There was a time, many internets ago, when Twitter was the end-all, be-all network for journalists. In some (decreasing) ways, it still kind of is, but I think we’ve all come to the conclusion that ... it just kind of sucks now. What used to be a fun place to meet other journalists, find work, network, and just goof around has become something very different.
But what you probably don’t know — or have written off — is that LinkedIn has become the new hot spot. It has everything: jobs, gigs, networking, weird personal life posts that feel oddly intimate, life and career updates from people you actually know, and a place to make genuine connections with others in the industry. This is a tune I’ve been singing for years, but I really mean it. (Also hi let’s connect, here’s mine!)
This sounds weird! I realize that. LinkedIn still hasn’t fully shed its 2013-era reputation of being a lame place where middle-aged guys post motivational quotes and self-righteous soliloquies. But I promise it’s not that. On top of being an absolute gold mine of full-time positions and freelance work, it’s a place to find news in real time, make connections that actually pay off in ways that Twitter never did, promote your work, and, practically speaking, drive real traffic to a story. I worked in audience dev for years, and my secret weapon was always LinkedIn.
So how can you use it to your advantage? Here are four things I always advise:
Update your profile
If you’re like most journalists, you probably set up a profile years ago and haven’t changed it much since. It’s time to fix that! A current, engaging profile is one of the most important things you can do to get yourself out there and find work.
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