Do you ever get close to content burnout?
A year ago, I became active on LinkedIn.
And it has at times felt like feeding a cookie monster. Munch. Scrunch. Crackle.
Social media platforms always seem hungry for more content.
It feels relentless, eh?
But it can also be fun and rewarding.
When I asked earlier this year what you’d like me to write about, Michelle suggested I share my experience of posting on LinkedIn.
What worked? What didn’t work? And … is it worth it?
So, here are my 3 main lessons …
1. Repurposing is key
I used to have an aversion against repurposing content.
Creating something new just felt more interesting, more rewarding. And anyway, where would I start with repurposing?
It felt overwhelming.
But I’ve changed my view. Why not make what I have better? And why not show it to a new audience?
My inner creator hates planning and I get overwhelmed just thinking about a content calendar, so my approach is mostly intuitive.
I pick one blog post and then turn it into one or more LinkedIn posts. My 3 most popular LinkedIn posts were all repurposed from existing blog posts:
- Want to write faster? I turned an infographic into a LinkedIn carousel (41,905 impressions, 329 likes, 149 comments, 18 reposts).
- 4 types of weak phrases: I turned an existing blog post into a carousel but added new drawings (24,587 impressions, 297 likes, 72 comments, 13 reposts); a few months later, I also updated the blog post with the new drawings.
- How to write soundbites like Apple: This carousel was very loosely based on a blog post about Apple’s copy but I gathered a lot more examples (16,830 impressions, 258 likes, 33 comments, 16 reposts).
So, most repurposing starts with existing blog content.
But I’ve also worked the other way around: I turned a series of short LinkedIn posts about productivity and writing joy into an illustrated blog post. Plus, now I’ve been active on LinkedIn for a year, I started updating old LinkedIn posts and I repost them. That saves a ton of time.
Updating and repurposing requires a different creative mindset from creating something new. It took me some time to get used to but now it feels just as rewarding.
How’s that for you?
2. What content works best?
Generally, what works for my blog, also works for LinkedIn but the content is much shorter so instead of sharing 3 lessons as I do in this post, I would share just one lesson on LinkedIn.
In terms of writing style, compared to blog writing, there’s even more white space, shorter sentences, and a more conversational tone.
When I write for my blog, I imagine you and me sitting in a quiet café where we can have a good chat. LinkedIn is more crowded, noisier; it’s like we have to talk a little louder and articulate a little clearer to be heard over everyone else. We make our points more quickly, with more force.
What surprised me most is how important visuals are on LinkedIn.
Having Henrietta (my purple-haired cartoon character) is a clear advantage and she’s stealing the show (she even ended up in the 50 best visual brands to watch on LinkedIn!).
Otherwise, the type of content that works well is similar to a blog: A mix of storytelling and valuable tips.
Human content wins.
3. How to survive the relentlessness
I got active on LinkedIn one year ago to try making up for the loss in search engine traffic to my website.
I wanted to build an audience and grow my email list.
But I quickly felt like I was on the expressway to content burnout. Everything felt like too much effort.
My solution?
Let my inner creator play; stop watching the clock to track how long everything takes; and focus on real connections and conversations.
And you know what?
Research suggests this may be a way to create better content. Psychologists distinguish two types of motivation:
- Extrinsic motivation is when you chase goals like popularity, money, new clients, new email subscribers.
- Intrinsic motivation is when your goal is the inherent joy of content creation, personal growth, and the joy of connecting with others.
And guess what?
Research suggests that intrinsic motivation beats extrinsic motivation:
- As Adam Grant reports in his book Hidden Potential, people who focus on the joy of content creation score higher on well-being than those who chase popularity.
- Daniel Pink suggests in his book Drive that intrinsic motivation boosts creativity (and extrinsic motivation might even hamper creativity).
- Pink also reports that research suggests that painters and sculptors who aim for the inherent joy of creating produce higher quality art.
So, my focus on joy was not entirely crazy.
Of course, I haven’t abandoned my business goals completely. I try to juggle business and joy …
First, the marketer in me sets the general direction of what I’ll write about. One post per week has to be a writing or copywriting tip; another post has to provide encouragement to overcome a writing hurdle.
The marketer in me also reviews what’s worked and what hasn’t worked. So, as carousels (slide presentations that you can swipe through) consistently outperform other posts, I want to post at least one carousel each week.
