How To Exercise 'Unfluence' For Greater Success In PR

The highest level of thought leadership is adding value to an audience and industry beyond the functions of your product or service. It’s a genuine desire to elevate the ecosystem you play in.

This post originally appeared as my Forbes column of Dec. 5, available here—but particularly given the subject matter, I am also running it here. 

As I’ve been examining the relatively new phenomena of publishing on LinkedIn, it didn’t take long to discover the LinkedIn “Unfluencers?” group.

When I saw the name, I feared a gang of LinkedIn antagonists, but what I found was the opposite. The trademark is purposeful, the invention of Dr. Jeffrey Strickland, an unassuming predictive analytics and data modeling expert from Colorado Springs. Like many of the greatest influencers in both the present and history, he’s introspective instead of outspoken, more comfortable creating ideas that resonate from behind a keyboard than jumping up and down on a stage.

Strickland is not a LinkedIn “LION” (the platform’s designation for an open networker who accepts connections to fairly well all), but has amassed a following of more than 10,000, largely through resonance with the things he has written. But here’s the thing: The posts he’s written don’t sell anything. They avoid the overused eye-ball grabbing conventions of shock-value headlines. The only times he writes headlines like “10 Ways to XXX” are to mildly poke fun at the authors who do.

The concept of unfluencers is a play on the meaning of “fluence” – technically, the output of a particle flow, fluency, or the possession of a quieter or more mystical kind of influence, i.e. “putting the fluence on someone.”

The group reminds me instantly of the concepts I wrote about in this post from last year: Why Introverts Are The New Power Players In The Digital Age.

“We’re not LinkedIn bashers,” Strickland says. “Unfluencers are people who want to take LinkedIn to the next level. We can do this by engaging with one another in a civil manner, even when we disagree on matters. Engaging involves reading articles, commenting, and adding value. We can add value even when disagreements occur by keeping an open mind, considering different points of view, and practicing tolerance of other people's views. We want to be colleagues.”

What this means to entrepreneurs engaging in thought leadership, then, is that the best publishing (like the best PR, in my opinion) is obtained not by sneaking in self-references and promotion in the material you publish. Success is attained by thinking about the needs and interests of the audience first. It is by adding value without an agenda. It is by engaging with that audience, not by addressing them through a megaphone from on high.

Why does Strickland write? In a post jokingly entitled, “The 400 reasons I write On LinkedIn” he notes the reasons are actually 10,250—the number of people who currently follow his posts. “I believe many of them follow me because I write,” he says. “I write because they request my thoughts on certain topics. I write because it makes me learn (perhaps I like learning even better than writing.) And I write because they expect me to write.”

The group was started on June 4, 2015, by Debesh Choudhury, Ph.D. based on the principles espoused in Strickland's writing and as of this update, on December 6,  has amassed 675 members so far. Its participants embody the principles of adding value over selling as well.

Group member Angus Grady, a marketing and digital media expert, writes frequently about the death of “Selling by Yelling” and the rise of authentic communication and PR. “Social media is the ‘bees knees’” for authentic marketing, he proclaims. He adores Periscope as the epitome of social media, in that it’s a medium that by its very nature requires you to actually engage with your audience.

The group is no stranger to disagreement, but requires respectful behavior. Members thrive on the kind of spirited debates that stretch thinking. “I think the group may be one of the last bastions of civilized conversation,” remarks Jennifer Boggs. “The interest in other people is genuine… It is supportive, encouraging, and also a smack of reality that many of us need to remain sane.”

Group founder Choudhury notes the sincere desire within his posts to teach others.

In a case that admittedly rocks my world as a communicator, I learned in this community of Deb Helfrich, a Seattle, Washington solopreneur who left corporate life in the HR industry in 2012 to create a practice that leverages the thing she does best – listening with intuitiveness and insightfulness to help others unlock their highest potential in business and life. Her unique style of thought leadership is epitomized not by publishing, but by commenting—listening insightfully to the messages communicated by others, and adding value through dialogue that makes use of her inherent abilities and draws her prospective customers and partners to her. As a case in point, she and online marketing expert Gary Sharpe, of the UK, met and found synergy in their unorthodox efforts and formed a business partnership in September they will be formally launching this week.

Says team member Lynda Spiegel, “I was among the early members of the Unfluencers because the people whom I most respect on LinkedIn—Jeffrey Strickland, Deb Helfrich, etc., formed it as a way to distinguish ourselves from the hackneyed writing that comprises most of LI's Influencer posts. Yes, many of us, myself included (or maybe in particular) are on LI to grow our business opportunities. But by aligning ourselves with one another - thoughtful, analytical, critical thinkers, we each learn more of substance, grow our networks of equally critical thinkers, and - dare I say it - have made some lifelong friends among people who for the most part have never met face-to-face.”

Jim Murray, one of the groups earliest members, agrees: “I was one of the original people to join this group basically on the strength of Debesh's persuasive powers and Jeff's great manifesto…But at the end of the day the single thing I like most about belonging to this group is the absolute authenticity of the people I have come to know here. “

As declared by both Strickland and Choudhury, the following list defines the characteristics and qualities of Unfluencers:

1. An Unfluencer takes the time to read and reflect on others’ LinkedIn posts.
2. An Unfluencer provides reflective comments to posts that expand or clarifies the content.
3. An Unfluencer replies to all comments to their own LinkedIn posts.
4. An Unfluencer builds up others even if they do not agree with their view, since they can find something good in everything.
5. An Unfluencer shares the posts of other Unfluencers.
6. An Unfluencer never says, “You are wrong,” but instead may say, “I have a different opinion.”
7. An Unfluencer writes content in their area of expertise and does not pretend to know something just because it is popular.
8. An Unfluencer does not hurt the religious and political beliefs of others.
9. An Unfluencer writes what needs to be written regarding respect, integrity, and etiquette.
10. An Unfluencer is the wingman of other Unfluencers and always watches their backs for bogies.
11. An Unfluencer is dedicated to providing rich content that will help others.
12. An Unfluencer is an influencer with a quiet and humble manner [the italics are mine].

If you meet these criteria, Strickland invites you to join. The group is available here.

Cheryl Snapp Conner is founder of SnappConner PR, developer of the Content University program for helping entrepreneurs and executives learn to excel in thought leadership. Register now for ContentUniversity's first online sessions, beginning January 4, at www.contentuniversity.com.

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