Got kids? Then you’re like me in what feels like Kidland Cinema purgatory.
It’s not all bad. Take for example How To Train Your Dragon, a movie produced by Dreamworks, that was based on a book with the same title 20 years ago.
There is a line in the movie that still gets me every time that was delivered from Viking Warrior Astrid — who happens to be the protagonist Hiccup’s love interest.
It goes something like this:
“What you’re searching for isn’t out there, Hiccup. It’s in here.”
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, in the movie, she’s referring to something on the inside of Hiccup. And, I agree, that this is the start of what’s needed to lock in your true North Star.
Life runs like a game of Monopoly. I don’t believe you can truly “pass go and collect $200” without first finding yourself. Only once you know yourself, can you “pass go” on your quest to find your people.
Building on Astrid’s quip above, I believe…
“Once you’ve found who you are in here, start searching for those who mirror you out there.”
In Return On Courage, I call this the Rally Believers phase. You Make Believers or Fake Believers.
So how can you find your tribe of believers out in the business world? Especially as you look to expand your network beyond the four walls of Zoom many of us have been living in the last three years. There’s no better place to start that expansion than on LinkedIn.
Today, LinkedIn audits dozens of variables to predict how relevant your content is to the world — including how many eyeballs your posts are worthy of receiving. In the spirit of training this beast of a platform in your favor, below are 3 “How To Train Your Algorithm” tips you can turn to:
How To Train Your Algorithm In 3 Easy Steps
1. “POV & Post” should fly in the AM. This is the “right message at the right time”. LinkedIn rewards exposure by how engaged others are with your post in that very first hour. Some call this, “The Golden Hour”. During Golden Standard Time, keep in mind the exact right potent POV (topical, controversial, cultural) that can land with your current network. The more engagement the post sees, the more your post will travel. Note: “POV & Post” are you putting your potency out to land with your existing network.
2. “Respond & Repost” should land at lunch. Who doesn’t like digital allies? One selfless, positive way to introduce yourself to another is to repost someone else’s magic. This is far more beneficial for the original poster as OG posts work best in the algorithm. The key is to not steal thunder but to 1) show support, 2) while also adding substantive value. Also, it’s important to note that the algorithm is auditing character count in the length of comments which contributes to how far a post will go. Make sure you go the extra mile to give love to the OG poster while sprinkling your POV into the repost. Note: “Responsive Reposts” are you introducing yourself to a new network.
3. “Scroll & Sponge” into the night. Being up-to-date and sponging up knowledge is always optimal. But optimizing your posts at night gets complicated because eyeballs and engagement are, as per Sprout Social, lowest between (not surprisingly) 9 PM to 4 AM. Most likely, that means veering away from that midnight post when a good portion of your audience is off binge-watching Netflix or flat-out asleep. Mom always said nothing good happens after midnight anyway. Note: “Scroll & Sponge” allows you to sponge up what you need to evolve your POV for future posts/reposts.
Curious what the best time to post on LinkedIn? According to Sprout Social, it’s on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. to noon.
Want to stay on your LinkedIn game? My friend Jillian Laks works for the company and swears by their “Insider Talks” newsletter which looks at everything from current hot topics to hashtags. Check it out here.
Now you know.