When the marketer in me has set the boundaries, I give free rein to my inner creator and allow myself to play. I forget about the metrics, and I find joy in writing and drawing.
We all have an inner artist, and play seems essential to keep them happy.
Have you found that, too?
Is it worth it?
When Michelle asked me to write about my experience on LinkedIn, she also asked me this question: Is it worth it?
I still don’t really know the answer to that.
The first 3 months on LinkedIn were overwhelmingly yuck. I told friends I found it awful.
But I now enjoy it.
Meeting new people has been great as well as connecting with existing blog readers. Many people are more inclined to leave a comment on LinkedIn rather than on a blog, and I’ve enjoyed having more conversations.
(I don’t want to encourage that shift. I still prefer conversations here on my blog but I also appreciate that it’s not up to me to choose.)
I’m gaining followers on LinkedIn, new readers for my blog, and buyers for my courses but not as many as I’d have liked, given the time I’ve spent on creating content.
I’m cautiously optimistic that my second year will be more worthwhile. I can create content faster, partly because I’m more used to the format, partly because I can now reuse existing LinkedIn posts.
So, I hope to spend less time on creating for LinkedIn this year and gain a little more traction. I also want to review my snackable course and see whether I can create a more attractive offer for LinkedIn users. Plus, I can do a few more sales-y posts.
Mostly, I’m glad I persisted after the rocky start.
After all, that hungry cookie monster turned out to be friendly and fun. A valuable friend.
Nom. Nom. Nom.
Are you on LinkedIn, too? Let’s connect. 🖤
Thanks for these tips. I often feel overwhelmed and then don’t post anything or I forget that I should focus on solving problems rather than explaining what I do. I am now looking forward to looking back at my blogs and trying to make them into LinkedIn Posts… small easy steps is what I need.
It can be so overwhelming. I agree. I hope using your blog as a starting point will make it more doable, too. It took me some time to get into it but it’s becoming easier now. I think it also helps to set a schedule that feels doable to you; you can always increase your posting schedule later. Let me know how you get on?
Thanks, will do..
I find your thought proceed soothing as oppose irritating for me working on LinkedIn. Thk you for allowing me to enjoy rather than dread posting.
Ps purple is my favourite colour!
Happy to meet another fan of purple! And yes, we have to find ways to make it fun. It won’t work if we dread posting. It took me some time to get into the spirit but it’s possible to find joy on LinkedIn. There are lots of friendly, helpful people there. I hope to see you around 🙂
Love the tips, Henneke. And I don’t know why I never thought of carousels. For my business writing career, LinkedIn was my best source for gigs (at least 70% generated from LI). Now that I am mostly retired from business writing, I have been struggling with how to pivot to my Old Lady Biz branding and content. Your post is a plethora of ideas (always loved that word). 😉 Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Yes, plethora is such an interesting word! I’m glad you found this helpful, Cathy. Carousels are fun to make, especially if you like combining words and visuals. It reminds me a bit of the old SlideShare days.
Love combining words and visuals (PowerPoint & SlideShare Queen of old). 🙂 That’s why I am surprised I didn’t think about the carousels. I am at the beginning stages of reframing LI for this new phase of my life so your timing is superb. 😉
I hope to see you there soon. Looking forward to your carousels!
Thanks, Henneke!
Hey Henneke, I’m learning a lot from your blog and LinkedIn both. Also a connection on LinkedIn.
I wanted to ask for advice in one matter. I’m gonna start posting on LinkedIn. I am a content writer with experience in entertainment writing but my degree is in Microbiology. But I want to become a ghostwriter in the self help genre which I find extremely interesting.
I wanted to ask what I should write about on LinkedIn to position myself as a thought leadership article writer in the self help industry.
Should I write about self help and productivity topics or share writing tips.
What would my ideal client be looking for? I’m really confused about this.
Hey Maryam, great question!
So, I assume your ideal client is someone who wants to become a thought leader in the self help industry, so you’d share tips to help them do that. So, those could include writing tips and tips about thought leadership.
You may want to spend some time writing a list of how you can help your ideal reader. What are the aims you can help them reach? What are the problems you can help them solve? What are the worries and fears that you can help them overcome? Are there any specific resources they are looking for?
