Posting hesitancy, LinkedIn content creation
Are you one of the 722+ million members of LinkedIn? Do you use LinkedIn monthly to network, search for a job or stay in touch with colleagues? How often do you post content? Weekly, occasionally, never?
If you are like many of my clients, you suffer from posting hesitancy. What is posting hesitancy? It is the fear of writing and posting content on LinkedIn. Several of my clients, despite being knowledgeable in their field simply cannot bring themselves to share their expertise on LinkedIn. Apparently they are not alone since less than 7% of LinkedIn users share content regularly. That is a boon for those of us who write/share ideas, how to’s and other content on the platform.
According to Salman Aslan, founder & CEO of Omnicore, a leading digital advertising and marketing agency, approximately six out of 10 users actively look for industry insights on LinkedIn. More than 280 billion feed updates are viewed annually. Surprise! LinkedIn has transformed from being primarily focused on recruitment to a place people go to educate and inform themselves about companies and industries. Want to stand out among your peers? Share compelling content on LinkedIn.
What and how should you share content?
1. Like, comment on and share someone else’s content. When you share a post, introduce it with a lead in sentence or two telling why you found it valuable and of interest. Sharing content benefits everyone: you, because it increases your visibility; your connections, because you are providing valuable information; and the content originator, because you help her get her message out to a larger audience.
2. Share a link to an industry article, employment survey or thought-provoking question. Perhaps you read an interesting article about recruiting during COVID-19 in the Journal of Food Science. Simply copy the link and write a line or two as an introduction. Include what you found valuable, fascinating or thought-provoking. Sharing industry content raises your visibility and lets your network know that you are engaged in and knowledgeable about your field.
3. Write and share original content. This takes a bit more time; however, it is in the wheelhouse of virtually everyone. I am not suggesting that you write the next great American novel or wax on about deep philosophical subjects or complex topics. Rather, write what you know and do so in the simplest form. Howto and list posts get the most views on LinkedIn. Writing this kind of content is easy. Write a short introduction to the topic, perhaps a sentence or two, share five or seven how-to’s. For each how-to write a line or two of explanation. Wrap up your thoughts with a short summary paragraph. Create your post in a word document, spell check it, let it sit for an hour, reread it or have a friend read it for grammar and accuracy, then post. Always include an image since those posts are twice as likely to engage the reader.
When is the best time to post on LinkedIn? Now!