How You Can Maximize LinkedIn Creator Mode in 2022

The next edition of?The Mango Effect is out! ?? If you're new, this is where we talk about all things related to growing our businesses and personal brands "the mango way" on LinkedIn -- from personal branding to growing our networks to attracting more ideal clients to optimizing our profiles... and everything in between!

Each Tuesday, I share ONE strategy that you can use to optimize your personal brand or grow your business on LinkedIn. Whether you're a subject matter expert at the top of your field, a business leader looking to get on more boards, or a gritty entrepreneur trying to craft an ideal sales & marketing machine -- you'll find one action item you can take away and implement each and every week to get you one step closer to your goal.

No topic is off-limits. We discuss the good, the bad, and the fugly. I do take topic recommendations, too!

My mission is to help more professionals learn how to use LinkedIn, so we can all "up our game" on the platform, build thought leadership, and grow as leaders in our careers and businesses. And, I like to keep things fun, practical, and inspiring.

Now, onto this week's topic!

??How You Can Maximize LinkedIn Creator Mode??

Going Live. Adding Hashtags. Writing Newsletters. Experts taking advantage of these features are starting to get REAL results from their long-form content.

If you hadn't noticed all the invitations to subscribe to their newsletters or all the livestreams showing up in your news feed, it's a THING on LinkedIn to turn on Creator Mode.

?? No longer are those pithy, Twitter-reminiscent posts getting the same traction.

?? Polls are starting to fall out of favor.

?? Cute puppy pictures... well, they're still making appearances here and there.

When it comes to your 2022 content strategy on LinkedIn, it's all about going deeper with your audience.

How do you make the most of LinkedIn Creator Mode? Maybe you're just getting started and are curious what you CAN do, or perhaps you're a seasoned long-form content creator looking to amplify your content on LinkedIn.

In this episode of Mondays with Mindi, we talk about the ins and outs for today's LinkedIn creators and how you can use these features to grow your network, fill your pipeline and build your email list!

Who’s LinkedIn Creator Mode for?

This is a question I learned to ask when I was doing Seth Godin’s altMBA program five years ago (wow, time flies!)?

“Who’s it for?”

If you don’t know for whom LinkedIn Creator mode is intended, you won’t understand the importance of using it like an expert.?

LinkedIn Creator Mode was created for those experts who create long-form content, think articles, videos, podcasts and live streams, to engage with their audience.

For some years, the LinkedIn news feed was inundated with Twitter-style content that was pithy posts from people trying to be clever. It lacked substance most of the time and was simply created to elicit a reaction.

I think LinkedIn picked up on this and realized they needed to figure out a way to make the news feed and content on LinkedIn more valuable for users, especially since the majority of them are professionals looking to connect with other experts and industry thought leaders.

LinkedIn Creator Mode emerged at first to a select group of users who were already producing longer-form content, and then it became available to just about anyone with a decent-sized network and following.

If you’re an expert in your field, and you have long-form content that you want to share on LinkedIn, you’ll want to turn on Creator Mode. It was created with YOU in mind.

Thing is - be prepared to publish consistently once you turn it on. And, you’ll want to identify which features you plan to use, PLUS how frequently you want to publish content.

When is the right time to turn on Creator Mode?

These are not hard-and-fast rules, but here’s what I tend to recommend for when to turn creator mode ON and when it should stay OFF.?

Some people turn on (or off) Creator Mode too quickly. Here’s what you need to know.

Remember, if you already have a decent-sized network of 500+ you can turn it on AS LONG AS you’re okay with people being prompted to follow you above connecting with you.

Here are my rules for turning ON LinkedIn Creator Mode:

• When you’re already actively sharing content weekly (or more frequently)
• When you have decided that you want to use LinkedIn Live
• When you are regularly publishing LinkedIn articles and want to get the newsletter feature
• When you already have 500+ (ideally 1000+) LinkedIn connections, and you’re not worried about whether or not people actually connect with you -- it’s okay if they just “follow” you.

I tend to recommend that most experts I work with turn it ON because they’re just going to get more exposure for the content they’re already working hard to produce.

?Here’s my rule for keeping LinkedIn Creator Mode OFF:

• When you have YET to set up a newsletter or do LinkedIn Live - not planning to do it anytime soon
• When your search appearances or profile views are dramatically dropping
• When you have less than 1000 connections and are actively trying to get more connections
• When you are on LinkedIn to do social selling and want to make it as EASY as possible for prospects to connect with you and start up a conversation
• When you are not sharing content at least weekly

For example, if you are a B2B salesperson and don’t tend to publish your own content, you might not need creator mode turned on.?

