LinkedIn can give your career a significant boost. Think of it as your online business card in the professional world. In general, building your personal brand is worthwhile before you actively "need" it: Like with anything, it takes a bit of time to establish a presence on LinkedIn and for your content to resonate optimally.

Here are the benefits of becoming active with your own content:

• Increased visibility of your accomplishments & expertise in the company: On LinkedIn, you have the opportunity to publicly establish your expert status. This pays off in promotions or salary negotiations!
• Networking & job opportunities: By presenting yourself online and building valuable contacts, you benefit in job searches. Even if you're not actively looking, recruiters may approach you with lucrative offers.
• Become a corporate influencer: For companies, it's advantageous when employees authentically share about their work and the employer. This simultaneously contributes to employer branding while building your personal brand.

Building your own LinkedIn content:

• Make sure you have a well-maintained LinkedIn profile.
• Think about what you have to share. What topics excite you, what do you like to talk about? If you're bored with what you're writing, chances are it won't resonate well. Make a list of topics you're knowledgeable about or have interesting stories to share.
• Of course, you have interesting topics as a young talent! Don't think you have nothing interesting to contribute just because you're new to the workforce or still on your way there. Your journey is exciting: Share learnings from job interviews, your application process, and the first weeks on the job.
• Experiment: Your first post doesn't have to be perfect. Authenticity counts on LinkedIn, and the motto is: People follow people. Your network builds up gradually.

Your LinkedIn content: Tips for design & your texts

When creating your content, keep in mind that LinkedIn is a business platform. Although you can be authentic, content topics on LinkedIn mostly revolve around the working world. This can include work-life balance and personal learnings, but they're usually related to the business world.

For a classic LinkedIn post, you need an image and an interesting text with a catchy headline.

The most common format for the image of the LinkedIn post is 1920x1920. Videos are not yet widespread on the platform and are significantly more complex to produce. Especially when you're just starting out and don't have a creative tool available, normal photos work well too. Selfies in a business context are often used on LinkedIn. However, make sure they're of good quality and in a professional setting.

For the post text: choose a catchy headline that teases your topic and makes people want to know more. Write honest, authentic texts about topics you really have something to say about. Value-added content with learnings from situations you've experienced or tips on topics where you're an expert are worthwhile.

1/2: Here's our follow-up guide with compact tips for your first LinkedIn content.