Summer travel woes, advice from a Top Voice on building her LinkedIn community and crowd-sourcing content tips

Welcome to The Insider. Each week, we're sharing inspiration for your next post, noteworthy news, exclusive data, curated member spotlights and more to set you up for success on LinkedIn and beyond. Read on to join the conversation around summer vacation planning; learn how Top Voice Cynthia Pong tapped into the power of LinkedIn; and connect with others around community building.

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Trending This Week

This week’s can’t-miss stories and trending topics. Join the conversation by answering the below prompts and include hashtag #TheInsider for a chance to be featured by the LinkedIn Editorial team.

Summer travel sticker shock?

While many professionals have plans to jet off for a well-deserved summer vacation, sticker shock around many popular destinations might put plans on pause. While U.S. airline routes are seeing a 19% drop in price from last year, airfare to Europe and Asia is the highest it’s been in more than five years according to Hopper’s 2023 Summer Travel Outlook report.

Join the conversation using the hashtag #SummerPTO : How are inflation, economic uncertainty and surging airline prices influencing where and how you’ll be spending your summer PTO? ?

Top Voices: Asian American Pacific Islander professionals in the U.S.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month in the U.S., LinkedIn News will be highlighting the journeys of AAPI professional voices who are leaving a mark in their fields. The Top Voices feature will publish on May 17.

Share using the hashtag #AAPI : Who are the mentors or communities that have supported your career growth and development, and how have these relationships empowered you to thrive in your profession?

Topics on the rise:?

Adding your voice to these conversations this week using #TheInsider can increase your opportunity to be discovered by new audiences.

• The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs is holding three hearings this week on the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.
• On the heels of the shutdowns of Buzzfeed News and MTV News, Vice Media filed for bankruptcy Monday .

Member Spotlight

Your weekly spotlight on LinkedIn members who are creating content that has others learning, growing and sharing.

This week, we’re featuring Cynthia Pong , a former public defender turned career coach and Top Voice with a following of more than 190,000 on LinkedIn. She’s focused on empowering women of color in the workplace and her goal is to launch as many Black, Indigenous women and nonbinary people of color as possible into top leadership positions. She uses her voice on LinkedIn to grow her coaching business and has had many opportunities emerge from sharing on the platform. Read our Q&A with Cynthia below to learn more about how she taps into the power of LinkedIn.

How did you begin posting on LinkedIn??

I started posting back in 2016 or 2017 and it was a mix of spotlights of notable women of color, as well as educational and career advice type content. So many opportunities have come from this!?

What's your top tip for those looking to grow a larger audience on LinkedIn??

Be you! Authenticity and genuineness goes a long way, so please don't try to be someone else when you're on LinkedIn. Sharing the core of who you really are in a way that others can see themselves reflected in is incredibly powerful and can make a huge positive impact on others. On a more tactical note, make sure to pick a cadence for posting that is realistic for you. Better to start steady and consistent, as opposed to biting off more than you can chew.

How do you foster a sense of community with a large following?

I pretty much write how I talk, which people have told me is not super common shall we say! When I post, I have our community in mind, literally imagining that I am speaking directly to folks and I share candidly and from the heart. I'm a big introvert though, so social media does come with its challenges. At the end of the day, the 1:1 interactions that can follow from connecting to a big audience are also very special to me!

How do you manage stress, overcome challenges and maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I manage stress with a daily mindfulness practice and twice-a-week workouts. I’m a big believer in the power of affirmations or positive self-talk, so those are one of my wellness pillars as well. And finally, my community! My strong support network, which is something that does take years of investing time and energy into building, keeps me balanced, focused, and moving and grooving as an entrepreneur and CEO!

Expert Exchange

We’re all experts in something and we all have knowledge and experiences to share. Lean into exchanging information with like minds on the platform around a different topic each week.?

This week's topic: Building a community

As Cynthia mentioned above, building and nurturing a large community can lead to many positive outcomes. What advice would you give to someone looking to grow their audience and create a community through content creation? Add your answer in the comments section below with a little bit about what has worked for you on your journey.

Find the LinkedIn Editorial team live in the comments today and read comments from fellow members. We’re excited you’re here and look forward to building this community with you!

Comment of the Week?

Each week, we’re recognizing one insightful tip or takeaway from our Expert Exchange. This week’s Comment of the Week goes to Jason Gulya, Ph.D. for his response to last week’s question about AI prompts.?

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