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.

Notes
1. Gottfried, Jeffrey; Mitchell, Amy; Jurkowitz, Mark; and Liedke, Jacob; Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry Amid Continued Passion for Their Work, Pew Research Center (June 14, 2022), https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2022/06/14/ journalists-sense-turmoil-in-their-industry-amid- continued-passion-for-their-work/.


Headshot of Zack McKamieZACK 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.

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