Use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to create book buzz
Every time I see something online from today’s guest blogger, Flora Morris Brown, I’m impressed. Whether she’s contributing to a discussion in a Facebook group or commenting on a blog article, she is wise and knowledgeable. Flora is a book coach who helps take the fear out of publishing your first or next book. She is also a professor emeritus at Fullerton College and author of six books. Her upcoming book is the 2nd edition of Color Your Life Happy: Create the Success, Abundance, and Inner Joy You Deserve. Download a free e-book at her website.
Use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to create book buzz
By Flora Morris Brown
You’ve been building buzz for your book with your e-mail list and social media engagement.
Now that LinkedIn has opened its publishing platform to all members, you have a more powerful way to expand your reach to the largest professional network.
As with any content you share online, you want to be thoughtful about what you contribute on this platform. You know “buy my book” posts are a no-no, right? You can get banned by LinkedIn and shunned by members.
Besides, nobody cares about your book except you.
Readers want to know how to solve their problems. Focus your posts on this to create the buzz you crave.
Observe how “Influencers” link problem-solving content to book buzz
It helps to study how the pros do it.
- Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine contributing editor and author, wrote 9 Reasons to Quit Your Job as Soon as You Can followed by: If you liked this post, check out my book based on four years of personal and professional advice. . .
- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, posted Struggling to Form a Habit? Try This followed by: …She writes about happiness and habit-formation (the subject of her next book, Better Than Before) at gretchenrubin.com…
How other authors are creating buzz
Engaging on your post is just the beginning.
Buzz is the impact that motivates readers to follow, connect, or share.
My first LinkedIn post got 126 views. Not impressive compared to Influencers. 11 posts later, I rank in the top 11 percent for profile views among professionals like me. I‘ve been invited to write guest posts and make new connections.
Here are a few things I’ve learned that might help you:
1. Post frequently
Posting frequently attracts LinkedIn’s attention, and may give you wider distribution. When Linda Luke wrote Successful Startups: Get Grounded in Your Vision, she received 4,000 views and tips from LinkedIn on boosting her stats.
2. Speak your mind
When Wendy McClelland, social media coach and author of the upcoming book, 27 Steps to Freedom – What Learning to Walk Again Taught Me About Success in Business & Life, posted Why I Say No to Coffee Meetings on her blog, it received six comments. A week later, McClelland republished the same post on LinkedIn, receiving61,378 views, 58 shares on other blogs, and two radio interview requests.
3. Be patient
LinkedIn strategist Jean L. Serio discovered “. . .my articles are read. . .long after they’ve been published. . .partly because members can ‘search’ specific topics on [ LI] ..; and partly because your name rises to LinkedIn’s top influencers in your specialized area as you become more visible.”
Tabitha Jean Naylor, founder of SuccessfulStartup101.com, agrees.
“I’ve published articles that have performed phenomenally well… and others that have been complete duds. . . I also [try] publishing on different days and . . times. . .My best performing articles have all been published on Saturdays.”
4. Look beyond LinkedIn for benefits
Marcie Hill’s first post Top 4 Reasons You Should Have a Professional Bio received more views than from her blog. She also sold more copies of her book, How to Write a Powerful Professional Bio.
5. Repost articles from your blog
“You can get in front of a different—even more targeted—[audience]” says Nina Amir, author of The Author Training Manual “. . .Some . . . are getting more views per day on LI than on their blogs. So, if you are promoting a book, it’s a no brainer to repost on LI.”
(Note that the previous profile feature that allowed you to link your blog posts to your profile automatically through RSS feeds is now defunct.)
How to intensify the buzz
Here are a few tips for making this work for you and your book.
- Reach out to your likers and commenters. Nina Amir said, “I just realized I had a comment on a post from a woman I’ve followed for a while…so there’s a reason to post…connections!”
- Put a relevant link in appropriate groups. One group member admitted confusion about how to use the new platform. I posted a link to a video tutorial I had created.
- Use this analysis. The article, “We Analyzed the 3,000 Most Successful LinkedIn Publishing Posts” will help.
