Why You Should be Publishing on LinkedIn

A friend asked me about LinkedIn the other day.

“What’s that site all about? I’m not looking for a job so why should I care?”

A few years back, I would have advised him to build a strong presence on LinkedIn to be ready for the next career move. Connecting with potential employers and a solid network of people in your industry is hugely helpful in case you need it.

Now, my answer is quite different. If you want to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, an expert in your niche, LinkedIn is where you want to publish.

This article from Lily Zhang does a nice job of summarizing four reasons you should be on LinkedIn. First of all, Zhang notes, your audience is already there.

“The hardest part about blogging and becoming a thought leader is getting together a following. LinkedIn has already done that for you in the form of your connections. Like an update, any posts you write get onto your connection’s news feeds and, if they like or comment, they’ll get sent out to their connections, and so on,” she writes.

And those connections like to engage on the platform, so comments and shares are a part of the process.

“If you want reader engagement, LinkedIn has it,” she notes. “You’ll be thanked, challenged, applauded, and questioned. It can be a gratifying experience to continue sharing your expertise through comments, but be ready to defend your opinion.

“Getting a conversation going, particularly with other industry professionals, isn’t always so easy on other platforms, so this is without a question one of the biggest selling points of posting on LinkedIn rather than your own blog,” Zhang explains.

“Putting your thoughts and insights out there into the wild world of the internet isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’ve decided to take the plunge, LinkedIn’s platform certainly is a compelling option for those seeking a wide audience, personal branding, and reader engagement.”