Ever since I became a LinkedIn Top Voice, I’ve had several people ask how I was selected out of over 550 million users.

In the beginning, it was very hard to answer this question because honestly to me, the answer was quite simple.

However overtime I learned that although the steps I took on becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice was simple to me, it wasn’t easy breezy at times. There was plenty of strategic planning and marketing, patience, and unwavering confidence that I had to build and maintain to make this happen. Once I became more strategic with the way I approached LinkedIn and became a Top Voice, my engagement and follower count on LinkedIn sprouted insanely.

If you want to become a LinkedIn Top Voice, here are 7 things you should know (it’s not too late to become a LinkedIn Top Voice for 2019!).

1. The person that writes the most doesn’t necessarily win

The phrase “quality over quantity” stands true for alot of things – including for LinkedIn. If you want to be considered a thought leader or industry expert on LinkedIn, you have to remember that it’s not about curating the most blog posts. It’s truly about producing quality content – even if that means only publishing one blog post every week or every other week. Don’t believe me, take it from Amy Chen, Managing Editor at LinkedIn:

“To compile the list, we analyze a combination of data and editorial signals designed to capture the voices making a mark in their industries. This includes engagement (specifically the likes, comments and shares across each member’s articles, posts and videos); growth of followers tied to publishing activity; and number of times the contributor had been featured in editorial channels, a signal of high-quality content. We also emphasize diversity of topics and voices.”

2. Copy is key

One of the best ways to ensure the LinkedIn audience is seeing your amazing posts is by making sure you have a solid headline. As you are writing your blog post, think of creative title names that you can use that’ll snag the attention of the readers. One the same note, keep that same energy when choosing the hashtags that you’ll use to promote your post when you publish it and the headline photo. The best way to have standout content among the millions of other users is by having a catchy headline, bomb photo, and strategic hashtags.

3. Forget what you heard, LinkedIn groups are still a thing

After you create your blog post and publish it, the work doesn’t stop. Share your blog post to applicable groups that you are apart of on LinkedIn (if you are not apart of any, don’t worry I won’t judge you, just go ahead and join a few after reading this post).

Sharing your blog posts with your LinkedIn groups is an untapped strategy that many people forget to do (or assume that it’s pointless to do). Some groups have hundreds and thousands of members so why wouldn’t you take advantage of that kind of exposure?

4. Create a posting strategy (and stick to it)

The same way many businesses, brands, and individuals use social media management platforms like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later to schedule out their business content, you should do the same for your LinkedIn blog posts. Unfortunately, there isn’t a built-in software to do this directly through LinkedIn, so take advantage of the social media management platforms that are already out there to get this done. The more you share your content, the more likely it’ll increase in views and engagement.

5. Don’t quit in the beginning

To get started on the road to becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice, you need to know that every single post that you publish won’t be an award winning post. Every post will not have hundreds or thousands of likes or comments and that’s okay. You have to be open and mindful that sometimes LinkedIn users will really engage and dig with what you’re posting, and sometimes they just won’t.

6. You have to be consistent

Since writing my first LinkedIn article back in 2015, I have slowly watched the engagement rise with every subsequent piece. During those moments when I would post and my engagement level wouldn’t be where I imagined, I still remained persistent and posted consistently anyway. Eventually, being consistent paid off and overtime it helped me become a better writer (and a LinkedIn Top Voice). 

LinkedIn Editor in Chief, Daniel Rothshares why being consistent matters here:

“Regardless of location, the same formula worked to develop an audience: consistency, depth and an authentic desire to create conversations (not just content). Some 71 percent of our Top Voices published at least once a month and usually much more often: four times a month, on average. That consistency paid off.”

7. Make sure your profile is on point

Lastly, when you think about how you want to be perceived online, your LinkedIn profile should come first to mind . If you are publishing amazing content, you should have an equally amazing profile to back it up. Whenever I run across someone that has amazing LinkedIn content, I’ll go to their page and if their profile is compelling, I’ll follow them or ask to connect.

Too often, I run across people that do well with creating great content, but they drop the ball when it comes to their personal profile.

If this is you and you need help creating a compelling LinkedIn profile, click here and let’s chat! I love to help people build their brand using LinkedIn.

Now that you have my tips, do you think you have what it takes to become a LinkedIn Top Voice? Let me know!