7 Tips For Staying Consistent On LinkedIn As A Time-Poor Solopreneur
As with most social media networks, consistency is the key to success on LinkedIn. Here’s 7 tips I’ve implemented to help me stay consistent enough to:
grow to 10,000 followers,
generate 1,500+ qualified leads, and
make $1M+ revenue,
Using the LinkedIn platform.
1/ Expect the unexpected so create and schedule ahead of time
I don’t know about you, but my routine never seems to go to plan. I almost always get interrupted during my work session by the dogs barking at the postie, one of the cats pushing something breakable off a shelf or the guttural sound of pre-vomit.
Side note: This is why we can’t have nice things.
The problem with this is, I often have plans to create a certain amount of content and I basically never meet my expectations. If I created content the day I posted it, there is no way in hell I’d be as consistent with my content. I literally have to set myself alarms to post if I can’t schedule a particular post in advance, or I will get distracted and forget to post.
If I didn’t create and schedule my content in advance, I wouldn’t have even ¼ of the success I’ve had on this platform.
2/ Schedule writing time when you’re at your freshest
My first block of work is generally my most productive. Some days it’s an hour, other days I smash out 4 hours of work before the emotional exhaustion sets in—it’s an introvert thing. I almost always write during this time because it’s the task on my to-do list that requires the most brain power.
Everything else, like engaging on social media, scheduling content and creating design elements from carousels require less brain power, so I do those after my creative blocks when the brain is feeling a tad bit fried.
You don’t have to write first thing; that’s just what works for me. But it’s important to identify the best time for you to write, then block out that time for writing.
3/ Make engagement a daily habit
It is better to engage on 5 posts each day than it is to engage on 25 posts one day per week. It improves your visibility on the platform, and also shows the LinkedIn algorithm that you are a regular user of the platform.
That’s why I’d recommend you set aside 10-15 minutes each day to engage on LinkedIn, using the following strategy:
Reply to comments on your comment;
Comment on posts of 5 top creators;
Comment on 5 posts from your feed.
This simple strategy, completed daily, will skyrocket your LinkedIn growth.
Make sure you block this time out in your calendar daily to you ensure the engagement happens.
4/ Set a timer when engaging
The LinkedIn feed is a rabbit hole that’ll transport you to the Earth's core if you’re not careful. It’s not uncommon to start commenting then look up what feels like 5 minutes later only to realise 2 hours have passed, your stomach is screaming from the malnutrition you’ve caused and your bladder is seconds away from a messy explosion.
Additionally, there is a point where engaging creates diminishing returns. As a time-poor solopreneur, you do not want to hit that point because you have more important things to do. So, to avoid entering the rabbit hole, set yourself a timer and engage for that period of time. Once the time is up, stop engaging and come back tomorrow.
5/ Use News Feed Eradicator
If you use Google Chrome, I highly recommend you download the ‘News Feed Eradicator’ Chrome extension. This extension does exactly what it says on the tin—turns off your social media feeds. This means you can access the social media platform and complete any priority tasks, such as sending direct messages, without being distracted by the feed and wasting hours that could have been a lot better spent.
When you are ready to engage on the feed, though, you can turn the feed eradicator off for a specified time period, allowing you to engage for that period. Once the timer is up, News Feed Eradicator automatically reloads the page and you can no longer see the news feed.
Download News Feed Eradicator here.
6/ Create a bank of ideas
If you try to come up with a post idea when you sit down to write, you will waste time.
Instead, create an ideas bank so you can sit down to write, open up a draft and get straight to writing.
Personally, I have multiple idea banks.
LinkedIn: I use my ‘Saved posts and articles’ to save any posts that I feel are particularly good or that prompt an idea. When I’m generating ideas for the coming week, I look through this list for inspiration.
Medium: I currently have over 300 articles saved in my Medium Library. Just like the LinkedIn saved list, I use this list for inspiration when creating post ideas.
Content Matrix: I also have a content matrix in a Google Sheets file, containing a list of the topics I speak about most. Within that content matrix, I list:
Key topics
Ideal clients dreams, desires, frustrations and fears
Client results as testimonials, case studies and questions
Challenges I’ve overcome
My strong opinions
My core values
I use these three idea banks to generate content ideas whenever I need them and I honestly couldn’t create as much content as I do without them.
7/ Batch create content
I never write just a single post when I create content. In fact, I generally sit down to write on Monday morning and I’ll create a full weeks worth of LinkedIn content in one writing stint. Personally, I find it much easier to draft one day, then edit and schedule the following day. Importantly, my content creation is all completed by lunchtime on Tuesday, so if the unexpected happens (see point 1), I’m still consistent AF with my content creation.
Join the challenge
I’m currently working on posting on LinkedIn every day for a year. Right now, I’m 9 weeks and 3 days in. Only 42 weeks and 4 days to go. I know I couldn’t do it without using these 7 tips for staying consistent on LinkedIn.
Why don’t you join the challenge?
If you’re keen, tag me in your first post and we’ll keep each other accountable.
TL;DR
Do this to stay consistent on LinkedIn:
Expect the unexpected so create and schedule ahead of time;
Schedule writing time when you’re at your freshest;
Make engagement a daily habit;
Set a timer when engaging;
Use News Feed Eradicator;
Create a bank of ideas; and
Batch create content.