How Writers Can Properly and More Effectively Network Through LinkedIn

I've talked a lot about the proper way of "networking", especially here on LinkedIn, and how you DON'T want to dive right into asking for favors or hitting someone up with a marketing letter or something similar. I’ve discussed how you should ALWAYS FIRST prepare a proper introduction and try getting to know the other person better. This way, they are helping a “friend”, not just some faceless name on a profile they don’t know or trust.

To illustrate this point exactly, the other day I received a “link in” request from a CEO of a production company on the east coast, and- after doing my proper due diligence and determined she and her company were legitimate- I accepted.

That was our ONLY communication to that point in time. The very next day, in my mailbox, I received this:

"Dear Geno,

Don't miss the Latest Deadline of December 5! Submissions are still open..."

What followed next was a page and half long sales letter on a film festival and competition. Mind you, nowhere on her profile does it indicate she's involved in any way with this competition and/or film festival.

I immediately disconnected her from my entertainment industry-related network.?Had she spoken to me about it beforehand, perhaps even piqued my interest and curiosity a bit in a five-minute chat, I might have been one of her biggest resources for entries, considering my network- and support of screenplay competitions and film festivals.

She blew it- and not in a good way.

This is a perfect example of what NOT to do when networking. The art of networking- making connections within your industry- is a learned craft, much like the craft of screenwriting itself. There are many ways to "skin" that proverbial cat, but some ways are just better, more effective and less time-consuming than others.

So, here are just TEN of my quick tips:

1.???Know that you have to WORK at this, too. You HAVE to put aside a certain amount of time and do it consistently. If I’m scheduling a four-hour writing day, I will factor in an additional TWO hours of time devoted solely on networking.

2.???Join groups but choose carefully. Perhaps ninety percent of all LinkedIn groups are total time-sucks. They are filled with self-promotion and re-postings of published articles. Join them, check them out, and after a few weeks if that’s what they are, dump them.

3.???Decide what you want from the groups before you join. If you are looking for helpful information, guidance, etc., find a group that is operated by a person in your industry. If you are going to treat it more as a social network, looking for friends, I suppose it doesn’t matter much.

4.???Choose your groups wisely. Check the profile of the owner and/or moderators of the group. If the owner is a legal secretary, for example, and they operate a group for screenwriters, chances are they’re not managing the group closely enough. With these sites, anyone posting a question is pushed off the front page- with no responses- in a matter of minutes. A closely moderated group will often prevent that type of thing from happening.

5.???Reach out and “touch” someone. LinkedIn allows you to “endorse” your connections. Do it! This can change a valuable “connection” to a valued “friend”.

6.???Welcome newcomers. Don’t post a welcome to the group for all to see. Make it personal and send it privately if you can. Share your experiences. ALWAYS make the note personal. Maybe you have some common friends in your networks, or they live somewhere you used to live. Don't engage in a Q and A or a long, drawn-out conversation, and NEVER ask "How you doin'? If I feel that person wants to "chat" in the slightest, I immediately disconnect from them. It's usually a sign of a cloned (fake) account or profile, or someone who has alternative motives (selling, or directing the person to a new site).

7.???Do not hesitate to link in with others. If you are in the same group, that’s the opening you need. Don’t send the “standard” pre-written invite. That’s lazy and shows no true effort on your part. Personalize it. Let them know you saw something in their profile that compelled you to want to meet them; “I saw that you were in the Army; I was stationed in Germany in the 80’s.” That person will likely respond. If they don't, no biggie. They're not being rude. They could've missed the note, too busy to respond and forgot (happens to me all of the time), or simply chooses not to discuss that part of their life.

8.???Review profiles thoroughly. I spend several minutes reviewing every profile before I send an invite. I look at where they live, their website, their employer, their other groups, their influences, and their other connections. I never invite someone with no connections, and rarely connect with someone with few. I limit my connections to entertainment-related industry folks; authors/writers; people who’ve attended the same schools I’ve attended; people from similar professions; and people from similar towns/cities/states I’ve lived.

