Tips on writing LinkedIn Long Form Posts and Why You Should

 

Social media is so exciting and interesting to work with.  There is so much information out there and so much you can do with it.  Well, it’s different for each and every one of us because we are all unique and we all have different objectives.  Besides – if we all did the same thing, there would be absolutely no point to it.

One of the questions I have been asked of late, relates to LinkedIn and how best to use it.  There are approximately 150 000 articles posted daily and approximately 400 million users. Not many people know about all the rich content available to us and also how best to use it – or how they could best leverage off it.

Here are some tips I have gathered:

Write articles of value to others:

You want people to share your posts with their connections and increase your following.  Over time, your reach will grow. Make sure your content is relevant to your target audience.

Share what you know

Write in a conversational way while educating and empowering others. Give tips on making things easier for yourself. Share your successes and failures and how you overcame them. People are looking for inspiration and ways to better their lives – share with them how you did this and what inspires you.

Don’t post self-promotional posts

Use catchy headlines

Think about newspapers and their headlines and how you interact with them.  People skim articles.  In today’s highly connected, busy world with information coming from email, phone calls, instant messaging or just a conversation – you need to grab them.  Use photos, bold headings, lists and infographics whenever you can. Don’t try and trick people with a headline that doesn’t match the article.  Write a few headlines down and run it by your colleagues or friends. Using puns is ok, but make sure it’s more clever than cliché.

Acknowledge

Give credit where credit is due – use links and source lines liberally.  Make sure that if you use any images, that you have the rights to do so.

No material?  How about using what’s happening in the news?

If you have run out of ideas on articles, why not turn to the news and comment on what is currently happening?  It’s a great conversation starter and you could engage with your followers on their opinions.

Share

Once published, share your post, let your network know, share it via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest.  Email friends and colleagues – shout it from the rooftops. This is the way to build a strong following.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irina-jordan/stand-out-how-to-be-a-lin_b_8269592.html

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20120906170105-29092-the-7-secrets-to-writing-killer-content-on-linkedin