Often the aims and problems you come up in a brainstorm session are quite big, so then break them down into smaller steps. Each tiny step can be a LinkedIn post.
Does that help?
Thank you, Henneke for writing about your experience with LinkedIn.
I also find LinkedIn not a very inspiring platform. I never understand it’s algorithms. It looks mechanical, not very human.
I also never quite understand what people are doing there. Do they look for jobs? Do they show off their skills? Are they looking for friends?
But I do have a friend, who uses it to advance her little business of resume writing. And she loves LinkedIn. I think she cracked the code for herself.
LinkedIn at first glance doesn’t look inspiring at all but when you take some time to find the right people, it can be a supportive and inspirational environment.
People are active for different reasons. Some look for a job. Some are expanding their network so it’s easier to find make their next career move when they’re ready. Some are looking to recruit people.
And then there are many people who are active to promote their services (writers, designers, coaches, etc.) or courses. It’s also a good place to find people to collaborate with.
So, it’s really a giant network. It takes some effort to find your tribe. But when you find the right people it’s very human. It’s possible to make new friends!
I can very much relate to content creation burnout. When you’re creating informative/educational content and not just posting a quote on an image, it takes much time and energy to do.
My own content is about managing one’s inner selves – such as the inner artist and inner marketer you mention in your post. When I’ve felt burnt out I’ve realised my inner content creation pusher has been in charge, working in cahoots with my inner critic and perfectionist.
Last December I sent those inner selves on holiday.
But now I need to start things moving again so might call them back, but balance them better with other, more joyful, parts, and take another look at LinkedIn as a platform instead of Instagram where I focused my efforts last year.
I used LinkedIn more regularly many years ago, and have just sent you an invitation to connect!
Thank you for your tips.
Yes, good content takes time and energy. But I generally think it’s worth it.
Posting quotes may seem like an easy way to produce a lot of content but how does it build trust and how does it demonstrate your expertise?
I find it so interesting how you talk about sending your inner critic, perfectionist, and content creation pusher on holidays for a while. I found it useful to consider how to take care of these different parts of ourselves.
Great to be connected now on LinkedIn, and thank you for stopping by here!
Oh Henneke, I’m sorry your numbers are dropping, you really don’t deserve that. But I’m afraid it seems to be universal.
Your post is very helpful… it’s good to know that carousels are popular. Your illustrations are, of course, unique and utterly charming. Not something that the rest of us can achieve so well. But certainly food for thought. My LinkedIn profile needs a complete overhaul, so I’ll be keeping your advice in mind.
And you’re so right about personal contact. I have been concentrating on that, but making sure my approaches are mostly helpful to the recipient and only slipping in a little about me.
It’s also about developing an instinct for the best people to follow and ignoring all the “noise”. That’s hard. FOMO raises its ugly head. If I was asked to pick just one writing expert to follow, it would be you, dear Henneke. You have a very fresh approach and your advice is so entertaining.
Yes, that’s such a good point about who to follow. I’ve found this so much, too, and I mostly follow my gut feeling. Do I like the person? Is their content worthwhile? Do I like stopping by and commenting?
I’m not forcing myself to comment. I spend usually 20-25 commenting on posts on weekdays. I take the weekends off. It has to be fun and work in my schedule.
It’s really useful to curate your feed by unfollowing anyone who’s content doesn’t resonate with you. Alternatively, you can also make a custom list of people who you like most, so that you never miss their posts.
For me, it’s been essential to do this, to use it as a way to connect but not try to keep up with everyone. It’s impossible to keep up with everyone. It’s really about connecting with the people who feel right to you.
And of course, you don’t need to have hand-made drawings like I do to stand out visually. There are much quicker ways to create visuals!
I am on LinkedIn and it’s very similar to X these days with the linkless posts and space between sentences for easier reading.
Both require engagement to be successful on the social media platforms. It is fun to engage with like-minded people and even some not so like-minded people.
A great way to learn about others and ourselves.
I love your tips about repurposing, thank you Henneke.
Yes, good points. Lots of space seems to work on any social media platform, and it works for email, too.
I’m glad you enjoyed the tips about repurposing.
Thank you, Lisa!
Concise. Insightful. And fun to read.
Thank you so much. That’s fab. I appreciate your feedback!