How to Become a Top Voice on LinkedIn Using Collaborative Articles
The LinkedIn Top Voice badge is a coveted recognition that can enhance your visibility and credibility on the platform. It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd, especially if you’re using LinkedIn for cold outreach. This is a great way to differentiate yourself as a thought leader and build authority.
In this Uptown Creation article we’ll show you exactly how to establish yourself as a top voice in your niche.
What is a LinkedIn Top Voice?
Before we dive into the process, it's important to understand what a LinkedIn Top Voice is. LinkedIn offers two distinct types of Top Voice badges:
- Community Top Voice (Yellow Badge): These badges are given on a rolling 60-day period. Once you earn it, you’ll need to continue contributing to LinkedIn collaborative articles to maintain it.
- LinkedIn Top Voice (Blue Badge): This is a much harder badge to earn and is akin to a verified badge on Instagram. It is awarded directly by LinkedIn and is beyond the scope of this article.
For the purposes of this guide, we'll focus on how you can earn the Community Top Voice badge by contributing to collaborative articles.
What are LinkedIn Collaborative Articles?
LinkedIn introduced collaborative articles in 2023 as AI-generated conversation starters. These articles begin with AI-powered content but are incomplete without contributions from LinkedIn members like you. By adding your insights to these articles, you can earn the Top Voice badge in a specific skill or topic area.
Can I Contribute to Collaborative Articles?
Collaborative articles are an invitation-only program. LinkedIn identifies members who are likely to be experts in a certain topic based on their work experience, skills proficiency, and prior engagement on the platform. If you see the Add your perspective button on a collaborative article, it means that you’re an approved contributor.
If you can’t contribute to collaborative articles yet, don’t worry. To be considered in the future, you can engage with the articles by liking or reacting to them.
Earn a LinkedIn Top Voice Badge in 5 Steps
Now that we’ve covered what collaborative articles are, let us help you stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn by earning a Top voice badge.
Step 1: Finding Collaborative Articles
To start contributing, you need to find LinkedIn's collaborative articles. Here's a quick way to do it:
- Search on Google: Type "LinkedIn collaborative articles" into Google.
- Navigate to LinkedIn's List: Click on the first link that takes you to the list of collaborative articles on LinkedIn.
Once there, you'll see a variety of articles categorized by topics. Choose the topic that aligns with your industry or the area in which you want to become a Top Voice.
Step 2: Choosing the Right Topic
LinkedIn offers a wide range of topics for collaborative articles. It’s best to contribute to articles related to your industry, especially if you want to leverage LinkedIn for cold outreach. Keep in mind that you can earn multiple Community Top Voice badges, but only one will display on your profile at a time.
If your goal is to earn a badge quickly, consider contributing to less popular topics where there are fewer contributors. This increases your chances of getting engagement and earning the badge.
Step 3: Making Your Contributions
To earn the Top Voice badge, LinkedIn requires you to make at least three contributions to a specific skill or topic. Here’s how you can do it as part of your LinkedIn profile optimization to stand out from the crowd:
- Select a Topic: Once you’ve chosen a topic, pick an article from the list.
- Contribute Your Insights: Scroll through the specific article and find prompts where you can add your input. LinkedIn encourages members to share personal experiences, stories, and unique insights.
- Repeat the Process: Add three contributions to a single article, then move on to a new article and repeat the process. LinkedIn allows up to 20 contributions per day, so you can spread your efforts across multiple articles.
Note: You won’t be able to see your progress until you’ve contributed to at least three collaborative articles in the same topic, and are within the top 50%.
Step 4: Tracking Your Progress
Once you’ve made your contributions, LinkedIn provides a progress tracker to monitor your journey towards earning the badge. Here’s what you need to know:
- Below 50% of Contributors: If you’re in the lower half, LinkedIn will encourage you to make more insightful contributions.
- Above 50% of Contributors: If you're in the top half but haven’t earned the badge yet, LinkedIn will show your ranking.
Your goal is to get into the top 5% of contributors, which is typically where badge holders reside.
Step 5: Earning and Maintaining Your Badge
After making your contributions, it will take around 20-30 days for LinkedIn to assess your engagement and award the badge. During this time, your contributions will gather likes and reactions, which will boost your ranking.
Once you earn the badge, you’ll need to continue making quality contributions to maintain it. If your contributions drop off, you may lose the badge after the 60-day rolling period.
Tips for Success
- Be Consistent: Regular contributions are key to maintaining your badge.
- Choose the Right Topic: Focus on topics where your insights will stand out and attract engagement.
- Engage with the Community: The more people engage with your contributions, the higher your chances of earning and keeping the badge.
Conclusion
So there you have it—a LinkedIn Top Voice Badge complete guide, to help you stand out on LinkedIn.
Need a professional to help you? Look no further than Uptown Creation. We provide end-to-end LinkedIn outreach resources, training, and consultancy. We also offer a 90-day, done-for-you LinkedIn lead generation plan, active targeting, and engagement nurturing.
Book a free strategy call to get started.
