By Danielle Mellema, Chief Ghostwriter, Digital Content Manager

If you give your LinkedIn feed even the occasional scroll, then you have likely looked with a mix of amazement and confusion (and maybe a little annoyance) at the content of “LinkedIn influencers.” You know the ones—they’re always sharing a word of inspiration, an interesting article, or link to their own writing sharing their expertise. How in the world do they have time for this?

These personalities can make it seem like creating content has to be splashy to be worth it, or that sharing expertise only matters if you have a large following. But content creation doesn’t have to be big to be a good fit for you and your professional goals.

When our healthcare executive clients are considering whether to try creating their own content, we tend to hear some version of the same ol’ objections. If you are curious enough about copywriting to be reading this article, I bet you have some too.

Let’s play a game of True or False to help you see if content creation could be the next right step for you:

I don’t have expertise worth sharing.

FALSE.

You have worked hard to get to where you are. And not just that: you’ve been willing to keep learning—from bosses, mentors, from your own missteps and successes—throughout your career to become the most effective, competent leader you can be. I bet, if asked, you would name a long list of things you still want to learn and areas you are working to improve.

But just because you are highly aware of all you don’t yet know, doesn’t mean you don’t have expertise to share. In fact, your desire to be a life-long learner and always be improving as a leader and a professional means that you’re the exact kind of person who is best equipped to share your know-how with others. When expertise is shared from a place of generosity, wisdom, and humility, that’s the making of true thought leadership.

I’m just not the “content creation type.” I don’t see a point for me personally.

FALSE. 

Okay, I suppose there could be a person out there who could actually make this claim, but listen—it’s not you.

You are a seasoned professional in an industry that is ever-changing. The work you do in healthcare is inextricably connected to raising people’s quality of life. The work you do matters, and so does the way you do it and all that you are learning along the way. For the future of the industry you have invested so much in and the thriving of your community, there is a good purpose in sharing your experiences and expertise. 

On a more personal level, a regular practice of clearly communicating your thoughts, opinions, and observations opens up opportunities for you. You have dreams for your career, and content creation can help you make new connections, sharpen your skills, and step into a thought leadership role. Also, over the years we’ve had many healthcare executive clients who are looking to transition to consulting work as they near retirement and make a change in the pace of their work life. You never know what the future holds, and a catalog of past writing and shared expertise is always a value-add, no matter where your career journey takes you.

I don’t have time.

TRUE.

I don’t have to look at your calendar to know that your time is at a premium. You’re right—you probably don’t have time to think through a topic, decide what angle would be most relevant to your audience, get your thoughts on paper, try to arrange them into something coherent and professional, tighten up the copy, link to relevant sources, and promote it on your or your organization’s social media platforms.

But do you have time to bat your idea around for 20 minutes with a copywriting professional who has worked with healthcare executives in a variety of contexts? Do you have a few minutes to slap a few links from articles that you’ve been mulling over into an email with a few bullet point thoughts on them, and let a professional writer take it from there? If the answer is yes any one of these, then you have enough time to create content.

I’m not a writer.

WELL…

I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you might be right about this one, too.

Leaders must be excellent communicators; that’s non-negotiable. But that doesn’t always translate to the page, and that’s okay! As someone who builds effective and efficient teams, you know that not everyone working toward a common goal has to have the same skill set, and in fact, it’s better if they don’t.  Your expertise, experiences, and desire to influence the healthcare industry for the better, paired with the content creation skills of an observant and experienced professional writer will allow you to do what you do best while still getting your thoughts out there so others can benefit and you can stand out as a leader in your organization and industry.

Curious to learn more? Reach out to us, and we can chat more about ways that content creation can showcase your expertise and help you reach your professional goals.