The Beginner's Guide to Posting on LinkedIn

The following is an excerpt from my eBook called "The Beginner's Guide to Posting on LinkedIn." You can read the full thing for free at lindseytod.com

A few months back, I found myself curled up under the covers, scrolling through Instagram. While this was pretty routine, that night I snapped out of the social media trance and began to ask myself how the platform was shaping my mindset. Sure, I follow some inspirational voices like Gary Vaynerchuk, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and Jada Pinkett Smith. But much of my feed seemed staged and a bit superficial. I longed for more authenticity. More meaning. More impact. 

I closed out of Instagram, swiped to the fourth page of my apps, and clicked on the rich blue logo. It had been months since I’d looked at LinkedIn. I found myself scrolling once again… But this time wasn’t mindless. This time, I was seeing posts that described lessons learned, productivity tips, proud accomplishments, and of course way too many sales pitches. There was something interesting about this platform. I couldn’t quite place it, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it. 

So after a few weeks of simply observing, I decided it was time to get involved. I reached out to one of my favorite thought leaders on the platform. I’d been following Tim Salau (aka Mr. Future of Work), and I really enjoyed learning from his perspectives on the modern workforce, education, and community building. I don’t know if you can “do LinkedIn right,” but if it is possible, this dude’s got it down. On September 19, 2019, I sent him this message:

And sure enough, Tim kindly responded with a voice message. His advice was to start posting little by little about what I am good at and passionate about. “Don’t wait for the perfect day,” he encouraged. “Start tomorrow. Literally. Start tomorrow.”

And so I did. I grabbed my phone to record my first video, I drafted a message with the raw footage attached, and I clicked Publish as sweat rolled down my armpits. After 30 seconds, I considered deleting it. But I left it, and the feedback I received was so encouraging. I’ve posted consistently since that day, and in the past few months, I’ve learned a lot and have met so many incredible people. Based on what I’ve observed, LinkedIn is full of potential for entrepreneurs, employees, and brands that want to foster community, build a meaningful network, make an impact, and build an authentic, engaged audience. 

I am definitely not going to pretend to know everything there is to know about LinkedIn. In fact, I’m learning right along side of you. But, I’ve used my personal experience to put together a step-by-step process that will help you find your voice, start posting consistently on LinkedIn, and get the most out of the world’s largest professional network. I hope it blesses you.

Step 1: Get Over Your Fear

On a crisp day in Central Illinois when I was about 8 years old, I hopped in my parents’ purple minivan with my two little sisters. For the entire 30 minute drive to Lake Bloomington, I was eagerly awaiting my favorite fall activity. When we got to the lake, my dad baited my Mickey Mouse fishing pole, and with a “Momma, watch this!” I cast it out into the water with all my might. After just a few moments, my bobber started to wiggle and I jerked up the pole. I reeled in my bluegill and took it over to my dad, completely giddy. 

As he worked on freeing the little guy, I felt my heart sink. What had I just done? I took this little dude from his home, the only place he had ever known. My disappointment turned to curiosity, and I began to wonder what it would be like to be a fish being taken out of the water for the very first time. 

You see, a fish doesn’t know anything besides water. It’s born in water. It lives in water. It eats and breathes and poops in water. And it dies in water. To a fish, there is nothing other than water. Until, of course, a rowdy 8-year-old reels you out. Then the fish is forced to reconcile the fact that there is something that exists outside of water. In fact, there’s a whole other world out there. 

Just like a fish in water, it can be incredibly difficult for you or me to see our own value. It’s all we know. The knowledge that you hold in your mind is unique to you, but because you don’t know anything different, it’s hard to see how that knowledge could be beneficial to someone else. But I see you in your fishbowl. And I’m telling you that once you get over that fear of what other people may think and you start sharing the goodness inside of you, this world will be a better place. Your perspective matters. Your story matters. Your ideas matter. Because no one else can do it like you can. 

You may not know what to share or post on LinkedIn, and that’s okay. We’ll get to that later. But for now, you must understand a fundamental truth… you’re going to suck at first. Sorry, I know. It’s not exactly what you want to hear. But it’s true for every single person reading these words. 

Think about it. Let’s say you’ve never played a game of basketball in your entire life, but you want to join the pickup game at your gym. If you show up one day and try to play with the pros, it will be miserable. So instead, you should find an empty hoop, pick up a ball, and start shooting. I did this recently, and I ABSOLUTELY SUCK. The ball either flew completely over the backboard or it fell three feet short. But I kept showing up. I kept putting in reps. And I started making 3 out of 10 shots. Then 4. Then 5. After weeks of practice, I learned the form required to be successful, and I got more confident in my ability to shoot. 

It’s one thing to sit here and wish you could play in a pickup game or have an engaged audience on LinkedIn. But it’s another thing entirely to put in the reps required to get there. You have to give yourself the opportunity to succeed. I promise you that if you open yourself up to the fact that you’re smarter than you think you are, you can go further than you think you can. And it all starts with a leap of faith.

Read the next 6 steps for free in the full eBook at lindseytod.com

Here's a quote from a reader: "Your ebook is so empowering, real, down to earth and humanizes the entire LinkedIn world all the more. Thank you for your help and wisdom!" And here's what you'll discover inside:

1. Get over your fear
2. Define your "why"
3. Find your voice
4. Become a giver
5. Start posting today
6. Be consistent
7. Enjoy the community

Read now