No. 1 Thing That Will Catapult Your Networking & Career (That 98% Of You Won't Do)

As a former recruiting executive, I hopped to the other side 20 years ago to become an advocate for YOU, the worker. I write weekly on LinkedIn about topics that help people build better careers. Thanks for reading - I'd love it if you decided to follow my newsletter by hitting the subscribe button above!

If you follow me here, you know I do A LOT of video. I've been doing video for years. And, I'll never stop.

Why?

What most people don't know is I actually LOATHE networking. Especially, reaching out to strangers. I'd much rather strangers reach out to me.

And that's where video is like a magic magnet...

First, there's no easier or better way to serve your network than to provide helpful information and advice for free. Videos let me do that. Plus, it also gives those watching a sense of my personality and aptitude - two attributes that people use to evaluate how much they trust and respect you.

Don't believe me?

According to the work of Sylvia Ann Hewlett, executive presence (the fancy term for what people think of you as a professional) is broken down into three qualities:

1. Gravitas
2. Communication
3. Appearance

Now, we might all immediately assume that gravitas (our depth of knowledge) is what people use the most to assess one's executive presence. But, you'd be wrong. Turns out, what you know weighs less than how you act.

Here's the breakdown:

• COMMUNICATION =? Trust = 51%
• GRAVITAS = Credibility = 35%
• APPEARANCE = Execution = 14%

Translation: doing video gives me a way to use my communication style and appearance to help people get to know me, (and, hopefully) trust me enough to want to follow me and connect with me.

The "warm introduction" video provides is priceless.

One of my favorite things that happens when I talk to a stranger who has proactively reached out to me with an interesting business or career opportunity is when they say, "I feel like I know you. I've watched so many of your videos." It helps me relax and the conversation always seems to flow so much better.

That said, I know 98% of the people reading this will ignore the power of video and skip doing this for one simple reason: ego.

I beg you, STOP letting your fear get the best of you. Inside my private community for building executive presence, the number one thing my members tell me once I coach them through producing video is,

"I can't believe I waited so long. This is FUN!"

It's not hard. If you learn the process, you'll quickly become very adept at making helpful videos that showcase your gravitas, communication style, and appearance.

I mean, if millions of people can figure out how to make entertaining videos for sites like TikTok, you can figure out how to make edu-taining ones for LinkedIn.

Here are my 7 steps you can follow:

This is a simple overview, but it's worked really well for me.

1) List all the problems you solve and the pain you alleviate.

Think about all the questions and concerns people come to you with and organize them by topic.

2) Start with the biggest problem from your list.

That way, it will be relevant to a larger audience.

3) Choose the style of video to create.

For me, there are five main styles I use as follows:

• Listicle - I come up with a list of points or steps I want to share.
• Contrarian - I state a counterpoint to common assumptions made by my intended audience.
• Now vs. Then - Also could be "before vs. after" - this is how I show the difference when you follow my advice.
• Storytime - I share a story of an experience with a client that demonstrates how they used my advice for a successful outcome.
• Observation - I use my experience to share a trend or insight that applies to the problem.

4) Outline (don't script!) your thoughts.

I'm not a fan of scripting, I think it sounds too canned. Instead, I map out my thoughts and then practice saying them a few times until it feels normal.

5) Choose the right backdrop.

Find a well-lit area without too much distraction around you.

6) Record!

Try to keep it to 60 seconds. No need for an intro, just dive into your answer. They know who you are. Or, if they like what they see, they'll go check out your profile to learn more about you.

7) Post, tag and hashtag.

Put it up on LinkedIn, tag a few peers and ask for their thoughts, add three hashtags that relate to the subject. And then sit back and watch the engagement.

That's it!

This is the process that has helped me get 2.6M+ followers on LinkedIn, another 1.1M+ on TikTok, and most importantly, all of the best career and business opportunities I've had in the last decade.

PS - Here's my challenge to you. (Prizes included!)

The first 10 people that create a video using this format and message me the link to it here on LinkedIn to prove you did it will be rewarded! I'll stop by and like/comment on your video as a way to help you get more views.

In case you're wondering, it really helps when someone who is more established on LinkedIn engages with your post. Because I have a lot of followers, your video is definitely going to get more views.

You got this!

PSS - If you don't want to do this by yourself and want private coaching, message me and I can share some options to help you.