How to Become a LinkedIn Top Voice

As I was getting ready to write this month's newsletter, I was thrilled to find out that I was awarded a distinguished LinkedIn Top Voice recognition for my expertise in the future of food. For those who are unfamiliar, LinkedIn Top Voice is an invitation-only group of experts on LinkedIn, which is awarded to 300 professionals each year. With 930 million LinkedIn members, this means that only 0.0000003% of professionals are awarded this distinction.?

You actually have better odds of becoming an astronaut than a LinkedIn Top Voice. Yes, really.?

So, how did I get it?

Back in 2021 during the pandemic, while still working in the tech industry, I set out to establish myself as an authority in my area of passion: food technology. The only problem? I knew nothing and had no formal education or training in the industry. So, with unparalleled access to founders and CEOs, LinkedIn quickly became my go-to for meeting and learning from leaders in the space. It was obvious that the user base on LinkedIn provided far greater value for my professional career than any other social media platform.

Now, I want to pause for a moment and make this clear: this isn’t a paid article or promotion. I genuinely am this much of a believer in LinkedIn, which is why I want to help you use it better. I promote it so much that every single university or student group that I talk to ends with me sharing my LinkedIn profile as the only way to contact me – if the students don’t have an account, they’re surely incentivized to get one!

Now, back to my journey. Eventually, I began to showcase my expertise with my original thoughts on the industry. Before I knew it, my consistency, engagement, and authentic approach took off. Now, I am a leading voice on the platform, reaching millions and millions each year, and even have starred in LinkedIn ad campaigns (I must say, a paid LinkedIn model wasn't on my roadmap!)

So, to celebrate this week's milestone as a LinkedIn Top Voice, I'm dedicating this month's newsletter to sharing my ten personal tips on how I built my LinkedIn brand, so you can build one, too.

?? Fill Out Your Profile

This one sounds obvious, but so many people do not do it! So, I am going to start with the basics. Upload a photo, fill in your profile completely, and link your past work experience to the right company pages. I can't begin to tell you how many people make the simple mistake of not linking their past jobs properly, which means that they may not show up in a search under that company (you could miss out on job opportunities, interviews, etc). The more complete the profile, the more chances you'll get picked up in search or SEO!

?? Embrace Authenticity

On LinkedIn, being genuine is gold. I write everything myself. Lots of folks use ghostwriters, clickbait, and AI, but, if you're trying to build a personal brand, that type of content ends up paper thin. Sure, you may harvest tons of clicks, but you're not really building a name for yourself or building a personal style. For me, personal style means I use slang ("hella" is a common Bay Area throwback), use quick and short form grammar, and show my tattoos. That way, people instantly know how to recognize my work. One of my most popular posts last year was about my personal experience speaking at conferences as a woman with tattoos.

?? Follow and Engage with Influencers

To get noticed, start by connecting with influential creators and professionals in your field (or dream field). These folks often have a large following and wield significant influence on the platform. By following and engaging with their content, you increase your chances of being seen and reaching a broader audience. Be engaging, active, and constructive in your remarks, and, if possible, be one of the first to comment on the post. This way, you'll build credibility within the industry and attract more eyes to your own content. Sometimes, I gain hundreds of followers just by leaving a thoughtful comment on somebody else's post.

?? Be Timely and Current

LinkedIn strives to be timely, just like Twitter, so make sure to capture attention quickly on timely news stories. Stay on top of industry news and trends, and be one of the first to share valuable insights or thoughts on recent developments. Being timely and thoughtful can get you shared by the LinkedIn News team, if they cover the topic in their top stories. I am covered frequently on the food space, but, one time, a sassy post I wrote about Elon Musk's remote work policies went viral on LI News coverage. You just never know.

?? Show Your Life's #BTS

LinkedIn is not about curated aesthetics like Instagram. Instead, folks tend to prefer unfiltered, behind-the-scenes photos. Show them your work environment, professional events, or moments from your personal life. These types of posts help foster a connection with your audience. As an example, please enjoy my work station and daily cup graveyard. We are all have these, right? Right?

?? Be an Early Bird

While you might doom-scroll on TikTok before bed, LinkedIn definitely skews towards a morning platform. Posting in the morning tends to yield better results, as professionals are more active during that time. Aim to have your content ready to go before the workday starts. LinkedIn offers a scheduling tool now, but some creators believe the scheduled posts do worse in the feed. My alternative to this is to write your post out, save it as a draft, then hit post in the morning yourself (the draft only works on desktop). Pro tip: Sometimes, I write a draft and decide that I want to post something more timely instead. So, I use the mobile app to post the newer post, so I don't need to clear my saved draft on desktop.

