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.