Before you go in all guns blazing and fancy yourself as an esteemed author, there’s a few things to grasp. Content is a complex currency, one that needs to be cared for and respected. Of course anyone can put together a great article but it takes prep and research. In these free frenzied times, it’s often poor content that can make a dent in a brand or company’s social reputation. With that pre-cursor out the way, we can get to the happy, smiley side of why publishing on LinkedIn could be the best move you ever make.
The Benefits & the Practice - Writing posts and taking names.
So, if you ain’t sold on the reasons to move over to the publishing side yet, there’s more than just a few benefits. The nifty thing is that many of these brilliant benefits are tied up in good practice, so win-win. Before we get all preachy, let’s just get down to how to approach this nifty platform and explore the benefits it brings to the table.
When you publish, you put your own personal brand out there. This post represents you! Not every reader knows who you are and what you’re all about, this could be a first time friend so you want to make sure that you’re putting the right message out there for the world. The easiest way to quality check is to give each piece a purpose. Your LinkedIn publishings are NOT your personal blog - this is a professional arena so each post needs to be weighted by a brand/business goal. Define what you want to use LinkedIn publishing for - to share professional insight? Network with influencers and beyond? Establish yourself as a thought leader? Hand out value and advice? Don’t jump into your publishing without a pattern, get an approach and frequency in cement. Set those expectations and stick to ‘em!
What makes LinkedIn publishing so great is that your ideal audience is right there, all in one platform. Everything you need to establish the niftiest of followings is at your easy disposal - connections to connect with, Groups to share and develop ideas with, a feed to feature in and notifications to keep them up to date. Don’t waste all these lovely ingredients, there aren’t many platforms that have all these makings. If you have an active, buzzing LinkedIn, you have more than just a few audience groups to tap into so make sure you do just that. ID the mini-audience groups and target posts at them, whether they are tech titans, thought leaders or collaborative champions. If your publishing efforts can tick your audience needs boxes, you’re well on your way to carving out your very own spot on the LinkedIn publishing map. A key tip is to work this identifying into your research stage - what key Qs will your post answer? Who will be likely to comment or share this post? What Groups would it be likely to appeal to? What keywords will feature in the post? In short, what would your unique audience want from this post?
People follow great ideas creativity executed not just you as a person. Good content can attract and connect you with tonnes of folk, bad content can cut every one of those ties. It might sound dramatic but it’s kinda true. If you’re gonna jump on the publishing bandwagon, be savvy in what’s to come. Make sure you’re being concise with your style, tone and personal brand. And it goes without saying that typos and bad language probably should be avoided. Treat your LinkedIn publishing activities as you would any other serious publishing opportunity, this is published writing you’re handling here gang so read, edit, share with others for feedback, edit and then, and only then, do you hit publish. You’re working with raw engagement here so treat that with the respect it deserves.
If quality engagement and thought leadership ranking aren’t reason enough to jump onboard, then the fact that LinkedIn could promote your post certainly is. Sometimes the LinkedIn gods get behind a post and promote it by featuring it in the LinkedIn Pulse feed. That’s a whole load of followers that could get friendly with your content. Your best bet for being a promoted publisher is to tap into the big topics and channels. This is all about doing your research and studying what posts make it to the promotion big leagues. Aim to actually say something with your content, rather than just ticking your weekly quota. Challenge the norm, really engage with a topic and present it perfectly with well structured writing and the occasional visual aid.
This is another badge of value. Your ‘insights’ become a featured part of your profile, resting it their own section when connections pursue your profile. Welcome to your own portfolio extension. Not only does this give you more searchability clout, it also rounds you out as a professional and human being. Personal insight is essential in today’s talent-crazy times and LinkedIn has recognised and responded to this perfectly.
You’ve taken the first step so don’t go stale and stop there. Partner knowledge with creativity and make your publishing work harder for you. Wrap each post up in a creative bow that really represents your personal brand. Try and create an experience around your post that goes beyond using LinkedIn as a blogging platform. Feature an array of topics and forms from blog posts to resume reimaginings, Q&A sessions and project case studies. Not only will this curious collection present you as an exciting, versatile author, it will secure your ability to engage, promote, create and influence.
When it comes to content, you need to become a conscious creator. You can reap the benefits of having your voice heard by millions without investing some real effort and time into your blogging efforts. LinkedIn publishing shouldn’t be simply another avenue to gain reach and get your professional merits out there; it should be an opportunity to make an impact on the quality of content that exists in the world.
These are just my thoughts on LinkedIn Publishing, agree or disagree, either way I’d love to connect with you.