9.???Learn what and where the bogus profiles come from: if the person requesting a link in or group entry has no writing or entertainment background whatsoever, no information of their profile is available, and their photo appears to be less than legit, I avoid them altogether. Usually they’re from another country, and I don’t need the spam or the hacking worries. This one I take quite seriously. I have been duped in the past by fake profiles, and have been hacked and victimized as a result, and I’ve learned from that experience.

10.?If they could benefit by knowing someone else in your network, introduce them to that person. LinkedIn has a way to do this through the site. Do it- it’s a nice thing to do, and - more importantly - the right thing to do.

Last point: This current election cycle was very divisive, and the commentary was not kept from LinkedIn, either, surprisingly enough. I was invited to link in with a young man out of Washington D.C., who appeared to be a pleasant-enough fellow from his photo and his upbeat profile.

Then, I saw one line written in one of his previous job descriptions. ?He explained how he had to leave the job, based in Orange County, CA, because Orange County needed to be left to “all of the white Republicans” and it “needed more Christians”, and he wasn’t Republican or Christian, or something closely resembling that statement.

I found the information to be excessive and in very bad taste. I felt his judgement was highly questionable and that we didn’t have enough in common to be linked in together- ever.

Double-check your own profile. Make sure the information you want to be made available on you is available out there (websites, Twitter pages, Facebook, etc.) and complete your profile in its entirety. You will find your networking and your connections improving greatly moving forward! ?

Last, LAST Point: Do NOT link in with someone then have your first communication be asking them to help fund your project, asking for a favor or something similar. Nothing will get you a WORSE reputation than being one of these people. Ask yourself- if someone you never saw before came up to you and asked you for fifty dollars (and they weren't pointing a weapon at you), would you give it to them? If they are hungry, buy them food, but I'm NOT giving fifty dollars to a total stranger. To a "friend in need"? Yes, no hesitancy. Now, determine in your mind, what makes two people who have never met; from opposite sides of the world; suddenly think of themselves as friends? In my case, someone from the other side of the globe, commented on many of my posts- in a thoughtful, polite manner, even if he thought slight differently than I. He wasn't "faking" friendship or pretending to feel a certain way so that we were on the same page. He was very honest. Now, if he asked me to help fund his IndieGoGo campaign, not only would I contribute what I could, I would take the extra time and share it to my entire social media network (over 100K). THAT'S what FRIENDS do for one another. This past month, I was hit up for nine (9) separate "contributions" to people raising funds for their film projects. I have a long history of donating to worthy projects, but I'm selective. All nine requestors were people who had reached out to link in SOLELY for the purpose of asking me for money and getting "access" to me network of other potential contributors. I ask- "Does this strategy even work, or HAS it ever worked?" I can't imagine it does, but it definitely does not work with me. You can ask to join my groups, and post the campaign there, or ask if I would "share" the info or their post with MY network- but don't ask for money first. Allow ME to get to know YOU and vice versa, and you'll find your campaign will grow larger and faster as a result.

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community and was the?Executive Director?for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, as well as The Soul Train Awards,?The Grammys,?The Blockbuster Video Awards Show?and?The Saturn Award Show.

He is completing his 51st adaptation- the fascinating autobiography "CALL ME ZENA", by Sally Barnard, and developing biopic projects of rock pioneer Jimmie F. Rodgers,?Motown star?Tammi Terrell?and iconic folk singer?Harry Chapin- all while continuing to mentor over 600 hundred new writers and self-published authors.

Geno has three screenplays produced and currently on Amazon Prime; "Black Easter", "Assassins 33 A.D." and "The Tombs", and - at present -?is the?Executive Script Consultant?of a $16.4M major motion picture?("Fight Fire with Fire") scheduled to begin filming Spring, 2025.

The Script Mentor has several subsidiaries, including:

TSM Publishing

TSM Screenplay and Novel Marketing

20-Day Screenplay

Shark Eating Man Productions

Social Media Marketing Business Plan - Erica Starr Enterprises,