5 Must Read Tips for Writing a Killer Linkedin Article!

"Michaela, the secret to great writing, in one word, is wine." 

I'd like to publish my own book one day, so I've been spending a little bit of time chatting with authors recently. While I'm selflessly willing to test out my colleague's theory on "wine writing" (just ignore any articles published past 10 pm), creativity does indeed require some inspiration, corked or not! 

When I first started writing on Linkedin, my content was pretty weak. Seriously, have a little browse through my museum of suckery here

So how did I go from dozens of post views, to writing articles with thousands of views, and being in the top 1% of most viewed profiles, virtually overnight? 

More importantly, how can you YOU start conjuring up creativity so that you can become a mean, lean, content publishing machine?

I've got you covered, keep reading! 

1. Strip Down and Be Prepared to Bare it All. 

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The first post of mine that really took off had over 100,000 views and 758 shares! You can read it here: How I Landed my Dream Job in Two Weeks on LinkedIn: #MyLinkedInStory and Tips!

What was so different about that post? Emotion. I shared that post instantly after signing and faxing over my contract with Grade A. Every time I read it, it makes me smile, it was such a pivotal moment in my career! 

Since then, I've gingerly peeled off layer after layer, and shared stories about my interview from hell, the CEO that told me to spend less time writing and focus on starting a familymy past battle with Agoraphobia and how it affected my careerbeing laid off, and even why I turned down an opportunity with Amazon. 

When you use your own life experiences as a backdrop for your content, coming up with new topics is a non-issue, because you're no longer "coming up with" anything, you're living it!  

2. Write for Busy Professionals. 

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 Your audience on Linkedin consumes content differently than on other platforms. You need to get REAL concise. I mean it. If your thumb is cramping up when scrolling through your article, keep editing. Ask yourself if somebody could read through your entire post during a 5-10 minute coffee break. 

Next, take a look at the structure. Is your article one giant paragraph from hell? Break it down. Read it like the reader would. How easy is it to follow? Numbered lists work greaton Linkedin because you're giving the reader a heads up for how long it's going to be. 

Book Recommendation: If you're serious about writing on Linkedin, I would highly recommend Ann Handley's "Everybody Writes". It changed my style completely. 

3. Count the "I" and "Me"s in Your Article. 

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 I know it seems silly, but this is something I do every single time I write.

Why? I'm writing for you, the reader, not for myself. So I'll comb through each article and change as many self-references as possible. If there are more "me"s than "you"s in the article, and I can't change it, guess what? The article is toast, because that's a good sign that the topic will not be relevant to my audience. 

4. Positive Posts are Shared More, Serious Topics Spark More Discussion. 

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There's been a very consistent pattern with my posts over the past few months. Topics that are positive are both liked and shared far more than my posts with topics that are more serious. On the other hand, when I post more serious topics, they tend to garner more comments and private conversations than positive topics. 

If your goal is to create highly shared content, you'll want to publish an uplifting story about something awesome that's happened in your career and pay it forward by sharing how others can achieve the same results. 

Book Recommendation: For more on the subject of contagious content, I'd recommend "Contagious: Why Things Catch On" by Jonah Berger

5. Tell, then Show.  

Have you ever been to a conference and heard a speaker that was brilliant and charismatic, but you kept thinking to yourself,

"Awesome! But why is that relevant for me?"

Even great advice is useless unless you can show why it matters for the receiver. 

Take a peek at any of my posts and you'll notice a pattern. I begin by chatting about my own experience, and then bring it all home with a few lessons that I've learned that readers can integrate into their own lives. 

A story is just a story unless you can tie back to your reader's reality and transform it into a powerful truth. 

If there is just ONE tip I could give you to start publishing your own articles on Linkedin, it would come from Robert Frost, who nailed it when he professed: 


Write straight from the heart, and the rest will follow. 

If you liked this post, please do me a HUGE favour and share it with your friends and colleagues, give it a thumbs up, and share your comments below!

Also, shoot me a message if you want to step up your writing game, I'm always happy to help you!