SOCIAL MEDIA LOVE

How to stop embarrassing your startup on LinkedIn and actually make people care

Burning Man sculpture (2014). Credit: Emma Gatti

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to teach a workshop on space communication to a group of emerging startups navigating the brutal terrain of investor courtship. One of the hottest topics that came up was the use of social media: Should we even be on there? If yes, do we use it to woo investors, recruit talent, or sell our tech dreams? But the focus was mostly stuck on "if we should use social," rather than the more crucial question: how to use it without making people want to throw their phones across the room.

Luckily (or tragically, depending on how close I am to my next deadline), I've also been writing a book chapter on the subject. So here is a download of what I’ve learned on the road—from experience, from books, and mostly from watching you all do weird stuff on LinkedIn.

Let’s first map the usual suspects: the broad categories space companies fall into on LinkedIn and how they typically use (or abuse) the platform.

The classic goals are reputation building and recruiting.

Reputation-building usually includes:

• Reposting articles where the company is mentioned

• Announcing participation in panels/conferences

• Bragging about grants/prizes

• Celebrating tech milestones

Recruiting is even more barebones: job posted, link shared. The end.

Can we spice up this snoozefest? Yes, we can.

Recruiting: The Bar Is So Low It’s Underground

If you're posting about a job and you don't create a visual asset specifically for it—and I mean something that doesn't look like it was made in Paint by me in 1995—you are doing social media wrong. This goes for every post. Put an image on it. One that's actually made for the post.

Also, recruiting doesn’t start when you have an open position. It starts when you make people want to work with you.

The Blurred Lines of Reputation and Recruitment

These days, social media strategy is less about silos and more about ecosystems. Reputation, recruiting, and investor interest all overlap, though social won’t get you that million-dollar investment or a panel invite. For that, you still need the good old-fashioned pitches, papers, and politically blessed favors.

But there is a shared space where social can make a difference. Here are a few ways to actually do that.

1. Company Culture (That Doesn’t Make Me Roll My Eyes)

Show your team doing real stuff. Coffee chats, eclipse parties, ugly sweater contests—whatever makes you human. Post it. People want to work where they feel seen and not just slotted into a job description. Culture is branding.

Side rant: Space startup culture is still defined by CEO adrenaline hobbies. If I see one more mountain biking retreat or "let's run a marathon together" event, I am gonna pull my eyes out. Here’s what my ideal company does:

• Aerobics with Kesha soundtrack (glutes focus)

• Rihanna karaoke nights

• Burning Man trips while visiting US investors (costume = pay raise)

• "No-deadline" weeks

• Annual "More Baking, Less Biking" competition

• No small-talk areas

• Beer-free, Negroni-only parties

• Ingrid Bergman movie nights, mandatory.

See the difference? Let’s diversify startup fun beyond testosterone-fueled cardio. More chick, less machismo.

2. Company Inclusivity: Be Normal, It’s Refreshing

This isn’t about what you do together; it’s about what you do to connect with the world outside your startup bubble. NASA has a whole photo gallery of office wildlife. That’s the bar, folks.

Got a company cat? Celebrate its birthday. Birds on your roof? Stream the nest. Employee kids drew space rockets? Post it. Local charity concert? Share it. These actions humanize your brand and communicate values better than any pitch deck ever could.

3. Tech Bragging With Taste

You launched a satellite? Cool. Show a badass image. Write a caption with more flavor than "we did the thing."

4. Sector Reputation via Engagement (Not Just Panels and PR)

Stop flooding your feed with travel pics and captions like: "We are proud to be at [random event] where we [did some vague networking]." I get it. You flew somewhere. Do you want a cookie for it?

Want real clout? Share opinions on new laws. Start conversations. Drop some industry wisdom. Have a LinkedIn video series or even just smart, spicy posts with a POV. It shows you know your stuff and have something to say.

These content ideas aren’t just better for your audience. They also save your social media manager from the slow death of repetitive, meaningless posts. If you’re investing time and energy in a strategy, make it count. Don’t toss another droplet into the content void.

The bottom line: empathetic, inclusive, culture-forward communication takes work. But it pays off in the form of stronger brand reputation, better hires, and actual industry relevance. Shift from marketing to engagement, and you've got a shot at making social media actually work for you.

And if NASA can take itself less seriously, so can you.

Your fav space journalist at Burning Man, in the distant 2014.

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Shoutout to ESA Bic Padua and Officina Stellare for having me at the Space Communication workshop. Talking to early-stage startups was a masterclass in understanding where communication can really make a difference. Thanks to Acus, 2NDSpace SRL, SatEnlight, New Horizon, AMDengineering SRL, Tropico Security, MinervaS, and IpaziaSpace for being part of it.

Special thanks to D-Orbit, Ecosmic, and Raffaele Mauro from Primo Space for letting me interview them about their social media game.

PS: A lot of this will end up in a book chapter I’m writing. It’s 8,000 words of academic fire. You’re welcome in advance.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 01/08/2025 to correct the misspelling of Kesha—an unacceptable typographical error. The substance and conclusions of the article remain unchanged, especially the part about Kesha.