Solo Small Firm • July/August 2024
How LinkedIn Can Get You Noticed by the Media
Showcasing yourself as a thought leader in specific areas of the law can lead to new clients.
Written by Zack McKamie
Linkedin can be more than a way to connect with business contacts and referrals. The networking website also offers a number of resources to help members position their expertise and background for reporters, leading to media interviews and appearances in news articles that can be highly effective in business development.
According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 94% of journalists who responded to the survey said they use social media to some extent in their work, and of those who use social media for work, 79% said social media assists them with connecting to their audience and finding sources for their stories.1 So, what are they looking for and how can you increase the chances they’ll find you?
Many journalists use LinkedIn’s advanced people
search to find subject matter experts.
Since they often search by skills, industry, and company, make sure
to complete these sections of your profile. Be aware that journalists
(and other businesspeople) are much more likely to click on profiles
that include a photo and a specific, compelling headline. They often
prefer to contact sources that are second- or third-degree connections
(these sources also show up higher on their advanced people search
results). So, make connections and make it easy for reporters to
contact you; don’t hide your contact information (phone
access to media contact databases such as Cision or Vocus, the
LinkedIn advanced people search can be used as a complement to find
reporters and bloggers by geographic region and by the industry they
cover.
Some reporters find experts by performing simple online
searches and then clicking on LinkedIn profiles that appear in the
results.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile with keywords will increase the
chances that searches will display your profile. Claiming your personal
URL (e.g., www.linkedin.com/in/name) rather than relying on
LinkedIn’s generic URLs and its string of random letters and
numbers also helps boost page rankings for common search engines.
Other reporters, particularly niche journalists, generate
story ideas by monitoring LinkedIn group discussions.
Consider joining industry-specific groups and commenting on (or even
initiating) discussions that can position you as an industry expert.
Also, be aware that if you’re a member of the group to which the
journalist also belongs, you’ll show up higher on that
journalist’s advanced people search results.
Just like juries, reporters want to see
evidence.
Profiles that include obviously active and engaging content are much
more likely to be noticed and can confirm your active interest and
expertise in a range of topics. Be sure to
Journalists also post status updates that ask
questions.
For example, a reporter may go to LinkedIn and simply ask, “Does
anyone know an expert in family law?” or “Who’s
liable in the following case?” Consider following journalists so
you can respond to their LinkedIn queries. They may also post links to
their completed stories, and liking or even commenting on these stories
may help you attract reporters’ attention. Everyone likes to be
praised.
This article, which was originally published on Androvett’s Insights blog, has been edited and reprinted with permission.
ZACK MCKAMIE
is the vice president of marketing at Androvett, where he leads
integrated marketing strategies for legal industry clients,
professional services firms, and related businesses. Since joining the
agency in 2010, he has helped a
wide range of businesses develop comprehensive and impactful marketing
strategies to help them stand out, reach the right audiences, and
positively impact the bottom line.