Have you ever thought of Linkedin as a news source? As a place to get story ideas? As a place to promote your work?
If not, then you need to relook at Linkedin, especially if you are a journalist.
A great starting point is to enroll for the “Linkedin for Journalists” tutorial. You will get Linkedin tips to connect with sources, promote your stories, increase your professional visibility, and conduct advanced searches on companies and groups.
Beyond this, there are seven other ways in which you can use Linkedin.
# 1. Find sources
Linkedin is a journalist’s dream. There are over 200 million profiles on this Social Media site. Most of these profiles are well fleshed out. The reason for this is easy to understand. This social media site is primarily a head hunting resource, and all professionals realize that their chances of being head hunted lie in providing extensive information about themselves.
This makes life easy for journalists. They can search for sources using a wide array of variables. These range from location, skills, companies, activities etc. The site further provides the facility to connect with members. All that the journalist needs to do is to send a mail using the Linkedin client. The chances of reaching out, and making contact instantly are high.
# 2. Build a network
Journalism works on the system of beats. Every reporter from the day he/she joins is required to build a network. In the physical world, this network is limited to sources living in the city where the journalist works. Linkedin makes it possible to extend this network across the country, even across the world. The journalist can mine this network to get instant reactions and detailed opinion. (Read also: 5 ways to increase your Linkedin connections)
3. # Follow companies
All companies today realize the power of Social Media, and have a big presence on Social Media sites. Linkedin is no exception. It has a vibrant companies section. The journalists can select companies on their beat, and follow them. Linkedin moves every update posted by the company in the news feed of the members who follow the company. The journalist not only stays current, but also gets story ideas before others do.
# 4. Get story ideas
The site has hundreds of groups where members share ideas and concerns, and also look for solutions. Journalists can become a member of these groups and monitor what people are discussing on their beat. Linkedin suggests that every journalist should join as many as 50 groups on his beat to be able to constantly come up with new ideas.
# 5. Share updates
Linkedin allows journalists to share their work. This can be done by entering the hyperlink of the published report in the Share Updates box. The first paragraph of the story is immediately distributed in the Linkedin news feed, and can be read by all connections that are a part of the journalist’s network. The chances of the journalist’s work being noticed and shared go up considerably.
# 6. Prepare for interview
All journalists need to update themselves on the background of individuals/ companies before they go to interview their subjects. Linkedin makes this task very easy. The journalist can visit the profile of the individual and learn all the important positions that the subject has held before leaving for the interview. He can even frame questions based on the information that he has gathered. Earlier, he had to sit for hours in the library to get this information.
# 7. Find another job
This is more personal. Headhunters are always mining profiles published on Linkedin. You never know when you may get a call from them. So, make sure that your profile is always updated, and carries professional information that shows you in good light. Read also: How to help headhunters find you on Linkedin)
(Please add your experience as a journalist in the comments section below)
Leave a Reply