In this episode, Amy Davies, a LinkedIn powerhouse, author of A Spark in the Dark, and CEO of First 30, shares actionable tips for turning your LinkedIn activity into new opportunities. Discover the best times to post, what content resonates with audiences, and how to boost engagement. If you're looking to elevate your LinkedIn strategy, this is your must-listen guide to success.

Great Moments in the Episode

3:10 – 6:30 How to get into a speaking bureau and the benefits of a speaking bureau.

6:45 – 9:02 How to harness inspiration and planning to create engaging LinkedIn content.

9:03 – 10:55 How to identify the optimal time to post on LinkedIn.

10:56 – 15:03 How to shape your tone and content to influence people on LinkedIn.

15:04 – 20:30 Tips for evaluating how much of your personal story to bring to a professional platform.

20:31 – 23:35 How much time to devote to LinkedIn and other social media platforms to make it work for you.

23:36 – 25:25 How to spend your time on LinkedIn.

25:26 – 26:28 The value of LinkedIn compared to a conference booth.

26:29 – 31:28 How to use LinkedIn to increase attendance of your webinars and move people from your email list through the sales cycle.

31:30 – 35:48 Biggest mistakes users make on LinkedIn.

35:50 – 40:04 What content LinkedIn prefers and rewards, and how to encourage engagement.

40:05 – 43:45 How to increase and measure engagement on LinkedIn—and which metrics really matter.

44:07 – 45:32 Why it’s important to take breaks and how to take breaks from LinkedIn.

45:40 – 46:33 Final remarks: Always be generous on LinkedIn.

Words of the Episode

peregrination (n): a journey, especially a long or meandering one.

torsional (adj): twisting or wrenching body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction.

Connect with Amy

First30: https://first30ready.com/

A Spark in the Dark: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Dark-Illuminating-brilliant-career/dp/1999085205

Follow Journey Sixty6

https://www.journeysixty6.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/journeysixty6/

https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub

Writing a memoir likely will dredge up some difficult memories. For some writers, the pain of these memories might slow down the process of writing, like it did for Cheryl Landes, author of The Best I Can Do. It took Cheryl nearly two decades to complete her memoir. In this episode, Cheryl offers advice for structuring a memoir after years of being stuck. She also shares strategies for relieving tension and writing complex characters that the reader will cheer for.

Great Moments in the Episode

4:57 – 9:37 How painful memories lead to procrastination, and how to push through.

10:05 – 13:30 Creating a scene list to develop a structure for a memoir.

12:40 – 14:44 Identifying scenes that capture a reader’s imagination.

14:45 – 16:18 How to write a memoir in which readers will root for the protagonist (you).

16:47 – 18:22 Creating an invisible character in a memoir to create tension.

18:25 – 19:58 How simple scenes can become pivotal, profound scenes.

21:05 – 23:58 How to provide relief in an emotionally heavy memoir.

23:59 – 25:33 How to weave in flashbacks in a memoir.

25:34 – 28:18 How to honestly portray characters in your memoir without villainizing them.

28:19 – 30:33 How writing a book can change you and your perspective on the world.

30:34 – 34:09 Advice for writers who are stuck in the memoir writing process.

Words of the Episode

dolce far niente: (n) The 'sweetness of doing nothing'; pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness

inure: (v) to become accustom to something, especially something unpleasant.

Connect with Cheryl

Website: https://tabbycatco.com/about-cheryl-technical-writer/

Follow Journey Sixty6

https://www.journeysixty6.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/journeysixty6/

https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub

If you want to write a book that influences the world, you need to start with a creative idea. Great ideas form the essence of great books. And yet idea development is one of the biggest struggles of writers. In this episode, Dave and Melissa talk about what an idea really is, how to sharpen your idea, and how to develop an idea, so that readers read your book from beginning to end.

Great Moments in the Episode

7:37 – 12:19 What an idea is and examples of how to narrow an idea.

12:20 – 15:06 How to use research effectively to narrow your idea.

15:07 – 17:59 Why having a narrow idea is better than a general idea.

18:00 – 22:14 How to use quotes and interpret other ideas to support your idea.

22:15 – 22:53 The three things you can do with an idea.

22:54 – 27:26 What explaining an idea looks like in writing, and why it’s important.

27:27 – 29:48 How to prove your idea with examples of what proving look like.

29:49 – 32:18 How to use reasoning to prove an idea.

32:19 – 33:13 Using stories and counterarguments to develop an idea.

33:14 – 35:47 How to apply an idea.

35:48 – 39:06 How to develop an idea in a book through structure.

39:07 – 40:27 How to arrest the attention of your reader with each chapter.

40:28 – 41:56 How to thread your thesis—or idea—throughout the entire book.

41:57 – 43:05 How to use transition paragraphs to thread your ideas throughout the book.

43:06 – 47:18 When an idea is not big enough for a traditional book.

Words of the Episode

elysian (adj): blissful, delightful

limn (v): depict or describe in painting or words; or, suffuse or highlight something with a bright color or light

Follow Journey Sixty6

https://www.journeysixty6.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/journeysixty6/

https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub