Tips for Earning LinkedIn Top Voice Badges

In Progress LinkedIn Lessons Learned (that I hope help you too): As I delve a bit deeper into content creation here, (including recently "earning" a "Top Voice Badge"), I've noticed some patterns over the past few months that resulted in more engagement and a growing audience: ⬇⬇ **𝐃𝐨'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬** ✅ Share Your Passion: Post content that resonates with your lived and professional expertise and passion. Authenticity attracts engagement and this means the wins and the "pies in your face" moments alike. ✅ Timing Matters: Morning posts often outperform evening ones. Start your audience's day with your insights. ✅ Structure is Key: Use bullet points, arrows, numbered lists for clarity. Easy-to-digest posts get more attention. No text walls please. ✅ Consistency Wins: Post regularly at similar times. Experiment to find the sweet spot for your audience. ✅ Take Hints. If a bunch (say 20) posts on particular topic or style gets less engagement, try another topic. ✅ Engage Actively: Don’t just post; interact! Thoughtfully commenting on others' posts builds community. This includes responding to folks who care enough to comment on your stuff. It's called SOCIAL media for a reason. ✅ Recycle Your Hits: Don’t be afraid to repost successful content. Most of your followers everyone sees your post the first time. ✅ Notification Nudge:** Encourage followers to 'ring the bell' for notifications and never miss your updates. ✅ Ask and Offer: Pose thought-provoking questions and offer genuine value in your posts that people can take action on. ✅ Aim for 'Top Voice': Post useful stuff frequently, contribute to collective articles and discussions. It boosts your chances of recognition including Top Voice. It'll also grow your followers. ✅ Integrate video - People love to click on videos that emphasize the points in your post. The better the video quality, the more engagement. **𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝:** ❌ Quick Editing No-No: Avoid editing posts within the first 15 minutes of making a post. It can stifle your post's reach. I don't know why, but it seems to be a pattern. ❌ Over-using external links: Refrain from linking external articles directly in your posts. LinkedIn favors content that keeps users on-site. If you want to link to an article, do it in comments. ❌ Caution with company pages: I'm not saying don't post from a company page, but leader led comms are much more valuable and get more engagement than company pages that tend to be less personal and more salesy. ❌ Cut and Pasting Recent Very Recent Stuff: Will result in suppression. ❌ Scheduled Posts: For some reason, they always perform worse for me. **𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧:** The landscape is ever-evolving. Algorithms and trends change, so keep exploring and adapting. The journey to becoming a LinkedIn pro is ongoing, and there’s always more to learn. I’d love to hear your thoughts and strategies for LinkedIn success. Let’s grow together please!!

I guess I'm a LinkedIn' Top Voice' now. 🤷♂️ 10 things I wish I knew when I started (and how you can become one, too): But, first, some context... I don't mention this fancy little blue badge to brag. If anything, it shows you that anyone can grow an audience on LinkedIn (even a bean counter like me). 𝟭. 𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. Post 1x per day. Schedule 60-90 minutes every day to write — when you're least busy (and can be least responsive), and treat that time as SACRED. Don't let anything/anyone steal that time. (I'm still working on this.) 𝟮. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗜 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 '𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.' Don't be a perfectionist. Put content out there, gather data (via analytics), see what works, post more of what works, and repeat. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀. You have one second to grab people's attention in the first two lines of your post. Clearly tell the reader why they should invest two extra minutes of their time. Study viral hooks from top creators. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 '𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀.' Write all your content within ~3 types of buckets: life/career advice (top-of-funnel), domain-specific advice (bottom-of-funnel), industry insights/trends (thought leadership) 𝟱. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 '𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀.' This is your profile's most valuable real estate. Link to your site, sell digital products, establish credibility, and drive traffic. 𝟲. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. Pick ~50 prominent creators in your niche and comment on their stuff daily. Better yet, connect via DM. Even better, meet up IRL. 𝟳. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴. Genuinely seek out ways to help others. Help people find work, boost their content, teach them a skill, promote their content, and give a cheery 'hello.' 𝟴. 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗧𝗔𝘀. Your content should call readers to a specific action. Remember, if you're being helpful, you're not 'spamming' your audience. 𝟵. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Most people fear niching down at first. Solve a specific problem for a specific person in a unique way. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗕𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱. The internet is full of a-holes. Don't be one of them. People will disagree with you and even be flat-out rude. Respect everyone's opinions, and don't take yourself too seriously. If you write on LinkedIn, what do you wish you knew when you started?

