LinkedIn Top Voices 2016: The 10 must-know writers in media
Every week, writers on LinkedIn publish more than 160,000 articles. So who stood out in 2016 — and who do you need to start reading now?
We've sifted through the data, looking at factors as diverse as engagement (particularly comments and shares) to follower growth, to come up with the top 10 voices in media. These writers weighed in on some of the biggest stories this year, from U.S. election coverage to Gawker's feud with Peter Thiel.
Some clear themes emerged in their articles, too. Many remain focused on solving the existential threats in media: the glut of fake news or the struggle to fund newsrooms. They predict that the click-bait era might finally be over. And, as ever, they're obsessing about video, expecting to see even more of it in messaging apps in the coming year.
So, behold: The top 10 media writers on LinkedIn in 2016...
Bill McGowan | CEO, Clarity Media Group Inc.
What he writes about: A two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, McGowan now coaches executives and TV talent on how to best present themselves. He uses that expertise to riff on media controversies — Michael Strahan’s kerfuffle with Kelly Ripa; Chris Matthews’ “hot mic” moment on MSNBC — and to comment on news stories from the perspective of a public-speaking guru. He explained why Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes mishandled the crisis at her company and analyzed how both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump performed at the presidential debates. “My posts tend to analyze high-profile communication efforts by newsmakers and celebrities in order to share lessons from them that are applicable to all of us in our everyday jobs,” he says.
Most-popular article of 2016: “Blood in the Water: How Elizabeth Holmes Could Have Avoided Tanking Her Today Show Interview,” which garnered more than 308,000 views. In the piece, McGowan notes that Holmes’ nonverbal cues — staring at the floor while expressing regret, nodding incessantly at an accusatory question from an interviewer — did her no favors. “Deer staring into headlights have looked calmer,” he noted.
What he thought would be big in 2016 but wasn’t: “The development of a Google Glass-like device that gives people a personal TelePrompTer when giving speeches.”
Kellye Whitney | Associate Editorial Director, Human Capital Media
What she writes about: Whitney, an editor helping oversee publications like Chief Learning Officer and Workforce, writes commentary on race, gender and other in-the-news topics. She explored how companies like Twitter, Slack and Goldman Sachs dealt with diversity issues this year; weighed in on the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and commented on North Carolina's "bathroom bill." She even pointed out how virtual reality could help people recognize their own implicit biases. "I examine the various dimensions of diversity that impact how people work — thus how they live — through the latest news stories and my own personal experience," she says.
Most-popular article of 2016: "Here’s to Ryan Lochte’s Get Out Jail Free Card," making the case that society “blatantly favors white screwups over minority ones,” and arguing that managers had to more fairly address mistakes that occur at work.
Where she gets ideas: "My inspiration comes from everywhere. TV shows, news stories, people on the train, Twitter; I'm fortunate that most anything I encounter can provide a creative spark."
Rachel Jones | Media consultant
What she writes about: Jones, a longtime journalist who’s worked everywhere from NPR in Washington to Voice of America in Africa, tackles issues of interest in media and beyond. In 2016, she weighed in on the death of Gwen Ifill, pointed out Megyn Kelly’s “color blocking” and reflected on African media and her nine years living and working in the region. But she tells LinkedIn her main interests include health care, gender, sustainability and issues affecting the developing world, all topics she’s covered on LinkedIn. “Or at least that used to be my focus, before America flung itself off a cliff,” she says. “Now, I'm adding racial and socio-economic justice in the United States — or lack thereof — to my range of concerns.”
Piece she’s proudest of: “BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT: On "Survivor: 2016," America's Tribal Council Has Spoken,” reflecting on the election. “I recognized the opportunity to share my opinion, as someone who spent nearly a decade outside of America in a region crippled by ethnic violence, (on) my country's alarming slide into the maelstrom of tribalism,” she says. “The fact that I'm a woman of color made that opportunity even more valuable to me.”
Where she does her best writing: “In my head. My brain should win a Pulitzer Prize every year! My 2017 New Year's resolution is to spend a LOT more time extracting what's in my head and getting onto my screen.”
Elizabeth Spiers | Founder, The Insurrection
What she writes about: Spiers, an entrepreneur and the founding editor of Gawker, describes herself as a generalist. “I write about a lot of things: technology, finance, politics. My company has a virtual reality practice, so I also write quite a bit about that.” She analyzed Peter Thiel’s war against Gawker; explained how to make it work as a freelance writer (get an “anchor gig”); and dissected why most branded content is unreadable.
Article she’s proudest of: “Confessions of a ‘Cold’ Woman.” As Spiers notes: “This was personal and not really the sort of thing I usually write, but it speaks to how women are treated in today's culture and how we cope with double standards professionally.”
Not on her LinkedIn profile: “I once ran a social club named after Christopher Hitchens where participants would debate the issues of the day — once sober, and once drunk.”
Click here to follow Elizabeth.
Jane Hirt | Founder, Jane Hirt Consulting
What she covers: The former Chicago Tribune managing editor writes about her own experiences, like her decision to take a year-long sabbatical after resigning from the newspaper, or her novel plan to temporarily replace executives on maternity leave. “I've always taken roads less traveled,” Hirt says, “and I want to give voice to that perspective because I think there are many many others who want to do the same but are afraid to buck the system.”
Article she’s proudest of: “A Radical Sabbatical Survival Guide,” which has now been read by more than 260,000 people. “Boy, did it touch a nerve; I was quite surprised,” Hirt says of the piece, which originated as a holiday letter to family and friends. “I am proud that I apparently was able to connect with so many people, around the world, who dream to live at least some part of their lives for themselves.”
What she’s watching in 2017: “Whether anger at the election results will fuel 1960s-style activism in 2017, or whether most Americans will remain apathetic.”
