[INSERT HOOK] ADVICE FROM A NON-LINKEDIN BRO

Years ago, I did something stupid in front of my team. I can't remember what it was, but doing something stupid used to be (and still pretty much is) a forte of mine. A buddy once looked at me and said, "I have second-hand embarrassment now." Apparently, that's when others face the brunt of embarrassment for you because you don't have the self-awareness to recognize how dumb you look at the moment. Which brings me to the exact way I feel watching the "LinkedIn coach" advise people who will likely never become their clients.

"You need to post every day," says the LinkedIn bro.

"You need a better hook and a call to action. On top of that, you need a commenting strategy that covers not only your own content but also your friends, your prospective customers, and the content of other like-minded creators."

Wait a second, "creators?" Excuse me for asking, but what exactly are you creating?

With the strategy in question, it's more like a double-spaced journal entry into the abyss, only the abyss in this scenario is LinkedIn (or really any social media platform now), and as for "content creation," well, I think we're giving that idea a slight disservice.

Last year, around the time I started contemplating my own content (if you will), I kept receiving ads from one social media marketing agency, ironically telling their audience that posting every day was not a strategy, which at the time I was starting to warm up to, but the way they presented the idea is what I remembered the most, not because the message stuck with me, but because the creative was God-awful. All I could think of was, why would this agency put this much effort into advertising a message that obviously strikes a chord with exhausted "creators" delivered to us on "sh** sandwhich." I felt like I had just watched the Kanye Super Bowl ad.

But when I questioned the lack of creativity, they responded with, "We don't follow," as their response.

I replied, "I know."

I just so happen to believe, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but less is more. "Every day" isn't the play, and neither is a commenting strategy; in fact, it's a dead giveaway for so many reasons.

We live in a world, as Gary Vee puts it, where "Day Trading Attention" reigns, and with that new currency top of mind, it's more apparent than ever that everyone appears to be looking for engagement, connections, and followers. Everyone is looking for more clients and more revenue. Everyone wants you to subscribe, click, comment, and share, not for connection and relationship, but for impressions and social proof.

It's as if the idea of relevancy has morphed gradually from being great at something to suddenly needing to "feel great at something, based solely on other people's validations."

I believe that if you truly and honestly think of yourself as a "creator," then have the (sorry) balls to stand behind actually creating something you're proud of. Something you won't contemplate deleting later.

Content will only ever be considered content when it's accompanied by a clever hook, a call to action, and is double-spaced. When delivered to an audience in this way, the message gets lost (if there even is one), and the "attention" you're seeking is ultimately found, but have you ever considered what would happen if you were willing to forgo the placation of an invincible algorithm? No one would know you were looking for attention, money, subscribers, clicks, impressions, and all they would be able to do is take in all that you have put out there. Now, it's not considered content; it's thought leadership, it's original, it's authentic, and it's vulnerable.

If that's your intent, and you still find yourself writing about how you don't care about impressions with an entire post double-spaced, it's time to cut the sh** and tell a meaningful story. Try to put some substance, some context, and some personality into what you create. Be proud of what you put out there, and if you don't have anything to say today, that's okay. You don't need to fill a void because trust me, there isn't one.

For those who disagree with me, remember this: "You're not as important as you think you are," and if you do believe that, look around, someone's absorbing the second-hand embarrassment for you.

Thanks for reading,

Derek