From Gaming and Digital Content to Web3: How These Creators Use LinkedIn

"LinkedIn gives me access to a highly targeted audience, rather than the broad masses I find on other platforms," says Nathan Klingseis, a metaverse strategist who's worked with a vast array of Web3 brands. "Almost every single follower, connection and interaction is with someone who is within the field I work in or someone interested in the services I provide. I'm able to build audiences of highly engaged individuals that are heavily niched down, compared to other platforms where my content appeals to a wider audience."

When it comes to best practices for growing your audience on LinkedIn, Nathan focuses on authenticity: "Be honest and post with integrity. LinkedIn is a 'professional network,' but professionals still desire creativity and great storytelling." As far as actual mechanical suggestions go, he offers: "Once you've got that down, make sure you're posting consistently (take breaks when needed) and interacting with your comments and connections."

We were also curious to hear Nathan's perspective on introducing newcomers to the world of Web3. "The best way to understand is to do your research on what 'decentralization' actually means," he explains. "Don't start with NFTs or Blockchain, start with decentralization. Because everything else in Web3 is just the technology that pushes us as a community towards decentralizing. Once you understand that, everything else kind of pieces itself together," he elaborates. "Watching videos, exploring LinkedIn posts and reading blogs will always help improve knowledge."

For photographer Noémie Marguerite, LinkedIn has been most helpful connecting her with the right collaborators. "LinkedIn helps build the business relationships that us creatives may overlook, providing the key information of who is doing what in which company," she explains.

And the platform makes it easy to connect with new creators: "LinkedIn helps me be intentional about who I want to build relationships with," she explains. "If you want to work with photo editors, all you have to do is search them. If there's an advertisement or production you enjoyed, it's a lot easier to find who's responsible. It's also key to note that—even if you're building a relationship with someone that's not directly in your field—you can't underestimate who they know or work with."

As far as making your content stand out on the platform, "LinkedIn is a great way to explain who you are and what you do," she reveals. "It's like a one-sided interview where you decide the question and answer it to your connections. As cliche as it sounds, the best way to stand out is to stay true to yourself. No one else is like you, so emphasize that!"

We were also curious to hear a bit about Noémie's perspective on her career as a photographer. "I love the experience. I love being on set of a shoot and it coming together," she says. "The process is more interesting to me than the end result. I love being a documentarian at events. It feels like I'm capturing a moment in history. I'm so grateful that my job is to photograph and film life. It's such an honor."

Perhaps no one represents the true potential of LinkedIn as well as eSports guru Marcus Howard. "I've been using LinkedIn for over 10 years because it helps me build an amazing community of professionals," he tells ONE37pm. "Unlike other social platforms, users on LinkedIn understand (and even appreciate) that the social exchange can include a business context: Nearly 90 percent of the business that I've generated over the last four years has come from LinkedIn."

Marcus is also very well-positioned to highlight other creators on the platform he admires: "My favorite influencers are regular people from my professional community who share consistently bold perspectives that help me think and grow." Think: Kathryn De Shields-Moon, Sebastian "Chosen1" Burton and James O'Hagan.

As a creator who's seen immense growth on LinkedIn, he shares some insight into how to best grow your audience. "Regularly post meaningful content, and regularly engage in meaningful conversations," he says. "The first part helps you maximize your visibility and thought leadership. The second part helps you build valuable relationships via comments to others on your posts, comments to others on other peoples' posts, or conversations in LinkedIn DMs. The 'know, like, trust factor' isn't built overnight, but if you're consistent with your content and conversations it's well worth the time invested," he elaborates.

To dive more into Marcus' wealth of knowledge, check out his new book, INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports, which aims to answer the question more deeply.

Reed Duchscher, CEO of Night Media, explains how the business focus on the platform has presented a unique opportunity. "The people on LinkedIn consuming my content are more industry-focused (marketing managers, brand managers, execs, etc.) as opposed to other social platforms where my audience is much younger (16-24)."

He also has some keen insight into the development of growing his audience as a LinkedIn creator: "A few things have worked. 1) Putting thought behind the things you post, not just re-sharing articles without context. 2) Staying consistent when you post. I've been posting 4-5 times a week for over six months. 3) Experimenting with new features—polls, video, live-streaming. 4) Interacting on other creators' posts."

As far as favorite LinkedIn tools go, Reed lists a couple of key features: "In terms of growing my audience, I would have to say polls. In terms of new business opportunities, I would say the videos I post breaking down different aspects of the creator economy."