How to start posting on LinkedIn (when it feels uncomfortable or pointless)

Many people ask me (really a lot! 😜) how to start presenting themselves on LinkedIn. So in this monthly newsletter, I decided to tell you how I started. If you clicked on this article, maybe you are searching for a magic pill. It exists!

Like always in my newsletter, the magic pill is your self-reflection. But there is something more. And I hope this abstract something will inspire you to begin your blog.

Let’s start with a few assumptions from me. If you do not agree, skip this edition because we have different beliefs.

1. You are not posting for one of three reasons:

• You are afraid to look stupid, funny, or too exposed

• You do not feel motivated

• You simply do not know how to start

Depending on your reason, the solution will be different. But most likely, this is what is holding you back. I am serious, what else can stop you from posting?

2. Not everyone needs a blog

Folks, I enjoy the dopamine when you message me, like my posts, or share them. I am traumatized enough to search for social acceptance and egoistic enough to be thrilled by the idea that people might read my text and be influenced by it. That is one of the main reasons I became a Marketing Director.

But if you are mentally stable, not excited about arguing with strangers online, and not starving for attention, then maybe blogging is just not for you. And that is perfectly fine.

3. If the block is not emotional, then your question is simply how

Now, if you see the problem as I see it, let's discuss your To-Do.

Problem #1. How do I look

Posting is a lot about representation. When I ran a course for teenagers about blogging ( a million years ago), we did a classic SWOT analysis to define their brand on Instagram, YouTube, Discord, or TikTok. We ran a competitive analysis and made hypotheses about how we can repeat good ideas or improve them. We look at platform trends and develop a strategy.

If a teenager can define what is interesting to watch or read and how to improve it, you can do it too.

This is the trick. When you know who you are and what you are talking about, and how you are different from others, you stop worrying about haters. You just want to speak!

As Мария Тимофеева wrote in this post (I translated in English): "This post will go viral or it won’t... Either way, it won’t affect my self-esteem. Likes matter when you're seeking external approval — that’s a normal human need. But don’t confuse them with a measure of professionalism."

If blogging is your avatar, literally and technically, you have to relate to it as a non-realistic thing as well. Stop being SOOO serious about it and relax!

I have one more argument for you about it. A visual breakdown of Albert Mehrabian’s famous “7-38-55” rule, which suggests that when communicating feelings or attitudes face-to-face, about 55% of the message is conveyed through body language, approximately 38% through tone of voice, and only around 7% through the actual words spoken. This classic finding suggests that text-only communication (which relies solely on words) may carry well under 10% of the emotional meaning that the same message would convey in person (I took it here).

With fast scrolling and short attention spans, the worst-case scenario is that people ignore your post. If the professional advertising made by agencies grabs 3-5 seconds maximum, how much of your post can engage?

You compete with a story of an evil boss who cheated with an HR lady and was caught by Coldplay!

Being awkward, funny, or even a little too much can help your avatar get more attention. Showing yourself has never been so actual and needed.

As Nicole Marguerite Gray said here: "But despite this, they don’t feel like they belong here. LinkedIn still has a reputation for being either too corporate or too ‘cringe’."

I agree with her. Maybe there is a limit, and we should try to be less cringe than others, but even this is arguable!

Problem #2. To think about them

I used to play in a theatre. The first thing any director tells you is, "You are not the star."

You are the tool that moves the story forward. You are important. But the story is not about you; it is about the hero you are playing. Truly speaking, the audience comes for the play. Not to see you specifically.

The same goes for blogging.

People do not open LinkedIn because of me. They scroll. They see hundreds of posts. I just hope to be interesting and useful enough to pause their scroll. That is my motivation because I like being useful.

Your motivation might be different. For example, you believe you can find a better job if you position yourself on LinkedIn as an outstanding professional. Or you can find clients with similar values if you share yours publicly. It is all true!

So when you write on LinkedIn, think less about yourself and more about THEM. It is completely normal to realize that you need to communicate in a different format for THEM. Or you have to choose another platform because of THEM.

Problem #3. How

This is the easiest part. I swear.

After all the reflections above, you will already know what to write about.

Do not like taking photos? Use GPT or Veo to generate content. Your audience does not read? Record a live webinar, start a podcast, or make an infographic with Canva. Worried about the efficiency? There is research about different formats and benchmarks.

Do not have the discipline to post weekly? For me, that is not a time problem. That is a motivation problem. Come to me for mentoring, and we can talk about it.

Finally, I am encouraging you!

You do not have to be brilliant. You do not have to go viral. You just have to start in your way, in your voice, for your reasons!

Let me know if this helped. And if it did, share it with someone who is still waiting to post.