Breaking the communication barrier: why you need to face your fear and start publishing content on LinkedIn

If you’re not publishing content, you won’t be able to unlock the true potential of the platform. Publishing content lifts your credibility to greater heights. But many people are so worried about getting it right that they never post content at all.

I understand how you feel — once upon a time, I felt that way, too. However, with time, and a lot of trial and error, I learned how to create content that helps me pull clients to my business. I’m here to save you time by helping you avoid my mistakes, answering the questions I get asked the most and sharing all the tips and tricks I wish I’d known at the start of my LinkedIn journey.

Here’s why learning to believe in yourself enough to?publish content on LinkedIn could turn out to be one of the best things you ever do.

Posting content changed my LinkedIn career

I started my business as a LinkedIn profile writer in 2009 — during my previous 14 years in recruitment, I became an early adopter of the platform. But initially, I didn’t publish any content. My entire strategy was based around connecting with people who serviced my ideal clients, growing relationships purposefully, and with intention. I would comment on other people’s articles, but never posted my own.

This all started to change in 2014, when LinkedIn opened up the publishing platform to everyone, I watched for a few months, then dipped my toe in and began publishing my own original content on LinkedIn. I didn’t have much confidence at first — in fact, I’ve deleted all but one of my earliest articles as I didn’t believe they were good enough. I still sometimes find myself dealing with?imposter syndrome. But I've found that publishing content is like training a muscle — the more you do it, the easier it gets.?

Without posting content, I don’t think my business would be what it is today. Publishing offers me an effective and efficient way to reach the people I need. It can do the same for you! Here are some of the things you need to consider when posting content, so?you can start publishing with confidence and do something proactive to help your business as we move into 2024.

1. Why should I publish? I don’t want to contribute to the noise.

It’s true that we’re bombarded with more information now than we ever have been in the past. The online world has created a huge amount of competition, and maybe you are telling yourself that you?don’t want to add to the noise. But without posting content, you’re missing out on an opportunity that your competitors are making the most of.?

If you’re not in the game,

how can you hope to win it?

Good content isn’t “noise” — it offers your potential clients something for nothing. It shows that you’re generous when it comes to giving your time and demonstrating your expertise. This creates trust, which is essential if you want to attract clients to your brand.

If you are an expert in your field, why does nobody know about you? You have valuable experience and insights to share. Posting content is the only way you can establish yourself as a thought leader and become well-known within your industry.

If you think that sharing your ideas and insights will create more competition and prevent people from needing your services, don’t worry. Think of yourself as a celebrity chef giving away your recipes — people will want to come to your restaurant even more, as your expertise will make them want to experience you cooking for them.?

Sharing your knowledge doesn’t create more competition; it puts you ahead of it.

You also need to remember that LinkedIn is a reputation platform. Posting content encourages people to engage with you. Whenever someone likes or comments on content you post, this drives up your social proof and improves your reputation.

2. I don’t have any content ideas. What should I post about?

The whole point of posting content is to make people realise how much you know about your subject and answer the questions they may have about your industry.

If you don’t think you have anything worthwhile to share you either have imposter syndrome or, and this is harsh but likely more true - you haven't dug deep enough.

(I find it easier to create content when I have switched off from devices and walked in nature. Time to let your mind wander has been proven to help with creativity, problem-solving and content creation.)

Back to the question - what to post about? Think about what is likely to interest your ideal audience. What do they want to know? What are your frequently asked questions? Once you start thinking about these questions, you will likely stumble across a lot of overlap with the topics you are interested in and what you are knowledgeable about.

If you post content that you enjoy writing and others enjoy reading, this creates a resonance that will attract people to you.

Something I always do is make notes about my thoughts, anytime they occur to me. I can be inspired by something I read, a podcast, or a conversation with a friend. Whenever this happens, write it down. Whether you choose to carry a notebook or make notes on your phone, that’s up to you, but make sure you jot down those thoughts before you forget them.

Think of yourself like Dumbledore in the Harry Potter stories, extracting his memories so he can view them and make sense of them at a later date. If you write down your client's questions as you hear them and capture your thoughts without judging them or worrying about how coherent they are, you will be able to shape them into great content later.?

The importance of regular writing habits

Writing down your thoughts is the first part of creating engaging content. The second part is to get into a regular habit of looking at these notes and working out how you can write them into great posts. It might only need you to sit down once a month at your favourite café and write for a couple of hours. You’ll find your own routine – but finding a routine is essential.

OK, not every article you write will be great.?You might want to outsource your content writing. Or invest in Donna McGeorge's book The ChatGPT Revolution and learn how to use AI prompts to enhance your writing.

All this is fine, as long as the ideas come from you! Your authenticity and passion will shine through if you shape your own ideas, even if someone or something else is producing polished sentences on your behalf.

What is most important is to keep coming up with ideas and posting consistently. If you’re not putting yourself out there regularly, you’re not giving yourself the chance to improve. You have to put yourself in the arena and do the work.

You have to show up, and keep showing up. That’s the only way you’ll find out what works for you.

LinkedIn even helps you with this by showing you the data – you can actually see which posts are resonating with which audiences. The beautiful thing about data is that it isn’t a personal criticism of you; it’s impartial feedback that you can use to improve your game.?As you learn what works and what doesn’t, you’re much more likely to produce engaging content consistently. Look at this as a constant opportunity to learn and grow. After all, this is what the best thought leaders do.

Posting confidently takes time…

…but it’s achievable. I hope these tips and tricks have helped you to feel more confident?about publishing content on LinkedIn. Everyone looks to LinkedIn to verify who you are, and what you know, so it's important to spread the word about your brand online, especially if you want to attract clients or professional opportunities. And if you’re still feeling a little shy, remember the wise words of poet Henry Van Dyke:

“The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."

You have a valid contribution to make — it’s time to let the world hear your song!

Start collecting your thoughts today, and see where they take you...