Want to write your first blog post? Tips on creating online content!

At LinkedIn we want our employees to feel free to speak up whether it's internally, externally or digitally. We hope our employees, like our Members, can use our platform to write and influence others in the digital space. Blog posts can be a top asset for engaging with our audience, building our brand, generating warm leads or attracting candidates. Our personal brand is our voice - our passions, interests & personality. No one sees the world quite like we do, so no one else can write the stories we have to share. So how can you build your professional brand through blog posts?  Here are 3 tips that I have found successful:

1. Know who is in your network and what they care about

It’s important to blog for your network. Think about what’s trending for them? What articles have you recently shared that had engagement? How will your post help them to be better - either through learning something new, achieving development goals or thinking differently? 

What matters to you and why? Write about what you know and feel passionate about, because chances are if you care about it your network will too.

Your headline is the most important part! Some bloggers suggest spending 50% of your writing time on your headline. You got to lay that bait to make them want to click! 

2. The Power of 3

When author JK Rowling blogs or speaks, she thinks in a series of 3. Remember when you were learning to write essays at school it was all about the beginning, the middle and the end? JK Rowling structures her communication by outlining the following:

The Trigger Event

The Transformation

The Life Lesson

Readers generally don’t like to scroll more than 3 times (short-attention span!)

3 points/lessons/take-aways per post are more effective as they are easier to remember and digest. 

3. Write with purpose  

When I was young growing up in country Australia, writing was a creative escape for me. I loved making up stories, characters and adventures! As an adult, I work in Recruiting so I talk a lot and have now found writing relaxes me. When writing, share something about yourself. People always enjoy storytelling that is authentic.

You need to grab your reader’s attention. Pose a question or challenge! Share an emotional experience. Chances are your audience are going to read multiple posts or articles the same day you post.

Think about the length, rule a thumb is around 1000 words. If you have lots to say (which is ok!), you can consider breaking it into a series of posts. Visuals are a great way to represent data succinctly and inserting pictures or quotes can create more emotional connection.

Finally, leave your readers with a call to action. If blogging was a one way street, people would tune out very quickly! Create engagement in the comments section by posing a question or provoking a conversation.

If you are thinking about posting for the first time, I hope you find these tips useful. Don’t be afraid to start small and don’t be afraid to share your digital voice on LinkedIn!

Have you ever written a blog post? What have you found useful when creating content? Would love to hear your tips in the comments section!