LinkedIn might be the nerdiest social network, but I've never claimed to be cool. As someone who primarily works from home but is nosy about her network, I use it to keep tabs on what's happening in organizations and people's professional lives. By following friends, former colleagues, one-time conference buddies---and, yes, total randos---on the site, I've gained ideas and maintained meaningful (and valuable!) relationships.
So when Sara Kobilka of Renaissance Woman Consulting posted about a free "LinkedIn Sprint" she was hosting, my interest was piqued. I met Sara around 2011 when she was working at the Science Center of Iowa, and we've stayed connected. She's also a self-described "anti-niche" Mizzou J-school alum who has had a fascinating career. Her LinkedIn posts are some of the most engaging that I see, and we reconnected in person when she was passing through town at a conference a few months ago. The group she got together at Lucca was a testament to her always building community ethos.
What the heck is a LinkedIn Sprint?
The 'sprint' was essentially a coordinated signal boost for LinkedIn users working in a similar field. (In this case, freelancers involved in creative work.) A few dozen of us signed up through Sara and committed to posting daily for one week, plus commenting on each others' posts during that timeframe. By participating, we immediately gained access to a list of like-minded people to follow. Nearly everyone was 1st or 2nd degree connected to Sara in some way, which meant there was already some social capital and trust built in.
Sara hosted a kickoff call, during which she shared some best practices for playing nice with the LinkedIn algorithm (for instance, sharing links in the comments and keeping original content in the post body). She shared an amazing resource around accessibility on social media and pushed us to use image descriptions and #PascalCase in our posts.
Each day, we Sprinters posted before the 2 p.m. deadline, then added the link to our post to Sara's spreadsheet. Then, we engaged with the three posts from that day listed above ours on the sheet. This was easy to do because people shared relevant insights and posed questions within their posts. Sara sent daily emails with encouragement, resources, and prompts we could use to inspire posts:
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Where are you finding community these days?
What has inspired you recently?
Give a shout out to someone on LinkedIn that you admire and tag them. Explain what you get from following them and why others should too.
Here's what I took away from my first LinkedIn Sprint
First (and perhaps most obviously!), I gained new connections who are facing relatable challenges and chasing similar goals.
Freelance journalist Joni Sweet shared about her success with Substack. I've considered launching a newsletter, and the benefits she discovered are encouraging.
Environmental writer and consultant (and fellow Iowan!) Kristine Nemec shared takeaways from The Conscious Style Guide by Karen Yin, which I immediately picked up from the Des Moines Public Library and texted a friend about.
Higher ed writer Alison Bowen posted an availability update that included ideation services I've never considered promoting. I recently started working with a few alumni and donor magazines. They are incredible client collaborators, so it will be interesting to follow her work in this space.
Here's how my engagement improved
I don't analyze my LinkedIn metrics very often, but was curious how a week of consistent posts and engagement might impact performance numbers.
I grew followers with titles that included Owner, President, Founder, CEO, and Writer.
My post impressions were up nearly 200%, up 67% week over week.
The most impressions (as of yesterday evening) were from a "What is a Weekend?" Downton Abbey meme that I shared (RIP Dame Maggie Smith) on Monday. Maybe that was due to timing ot that it was a more general audience post.
The most engagement I received was from my first post in the sprint, highlighting my "next steps" after attending the Okoboji Writers Retreat.
I also shared a link to Lauren Ward's freelance newsletter because she's someone I "met" through LinkedIn with a similar profile to the sprint participants. Thursday, my post about cool things happening at the ISU College of Design promoted a recently published piece to give people a taste of my actual work. This one might have more staying power and eclipse the meme post.
I didn't track my time spent, but estimate I dedicated about 30-45 minutes each day to drafting my post and engaging with other posts and comments. Since I regularly 'listen' to LinkedIn chatter, this was a much more intentional way to be on the site.
Have you ever participated in a LinkedIn sprint? Would you be interested in one? I'm considering hosting my own at some point!
I celebrated crossing the finish line by buying a new pair of running shoes. (Just kidding, that was on my to-do list before this sprint, but I finally did it!) I'm more of a slow distance runner than sprinter, though! Des Moines locals --- the team at Fitness Sports is the best!
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