LinkedIn for Writers: 7 Proven Tips to Build a Thriving Writing Career

Like every other industry, the writing and authorship market is steadily growing.

If you want to grow as a writer, LinkedIn is definetely the platform for you. You’re looking to monetize your words, and doing that in a business-themed place would help bring the right opportunities.

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to optimize LinkedIn for your writing advantage.

Why You Should Use LinkedIn as a Writer

With an optimized profile and proper networking strategy, writers like you can take advantage of LinkedIn in the following aspects:

• Promoting the books and magazines that you authored or took part in
• Chance of employment at some of the biggest magazines and publications
• Opportunity to showcase your writing skills and attract more business
• Learning from the best writing professionals via LinkedIn Learning and community engagement
• Growing your network and establishing valuable relationships

Tips to Build a Successful Writer Profile on LinkedIn

While there are many approaches to building a standout writer profile on LinkedIn, here are the seven best tips that you can apply to your account.

1. Optimize Your Profile

Many writer’s works are deeply interconnected to their background. For example, if you authored a book about marketing, it makes sense to think that you have strong expertise in marketing-related businesses. So, make sure to show that on your profile.

Here’s a checklist of how you can do that:

• Use a professional profile picture.

Pick one appropriate for your personal brand. If you’re a creative writer, consider exploring a more casual but still professional photo.

You want your profile picture to show who you are, so work on your facial expression, but don’t overload your picture and try to keep a more neutral background so that it doesn’t clash too much with your banner, which will hold most of the graphics.

• Explicitly state what you write about in your headline.

If you’re a fiction writer, make that clear.

If your expertise lies in business books, mention that specifically. Or better yet, include details about the firms or publications you’re writing for, such as “Contributor Writer at TIME Magazine.”

You can also use Taplio’s headline generator to get a great headline in seconds.

• Promote your work on your banner.

Try incorporating the cover pages of your books into your profile banner.

This way, your visitors can actively see your best works right away.

• Write your summary section well.

You’re a writer, so be careful with grammar and choose the most appropriate format.

See Martin Lindstrom’s About section below:

If you need some inspiration, lean on Taplio’s summary generator.

• Share your works using the Featured section.

Include links to your books, speeches, and other works that make your writing career. Using social proof and giving easy acess to your work will give you much more credibility.

Don’t forget you can use tools such as Taplio’s LinkedIn Profile Optimization tool to get feedback on your profile and really make it sparkle!

2. Post Good Quality Content

Posts are excellent engagement starters between you and your audience.

However, you can’t just post things without a clear direction. You can start by setting the distinction between your writing speciality.

For example, if you specialize in writing books about sales and management, posting related topics would be appropriate.

The specific topics would vary based on your personal brand.

But here are some things that you can post about on LinkedIn in general:

• Blog posts, articles, short stories, or excellent excerpts from your book
• Recently published LinkedIn Pulse articles that you authored
• Writing tips, advice, and standards that your audience might want to know
• If you’re freelancing, share testimonials from past clients about the quality of your written work.
• Milestones you’ve reached as a writer, such as getting recognized as a bestselling author

With Taplio you can create viral posts that can help you engage with your audience.

Taplio’s LinkedIn post generator can help you produce content by analyzing your profile. As long as you edit and optimize the content it generates, incorporate your style and brand into it, and make sure that it’s flawless, you can keep up with consistent posting.

3. Consistent Posting Is Key

LinkedIn has a very high daily traffic, which means posting intermittently won’t produce you any good results.

This doesn’t translate only to lost opportunities to engage with other users—it also wastes the chance to be more visible on the platform.

Building a regular posting schedule is, therefore, important. The most common problem for writers, though, is that they tend to suffer from writer’s block. Speed can also dwindle since you want to ensure that your writing is spotless.

With Taplio you can schedule all of your posts easily so that you can focus on your art!

Engaging with other people’s posts produces many benefits. For one, it allows your presence to be known to the post author. Another is that it lets you build thought leadership.

In particular, when you comment and share your insights on someone’s post, you are actually using your expertise to make a judgment, or offer suggestions on how to improve their content or applaud their writing skills. Either way, it establishes that you know what good content is.

