You launched an employee advocacy program, you created strong content, and you explained to your employees why their involvement matters.

And still, most of them are not sharing, and employee advocacy barriers are starting to take shape.

This is one of the most common frustrations employee advocacy leaders face. The instinctive reaction is often to assume a lack of motivation or buy-in. But in reality, it is rarely about unwillingness. Most employees are not actively choosing not to participate.

They are getting stuck.

Posting on LinkedIn feels uncomfortable. Time feels limited. The personal value is not always clear. The content does not always feel relevant. And when employees do show up, the experience does not always encourage them to come back.

Employee advocacy breaks down not because people do not care, but because small employee advocacy barriers quietly add up.

In this blog, we break down the five biggest hurdles that stop employees from sharing content on LinkedIn and, more importantly, what you can do to remove each one with practical, proven solutions.

The 5 biggest hurdles stopping employees from sharing content and how to overcome them

Hurdle 1: Lack of confidence

While marketing teams are used to posting on social media, not all employees are. For many, posting on LinkedIn feels very public. That is when doubts creep in. Am I saying the right thing? Do I sound salesy? What will people think?

Even experienced professionals hesitate when posting feels permanent and visible to their peers.

Solution: Build confidence through enablement and safety

Confidence does not come from telling employees to “just post.” It comes from giving them support and removing the fear of getting it wrong.

• Provide suggested captions in different tones, not just one approved message
• Encourage employees to add a short personal angle rather than rewrite content from scratch
• Share real examples of simple, imperfect posts that performed well
• Set expectations that not every post needs to perform or spark discussion
• Host trainings and workshops to build confidence, and even better, make them available on demand

When employees feel supported and safe, posting stops feeling intimidating and starts feeling doable.

Hurdle 2: Restricted time

You know that never-ending to-do list you have? Your employees in finance, development, HR, and every other team have one too. And let’s be honest, marketing goals are rarely at the top of theirs.

Most employees actually intend to share. But when posting feels like extra work that competes with the responsibilities their manager cares about most, it keeps getting pushed to “later.” And later rarely comes.

If advocacy takes effort, it will always lose to urgent work.

Solution: Design the program for speed and convenience, and make it something they want to find time for

The easier and more enjoyable advocacy feels, the more likely it is to happen.

• Centralize all shareable content in one place
• Reduce sharing to two or three clicks with the right tool
• Make mobile sharing easy so it fits naturally into the workday
• Send a newsletter with a selected list of ready-to-share content instead of overwhelming employees with too many options
• Make the program fun with swag, company shoutouts, and an internal community where advocates can connect

When advocacy is quick, accessible, and enjoyable, it stops feeling like another task and starts fitting naturally into the day.

Hurdle 3: Low motivation

Most employees understand that advocacy benefits the company. What they do not always understand is how it benefits them.

When the personal value is unclear, advocacy feels optional. Something nice to do, not something worth prioritizing. And without a clear reason to care, even the best-run programs struggle to maintain momentum.

Solution: Tie advocacy to personal growth

Motivation increases when employees see advocacy as an investment in themselves, not just support for marketing.

• Position sharing as a way to build professional visibility and credibility
• Highlight employee success stories, not just company reach or engagement metrics
• Talk about personal brand in practical, career-oriented terms, not influencer language
• Make advocacy part of development and growth conversations, not just marketing initiatives

To sustain motivation over time, introduce gamification and friendly competition.

Competitions, leaderboards, and small rewards give employees a reason to show up consistently. Prizes and recognition create momentum, while team-based challenges make advocacy feel collaborative rather than performative.

When advocacy supports career growth and feels rewarding, motivation stops being the blocker.

Hurdle 4: Lack of relevant content

Not all content is meant for everyone. And that is exactly where many advocacy programs go wrong.

When content feels generic or disconnected from an employee’s role, expertise, or interests, it does not feel authentic to share. Even confident, motivated employees will skip posts that do not represent who they are or what they know.

Relevance is not a nice-to-have. It is a participation driver.

Solution: Personalize the experience

The more content feels like it belongs to the employee, the more likely they are to share it.

• Segment content by role, team, or topic so employees see what matters to them
• Mix company content with industry insights and thought leadership
• Invite employees to suggest or submit content ideas they are proud to share
• Give employees the option to follow only the topics that feel relevant to them

When employees recognize themselves in the content, advocacy stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural.

Hurdle 5: Reinforcement

Many employees post once or twice and then quietly stop. Not because they did not enjoy it, but because nothing really happened afterward.

There is little engagement, limited recognition, and no clear sense of impact. Without feedback or reinforcement, the behavior fades and advocacy becomes a one-off effort instead of a habit.

Solution: Create a positive feedback loop

Advocacy sticks when employees feel seen, supported, and appreciated.

• Encourage internal teams to engage with employee posts to build early momentum
• Recognize participation consistently, not just top performers or highest metrics
• Use light gamification or friendly competition to maintain energy over time
• Share wins and examples internally to reinforce the value of showing up
• Ask advocates for feedback through surveys and check-ins. When employees feel heard, they are far more likely to stay engaged and invested in their growth

When reinforcement is built into the program, advocacy becomes something employees want to continue, not something they try once and forget.

Few hurdles for a successful advocacy program

Overcoming these hurdles is not about pushing harder. It is about removing friction and reinforcing the right behaviors.

Every employee advocacy program goes through ups and downs. Excitement at launch, a dip in engagement, and steady growth over time. This is not failure. It is the Employee Advocacy Hype Cycle, and knowing how to move through each phase is what separates short-lived programs from long-term success. And before you know it, your employee advocacy program will become a company-wide movement, built for success.

When confidence, ease, motivation, relevance, and reinforcement are in place, advocacy becomes a habit, not a reminder.

And if you are an Oktopost customer, you can go one step further by getting certified in B2B Employee Advocacy Leadership. Message your account manager to get started.