The Shift Towards Personal Storytelling on LinkedIn

The perspective on sharing personal content on LinkedIn has evolved significantly, reflecting a shift in how professionals engage with the platform. Traditionally viewed as a strictly professional space, LinkedIn is increasingly becoming a venue for individuals to share personal stories, insights, and experiences.

"Hey Simon maybe you shouldn't post that here... LinkedIn is for professional posts only." I've heard that one a few times. Honestly, I actually deleted the posts in the beginning. For years I kept things strictly business on here - business news, client updates, testimonials, the usual business chit chat.

Fast forward to post pandemic LinkedIn era and many entrepreneurial LinkedIn users like myself have discovered that authentic self-expression can foster networking opportunities. By sharing personal challenges and lessons learned, #entrepreneurs young and old can resonate more with their audience. This approach emphasizes that we connect with personalities rather than just credentials or achievements. The notion that one must maintain a robotic professionalism is being challenged; instead, entrepreneurs who speak and write from the heart... who are authentic are slowly but surely becoming key drivers of engagement on the platform.

Benefits of Sharing Personal Content

1. Building Relationships: Sharing personal narratives can lead to meaningful connections that extend beyond mere networking. As users reveal their true selves—flaws and all—they often find that others appreciate their honesty, leading to stronger professional relationships.
2. Enhancing Engagement: Posts that include personal stories or insights tend to generate more interaction than traditional business updates. This increased engagement can enhance visibility and credibility within one’s professional network.
3. Creating Value: By offering real solutions to common challenges through personal experiences, users can provide value that resonates with their audience. This approach not only helps others but also positions the poster as a thought leader in their field.

Navigating the Balance

While personal posts can be beneficial, it's essential to strike a balance. Entrepreneurs should consider the potential impact of their posts on their professional image and the perceptions of their audience. Content that is overly controversial or negative may detract from one’s professional brand. Thus, maintaining a degree of professionalism while being personable is crucial.

The evolving nature of LinkedIn encourages entrepreneurs to embrace authenticity and share our stories. By doing so, we can cultivate genuine connections and enhance our personal growth stories without sacrificing professionalism.

In the end I realized, entrepreneurs don’t connect with credentials, they connect with our stories our personalities. We don’t need endless case studies to be credible and we definitely don’t need to be Richard Branson with an endless list of achievements to make an impact. We simply need to be passionate and relatable. Understand entrepreneurs challenges and give your side of the story. Let's provide value in a way that feels true to us. We must NOT be afraid to share our failures, don't hide behind some picture-perfect profile, be real, flaws and all. And guess what? Just maybe our entrepreneurial will begin to make an impact. The kind of impact that can transform meaningful connections into business opportunities.        

SsF