- Visit LinkedIn’s official blog and groups. Has LinkedIn helped you professionally? Submit to member stories. Join Writing on LinkedIn where LinkedIn editors and writers discuss ways to write and publish. Members are encouraged to submit links to LI posts they have written or read that have wide appeal.
Is LinkedIn publishing right for you?
LinkedIn publishing is a game changer for serious authors. Just remember:
- It doesn’t replace your blog. I recommend reposting articles from your blog.
- You don’t control your LinkedIn presence. It’s an extension, not the hub of your marketing in the same way that your e-mail list is.
- It doesn’t work well with an incomplete profile. Fix that first. Learn how from Wayne Breitbarth in the audio program, How to Use LinkedIn to Sell More Books.
LinkedIn publishing is in my book marketing toolbox. How about you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Subscribe to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter and get the free special report, “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources,” immediately!
Hi Flora, I followed the link over to sign up but received a message page (http://specialedition.linkedin.com/publishing/) that it will re-open to everyone in a few months and that the wait list was full. Do you know when it will be re-opened or open to all? Thanks. Lesley
Hi Lesley,
Sorry that the wait list is full. It’s a bummer to find out about something good only to discover it’s not available.
At first LI was admitting folks 25,000 members at a time. Guess they hit a traffic jam. Their plan is to give access to all 300+ million members.
By the way, they’ll make it available without any fanfare or notice. Keep checking your update box. Right now it probably just has a paper clip link for adding updates. When you see the pencil has been added, you’ll be able to begin adding posts.
Glad you’re eager to get on board. I think it’s a great opportunity.
What a quick, useful read! Thanks for providing such comprehensive info about marketing a book effectively on LinkedIn. I’ll be forwarding it to a recent client.
Hi Dara,
I’m delighted that you found this article useful and will share it with your client.
There are so many changes on LinkedIn that it takes a team to keep up with them.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Yes, LinkedIn does keep us all on our toes, doesn’t it? Thanks again!
Great article, Flora, and a wonderfully helpful tutorial as well; thanks! Although I’ve never been interested in the rigor of writing a regular blog, I’m thrilled at the prospect of being able to repost relevant guest blogs I’ve published elsewhere (once publication rights revert back to me, that is), relating to my cause of writing heartfelt letters of appreciation. And I can also publish selected content from the writing-tips area of my copyediting website, http://www.AllMyBest.com. I can hardly wait to get started!
Exactly, Lynette. You can re-purpose content you’ve written elsewhere for this — it doesn’t have to be a blog post.
Sandy
Hi Lynette,
It’s great that we can repost our content. Many writers are uninterested in adding more writing to their busy lives until they learn they can repost what they’ve already published.
Knowing how fast things change on LI and other social media, there’s no guarantee that this policy won’t be modified, so jump on it.
Speaking of work you’ve posted elsewhere–when I wanted to repost a guest post,I asked permission from the owner of the blog. Even though I wrote the original article, it appeared on her blog as an exclusive. She gladly granted me permission and I made note of that at the bottom of the article when I published it on LI. I wasn’t positive what protocol to follow in this case so I just did what seemed right.
New world. New rules.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Flora Brown when Flora was visiting Melbourne, Australia. As a new author of fiction I found Flora to be an absolute inspiration for my social and professional life.
I have read the 1st Edition of her book ‘Colour Your Life Happy’ and could hear her wise words throughout the book. Flora writes from the heart and every hint she gives is pure gold. Trish
Thanks, Patricia! This doesn’t surprise me one bit. Lucky you, getting to meet Flora in person!
Sandy
Sandy,
How kind! I look forward to meeting you in person one day too.
Hi Trish,
Thanks for those kind words about me and my book.
Coming from a skillful author like you, your praise is so much appreciated.
As for meeting you in person in Melbourne, what a fantastic experience! After a 5 hour conversation over lunch/dinner I realized that we had just launched a treasured friendship.
Great article, Flora! Thanks for offering some great tips!
