When I first launched The Essay Expert 10 years ago, I quickly realized that LinkedIn was going to be important. But I only got as far as “I think I need to have a LinkedIn profile if I’m going to be a business owner.” I had no idea at the time that the LinkedIn platform would become my focus and the bread and butter of The Essay Expert.
Soon, I was making connections. One of them, a marketing expert, suggested that I do LinkedIn profile reviews for free. “Free?” my non-marketing brain protested. But since I knew pretty much nothing about marketing at the time, I trusted him. Thus, LinkedIn profile reviews from The Essay Expert were born. I got an overwhelming response and completed 25 free reviews in no time; soon I was offering 25 reviews for $25. Those went like hotcakes too.
One of the first connections I made through LinkedIn caught wind of my budding LinkedIn expertise and referred me to Ellen Ingraham, a fellow Yale alumna. Ellen connected me with Carol Ross of what was then Networking Naturally. Carol invited me to do my first-ever recorded interview. The title, created by Carol, was … drumroll please … “Writing a KILLER LinkedIn Profile.” Great title, Carol!
For this week’s blog, I dug up that interview. It’s an oldie but a goodie! Amazingly, just about all the advice in the interview is still applicable today. Like how to attract recruiters, get good recommendations, and stay active on LinkedIn.
So today I’m sharing that first interview. You are now privileged to have a window into the beginnings of The Essay Expert’s speaking career. I’m a little less polished and confident than I am now in my speaking appearances, and I say a few more “y’knows” and “ums” than I do now. But there’s something nice about the relaxed and conversational tone of the interview. And the advice is spot on.
Here it is!!
The rest is history. Through doing all those LinkedIn reviews mentioned above, I learned a ton about what worked and did not work on LinkedIn, and I started blogging about it. Eventually I had enough material to write a book.
What did I choose for the title of that book? The title of that first successful teleseminar, almost verbatim. That’s how How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile was born.
I suppose the lesson in all this is to say yes to things. Yes to people’s advice and to opportunities that come your way. I did that and it helped me become a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and successful businesswoman.
Ten years later, I’m still speaking and still offering LinkedIn Profile Reviews (for $75 each now). And I have not forgotten that first teleseminar where I got my start!
If you’re interested in a personal, 20-minute review of your LinkedIn profile, click here to learn more about my LinkedIn Review Special. I look forward to helping you craft a KILLER LinkedIn profile!
You gave the most important point right within the 5 or 10 minutes to which I listened. You mentioned to first learn what does a person what to get from his/her LinkedIn listing and other related goals. Is it to get new clients, to impress existing ones, to impress people in general, etc., etc., etc. That no doubt leads you to learning more about the person’s overall career (or other) goals. I think that is the key you mentioned, because most of us who have LinkedIn profiles, just put them up without giving real thought about what goals we have that those profiles are there to help us reach. Excellent.