Fight “postcrastination” — do this instead

What’s inside this issue:?Why comments are the unsung heroes of LinkedIn; my first “lab results" PLUS two new LinkedIn tips and three resources. Also, be sure to rate yourself as a networker by taking our "Networking Survey" here .

Hello from my LinkedIn lab, where I welcome you behind the scenes, sharing discoveries I make publishing my new LinkedIn newsletter. (If you missed the first one,?it’s here .) Your lab pass includes Quick LinkedIn tips, resources and more.

One of the questions I get asked about LinkedIn is, “What should I post about?” I love this question for two reasons. First, I always have an idea to suggest, then I like to challenge the question by responding with, “Don’t post, comment instead!”

I’m not saying don’t post on LinkedIn, of course.

I am saying don’t overlook the power of comments. They’re the unsung hero on LinkedIn.

Here’s why I recommend commenting:

• Although It’s easy to like/love a post with a quick click, a comment literally says something — it shows you’re extra-interested in the person’s content.
• When you comment, LinkedIn shows your avatar and name and your relationship (i.e. the connection degree) to the person who posted — and more about you is a good thing.
• Because your name is clickable on your comment, a curious person can quickly jump over to your profile to learn more about you. (And I’ve heard multiple stories of people getting new clients exactly this way when the timing was right.)
• Commenting prompts others to interact directly with you, as they can engage with your comment (like/love it or leave a comment on it). You don’t get that type of engagement on the likes/loves and other emojis you leave.
• You don’t have to be connected to a person or a follower of a company to leave a comment.
• Leaving a comment slows you down and that’s time well spent when you use LinkedIn strategically.

LinkedIn is all about networking, and I'd love to know how you rate your networking skills today. Please take this short survey to let us know.

Learn from My Lab Results

Before I share some tips and resources to grow your creative business with a little LinkedIn magic, here are three things I learned from creating the first?Quick LinkedIn Tips ?(QLT) issue:

1. Formatting:?LinkedIn doesn’t offer many bells and whistles to format your newsletter compared to WordPress or Word! A little annoying, but you can get past it.
2. Editing:?You can edit a LinkedIn newsletter after it’s published, just like you can with a LinkedIn article. (You can’t do that once you’ve sent an email newsletter.) That came in handy when a recipient pointed out an odd wrap around an image I’d added. Did a quick edit and all was well again.
3. LinkedIn Mystery:?There are certain aspects of LinkedIn newsletters that Google or LinkedIn’s Help section can’t answer. For example, I’m 95% certain my QLT subscribers will receive an email from LinkedIn letting them know I published a new issue. If you don’t receive this as an actual email message in your Inbox, will you let me know by sending me a LinkedIn DM?

Tip 1:?Want to see what your connections are commenting on??This comes in handy when you want to learn more about their interests and activity on LinkedIn. Check their Activity section, which appears a section or two below their profile header. Click?Show all activity. Then click?All activity?to see the person’s comments, as well as their likes/loves and posts. (If you don’t see anything in Activity, that usually means the person isn’t active on LinkedIn.)

Here's what my "Activity" section looks like:

Tip 2:?Since your comments link to your profile, when’s the last time you gave that section "above the fold" a good once-over?

It’s by far the most important part of your profile where you can capture people’s attention; it includes your:

• Photo:?It should be friendly and recent.
• Title/headline:?It runs below your photo (see below) and should say clearly what you do, for whom and maybe even a little something about how you work or what makes you different.
• Contact info: You can add your email address, phone number and links to your website, blog and even your LinkedIn newsletter if you have one. It's up to you, of course, to decide how much personal info you want to be public.

Podcast:?Mark Williams (a.k.a. Mr. LinkedIn) calls commenting a LinkedIn superpower in his?Unlock the Power of LinkedIn with This Simple Engagement Strategy! ?episode.

Video:?Here's a quick and easy way to get the most from your time on LinkedIn, whether it's five minutes or 30.

Video: Start a LinkedIn Newsletter in 3 Steps. The first step is turn on “creator” mode. Read my email message to learn the other two, or watch the video above.?It’s simple to set up a newsletter, I promise! (This is from my?March 22 Quick Tips email newsletter. )

See you next month in the marketing lab.

Ilise Benun, Your Marketing Mentor –?Marketing-mentor.com

If you enjoy this Quick LinkedIn Tips newsletter, you'll love her Big Sister, my original Quick Tips message. It’s a bi-weekly dose of marketing tips, advice and resources that cover more than LinkedIn.?Subscribe here .