Hi Pamela,
How wonderful to see that you enjoyed the tips.
You’re already a master marketer, but I know that you’ll implement the tips that wil up your campaigns.
Thanks for stopping by.
Great article, Flora. This is a very timely topic and you did all of the research for us. I appreciate the tips you offered and will start implementing them. While Linked In is not my primary venue, it has certainly proved valuable. Thank you for all you do.
Hi Linda,
You’re so right that this topic is timely. Many things are changing in our favor in social media and publishing. It’s time for us to jump on board.
It was my pleasure to do the research and share the tips.
Thanks for this info-packed article Flora. It definitely lays out the wide variety of reasons why the LinkedIn Publishing Platform is another marketing option for authors.
I would also add – very importantly – regarding reposts: LinkedIn is a search engine and it sends all article posts directly to Google. Which provides your post with more viewers, and ranking.
From a Google standpoint it’s essential to slightly alter your repost (flip a paragraph, change a few words, for example) in order for your post not to be considered ‘duplicate content’ and ignored by Google.
That’s a great tip, Jean. Thanks for that and for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Sandy
Hi Jean,
There is much discussion about how Google is going to view the content that appears on LinkedIn’s publishing platform.
It’s always safer to alter the content, of course, but I wonder if Google is not going to penalize for duplication as some folks are saying.
I’ll dig into this a bit deeper.
Thanks for pinpointing this potential problem.
I did a little research on the duplicate content issue and found this article by Rebecca Churt on HubSpot==> http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-publishing-duplicate-content-nj
As I suspected, she predicts Google may treat duplicate content differently down the road. The folks most in danger are writers who republish ALL of their content on LinkedIn.
In addition to following LinkedIn’s best practices, I think it’s safe to follow Rebecca’s suggestions at the end of her article.
With so many changes in social media, the rules and practices are shifting too.
We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.
Thanks for this link, Flora. That was really helpful.
FYI, you rock.
: )
Sandy
Wow! Great article, great comments. Related to LI, also consider using SlideShare. A slide show consisting of an author bio and brief summaries of his or her books can go far! All of the points on this link are beneficial,and the last one is about LI/SlideShare specifically. http://www.manifestdigital.com/blog/7-benefits-of-slideshare-for-social-marketers
Thanks, Stephen.
Sandy
Hi Stephen,
I’m happy this article was useful to you.
A number of my colleagues enjoy using SlideShare. I’ve made a few myself but not enough yet to get all the benefits.
Thanks for the link.
What a great article, Flora! I’ve known about LI’s publishing platform for a while now but have been consistently dragging my feet and not used it yet. Your post eliminates my procrastination. You have provided all the information I need to get started. Thanks for sharing this valuable resource.
Such wonderful feedback, Gladys! Thanks!
Sandy
Gladys,
You’re not alone. A number of authors have heard about the platform but have hesitated to jump in. That’s expected with so many new features and changes that are not fully clear to us at first.
I’m delighted that this article has pushed you to publish on LI. I’ll be looking for your first post (and I mean it.)
Thanks for making time to leave such a positive response.
Thank you very much for this information. Who Knew!
Best Wishes!
Gary York
corruptionbehindbars.com
Hi Gary,
You’re most welcome. It’s an ongoing job to keep up with the ever changing information on the internet.
I’m glad this was useful to you.
Hi Flora,
Thanks for explaining so thoroughly the LI benefit that I had noticed (but whose value I had failed to appreciate) among the blizzard of messages from LI and various LI writer groups. I’ll clip, copy, paste, and edit my website blog to fit a broader audience, who may not be interested in all the detail that seems to attract my followers. Again, thanks. As someone else noted, I affirm that your kindness is evident in your voice on the video.
Richard,
You’re most welcome.
Keeping up with the changes and updates on LinkedIn and other social media is dizzying. It’s essential to find colleagues who round up, synthesize and clarify those features that help us run our businesses more efficiently and successfully.
I look forward to seeing how you apply these ideas to your LinkedIn presence.