?? Do you want to learn the secrets to go from 1K followers to 20K followers in just 3 months?

LinkedIn is one platform where all the buzz around content is happening. If you can leverage the power of content creation on LinkedIn, opportunities will come knocking on your door. 

But how to begin writing content on LinkedIn? How to gain visibility and engagement? How to attract opportunities? And how to build yourself as a brand on the platform?

Well, worry, not! For today I am interviewing someone who has mastered the art of creating content Dhairya Gangwani. Dhairya wears many hats — Content Creator, Podcaster, LinkedIn Coach, Resume Builder, and SAP Analyst.

Through her powerful and impactful content on LinkedIn, she tapped into the pool of opportunities available and established herself as an influential personality on the platform. Not only that, but she also mentors students and jobseekers to help them achieve to the best of their potential.

Read on more to learn how you can begin and ace content creation, as Dhairya did.

Question 1: How did you start your LinkedIn journey? And why did you start creating content on LinkedIn?  

Answer: I had created my LinkedIn 3.5 years ago, but I never actually utilized the platform. I wanted to focus on getting a placement. I was aware of content creation but never really understood its potential. It wasn’t until last year, when the lockdown happened, that I realized how much potential LinkedIn has. I read about many people who were leveraging content creation on LinkedIn. I saw people creating motivational content; some talked about marketing; some were talking about personal branding. 

I still had no idea how my content could create an impact or provide value to anyone. There was so much competition. I questioned myself - what could I possibly offer? I doubted myself even before I created my first post. 

“When starting on LinkedIn, don’t take initial results as a setback. Content creation requires consistent effort to get the desired results.”

One day, I stumbled upon a Pinterest quote that resonated with me, and I decided to use it as a reference and created a post on it. That was my first post. Eventually, I began focusing on understanding the platform and defining my niche. It is a process of gradual growth. Ever since then, I have been creating content.

Question 2: How to design a content strategy to grow on LinkedIn? What kind of content worked for you?

Answer 2: I started my LinkedIn journey with storytelling. People love raw, real-life stories. But story-telling solely cannot help you establish a personal brand on LinkedIn. 

To build your authority, you need to define your niche. Your niche is any industry that you possess knowledge about. It is something that you can talk about and provide value to your audience. 

Before developing a content strategy, you have to figure out - What knowledge or insight can you bring to the table?

I am an SAP Analyst, and the data analytics domain is not much talked about. So I started creating content about my industry, and I coupled it with a few personal stories. 

“Whatever you write, just ensure that it is 100% authentic. Only then will you stand out.” 

I would suggest that you build a balanced content strategy — a perfect mix of professional and personal content for anyone starting. Teach people something and also give them a little sneak peek into your life. 

Question 3: How do you manage expertise in multiple domains? 

Answer: That’s a great question. Because it seems like I’ve got my hands on multiple things, but it's all within one umbrella, and that is management. Being a profile coach, a mentor, a podcaster, or a content creator are just management sub-domains. 

The first reason that I can manage everything smoothly is that I enjoy doing it all. I love penning down my thoughts. I love engaging and interacting with different people, and I am a fluent speaker, so it's all sort of within my comfort zone. Another thing I attribute to my growth is my time management skill. 

Question 4: What is your advice to someone who is just getting started on LinkedIn? What form and type of content should they be putting out to get the desired engagement? 

Answer: LinkedIn mainly supports long-form text content. It is only in the past few months that video content is gaining momentum on LinkedIn. 

Beginners don’t need to pressurize themselves to create video content. I would suggest people begin with written content. Also, they don’t need to focus on writing weighty information. Keep it easily digestible. That’s what I did. Once I got into the flow, I started experimenting with my content - changing my posts' size, using different content layouts, and even creating video content. 

“Experimenting with your content and analyzing how your audience reacts to different types of content and topics is the best way to grow on LinkedIn.” 

Assessing your performance is essential. So after creating content for one month, you need to analyze how your content has been performing. What topic got the most engagement and traction? Which post did people find the most valuable? These questions will help figure out what your audience is enjoying, and you need to give them more of such content. 

Question 5: Can you share a few tips on time-management? 

Answer: I follow the basic strategy of prioritizing. Every day, before I go to sleep, I make a to-do list of 10 tasks to complete the next day. The top 3 things that I mention in the list are where I need to focus on the first few hours of the day because, by default, my brain has listed them first. 

“You have to assess what workflow process works for you. You can try different methods and figure out what boosts your productivity.”

I do all my tasks as per their priority. This helps in streamlining my flow for the day and also helps tackle stress. I never fall behind on anything in this manner. Another thing to keep in mind while managing time is that one process may not work for everyone. 

Question 6: Did you witness a change in engagement when you shifted from generic content to niched content? Is low engagement one of the characteristics of niched content? 

Answer: Of course, it did. Generic content appeals to a greater audience, and that is why you can always expect more people to engage with it. However, when you begin creating valuable content on a particular niche, initially, the engagement may be low in terms of likes and comments. Still, people in that domain will stick around, and they follow your content loyally. 

When you consistently create content on your desired niche, the quantity may fall, but your network's quality will rise. Eventually, the quantity rises as well. It will help you build your credibility and establish your authority. 

“Assess your niche and dominate it through the power of your content.”

It’s safe to say that content creation is not an easy task. But with the right mindset and the right strategy in place, you can achieve everything you wish to. Content creation requires — consistency, research, trying and testing. Define your niche and begin the process. Most of the learning will happen during the way. 

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You can listen to this episode on Spotify here: Click here