LinkedIn is, without a doubt, the platform of choice if you want to network with other business professionals and entrepreneurs. However, far too many people still don’t use the site to anything like its full potential.
It also raises your profile amongst your network and, by driving engagement and interest, can help you to form new professional relationships and leads on the site.
One of the best ways to maximize your reach on LinkedIn is to post articles to your wider network. This helps establish you as a subject matter expert in your chosen area or – at least – as someone with an interesting opinion!
However, actually doing this can be a daunting task – even for an experienced writer!
After you have managed to come up with an idea for an article, knowing how to effectively structure this into an engaging and polished piece of writing is by no means a simple task!
Here are a few tips to help you get started with creating excellent content to share on LinkedIn.
Communicate Clearly and Effectively
When you are posting content to LinkedIn – what is it that you are trying to achieve? In a single word: communication. Maybe you want to let your audience know about a new development in your industry. Perhaps you have a unique opinion that you think your network would be interested in hearing.
Whatever the case, if you have bothered to write an article then you must have something you want to communicate. Focus on exactly what this is – does your article have one central topic or does it have several? Is it wide-ranging or focused on a narrow area of interest?
Once you have figured this out, make sure you don’t wander too far from the key points and, if necessary, re-write your article until you are satisfied that it communicates exactly what you set out to say.
Don’t be afraid to use subheadings to break up the next, emphasize your points, and make the article easier to digest.
Ask for Honest Feedback
Too often we don’t ask for criticism because we are scared of what we might hear. But were really shouldn’t be – the only way to improve our writing is to find out what readers really think of it.
Many people in our network will politely engage with the content we put out without telling us what they really think of it. Far more valuable than a simple ‘like’ or positive comment however is real, constructive criticism. You should constantly be trying to improve your messaging and one of the best ways is to ask trusted contacts for their honest opinion.
Don’t take perceived negative criticism too personally but always use it as an opportunity to keep constantly improving and honing the content you decide to share with others on the platform.
Keep People Hungry for More
Don’t rush to cram too much information into a single post or article. Not only will this make the reading experience less enjoyable for your audience, but it will also put all of your ideas into one piece will make it harder for you to write articles in the future. After all, coming up with ideas for engaging content is half the battle! You want to keep your audience engaged and curious and always wanting more from you.
Try to focus on one key topic per article and, if you can, build a body of content that keeps readers engaged with you into the future.
Engage with the Comments
It’s all well and good simply posting an article, but if you then just leave it sitting on the site, without taking the time to follow-up with the reactions it generates from your network, you could be missing out on the perfect opportunity to increase your engagement with your audience.
Often the reactions to an article can be more fruitful than the article itself and can be a way of developing your ideas further through discussion with others.
Make sure to thank people for positive feedback and engage with those who ask questions underneath your articles.
These discussions will also let you know what your network is interested in and can therefore be used to help you with ideas for future articles that will engage your target audience.
Add Credibility with Sources
Depending on the type of article you are sharing with your audience, making use of sources and citations might be a great way to show others that you are serious about the content you are sharing. Of course, if you are writing a light-hearted essay or a personal opinion piece sources might actually be quite out of place and unnecessary.
However, if you are writing an article about a subject of professional or personal expertise then you definitely want to let your audience know that your opinions have a solid basis in fact. A great way to do this is to point them to some data points and expert opinions that back up what you are saying.
Always make sure that you check your sources are reputable and accurate (to the best of your ability) and double-check that they actually support the point you are trying to make!
Don’t go overboard though – this is a LinkedIn article, not a scientific white paper! One or two sources are more than enough to demonstrate to your readers that you are someone who takes the time to back up their opinions and to help build your reputation amongst your wider network.
Conclusion
Use these tips to get started crafting articles that will act as credibility for yourself and your business. For many people, however, the best advice when it comes to writing content is to just begin. So why not start working on an article today!
