Advice for women leaders: 5 questions to help you create LinkedIn posts that attract meaningful opportunities
As the head of a women's storytelling company, my work includes helping women leaders tell the stories of their careers—and that includes coaching them on what kinds of things to share on social networks, including LinkedIn. (Please note: I use the term “women” to refer to all female-identifying people; I realize this is imperfect, but for now, it’s the most efficient solution I’ve found.)
Everything you share is a breadcrumb that helps other people understand who you are and what kind of work you do in the world. We're all trying to find the people who are trying to find us, and sharing online is like sending up a beacon that says, "Hey, you! Over here!" My clients have gotten promotions, been invited to speak at conferences, and connected with high-level people in their fields, all because of content they've shared on LinkedIn. We know that, as women, we need to take up more space in this world, and having an active online presence is a powerful way to do that.
With this in mind, here are five questions to ask yourself before you post—whether adding your own commentary to a "share" of someone else's article or post, or simply writing a few sentences to share an insight or piece of advice.
Five questions to ask yourself before you post something on LinkedIn
Am I being conversational? Is this something I would say in-person? Or am I sliding into “promo speak”? People will respond more to what you share when you sound like yourself, and let your authentic voice shine through.
Am I being purposeful? In other words: So what? Why does this topic matter to the people I most want to reach, whether that's prospective clients, influencers in my field, or gatekeepers like publishers or conference organizers? People are all busy and/or distracted, so make your words count by getting clear in your own head about why you think people should care.
Am I being specific? Can I dig a layer deeper to offer a more specific insight? Am I unwittingly assuming people will read into what I’m saying and connect the dots to some larger conclusion, and if so, can I make that conclusion more explicit? (Remember, no one is as steeped in your expertise and perspective as you are, and things that are obvious to you are not necessarily obvious to anyone else!)
Am I being strategic? Does this post connect back to the core story I want to convey about myself/my work? If I edited it slightly, would the connection between this individual post and my larger career story be a bit more clear, so that I could drive my story home in a more powerful way? (If you need help getting clear on your career story, and distilling it into a compelling tagline that can guide your LinkedIn presence and more—let's talk.)
Am I providing take-away value? Does this post offer value to the busy, distracted humans I’m hoping to reach? For example, does it give them a quick “aha” insight (value=learning), inspire them (value=inspiration/joy), or give them a data point they can take to their next meeting (value=look smart/excel at work)?
Be gentle with yourself: Not every post needs to hit it out of the park on all fronts! But asking yourself these questions will help you develop the muscle memory to instinctively create higher-quality posts, until it’s second nature. The next thing you know, you'll have a magnetic online presence that reflects the essence of who you are, opening doors you might never even have thought to knock on.
You've got this!