Jory Des Jardins | Co-founder, The Virago Group
What she writes about: The BlogHer co-founder tracks the future of media — when it makes sense to use VR (and why it’s ripe for abuse); the short- and long-term effects of ad-blocking; and why the race to woo top bloggers is over. “I also write about female entrepreneurship, the opportunities as well as overcoming challenges in fundraising and scaling companies.”
Article she’s proud of: “Why Mombloggers Are Not Magic Beans,” on the myths of digital thought leaders, and why brands misunderstand them. The piece “was a bit of a swan song for me,” Des Jardins says, “as I transitioned away from an industry my company helped to pioneer.”
Not on her LinkedIn profile: “I'm a former magazine writer, contributing to Fast Company and Inc. magazines before becoming an entrepreneur.”
Tim Mulligan | Senior Analyst, Video at MIDiA Research
What he writes about: “The intersection of tech and media and video's place within that rapidly evolving dynamic.” He's written about the death of Vine and the future of short-form video; Amazon’s moves to better compete with Netflix; YouTube's struggles to add premium subscribers; and social media’s role in hosting sports programming.
Post he’s proudest of: "Why Spotify Is Getting Into Video", published in January. The piece helped to promote his prediction “that 2016 was the year that video was going to dominate all digital media content platforms — which has since come to pass with a doubling of short-form video views in 2016, and moves into video by new non-video native entrants such as Apple Music,” he says.
His pick for most-interesting story of 2016: “Facebook misreporting its core video metrics because it highlights the challenges of transitioning from the traditional linear world of verified (albeit cosy) third-party ratings of one of dependency on tech distribution partners with a stated desire not to be identified as media companies.”
Simon Owens | Content and Social Media Marketing Consultant
What he writes about: Owens, a writer and social media consultant, spotlights emerging trends in tech and media via longform articles and interviews with notable players in the industry. He examined the rise of Pacific Standard and the “post-clickbait” era in media; explored the popularity of the YouTube video essay; and profiled Mike Masnick, the writer who runs the influential tech policy blog Techdirt.
Post he’s proudest of: “My article on why email newsletters are the new zines. I think it tapped into a growing trend and resonated with a lot of readers.”
Story he thought would be big in 2016 that wasn’t: “I'm still waiting for Wall Street to wake up and understand the true utility of Twitter rather than comparing it to Facebook.”
Not on his LinkedIn profile: “I'm really into podcasts; in fact I recently launched a new newsletter that recommends the best podcast episodes each week.”
Julian Mitchell | Entrepreneur and multimedia producer
What he writes about: Mitchell —who helped launch Sean "Diddy" Combs’ music-focused cable network, REVOLT Media, in 2013 — says his focus is now on the “disruptive creators and entrepreneurs redesigning industries. My work highlights progressive trends, new business models and the builders shaping the new economy. I also add a challenging perspective to trending topics across music, media and entertainment.”
Post he’s proudest of: "Get Paid To Be Yourself: The Business of Being Rashad Drakeford," a piece he likes “because it delivered the perfect combination of insight, inspiration and impact. My mission with Get Paid To Be Yourself is to empower creators and entrepreneurs to design the careers they want, rooted in who they are. This is achieved through personifying the concept through people who live it, and have mastered the mechanics of doing it.”
Story he thought would be big in 2016 but wasn’t: “I thought social platforms like Twitter would have been much quicker to create a video model that positioned them as legitimate social TV networks. I wrote about it over a year ago, and Twitter is just now making deals to bring this concept to life.”
Chris C. Anderson | VP of Content, Stakk
What he writes about: Anderson, who oversees content at a Hong Kong-based digital media startup and logged stints as an editor at Business Insider and Huffington Post, says he looks at what’s trending in the news “and usually find that I have a strong point of view or something to say one way or the other.” He wrote about the Gawker bankruptcy, Verizon's purchase of Yahoo and Comcast's acquisition of DreamWorks Animation, which he described as a "$3.8 billion middle finger to Netflix, Amazon and the idea of competition."
Post he’s proudest of: "Facebook's Latest News Feed Algorithm Should Be A Wake Up Call For Publishers" in which he argues that smart publishers should not panic over algorithm changes and should continue focusing on quality content distributed in many ways. “I'm proud of it,” Anderson says, “because it combines advice based around professional knowledge, commentary and gives the reader key takeaways.”
His pick for most-interesting news story of 2016 (election aside): “The unveiling of Elon Musk's plan to get to Mars and colonise it; that the plan is so well-formed and there's actually some hardware and rocket tests to back it up as a possibility. I can't think of another news item that has the potential to be such a game changer in the next 20-30 years.”
"Likes" receive comments-Never use AI in my comments-only accepting invitations to those w/ 500+ connections-You will need to Like my Posts-both of us must Benefit from this Connection
7 年Hi-I would ask if there are any Conservative or Right Leaning voices on LinkedIn that contribute articles?- I have not seen that many right leaning contributors is why I ask- I worry that group think will take over LinkedIN sometimes-I hope LinkedIN can be Diverse in it's Viewpoints and not become just another mainstream media site-Thank you
Passionate about publishing, healthcare, and technology | Experience in B2B and B2C | Please connect and reach out for a conversation
7 年Great piece Chip! I look forward to following some of these people. Thank you.
Journalist, Writer, Editor, On-Air Host, Media Consultant, Brand Strategist
7 年Hoping to be on this list some day!
Telling stories in the media without ads
7 年Chip Cutter, you forgot me ;)
Product leader | Executive @ Google, Ex-Meta | AI and Emerging Tech Transformations | Entrepreneur | Author | Public Speaker
7 年Congratulations Jory Des Jardins . Love your last piece about funded female founders!