Why Everyone Has a Voice on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is going global, with awesome content coming out of places like India, Singapore, Brazil, France, the UK, and everywhere else with your usual list of global Influencers, many of whom are located here in North America.

However for the ordinary LinkedIn user the question remains:

How can I be unique, stand out, while sharing my story , my learning and my professional growth?

It's as simple as just starting to write. You might be surprised where it leads you.

The Benefits of Sharing & Creating

• Develop your personal brand
• Improve the PR of your company
• Share the story of your startup, entrepreneur experience or consultant journey
• Create buzz on current events in your industry
• Differentiate yourself from other job candidates

Why LinkedIn Shines with Content

We are talking about a global ecosystem of content with over 3 million unique writers who create over 160,000 weekly posts. That's nearly 1 million articles a year.

The 2nd annual Linked Top Voices celebrates the growing diversity of our global voice. In truth, anyone can make this list as a number of outsiders do each year.

What can you do to stand out?

66% of the #LinkedInTopVoices authors publish on LinkedIn at least once a month. Here's how to be a top writer:

What do they do?

• Post on a regular basis
• Engage actively with readers by replying to comments
• Create articles that relate to current events in their industry that are highly shareable and stimulate comments

Top Voices made  10X more replies to comments on their articles than did the average LinkedIn writer.

As good as LinkedIn Top Voices 2015 were, the new list released recently announced #LinkedinTopVoices with an introduction by Daniel Roth, brings some fresh new faces into the spotlight. In this article, I'll be introducing you to themes and people who do just that: inspire us with their voice.

LinkedIn's Content Themes Shine On

As an avid LinkedIn reader, I must admit a few LinkedIn content themes really caught my interest in 2016, and made me want to invest more in this platform. Such as:

• #TheNextWave
• #TechTalksDiversity
• #IWasTheFirst

These were content themes with select articles that captured our interests, our industries; and ultimately for me as a reader, my heart.

This brings me to an important point, the most shareable content has an emotional, funny or highly relevant story. IEVA. Informative, educational, vulnerable or authentic.

A Global Voice

With over a million downloads, the LinkedIn Pulse app helps professionals around the world connect with the best news and stories in their industries. A rather large team of dedicated humans (the Editors) help promote, organize and feature the best content in the world.

With Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn in 2016 a done deal, this global voice could transform your personal brand, your company or your startup to a new level of publicity, reach and brand identity.

Case Studies & Favorites

• #StudentVoices : LinkedIn is a great platform for young people to share their experiences of college life, internships, finding their first job or simply writing about what's new in their field. (Remember to use the hashtag #StudentVoices.
• Share your Vulnerability: There's no shame in sharing your story, sometimes recognizing where we came from, our failures and our personal growth is the most powerful thing we can do online to inspire others. That's what we learned from Michaela Alexis in 2016, you can read more about her story here.
• Share your Humor & Wit: Lynne Everatt, writes a LinkedIn column that's one of the best reads called The Week in Cheek, recommended reading for anyone in technology and aspiring writers as well.
• Share your Personal Stories: Karthik Rajan, is one of the master storytellers who best personifies this type of writing. His articles are genuine stories that touch the heart and spirit, with some of the highest organic reach I've ever seen. Read his stories here.
• Share your Passion for the Future: Isvari Mohan, knows a thing or two about dreaming big and connecting with the world. Her articles make me want to listen to the voice of #GenZ who will inherit the world as the largest cohort. Read her articles here.

2016 Top Voices Get Eyeballs

When LinkedIn's talented data scientists combed the numbers, some stats pop-out that show the kind of reach that can be obtained:

• They receive on average 64X more comments
• 52X more likes
• 24X more shares
• 73X more views
• Huge growth in followers, an average of 150 new followers a day. Does that sound like something that would be valuable to you? #LinkedInTopVoices

Ready to be Inspired?

Check out some of the LinkedIn Top Voices 2016.

Are you a College student or young Millennial first experiencing the workforce? Do you have insights to share? Maya would be delighted to hear from you, from how to cope with mounting #StudentDebts to career development insights from young professionals likes yourself:

Are you an engineer, software developer, data scientist, or someones that cares about diversity and inclusion in technology, Greg oversees technology and there's a lot to say on the topic.

In 2016 we've seen Brexit change our world, and in a few days the President Elect of the U.S. takes office. No topic hits home quite like the global economy and finance news. Join Chip and others on the journey that matters most.

Click on this image (below) to learn more about LinkedIn's 2016 Top Voices: (scroll down to discovery your favorite categories and see who made the list in your country).

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your network.

Who inspires you the most with their content on LinkedIn and why? Tag them in your comment, let's support the movement. Let's give recognition to those voices who changed us for the better in 2016.