Friends, over the past 6 weeks, my messages received about the Top Voice blue badge have surged. This spike has been particularly noticeable among those who recently received yellow badges for Top Voice community participation Whether you're a badge holder eyeing the next level or a friend inspired by someone who has earned this recognition, I want to revisit some content to answer your questions First and foremost, I can't stress enough that earning the Top Voice blue badge — a status extended by invitation only — is a community achievement in my mind. No one accomplishes this without significant support LOVE YOUR COMMUNITY Here is a comprehensive FAQ: 1) "So what are the chances of getting it?" The odds are silly. Last year, they picked 300 folks out of 930 million on LinkedIn At 1 in 3.1 million, in the U.S. you are: * 8x more likely to become a billionaire (1 in 409K) * Even money to die in a shark attack (1 in 3.7M) * 5x more likely to win an Olympic Gold Medal (1 in 662K) Also, those selections cover every area of knowledge, so it is sliced even further to cover all expertise 2) "Are there interim steps?" LinkedIn can decide to assign you a Creator Manager who answers your questions, gives you guidance, brings you together with other creators, and suggests post topics for LinkedIn news. The Creator Manager can also recommend you to the TV committee However, none of this has any guarantees, and the onus is on you. You have to write solid news copy the day they let you know there's an article coming. You have to make your content. The Creator Manager helps a ton with packaging your submission for TV, but they don't have the final say As far as yellow badge being an interim step to blue badge, I don't have enough data to say if this is true or if they're different tracks. Don't worry about this and just follow step 6 3) "Is everybody admitted the same way?" My understanding is it is slightly easier to get in under an existing general category, like technology. If you ask to be considered for something very specific, like games as I did, it takes more work as your process is more bespoke 4) "What other things help?" If anybody at LinkedIn ever asks you for help with ANYTHING, SAY YES and do an excellent job. It's a nice thing to do for having this wonderful platform, and if you do it with heart "just because," they might put in a recommendation to the TV committee. Again, no guarantees, but it all adds to your story 5) "Can you recommend me?" I do not have the capacity to recommend for Top Voice directly 6) "So what do I do to make blue badge?" My no BS take: * Post regularly * Like, comment, and reshare yours and others' work * Be sincere and kind * Find your voice; differentiate * Prove to people you're not doing it for money or enrichment * Don't change as your community grows * Be silly * Provide real help to others so you're not just pontificating * Vary content * Engage with LinkedIn news & staff You can do it!

2021: Trying to break into UX 2023: LinkedIn Top Voice in UX After earning tenure in academia 2 years ago, I was dead set on moving to industry. However, I had to wait till my immigration status was sorted to be able to make that move. With things out of my control, I decided to utilize my time by aggressively upskilling in UX. Was it hard to see my academic colleagues land cushy jobs while I attended boot camps, conferences, and did UX work for free? Yes. But, looking back it was the best thing that happened to me. It got me in the habit of learning and sharing about UX - the one skill-set that came in real handy when LinkedIn started inviting me to contribute to articles on UX. This Topvoice Community Badge was not just given to me. Rather, I had to earn it by consistently sharing UX insights to community articles and UX experts endorsing my perspectives. Its true what they say - Nothing you do is ever wasted. Also, who knew being a raging nerd would pay off? 🤓 #ux #research #topvoice ---------------- PS: You can earn the Top Voice Badge too! 1. Go to "Explore Collaborative Articles" https://lnkd.in/ezxA7neu 2. Find your domain(s) 3. Start adding meaningful perspectives to articles. Do it consistently. Try it?

In the vast digital landscape of professionals and thought leaders, standing out might seem like navigating a labyrinth. Yet, the path to becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice is more accessible than you might think. Here's a distilled guide to not only elevate your voice but also to become a beacon for others in your field. 1. **Identify Your Unique Skill** Begin by pinpointing the skill that not only defines you but also sets you apart. Whether it's leadership, innovation, or technology integration, select the skill that resonates with your passion and expertise. Follow the relevant LinkedIn page to stay updated and engaged with the latest trends and discussions. 2. **Engage Through Collaboration** The power of collaboration cannot be overstated. Find an article that speaks to your skill set and weave in your unique perspective. This isn't just about sharing knowledge; it's about enriching the conversation with your original, detailed insights that reflect your personal and professional journey. 3. **Consistently Add Value** Your voice becomes stronger with each valuable contribution you make. Regularly share your thoughts, insights, and reflections. Remember, the path to recognition is a marathon, not a sprint. Your consistent, unique contributions will gradually build your reputation as a thought leader on LinkedIn. 4. **Demonstrate Your Expertise Continuously** Achieving Top Voice status is commendable, but the real challenge lies in maintaining it. Your insights must remain relevant, original, and above all, valuable. Strive to be the thought leader whose contributions are eagerly anticipated and highly valued by your peers. By adhering to these steps and LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies, you're not just aiming for recognition; you're fostering a community of learning and growth. Your journey to becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice is a testament to your dedication to not only your personal development but also to the empowerment of those around you. Let's embark on this journey together, elevating our voices to inspire, engage, and transform our professional landscapes. 💼✨ #LinkedInTopVoice #ProfessionalGrowth #Leadership #NEIChallenge