Make sense? So, it all depends on how you’re planning to use your LinkedIn profile.?

Creator Mode Amplifies Your Content

Now if you’re thinking about Creator Mode, make sure your content is actually good!?

I’ve seen too many people jump on the creator bandwagon and either NEVER publish content beyond that first post OR they publish what I call “filler content” that doesn’t actually provide a unique perspective.?

If you want Creator Mode to work for you, it’s critical that you have the basics down for what “good content” actually is.

Start by looking at the content you already have posted over the last year or so, and then identify which topics or ideas resonated with other people in your network.

It also helps to get feedback from people you trust as to whether your content strategy is on point. My top recommendation for anything “messaging” is Brandon Lucero, and I’d highly recommend you check out his podcast or attend one of his free boot camps if you want to dive deeper into content creation and messaging.

Creator Mode only AMPLIFIES your content to a larger audience, and it will not make up for poor content. If your content sucks, it won’t matter whether or not you have it turned on.

Shore up your content before you proceed, got it?!

Maximizing LinkedIn Creator Mode for Experts

By this point, you know what Creator Mode is, who it’s for, when to turn it on or off, and how you need to have a solid content strategy in place before you get started.

Now, let’s shift gears to get into the nuts and bolts of Creator Mode - how you can set yourself up for success once the timing is right.

I’m going to share my screen here, so you can see what I’m referring to with LinkedIn Creator Mode - what it looks like and the benefits of how it all works if you’ve decided, “Okay, Mindi! I’m a content creator and am ready to make the most of it!”?

Who likes to get a little nerdy? Let’s take a look at LinkedIn, so you can understand how to use LinkedIn Creator Mode.

#1 - Choose Your Five Hashtags

Choose five hashtags that best describe the content you share and your areas of expertise. Here’s the formula I usually recommend for experts.

• Pick three really popular hashtags. Use the LinkedIn Hashtag Analytics Chrome extension to find out how many followers your hashtags have.
• Pick two hashtags that are unique to you. These can be product-specific or hashtags you created yourself that are directly related to your programs, products, services.

These hashtags should be directly related to the topics you post about on LinkedIn, as they show up just below your headline on your profile.?

These hashtags also make it easier for other LinkedIn members to discover your content and follow you.

#2 - Attract More Followers with the Follow Button

Instead of seeing “Connect” as the call to action on your LinkedIn profile, you’re going to have a button that says “Follow.”?

People can still send you a connection request, but they have to know where to look to find where to send you a connection request.?

LinkedIn will also give them a message that says “you prefer to be followed.”

LinkedIn will display the number of followers you have at the top of your profile, as opposed to the 500+ connections default at the top.

#3 - Feature Your Original Content

LinkedIn will highlight your original content on your profile by moving your Featured and Activity sections to be first on your profile.?

The Activity section on your profile will no longer include your likes, comments and other activities, but they will still be available when you click on See all activity).

Notice the difference between what you’re seeing now on your profile if you have LinkedIn Creator Mode off and what you see on my profile.?

This is why it doesn’t make sense to turn on Creator Mode if you’re not really posting often because it’s going to look pretty sparse here.

#4 - Start a LinkedIn Newsletter

One of the biggest perks to Creator Mode is having the option to start a LinkedIn newsletter. This newsletter will allow you to share all types of content - including video, text, audio, PDFs and other media.

One of the fastest ways to make the most of your long-form content is to start a newsletter and publish it on a schedule.?

#5 - Go Live on LinkedIn

If you feel comfortable doing Livestreams or making videos, then you’ll be excited to take LinkedIn Live for a spin. That’s what you’re watching here!

The key is to make sure you treat it “like a show” and not just something you do randomly when you feel like going live. The best shows are those that are consistent in nature, where viewers know exactly what to expect and when to tune in.

And remember that you can livestream across more than one platform simultaneously - for example, you could be watching this livestream on LinkedIn, in my Facebook Group, on my Facebook Page or on YouTube.

So there you have it!

Let’s recap how to maximize Creator Mode:

1. Choose your five hashtags
2. Build your following with the “follow” button
3. Feature your original content
4. Start a LinkedIn Newsletter
5. Go Live on LinkedIn

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If you’re ready to get started with LinkedIn and take the next step to optimize your profile once and for all, so you can start growing your network on the regular or land your next opportunity in 2022, join me inside The LinkedIn Accelerator program which is opening in early April!

What additional questions do you have about making the most of Creator Mode? Leave them below in the comments or shoot me a private message. I’m happy to answer them??!