I’ll likely never remember the day that I was named as a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2023, because when the email came through from LinkedIn? I genuinely thought it was spam, and deleted it [#eek].
Actually, it was our Head of Content who noticed the little badge next to my name on LinkedIn > did some Googling > found out that the badge was no mistake, and that I had – in fact – been named as a LinkedIn Top Voice without my even knowing. #lol.
[you need to understand that this is peak-Cherie-energy].
Being recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice on a platform that has become the absolute firm favourite to me since 2020 has been a career highlight, and because I regularly teach LinkedIn strategy in my LinkedIn Masterclasses … I thought I’d pen this post today to let you know what I know has contributed to my success on LinkedIn.
You know what I’m going to say, but it’s been consistency
All of this began for me because of COVID, i.e March 2020 was when I said to myself, “well, my agency is dead quiet, I no longer have any excuses not to be active on this platform” … and I’ve shown up regularly to it > daily ever since [not posting daily, but instead engaging daily/posting 3-4 times per week].
And it’s that consistency not just in my posting value-driven content, but my engagement also, that really has been the bedrock of my LinkedIn success.
This is the platform that warmly welcomes you to show up and share your expertise, opinions, and experiences on relevant industry topics … and the result of my doing all o’ this [and more] has genuinely been so good for my business.
[not to mention the fact that whenever I refresh my LinkedIn page, I seem to have clocked hundreds and hundreds of new followers].
And so on that kinda follower growth? Please turn Creator mode on, yea?
I learnt this later than I wish I had, but the simple click of a coupl’a buttons changes your LinkedIn profile from being the profile that people have to connect with in order to see your content … to simply being able to hit the ‘follow’ button to be able to see all of your content.
Folks are shy, especially on LinkedIn … don’t make them hesitate on that ‘connect’ button, and just give them the ‘follow’ option!
To do this;
- Tap your profile photo, then tap View Profile.
- Scroll down to Resources and tap on Creator mode: Off.
- Tap Next on the preview pop-up.
- Tap Add Topics (hashtags) to indicate the topics you post about the most.
- Tap Save.
- Follow the prompts to turn on creator mode.
Engagement is key on this platform
Engaging with your audience by responding to comments, and engaging on other professionals’ content is vital. It not only broadens your network but fosters a community of shared insights and discussions.
We – as a team – even go as far as saying “engage first, post second” and what we mean by that is this: LinkedIn’s algorithm is so good, and its news feed is subsequently so good … so sometimes, especially in your early days as you’re learning the ropes of the program, you can say just as much about yourself by engaging with content as you would by posting content.
Your community/connections/followers see so much of what you engage with, and it says a lot about you, so really think about your engagement strategy on this platform [and what it says about you].
Personal branding
Your personal brand is your ticket to standing out on LinkedIn. Tailoring your profile, showcasing your achievements and sharing your professional journey authentically will resonate with your audience.
… and the best bit? Journalists/media/PR folks love a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, and I can genuinely say I’ve lost count of how many media opportunities have landed my way from LinkedIn alone [which only grows my personal brand further].
Networking
Expanding your network with meaningful connections contributes to a wider reach and more engagement on your posts. It’s about growing a network that values your insights and engages in fruitful discussions.
But – and this is more important – it goes both ways, i.e I can hand-on-heart say that I am a much better person because of the content I see > via the connections I’ve built on LinkedIn [specifically from connecting with as many folks from DEI&B spaces as I can].
I’m a better person, and a more inclusive leader, and a better ally, and a stronger leader, and a more formidable organisational leader because of who I am connected with on LinkedIn.
Utilising LinkedIn features
LinkedIn offers a plethora of features like articles, posts, and videos. Utilising these various formats allowed me to diversify my content and reach different segments of my audience, but I can honestly say you have to keep up with the changes.
An example of this? I always posted blog posts I share here, as articles on LinkedIn, and then suddenly? My reach plummeted on those. Once I looked into it, I realised articles just weren’t getting the views any more, and carousels were.
I now have our Content Specialist turn my blog posts into carousels within Canva > which I export as a PDF > load to LinkedIn as a ‘document’, and these are now some of my highest reach weekly posts.
… you’ve gotta stay up to date with the new features on LinkedIn.
—
Want to connect with me on LinkedIn? I warmly welcome a connect, or a follow, but I can whole-heartedly say you’ll see how I walk the walk when it comes to a healthy engage first/post second strategy, and when I post? It’s value-driven content, always.