My LinkedIn Rules

Let’s talk about LinkedIn, shall we? And let’s talk for real. 

Our beloved platform has over 650 million users and there are promises being thrown about that the Linked-family will grow to 3 BILLION in the future! Although Jeff Weiner stepped-down from being a CEO after making that promise… I hope he didn’t get too many sleepless nights after committing to this 462% increase.

Over the past year I’ve been using LinkedIn a bit more seriously. By ‘seriously’ I mean doing more than just making a profile, spam-connecting with the first 1,000 randomers (whilst on the toilet) and hoping that the customers start flooding through my door. It’s been interesting to see different types of content flourish. I’ve seen more video usage, storytelling and humility. But I’ve also seen extensive sales messages and individuals trying to be something they’re not. 

I’ve realised that along my journey with LinkedIn, I’ve developed 5 ‘LinkedIn Rules’ which I try to apply to the majority of my content and that’s what I’d like to share with you today:

#1: Ask yourself ‘Would I want to see this post?’

Your content has to bring some value to the audience. After they read/watch what you’ve just posted, will they walk (or scroll…) away with something new? Maybe it’s valuable information, inspiration or even a smile. Whilst not bullet-proof, I’ve found that asking myself ‘Hey Matt, would YOU want to consume this piece of content?’ before pressing that post button is a useful tactic.

#2: Get rid of ego and don’t make others miserable

It can be easy to get snappy with someone in the comments or messaging section of LinkedIn. Maybe your opinions don’t match, you think that their post is BS or they simply annoy you. You WANT to teach them a lesson, but don’t. Your little comment can ruin someone’s day. Unless you have some genuine constructive feedback, get rid of your ego and walk away. Additionally, remember that getting ‘hate’ on social media is a manifestation of the abuser’s insecurities. Ignore it or simply block the individual.

#3: Be yourself, being someone else is really tiring

It’s 40,000 years ago, as a Neanderthal you want your tribe to think you’re a big, strong mammoth slayer and are an amazing fire starter (not sponsored by The Prodigy). As human beings we want to be well perceived by others. Showing only the best part of ourselves to the world and on social media, we often try to be seen as more knowledgeable and successful than we really are. But having this constant ‘success mask’ on LinkedIn is really tiring and eventually you will get exposed. Just be yourself, maybe you haven’t got a mammoth cloak but you can draw some pretty paintings on the cave wall, which is the only reason I now know about your tribe 40,000 years later.

#4: Perfect content just doesn’t exist

Sometimes I sit there for 20 minutes looking at a graphic for my LinkedIn post and ponder: ‘Well, maybe if I move this slightly to the right and change the colour 1 shade it will look SO much better’. In that 20 minutes, I could’ve prepared another LinkedIn post. Content that you perceive as ‘perfect’ might not be so to others. It’s better to strive for consistency, not perfection.

#5: You cannot be stationary in a world that’s constantly evolving

LinkedIn will continue to change every month, new features will be added and what your audience likes (or what the algorithm likes…) will constantly evolve. Guess what? You have to evolve too! Review what posts are doing well and why, see what other successful people are doing, try something new. Do not stay stationary.

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I hope you’ve found this article useful, drop a comment below with your thoughts and we can have a chit-chat. I plan on writing a lot more in the future (as well as turning these into video), so keep an eye out in the weeks to come.

Matt x