People want to stand out on LinkedIn. Yet, most overlook a key strategy that allows them to do that.
As a career counselor, I continuously hear my career counseling clients say they want to stand out on LinkedIn. Yet, most overlook a key LinkedIn posting strategy that allows them to grow a following, be seen as a thought leader or expert, expand their network, and appeal to recruiters searching for job candidates. For example, maybe you’re an executive and are viewed as the face of your company. On the other hand, you could be a consultant or business owner wanting to subtlety promote your services or products. LinkedIn posting can be an excellent tool to help you.
Posting may sound easy, but it can take time to be effective. Career counseling clients typically have a difficult time coming up with what to say. Some admit they don’t even know how. Those that do share company news, or just hit the “like” button or offer congrats comments on the posts of others. Many people ignore this posting feature altogether.
Denise Novosel, vice president of recruiting for two Fortune 500 companies, stated, “The worst thing you can post is anything negative about your boss or company. You may be mad they laid you off, but LinkedIn is the wrong place to complain. Our recruiters review your old posts to see what you’ve been saying. Negative talk drives us away.”
Novosel continued to say, “Posts can elevate your profile. They impact how others find you, and your post will pop up on different feeds, reaching more people. Posting is a terrific professional activity to do.”
Post What Is Valuable To Readers
When you share content, it shows up in the news feeds of people you’re connected to. No one will pay attention if your post doesn’t resonate with them. Ensure you choose points or topics that will engage the reader. Share a usable tip, ask a question, seek advice, or publish an informative article that people in your industry should know or care about. Anything new is good. If you are more ambitious, create a poll. For example, I posted an opinion poll on remote work versus in-office positions and got a lot of responses. When others reshare, it broadens your exposure. It might also attract the attention of a recruiter, an HR person, or a potential client. But to be successful, only post interesting, helpful, or insightful things for your readers.
Posting is not a one-and-done thing. It’s a career management strategy and a regular activity that you do once or twice a week, every week. So, schedule the time to do this on your calendar. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes. Give this some thought then list some topics you’d stop to read about. What catches your attention? The goal is to get comments, likes, and reshares. Define your objective. Are you seeking to enhance your brand? Do you want to be recognized as a thought leader or expert? Is landing a new job your intention? Some people like to expand their network and get more connections. Your objective will influence what you say, how often you post, and continue to build an audience that reads whatever you put up.
What To Say
Create a plan that defines the subjects, sources, topics, and schedule you’ll follow. Once a week is an excellent way to begin.
The easiest option to create a good post is to reshare business news, other people’s content, and relevant articles your network would find interesting. Subscribe to newsfeeds. This article on Investopedia’s site recommends CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Bloomberg, and Reuters. Other good sources for articles or topic ideas can come from your professional association, USA Today, LA Times, Business Insider, the NY Times, and local news.
Breaking news gets the most attention, and Twitter is a terrific source to follow. When posting a breaking news story, always use hashtags as they drive visibility to your post. For example, if you post news or an article about Amazon, use hashtags like #Amazon #Amazonhiring to piggyback on that trending topic. You must quickly share any breaking news content as soon as you see it. Delays will have too many others sharing the news story, and you can easily be lost in the crowd. If your story centers around a person, tag them. This tag will have the post go out to that person’s network and feed.
Relevant articles are great for posting. They can cover leadership, new ideas, personal development, education, training, or something specific to your job and industry. Of course, something inspirational, often just a phrase, works too.
So, what attracts the most attention? An article on LinkedIn Pulse suggests posting checklists, action steps, or how-to lists, asking a question, videos, an interesting statistic, or inviting others to share an opinion. These are more effective than just text-only posts.
No matter what you post, always be authentic. Add a personal comment to ensure more reader engagement. Individuals are more likely to respond to questions like, “What do you think?” or “Has this happened to you?” or the persuasive words, “Your thoughts?” Consider what your audience likes. Look at others with posts with many views, comments, and reshares for topic ideas. Mix up your posts to see what works. Do respond to people who leave a comment.
Follow Superstar Thought Leaders
A few experts who have moved into the thought leader category create original content. Looking for a true superstar to follow and reshare his or her insightful and highly engaged posts? Try following Adam Grant, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, organizational psychologist, and professor at Wharton Business School. He has 5 million followers. His recent post below had 48,632 views, 1,108 comments, and 2,519 reposts or shares. People like and read what he has to say. Look, and you’ll quickly see why he gets so much engagement and why you might want to share some of his insights.
Adam Grant post on LinkedIn
