Social media isn’t what it used to be, especially for creative freelancers wishing to grow their careers. Instagram is dead to us, thanks to frustrating algorithm changes that seem to have decimated everybody’s engagement levels. Changes at Twitter since Elon Musk took over have meant that creatives are leaving in droves. And while some have migrated to
Threads,
Bluesky, Cara, Mastodon and others, the increasingly fragmented nature of the social landscape means that it feels like wherever you are, it’s hard to get traction.
As a result, many creatives are turning to LinkedIn instead as a platform for networking, self-promotion and professional growth. However, LinkedIn can sometimes feel overwhelming or even cringeworthy for those new to the platform or hesitant to fully embrace it. In fact, you might not even realise that designers, artists, filmmakers, animators, and photographers are also using it.
The short version is that lots of them are, and many have found it a useful tool for growing their careers. If you haven’t used LinkedIn yet or have tried but just “don’t get it”, this article is for you. It contains eight practical tips to help you navigate the professional network effectively, offering tips and insights from industry professionals who have successfully leveraged it for their own careers.
1. Embrace the positivity
One of the first steps to using LinkedIn effectively is understanding its benefits. And one of the most obvious right now is the lack of toxicity and negativity you find on so many other social platforms.
“I love Linkedin, and as cheesy as it sounds, you get out of it what you put into it,” says performance coach Matt Follows. “For the past couple of years, I’ve posted a video every day as a way of giving back to the community, and so far, I’ve had no negative comments whatsoever.”
Copy and content writer Divine Laoye agrees. “I’m tired of everyone calling LinkedIn cringe and boring,” she says. “I’ve seen creators kill it on the platform. LinkedIn is home to one billion members in more than 200 countries. Your message can be amplified over there. Stop secluding it from your content strategy.”
2. Understand it’s ALL work-related
The positive atmosphere isn’t the only differentiator, though. LinkedIn is fundamentally different from other social media platforms because it’s overwhelmingly focused on work.
“It took me a while to get used to how different LinkedIn is to other social platforms like Twitter or Instagram,” says Martin Boath, co-owner and creative director at Imaginary Friends. “There’s a much greater emphasis on talking about oneself or our work. There’s not really the back-and-forth that Twitter used to be great for. And in terms of displaying imagery, especially multiple images, it’s quite poor. Also has that annoying tendency to change URLs to its own shortened version.
“All that said,” he adds, “it’s nowhere near as toxic as Twitter and isn’t full of memes and nonsense like Instagram.