Additionally, consider where the majority of your audience is to determine what time the morning is for them. I generally find 9:30 AM PT to work for me, as it also hits the ET lunch crowd on and the European evening crowd (sorry APAC).

?? Cross-Post the Good Stuff

To expand your reach and amplify your LinkedIn content, cross-promotion is key. Share your LinkedIn posts and threads on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or whatever else you use. For me, I often find that long-form posts on LinkedIn that do well end up doing well on my Instagram as a reel and vice versa. I also screenshot and share my popular LinkedIn posts on my Instagram stories.

Oftentimes, followers will join me on both platforms and engage with both forms of content.?Fair warning: I'm way more uncensored on other platforms, so expect a lot more sass, and a lot more up and close shots of my personal life and travel (and dogs!) This is a good way for "super fans" to get access to more of your life, if they're interested. Always learn the audience and tone of your audience on each platform, then plan accordingly.

?? Invest in a Good Headshot

Your LinkedIn profile picture speaks volumes about your professionalism and brand. It's the first impression you make and, regardless of whether you agree or not, folks will value your authority based on how you present yourself. Investing in a good headshot is worth it, but you don't need to break the bank for it. As a testament, my first headshot (on the right) was taken using my iPhone. Ensure your photo is well-lit, visually appealing, and reflects your industry and personal style.

???? You Can Get Press!

I regularly receive press inquiries from my LinkedIn posts, but on rare occasion, my LinkedIn posts themselves are picked up as credible media sources. Yes, really.

Here is an example:

This post I shared, which only garnered a modest 10K impressions, was picked up by Robert Downey Jr’s venture capital fund, FootPrint Coalition , as a news source in their blog. Then, the news picked up their blog, and I ended up getting picked up on CBS News, 雅虎 , and many more.

?? Never be a SPAMMER!

This is the most important golden rule of LinkedIn. While it can be tempting to tag influential individuals or popular figures in your posts, it's crucial to ensure relevance. Tagging people who have no connection to your content can be perceived as spammy and intrusive (I will absolutely never respond). This practice not only annoys the tagged individuals but also dilutes your own brand. Instead, focus on providing value to your target audience and letting them engage organically.

PS: posts where you share profiles to follow is not the same as SPAM and is perfectly fine!

So, what are you waiting for?

I hope this newsletter is helpful and insightful for how I think about LinkedIn. I want to reiterate: I am not a marketer or full-time creator. I use LinkedIn as a tool that helps me build a voice and a following in my industry. It just so happens that this particular tool has helped me significantly on my career journey, so I want you to know the secrets.

The goal is not to be an influencer; the goal is to be influential.

If you are running a brand, not a personal page, don't sleep on LinkedIn either. Our Vegan Women Summit social media following on LinkedIn is our second largest of all our five platforms, and grows at a significant pace each month. I highly recommend building out a brand presence on LinkedIn, especially if you are ever going to fundraise or need investors!

In closing, I am going to use the last part of the newsletter to shoutout ten LinkedIn creators who I have found to be doing a great job, too! Some are bigger, some are smaller, but all are creating great conversations that I enjoy each day.

• Ashley M. Fox : great financial advice and always well-produced content
• Caroline McMorrow : insightful health and wellness tips; you can tell Caroline puts a lot of time and energy into her work
• Michal Klar : always keeps me up to date on all things Asia and food!
• Mark A. Samuel : always a vibe, always hustling (even if I have to constantly bug him about vegan food!)
• Irina Gerry : very informative and educational climate work; great graphics and insight
• Michael Jackson : one of my fave investors to follow, who always seems to have the ??
• Marina Schmidt : teaches us about food and everything we need to know
• Frank Holleman : great graphics and educational content on the food system
• Scott Galloway : the contrarian extraordinaire, always teaching me something new
• Sophia Kianni : fast and insightful climate commentary, aimed at younger folks

What do you think? Share your comments below.

If you liked this article, please share this post, follow me on LinkedIn, and subscribe to my newsletter above. You also might want to check out:

?The Future of Food is Female, my award-winning debut book

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?Drop me a line: jenniferstojkovic.com/contact