After writing daily for 425 days, here are my conclusions
Why writing regularly on LinkedIn can make you a better writer.
Writing on LinkedIn can make you a better writer. After posting daily for 425 days, here's what I think.
Someone recently asked a question that got me thinking. "Should I use AI to generate ideas or even write my entire LinkedIn post?"
I have no answer for that, but what I can offer are 3 reasons why posting regularly on LinkedIn can make you a better writer.
- Long form is made of short sections
One issue about LinkedIn is the relatively limited length of each post. Surely it'll crimp our writing style or distort our fluency?
I'll argue that writing in fewer words is tough work. Yet even the longest prose is broken into chapters and sections.
So you are really practicing as you write your posts. You know, like interval training.
- Practice makes perfect
Enticing hook, good flow, succinct message. Each post demands that, forcing you to practice again and again.
But why bother in the era of AI? I see it this way: Why open another fast-food joint in a world inundated with them?
Set up a Michelin-rated restaurant instead. Don't expect to get there without loads of practice though.
- The constant storyteller
Writing compels you to look at the world through the lens of someone telling a story. Every conversation, insight, or news article becomes a potential story.
I've always envied friends who are good at photography. They seem to have an eye for "framing" landscapes and people.
Turns out I'm now doing the same thing, but through the lens of storytelling.
To AI or not?
The choice to use AI is a personal one. Who am I to judge or even offer advice?
Ultimately, it depends on what you are on LinkedIn for. For fame and "likes"? To clinch sales? Or to get better at writing?
For what it's worth, I do use AI - but as a tool to:
- Suggest section headers.
- Come up with alternate words.
- Find a phrase at the tip of my tongue.
- Plough through "micro" writer's block.
In a way, AI is a co-writer, proofreader, thesaurus, and handy phrase reference - all rolled into one.
What about you? Has writing on LinkedIn improved your writing chops?
