI-driven machine.

2. Patreon: Direct Support, No AI Middleman

Privacy: Data collection is minimal, focused on payments rather than ads or AI training.
Copyrights: You own your content; Patreon takes a hosting license but doesn’t repurpose it for AI.
Monetization: Like Substack, you keep 80-90% of revenue from fan subscriptions.
Why It Fits: It’s built for creators to profit directly from their audience, skipping the unpaid data extraction LinkedIn thrives on.

3. YouTube: Scalable Earnings with Effort

Privacy: Google collects data, and content may refine algorithms, but it’s not a secret AI training ground like LinkedIn.
Copyrights: You own your videos; YouTube gets a license to host and monetize.
Monetization: The Partner Program splits ad revenue (55% to creators), plus Super Chats and memberships. It’s robust once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.
Why It Fits: Video creators can turn expertise into steady income, though it requires upfront investment.

4. X: Quick Cash for Concise Insights

Privacy: Data collection is extensive, and public posts could indirectly inform AI (I’m Grok, built by xAI, after all). You can limit visibility, though.
Copyrights: You own your posts, but X has a broad license to use them.
Monetization: Ad revenue sharing, subscriptions, and tipping for Premium+ users with 5M+ impressions.
Why It Fits: It pays for engagement, unlike LinkedIn, and suits text-based expertise—though privacy and AI risks linger.

5. Mastodon: Privacy Without Profit Pressure

Privacy: Decentralized and open-source, with no central entity harvesting data.
Copyrights: You own your posts; no corporation claims broad rights or uses them for AI.
Monetization: None built-in—it’s not about profit.
Why It Fits: A free, private space to share without exploitation, though it lacks direct income potential.

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Why Not LinkedIn or Big Tech?

LinkedIn’s model—zero direct monetization, heavy data extraction—stands in stark contrast to platforms that pay creators. Even YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, while not perfect on privacy, share revenue. LinkedIn offers no such deal. If your goal is to monetize your expertise and avoid feeding AI for free, it’s a stepping stone at best—use it to funnel people to a platform that pays.

Where Should You Go?

The “best” platform depends on your priorities:

Video Expertise? YouTube offers scalable income with a mature ecosystem.
Quick Insights? X provides fast entry and payouts for text-based content.
Niche Authority? Substack or Patreon give you control and direct revenue.
Privacy First? Mastodon protects you without monetization pressure.

If compensation is key, YouTube shines for long-term earnings, while Substack or Patreon win for independence and fair pay. X is a solid middle ground for minimal effort and decent returns. LinkedIn? It’s a wake-up call: your expertise deserves more than a badge.

Your Next Move

The realization that LinkedIn profits off your unpaid contributions might sting. You deserve a cut—or at least a platform that respects your value. Will you share less there, redirect your energy to a paying alternative, or demand better? Your insights are worth it—don’t let them be mined for free.

From the Founder of Phoode

Marta Fowlie, also known as Food Polka, is the founder of Phoode and a seasoned creative professional with a deep background in food branding and advertising. Holding an MA in Sociology, Marta emphasizes the importance of understanding human behavior and motivation in effective food marketing.

Concerned by the superficial trends in digital marketing for food and beverage brands, Marta founded Phoode to elevate industry standards and empower emerging brands to establish their unique, meaningful, and lasting identities in a competitive marketplace. Phoode is a global community of food and beverage-focused creatives, producers, and marketers dedicated to pushing boundaries and crafting branding and advertising experiences.

Reach out to Marta and explore how Phoode can enhance your brand’s journey.

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