1. Draft an idea for a Post or Published article – just have a crack at getting fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, words out of your head and onto a page. Sometimes I’m totally surprised by the material that comes out of my subconscious just waiting to be written and published. After all, the secret to getting things done is to get started.

2. Let it sit for a day or two to settle before going back in to edit – just like you would with rising dough or bread

3. Decide on style – What style post/article will it be? Will it be text only? Have you got an action shot of you? a video? or other media that might add interest factor? (no bland stock images thanks!)

4. Identify 10 potential people in your network who may have something to add to the conversation. Don’t reach out to them yet.

5. Finalize your Post/Article – edit then proof-read with view to how others will react to it. You can always test it with a friend.

6. Check for the 6 Ps of LinkedIn Proof-reading

   • What’s your Purpose? Does this fit with your long term goals? Is it branded or in alignment with your brand? If not, how can you make it more so?

   • Does it Pop? Does your first line or opening sentence stand out? Is it dramatic enough? Does it have enough emotion? Does it entice people in to want to read more? (consider # ???? questions or challenges)

   • Is your language or idea Powerful enough? Can you amplify that more? Don’t start sentences with So, And. Remove passive language, weasel words or things that make it seem as though you don’t have an opinion and are hedging you bets.

   • Is your post Personalized enough? Where is the context? What’s your perspective? Are you using too much jargon? Does it make you seem human?

   • Does it Persuade? Do you provide a rationale & evidence, that would help people see your point of view? Be sure to explain the obvious so people don’t have to work for it.

   • Is it too Passive? Make it obvious how you need people to engage and take action (calls to action). Remember engagement is the gold – you want people to engage. Not only is it “social proof” but the algorithm loves it too. Make it easy/compulsory to engage.

7. Consider your hashtags in advance – 3 to 5 at max. Why? To get them into popular news feeds on LinkedIn, consider who your ideal reader is and what #feeds they read, what your own branding is, or any words you want to pop in the 1st x 2 lines.

8. Work out a good time to Post/Publish – i.e. when you have at least 30 mins available to Sweat the Post to get it running and when you know there will also be room for natural organic read rate (i.e. more people on LinkedIn)

9. Post/Publish – note: when publishing, you need to have a pithy, catchy and short summary of your post, with a few hashtags when you publics. Consider drafting something in advance.

10. Then Sweat the Post or Article – no more “build it and they will come”. No more relying on luck or happy accident. Take responsibility for the success of your post. If you don’t have 30 mins available at a good time to post, find another time to do it. What does this mean?

    • Send to your 10 experts who will have an opinion – “Hi (Brian), just wrote something for LinkedIn (insert Link). Would love your opinion to get the conversation going. A thumbs up or comment would be great. Happy to return the favour for you another day. Cheers – your name”

    • Share in any relevant groups you’re a member of – contextualize as you share

    • Consultants – share to your own company page

    • Comment back to any comments that others make within the 1st two hours. Consider asking questions to keep the conversation live for longer

    • Ongoing commenting back, at the 6 hour mark then daily with a few responses each day. PRO TIP – don’t comment back on everything all in one hit after the initial 2 hours. Spread it out over a few days to keep your post/article running longer

11. Track your results – likes, comments, reshares. Consider also, did the post or article increase the number of views your profile got? Keep a record so you can measure progress or refine the process as required.

Once again – don’t leave success up  to luck or happy accident. Make it a fait accompli instead.

#executivewomen #leadingwomen #LookOutCSuiteHereSheComes