You may have noticed that a few years ago LinkedIn made it possible to publish blog posts through their platform.
These blog posts will show up in your LinkedIn profile (as well as in google search results), so it’s a great way to share your thoughts and get your name out there.
If you’re a writer, creating a few blog posts for LinkedIn is a no brainer – it helps share your work with a wider audience.
Even if writing isn’t the main service you’re offering, you can still use blog posts to educate your audience about your service.
For example, let’s say you’re a photographer and you take professional headshots.
You could write a blog post that explains the benefits of having a professional headshot, mentioning some statistics about how LinkedIn profiles with photos get more engagement and connections than those that don’t.
And if you’ve already worked with clients, you can include some of their anecdotes or testimonials.
Another way to use the blogging platform is to share case studies.
You could talk about a specific project you worked on.
What was the problem? How did you solve it? What were the results?
Note that if you’re going to use a specific person or company’s name, you’ll want to get their permission before publishing it.
Even if you’re not a professional writer, you want to make sure your writing comes across as thoughtful and professional.
Here are a few tips to help you with your blog post writing: start with an outline. Think about what you want to say in the “Intro”, the main points you want to cover, and the conclusion.
I find it helpful to write bullet points for each idea in my outline. Then when I go to write the draft, I can follow the plan I’ve already created.
If you know you’d like to include any outside links, statistics, or research, gather that ahead of time – or make a note that you’ll come back for it later.
When you sit down to write your draft, try to focus just on writing. You can come back to edit and add in links later. It’s easier when you stick to one task at a time!
Use sub-headings to help break up the text and make it easier to read .
If possible, use images to illustrate your points.
Choose a few “Pull Quotes” that will capture people’s attention and make it easier to scan your piece .
Ask someone to review your draft for clarity .
If you don’t trust your own editing skills, try using a service like Grammarly to check your spelling and grammar .
How to upload a blog post on LinkedIn: open up LinkedIn in a browser window. In the box where you go to share a status update, click on the link that reads “Write an article on LinkedIn.” Copy and paste your draft onto this page. You can upload a cover image (if you do this, make sure you’re using an image that you took or one that’s available under the Creative Commons license) .
Extra credit: plan out your next few blog posts. What other topics will you cover and when do you plan to write and publish them?