Taplio’s engagement builder will be of huge help if you don’t have the time to sit down and browse your LinkedIn feed all day.

It can help you build a list of whom you should engage with based on your interaction with their profile.

5. Be Straightforward by Sending DMs

At the end of the day, LinkedIn is primarily a networking platform.

The most basic and straightforward way to network is to send people direct messages and InMails. The question is, who should you contact?

Here are some professionals that might be within your interest as a writer:

• Established authors: Seek them for writing tips and feedback on your work.
• Editors: Ask them about the best practices in writing to reduce editing time or how you can self-edit.
• Publication agents: Look for them for opportunities to have your manuscript published into a real book.
• Book reviewers: They can help you promote your book, provided your work is up to par.
• Writing mentors: There’s no end to learning. If you think you’re a great writer, seek to improve by contacting potential mentors.

Regardless of the recipient, make sure that each message is personalized and shows your authenticity.

6. Add Visuals to Your Text

Writers mostly work with text. Unfortunately, text performs less efficiently than visual content like photos and videos. So, you want to jump onto the bandwagon and incorporate visuals into your written content.

Here are some examples of text-and-visual posts you can try:

• LinkedIn carousels where tiny bits of tips are written on each image
• Infographics about your writing process and standards
• Writing prompts and the content that you created
• Book cover updates
• Reviews and testimonials from past clients, but with supporting photos
• Writing conferences you attended

7. Use LinkedIn’s Features to Generate Leads

Aside from being a networking platform, LinkedIn offers a lot more powerful features that you can use to generate leads. Here are some ways you can use it to look for business opportunities:

• Use the search bar to find writing gigs and job openings
• Utilize LinkedIn Ads to reach more people about your book promotions
• Join community groups to network with your co-writers and share tips within the industry
• Get your past writing clients to recommend you on LinkedIn
• Use LinkedIn live events for active engagement with your connections

10 Writers You Should Be Following on LinkedIn

Need more inspiration?

Draw them from the top writers all over the world with a successful profile on LinkedIn.

1. Daniel Roth

Daniel Roth was a former writer for the famous magazines Fortune and Wired. Today, he is editor-in-chief and VP at LinkedIn. He also hosts the “This is Working” podcast.

2. Dave Kerpen

Dave Kerpen is an entrepreneur who has founded and led several companies across industries. But more than that, he has extensive writing experience, having authored NY Times bestselling books like “The Art of People” and “Likeable Business.”

3. Erin Brenner

Recognized as a 2023 LinkedIn Top Voice in Business Communications, Erin Brenner specializes in the freelance writing industry. She is the lead editor and owner of Right Touch Editing.

4. Karen Gross

Karen Gross is primarily an educator and has been recognized as a Top Voice in K-12 Education on LinkedIn. Aligned with her outlook, the books she authored, such as “Lady Lucy’s Quest,” focus on children and adults.

5. Steve Blakeman

Steve Blakeman was a former columnist for Inc. Magazine. He authored bestselling books “Billy Bullsh!t Talks Business” and “How to be a Top 10 Writer on LinkedIn.”

6. Martin Lindstrom

Recognized as one of the most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine, Martin Lindstrom is a well-proven expert in branding and writing. He has authored several impactful books, such as “Buyology,” “Brand Sense,” and “The Ministry of Common Sense.”

7. Neil Patel

A New York Times bestselling author, Neil Patel is well-known for his amazing work in the marketing industry. He’s an influential figure for many freelance writers, with his SEO guides defining the writing practices of many.

8. Justin Bariso

Justin Bariso is the author of “EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence,” a book educating people about emotional intelligence. He is a columnist at the Inc. Magazine and has published his written pieces on TIME, Forbes, and Business Insider.

9. Jay Baer

Jay Baer is most well-known for being a B2B influencer. He has authored seven bestselling books and currently works on his newsletter, The Baer Facts.

10. Mike Podesto

Mike Podesto is a contributor to several influential publications, including Oracle, Zety, and Inc. Magazine. He founded “Find My Profession,” an agency specializing in helping job seekers secure employment.

If you need more, check out the 100 best LinkedIn influencers!