The way things were

For the first seventeen years of my editing career, my LinkedIn profile was as bare-bones as it could be. It included my name, the headline ‘Freelance editor’ and the most basic information about my education, qualifications and teaching experience – no photo, no banner, no ‘About’ section, no details, no personality and not a single post.

Time to change

My lack of engagement didn’t matter at that time as I specialised in textbook editing and had so much work that I didn’t need to look for new clients. Two years ago, however, in the period following a sabbatical, I realised it was time for a change. Writing my memoir had allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of who I was and to dream of being something more. The idea of going back to editing textbooks felt stifling and I began to explore other ways of making a living from my gift with words. A few months later, my business, ‘Word Magician’, was born.

My focus shifted to selling a different set of skills and services to an audience who knew nothing about me and it soon became clear that I needed an online presence. LinkedIn was the obvious place to start but the task of marketing myself online was incredibly intimidating. Like many editors and writers, I was not used to ‘putting myself out there’; I didn’t know how to do it and even the idea of working on my profile felt exposing and vulnerable.

Thankfully, I came across the free downloadable PDF produced by Team Translator, ‘Jumpstart your LinkedIn profile’ (Thanks for the recommendation, Laetitia Sullivan!). This resource provided me with a simple seven-step framework and my LinkedIn profile soon included a photo, a more descriptive headline and an ‘About’ section. My profile was beginning to look like it represented a human being, not a bot!

Next, I discovered Canva and created a colourful banner to brighten up my profile. I added information on my skills and services, as well as a list of publishing-related courses I had completed.

While my revamped profile was more of a reflection of who I am as a person, I knew that I also needed to start posting content.

My approach to posting on LinkedIn

My very first post on LinkedIn was a link to an article about ChatGPT that I’d found insightful. There was absolutely no response, not a single like or comment.

My next post was more personal. I wrote about the experience of reinventing myself professionally and shared lines from a poem by Antonio Machado that had inspired me (‘Traveler, there is no path/The path is made by walking’). The response to this post made it obvious that my words had touched people at a personal level and I learnt that sharing my own experience was much more meaningful to readers.

Since then, I’ve posted many times. For instance, I’ve shared stories about my experiences working on various projects, as well as reviews of books that I’ve enjoyed or found thought-provoking. I announced the launch of my Word Magician website almost a year ago and periodically let readers know when I’ve added a blog or new testimonial to the relevant pages on my website.

I don’t follow the recommendation of a set posting schedule and I often don’t post for weeks or even months. Instead, I write when an idea comes to me and I have something to say. I’m also always on the lookout for opportunities to post in an uncontrived way. For example, when a publisher approached me recently to edit a South African author’s second novel, I reposted last year’s post of the launch of her first book, which I had edited, with a short new introductory blurb.

While the response to my posts has generally been modest, I’ve discovered that even posts that don’t attract much attention still have the spin-off effect of keeping my name top-of-mind for my target market.

The payoffs

One of the first things prospective clients do is to look at my LinkedIn profile. It’s good to feel confident about what they will find there: a credible online presence that reveals a professional but approachable human being.

These days, I use a multi-pronged approach to market my business. My website, LinkedIn profile and PEG listing work together to make it easy for potential clients to find me – and then to find out more about me.

When I began conceptualising my Word Magician website, I realised the true value of my posting efforts on LinkedIn. I now link to past posts on my website, giving interested readers a clearer understanding of my approach to my work.

More recently, I’ve learnt to include links to relevant pages on my website in some of my LinkedIn posts. The analytics have shown just how effective this has been in driving traffic to my website.

I escaped from LinkedIn obscurity and am enjoying the benefits; if you’re currently a LinkedIn ghost, you can too!

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