LinkedIn has the distinction of being one of the most powerful social media tools available to journalists but the one probably used least effectively in reporting. Many reporters think of LinkedIn only as a place to look for a new job. While helpful, that feature is the tip of the LinkedIn iceberg of reporting power.
LinkedIn gathers an amazing amount of information from its more than 150 million registered users worldwide. Think about all that’s typically provided: job title; employment dates; key duties and recommendations for current and previous positions; key skills; education; links to websites and other social media services; and sometimes email and phone numbers. Much of that is searchable.
Here are ways to explore LinkedIn for reporting:
Krista Canfield
LinkedIn for Journalists – Join this professional group (managed by LinkedIn), which shares information and strategies for using the service more effectively in reporting. Watch for updates from LinkedIn’s Krista Canfield, who manages free monthly webinars for journalists. Participating in the 35-minute webinar entitles journalists to a free subscription to LinkedIn’s premium service. That enhanced service contains far more firepower in searching for sources, including the ability to filter for job function, seniority level and years of experience.
LinkedIn Search
LinkedIn search – The powerful search tool allows users to find people, companies, groups, updates and more through key words. Check out the advanced search for more options (the gold LinkedIn logo signifies an area available only to premium service users):
For instance, you can search for “national security” and immigration, then limit the results to people who work for the Department of Homeland Security. That turns up 60 people who meet those criteria:
Similarly, you can search for groups, companies and nonprofits, as well as answers posted in response to user questions on LinkedIn. Some reporters find that posting a question to their LinkedIn network can provide fast information and potential sources (for non-competitive stories).
Follow companies and agencies – When you search for a company or agency, you see an overview of what it does, new employees, recently departed workers, new titles, job openings, and posts and links from employees. Now, users also can “follow” companies on LinkedIn to get regular updates via email. As an example, the National Security Agency (NSA) has more than 3,600 followers on LinkedIn. More than 260 NSA employees are listed on LinkedIn, many with photos and bio profiles. This screenshot shows how it’s displayed, with filters along the left for refining the search (note the number of NSA employees in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica):
