I am a huge fan of LinkedIn and I have enjoyed teaching LinkedIn workshops and webinars over the years to empower mom entrepreneurs to take advantage of the power of LinkedIn to grow their home based business.

We all know that Social Media has redefined journalism and LinkedIn is a great outlet to connect and engage with media journalists, too. A recent study showed that 84% of journalists welcome contact via LinkedIn for newsworthy stories, so if you want to build a relationship with reporters and get a YES to your media pitch, this is the place to be.

As a mompreneur, you can leverage the power of LinkedIN to become a reputable media source, without wasting your time, by implementing 5 easy strategies I recommend.

5 Proven Ways To Leverage The Media Power Of LinkedIN

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Optimize Your Profile ~ LinkedIn suggests that having a completed profile provides you with a 40% greater chance for success, yet research shows that just about half of all LinkedIn profiles are incomplete!

I recommend using search engine friendly and expertise-focused keywords that describe your value as a media source.

A clear, concise, and compelling headline will make them read more when they find you. You only have 120 characters to stand out… use them wisely!

Connect With Purpose ~ Start by connecting with broadcast journalists in the local area, and make it a habit to connect and nurture those relationships frequently and consistently.

I always say that pitching without connecting is like going for a NO. A best practice is to find out as much as you can about the person you want to connect with before sending them an invitation and to take the extra time to edit and personalize the default invitation message, explaining why you are connecting with them.

Focus on letting them know how the relationship will be mutually beneficial. This will make all the difference.

Showcase Your Expertise ~ TV Producers and media journalists are always searching for experts to speak to their audiences, but they like to “jump on a moving train.”

When you start conversations, answer questions, offer helpful insights, solve problems, and share relevant, thought-provoking, compelling, and actionable content, they will know you could be good to their ratings.

To maximize your time, you can re-post or share other people’s valuable content, as long as you give them proper credit and attribution. 

Gather Up ~ Join and participate in groups to engage in conversation, get and give advice on the discussions boards, and most importantly, to be found by the media.

I am very selective and intentional about the groups I belong to because I seek connections that are in alignment with my core values, and prioritize my interactions accordingly.

My favorite feature of LinkedIn groups is that you can do a member search and directly send a message to someone without being connected to them. Hint, hint!

Take It Further ~ A call-to-action is one of the most powerful Guerrilla Marketing weapons in existence. Ask yourself: What is my short-term end goal? 

Sometimes we get caught up on selling our story, our products, our programs, our services, our ideas, that we forget to ask the reader for an immediate action.

Do you want your new LinkedIn connection to connect with you on other platforms? To send you an e-mail? To visit your website? 

Whatever the objective may be, make it easy for reporters to find your contact information and to stay connected with you:

Edit your public LinkedIn URL: Your default LinkedIn username will consist of a string of numbers, but it can be editable. For example, I changed my LinkedIn URL to http://www.linkedin.com/in/ThePositiveMom, which is a lot more memorable and it also strengthens my brand, because it is consistent with my usernames, short names, and URLs for other platforms.

Include your social platform handles and link it to your LinkedIn profile. You link your Twitter profile to your LinkedIn account, as well as add a link to your blog, Facebook page, and other relevant social media profiles you may have where your new connection can find you and learn more about you through diverse content. Your BOLD goals must drive your entire social media presence. 

Of course, you want to make sure your branding (both visual and messaging) is consistent across these multiple channels.

Appear media-friendly. Write your LinkedIn summary in third person so media journalists can easily grab it to discuss your possible appearance, pitch you to their producer, and even copy-paste and quote you.

Add a media-focused paragraph with a snippet of what you want them to know about you and provide a link to download your media kit or a link to the media page on your website / blog, so they can learn more.

I love that LinkedIn keeps adding features to make your profile more visual and interactive, so you can better tell your brand story.

LinkedIn is a powerful and underestimated tool that can help you develop thought leadership and expert status, which will certainly attract media attention and the publicity your message deserves.

I am happy to say that I’ve gotten mind-blowing results for myself and for my coaching clients, students, and mentees by using LinkedIn to connect with journalists, editors, reporters, and producers and I know that you can too!

How do you leverage the media power of LinkedIn? You can get started applying these easy steps immediately, and don’t hesitate to add your own and ask your burning questions in the comment area below.

[ela]