How I Became A LinkedIn “Top Voice” in Jan 2024

Summary

Taimur Ijlal shares his journey and tips on becoming a LinkedIn "Top Voice" in Cybersecurity for January 2024, emphasizing the importance of focused, genuine, and consistent content creation.

Abstract

In January 2024, Taimur Ijlal, an esteemed information security leader, earned the LinkedIn "Top Voice" recognition for his insightful contributions to the field of Cybersecurity. This accolade, given to a select group of experts who provide valuable knowledge on LinkedIn, not only enhances professional credibility but also opens doors to new opportunities and strengthens personal branding. Taimur attributes his success to a strategic approach involving a narrow focus on Cybersecurity, authentic communication, and a consistent posting schedule facilitated by tools like Buffer. He also advises repurposing successful content and not fixating on follower count, emphasizing that quality content and engagement are more crucial on LinkedIn than sheer numbers of followers.

Opinions

Quality Over Quantity: Taimur stresses the importance of choosing a niche and producing quality content rather than spreading thin across multiple topics.
Authenticity Matters: He believes in the value of genuine communication, encouraging content creators to be personable and avoid sounding like AI-generated responses.
Consistency Is Key: Scheduling posts in advance helps maintain a consistent presence, which is vital for building an audience and gaining recognition.
Repurposing Content: Taimur suggests recycling well-received posts, as the audience is unlikely to remember them, thus maximizing reach and impact.
Focus on Engagement, Not Followers: He downplays the importance of a large following, highlighting that a smaller, engaged audience can be more valuable for professional growth on LinkedIn.

My Cybersecurity posts got me a Top Voice badge!

A few weeks back, I wrote an article on how to become a writer on Cybersecurity topics

I stressed the importance of consistency and just getting started

To increase your motivation, I want to share my achievements for Jan 2024 as LinkedIn awarded me the coveted “Top Voice” Badge

I got the shiny icon on my profile and everything, which you can see below

What Is LinkedIn's Top Voice

If you are thoroughly unimpressed as you have no idea what a LinkedIn Top Voice is .. then let me tell you:

“Top Voices is an invitation-only program featuring a global group of experts on LinkedIn covering a range of topics across the professional world, helping members uncover valuable knowledge relevant to them”

Simply put, If LinkedIn likes the insights you are sharing on your field (in my case, Cybersecurity) then you are vetted and awarded this badge

Some nice perks come with the badge, such as:

Increased recognition: The Top Voice badge means LinkedIn likes what you are sharing on the platform and gives you that much-needed credibility

Opportunities: Getting a Top Voice brand means that people will reach out as they perceive you as a thought leader on this topic. You can monetize this via 1–1 calls or consultations.

Personal Branding: Unlike your job title that can go away anytime .. the Top Voice badge belongs to you, building your brand every time someone visits your profile

My Tips for Becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice

Focus Down: LinkedIn likes quality content, so choose a topic you are good at and narrow down your niche. Dont fall victim to the shiny topic syndrome and talk about Bitcoin one day, big-tech the other, cybersecurity on the weekend etc.

Be genuine: Sound like a actual person and not like a ChatGPT generated response. People are not stupid and can sense when an AI response is just being copy-pasted

Be Consistent: I like to write all my posts on the weekend and schedule them using software like Buffer, which is 100% free. Doing this makes me consistent as I do not have to worry about a new topic every day

Repurpose like a madman: Not all my posts are 100% original every time. As Justin Welsh says .. no one remembers your posts like you do. If your post did well .. use the same six months later as no one will remember, and you will reach more people.

Do not chase followers: I have a very small following (around 9K), which is nothing compared to others. Do not worry about getting followers or connections. LinkedIn is not TikTok, so don't treat it as such.

That’s pretty much it!

Here is wishing you an awesome journey on LinkedIn in 2024 !!

Thanks for reading this. If you are interested in acing your next Cybersecurity Interview, then check out my Free Ebook HERE.

Taimur Ijlal is a multi-award-winning, information security leader with over two decades of international experience in cyber-security and IT risk management in the fin-tech industry. Taimur can be connected on LinkedIn or on his YouTube channel “Cloud Security Guy” on which he regularly posts about Cloud Security, Artificial Intelligence, and general cyber-security career advice.

How I Became A LinkedIn “Top Voice” in Jan 2024

My Cybersecurity posts got me a Top Voice badge!

What Is LinkedIn's Top Voice

My Tips for Becoming a LinkedIn Top Voice

My Cloud Security advice on LinkedIn got over 31K impressions. Here is what I learnt

Follow these steps to give actionable advice and grow your own following