Top trends on LinkedIn: Tokyo, vacation guilt, talent wars. Plus: The benefits of embracing generosity

As a longtime marketer and diversity and inclusion executive, Mita Mallick embodies what many of us say makes LinkedIn special: It’s a platform of generosity.

Almost every day, Mita posts something to her 22k followers. Sometimes she’s spotlighting another creator’s work or applauding a brand for its inclusivity efforts. Other times she’s sharing an opportunity, an article she wrote on being a working mom or asking her community for thoughts on what makes a great business introduction.?

I'm a broken record about this by now, but I'm convinced that embracing a "giving" mentality is the single biggest secret to success on the platform. So I asked Mita, who is a master of it, to give back to the rest of the creator world and talk about how she decides what to share, what she’s learned, and any advice she has. I learned a lot from her answers (including things I’m going to put into practice myself!) and I hope you find them useful, too.?

You've built an incredibly engaged following on LinkedIn. What’s been key to building your community?

For me, building community centers around three things: authenticity, purpose, and generosity.? I show up on the platform every single day as myself: as a storyteller focused on multicultural marketing, as a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion executive, and as a working mother struggling to raise my kids in this pandemic. I post with a purpose: to educate others on what I am learning. I celebrate those in my LinkedIn community when I can — commenting and posting about the ways in which they are making an impact. I try to connect people to job opportunities whenever possible.?

Recently, I partnered with Hibaaq Abdillahi of The Mom Project on their LinkedIn Live series to give advice on networking on LinkedIn.? The pandemic has had a devastating impact on women.? According to the National Women’s Law Center, women’s workforce participation has dropped to 57%, the lowest level since 1988.? We all have a responsibility to change that. LinkedIn is a critical ally in helping as many women get back to work as possible.

What’s your schedule like and how should creators think about their posting volume?

I post almost every day, Monday-Friday, around 7 am U.S. EST.? That’s what works for me, the calm before the storm in my home before I have to get my kids ready for the day. If I have nothing compelling to share, I won’t post that day.?

If you want to post more, I would stagger the posts in terms of timing, morning and afternoon. I would try different formats, video, audio, or a compelling quote and how it relates to something you have experienced. I am also excited to try the polls, which I haven’t yet. I am still waiting for the right question to ask!? Finally, when it comes to varying content, my advice is to ensure whatever you post personally resonates with you. If it’s not something you really care about, or you're just posting to post something, you likely won't get the kind of engagement you are hoping to achieve.

Can you share names of creators you look to on the platform for inspiration?

?There are so many terrific voices on LinkedIn I am constantly learning from — too many to list!?

Here are 6 voices I get inspiration from:?Rich Cardona, Shereen Daniels, Tariq Meyers and his Canvas podcast, Lan Phan and her organization Community of Seven, Steven Wolfe Pereira, and Tara Wilson and her Fierce Lab Podcast.

How do you think about success? What separates a good post from a bad one?

I don’t believe in bad posts. Something I said might not have resonated with my community on that day.? Maybe I get no likes, no comments.? Not even my husband will like it. And that’s okay. Because I will continue to share my observations, my learnings, and my experiences, knowing that they resonate with someone in our community at some point. Showing up consistently is key.

?I [also] try my best to actively listen to voices that are different from my own. ? As my fellow LinkedIn friend Kenny Nguyen says so eloquently “Please change my mind.”

Is there anything you've tried that didn't work? Conversely, anything that's taken off that's surprised you?

?I posted some audio and video clips from podcasts I was a guest on. I was excited because some of them had fancy graphics, things that I haven’t learned to create on my own.? Some of them had great engagement and others not so much.? I have warmed up to video after hours-upon-hours on Zoom, and still not a big fan of seeing myself on film. I much prefer the written form when it comes to storytelling and that goes back to the authenticity piece.

I am always surprised when I post something really personal how well it does, in particular if I am sharing about my kids.? I remember hearing this saying, “That’s for Facebook, not for LinkedIn.”? And the pandemic has proven that’s not just true anymore. People want to see what’s going on behind the screens and peer past our perfectly curated backgrounds.? It has been a tough time for so many of us, and sharing our loss and grief, and our wins and moments of bliss, makes us all feel connected and reminds us that we are not alone.

Here are the topics generating attention over the last 7 days. Leverage these to spot audience demand and to start identifying trends. Then write your own post about one of these subjects; share an interesting video that riffs off the topic; or add commentary to a conversation. Anything with a ?? is likely to continue to trend for another 2 weeks. Bookmark our content calendar to plan even further ahead.

?? Job search challenges: Lots of jobs-related topics bubbling up this week, from answering a tough interview question (“Tell me about your hobbies”) to companies ghosting applicants to Gen X bearing the brunt of the jobless crisis.

?? #nationalinternday

?? Tech talent wars: WFH is giving Big Tech an edge in hiring as employees no longer have to live in coastal epicenters to get a job in the industry.?

?? Tokyo Olympics: This one keeps building: Members are gravitating toward all things Olympics, with conversations ranging from mental health discussions to the challenges of being an Olympic mom to honoring Olympians with dual careers.

?? Vacation Guilt: Members are sharing personal stories with one another on why they often feel the need to defend their choices when requesting time off.

?? Walmart: The perk wars keep building: The US's largest employer just announced its free tuition initiative, removing all costs related to its employee college tuition program in a $1 billion investment over the next five years.

Each week, I’ll highlight creators who are initiating meaningful conversations on LinkedIn. These members use a variety of tools — from live video to polls — to nurture their audience. See if any of their actions work for you or engage with them directly by leaving a comment and sharing your insights.

1. Cindy Liang built a poll this week to gauge feedback from her audience, asking members what keeps them focused during a presentation. The top response? An engaging personal story.
2. Dan Price shed some light on how WFH has helped introverts, offering a perspective on how remote work combats the bias that the most vocal voice in the room isn’t mutually exclusive to "star contributors" in the workplace. Price’s post sparked conversations about extroverts vs. introverts in the workplace and how WFH has impacted both sides.
3. Chatri Sityodtong shares why he hires for something harder to quantify than degrees or years of experience. He refers to it as “PHD”—?aka “a superstar who is poor, hungry, and determined in attitude and spirit.” The post is sparking fascinating conversation on the platform, with members sharing advice with one another in what they look for when hiring.
4. Members are loving Ian Sohn’s post from this week on the importance of being a human being at work. Ian tells us why we need to stop apologizing, saying that he doesn't care if his employees are wearing workout clothes in a meeting or prepping dinner during a call — as long as the job gets done. The post clearly resonated with his audience and beyond, leading to over 21,000 reactions and nearly 750 comments.?
5. Former track-and-field gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley has been tremendous to follow during the Tokyo Olympics, sharing a daily personal journal video that takes the rest of us behind the scenes. Here she talks about embodying the Olympics motto: Swifter, Higher, Stronger.