If you are an author interested in connecting with potential readers and other authors on social media, there is a host of platforms you may consider. Instagram and TikTok are great places to start because of their large reader communities, but have you considered LinkedIn? Often remembered only as the platform for job connections, LinkedIn can be a great place to promote your author career as well, no matter what genre you write.
The first step to finding out if a platform is right for you is knowing what you want to get out of the experience. LinkedIn is best known for meeting professionals and making career connections, so it can be an obvious choice if you write business books or are a journalist. But if you are an author of any genre interested in forming a network, talking about topics covered in your books, or sharing details about events, speaking engagements, book announcements, or awards, LinkedIn could be a great fit. If you already have a professional LinkedIn presence, it can be a great place to plug updates about your book and remind people in your network that you are an author.
LinkedIn has several features that can be opportune for an author’s purposes:
1.Profile Headline and Summary
Unlike most social media platforms, LinkedIn gives users the opportunity to give not just a brief introduction with a headline, but a much longer, in-depth description of their career and achievements in the summary. You can include details about your author career that you may not have space to share on platforms that prioritize short, snappy content—like mentioning each of your books by name, or noting any awards you’ve received. The maximum length of summaries is 2,000 characters including spaces, which leaves ample room to cover important information about you.
2.Featured Posts
Emphasize topical announcements and updates to an engaged audience with Featured Posts. This is a great place to drop links to any new interviews. If you have a podcast, TikTok, or YouTube channel, link new uploads. Or you can plug upcoming events, like a book signing or convention. These posts are emphasized on your profile for anyone to see.
3.LinkedIn Newsletter
There’s a lot to consider before launching an author newsletter, but if you are considering it, LinkedIn could be a great place to start. LinkedIn has a great starter platform for newsletter building, and the fact that the newsletters are tied in to the social platform makes it extra easy to use and connect with viewers. Instead of having to build an audience from scratch, you can invite your existing network to subscribe. LinkedIn handles list growth, email services, and all your formatting needs as well. There are some drawbacks, though: There are no email marketing tools, LinkedIn has fewer analytical tools than other platforms, and you cannot export or import email lists. If you’re curious about LinkedIn Newsletters, check out their blog for more info.
Finally, LinkedIn is great for author and reader connections. Sharing that you are an author on LinkedIn can be like a homing beacon allowing fellow published authors to find you. Since it has a polished, professional feel, it’s a great place to strike up conversations about your writing process, connections you’ve made, and advice for navigating the world of published authors. You can also use the platform to do the traditional book promotion you would on other socials. Cover reveals, release dates, and links to pre-order can be shared in posts to reach potential readers. Since LinkedIn is all about self-promotion, there’s no need to feel shame about a humblebrag or two.
If you’re curious about what LinkedIn has to offer and how other authors are using it, check out this resource, as well as our recent Author University chat with author Elaine Lin Hering and PRH expert Erin Madison on how to Level Up Your LinkedIn Presence.
Jacky Bethea is the Associate Manager of Author Development at Penguin Random House.