How to Write LinkedIn Posts to Build Your Personal Brand
In biology class, we had to dissect a rabbit to study its insides - rabbits are easier to come by than frogs in Cyprus. We studied the heart, the kidneys, the liver, and the stomach. We saw, in practice, everything we had been talking about.?
But why am I telling you about cutting open dead rabbits?
It was important for us to understand each part and how they functioned to get the rabbit to do what it needed to do. The same applies to the written function of social media posts, specifically LinkedIn posts for personal branding, which is the focus of this session behind the writer’s desk.
Do you have your scalpels ready? Wipe your brow and let’s discover what parts can get your LinkedIn posts to do what you want them to do - to get your personal brand on LinkedIn to shine.
The LinkedIn Post's Headline/Hook
It's no secret that the headline or hook (which has become a very overused phrase) is the first line, or few lines, of your posts. Its function is to capture attention and draw your reader, or target audience, in to read more while setting the tone for the rest of the post.
You can write an effective headline/hook by making it:
Compact: Everything should fit into the first 200 characters of the post before the “See More...” option cuts off the rest of your post. The shorter the better. One-liners work well. You could think of them as chat-up lines but without the cheesy factor. You could also think of this as the chance to tailor the hook to your value proposition so the benefits you offer are set from the get-go and you will resonate with those who will connect with your content.
??Example: I may have 100 problems, but writing isn’t one of them.
Tantalising: (I always wanted to use that word in a newsletter) The first few words of your post create a promise to your reader about what is to follow. Tease them, give them a glimpse of your ankle, and make them wonder about your knees.
??Example: Sunday, Funday – get your imagination engines started.
Relevant: The way you open your post forms a path on which you aim to continue, or rather, it forms the formula that will get you to your pot of gold.
You can’t open with a line about something that is good practice in your industry and then go the other way in your next paragraph… or can you? The point, before I lose you forever, is that whatever you choose as your hook has to make sense for the rest of the post. If you open with a line about famous people becoming influences and then you talk about how the guy next door got everyone in your neighborhood to talk a morning walk, the two seemingly opposite ideas have to make sense as a whole.
The objective of this kind of post is to use the hook to prove a point by starting in one direction, changing course, and then aligning it with the hook so it all makes perfect sense.?
??Example: I can’t brag about my curiosity, I don’t like to ask 100 questions.
??????????????????? What I can do is tell you how human behaviour works.
The Eye-Opener/Re-Hook of Your Personal Branding Post
So, you got your readers to consume the beginning of your content. You made them a little sparkly-eyed, and with one foot ready to follow you. Now you want to ensure they are in it for the whole ride.
How do you do it? Play on emotions and senses, make it feel relatable to everyone, or give them a bit of a twist, like in my example above.
Emotions: This is where you will differentiate yourself from the robot and build genuine connections. Prompting ChatGPT to write your content, to act like someone with your expertise, and take on whatever tone you want it to use, does not get heartstrings pulled.?
And I will tell you why.
ChatGPT, or any other AI tool, does not have the experiences you have, and they cannot feel. And for that matter, if you use it to do the actual writing, who will the people who read you meet when you are in an actual room with them?
Rant over! Back to how to put the emotions in your LinkedIn posts' re-hook.
Start by telling a personal story to give social proof, or ask the readers how they would have felt if something happened to them. You could also describe the emotions you feel as you write or that you had during the event you are commenting on.?
??Example: Being rejected isn’t a walk in the park. In fact, it isn’t a walk at all. I curled up into a ball the last time my book was rejected. I felt I had to cradle my soul so all the shattered pieces would not go missing.
Side note: This example is playing with extremes. I really do not take rejection that badly and getting overemotional on LinkedIn may not always be the best thing.
Relatable: Can your reader walk a mile in your shoes? Do your shoes feel familiar to them??
If your re-hook brings across relatable content, then the reader will feel a familiarity with what you are saying, and you will have added so much value to your post. There is a reason we hang out with people like us and there is a reason why we tend to read posts that speak to a certain part of who we are or how we think.
We are all part of a tribe, after all. Maybe state which tribe you are in, and you will bring other members of your tribe closer because they will see themselves in your post.
??Example: Networking in the real world needs skill.
?????????????? ?????For the introverts of us out there, this skill comes with practice.
The twist: Startle, shock, stop them in their tracks and get them to catch their breath before they dive in deeper. You could use a statistic here as your hook and then question it. You could use a well-known fact as your hook and then prove why it isn’t always true.
??Example: August is the month for relaxation and time away from our desks.
So, what better time to get your best posts out there? Less competition, but still, lots of eyes to read what you have to say.
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The Main Body/Torso of Your LinkedIn Personal Post
I am way over my word limit already, and that is intentional. The functionality of the parts I have referred to until now is the most important. Grabbing attention, maintaining it, and getting your reader to feel is what will keep you top of mind and pinpoint you as a top voice. The rest will be the advice they may use, the remainder of the story they can read as entertainment, or the commentary on whatever is of relevance to the post.
Not so important, but important nonetheless, so here are a few ideas as to how you can create content for your main body and showcase your personal brand.
Lists: list advice, list reasons to do or not to do something, list tools you have used in the past that have helped you learn, list facts that prove your point, list challenges, obstacles, and failures, list whatever you believe will showcase your expertise and bring value to the reader. You could use these expertise to become a LinkedIn top voice and get even more power behind your strong personal brand.?
??Example:
Skill sets: As a professional, you have a set of skills, share them. You may also want to explore other skills or you may even be learning some at the moment. Who knows, you might even have skills that seem to have nothing to do with who you are as a professional, but that can be linked to why you do what you do exceptionally well. Remember, there is a massive pool of professionals out there, using unique content will bring out more of the personal branding strategist in you and more of your personal brand to the LinkedIn community.?
??Example:
Personal experiences: The words communicating your personal brand mean nothing more than the action of showing up as you… in the professional sense. With more than 1 billion users on LinkedIn, the only way you will stand out and be impactful is to bring yourself to the table and build trust. All your quirks, all your ideologies, and all your passions are what will set you apart from others who do what you do.
There is no better way to get this to shine through than by sharing your experiences. How you handle certain situations, how you feel about certain matters, and your values and core beliefs will all show themselves through these stories because these stories are the morals that make you as a professional.?
??Example:
The Call to Action/The Send-Off
You don’t always need a Call to Action at the end of your posts, but they are good if you want your reader to know what to do with the information you have just given them, or what to do next.
With your call to action, you can:
Ask them to follow you.
Ask them to send you a DM to talk about a collaboration.
Ask them to comment.
If you don’t want to ask them to do something, then send them off with an image that will remain in their mind.
To give them something to remember, you can:
??Example: PS. The photo is of me in Machester during my best Maria phase.
??Example: I may be in my 40s but I am not dead yet.
??Example: Make them stop and study.
In an oversized nutshell, this is what can go into your professional LinkedIn posts so you can build your personal brand and snuggle in the memory of those who will reach out when your services are needed.
??Next Week??
Now you know about the layout of your social media posts, what parts of your LinkedIn posts for personal branding can get you out on centre stage, the next stage is to know what you will talk about – yes, that is right, the holy niche.
I’ll be here next week, behind my desk, trying to provide you with unique value by asking if you should niche or not, and if not, then what could help you get your online presence more, well, present?
Until then, comment on the newsletter, send me a DM if you are a busy professional and need a ghostwriter to write your posts with you, or just keep me in mind for when you need me. I’ll be flattered.
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