With the LinkedIn Cover Story you can transform your LinkedIn photo into a 20-second pitch. Such a video pitch is a powerful way to introduce yourself to potential employers, clients or colleagues. But how do you do that in just 20 seconds? That is of course super short.
What do you say and what do you not say to give the perfect pitch in such a short time? I will explain it to you in 9 simple steps and share examples. How do you write a LinkedIn Cover Story for both a communications advisor looking for a new job and an entrepreneur?
Step 1. Grab a pen and paper or your laptop
Of course, you can quickly record a 20-second video on your smartphone. But what do you say then? Twenty seconds is extremely short. In Dutch, we speak somewhere between 100 words (slow speaker) and 160 words (fast speaker) per minute.
This means that you have between 33 and 53 words to record your Cover Story. In short: every word counts. This also means that you can't just improvise your Cover Story in twenty seconds. So write it down before you start recording.
Step 2. Analyze the target audience for which you are creating your Cover Story
Once you have your paper and pen or your laptop, don't start writing right away. First, do an analysis of who your ideal Cover Story viewer is. Who is your target audience?
If you are looking for a new permanent job, then employers are your target group. If you are fine c level executive list where you are and use LinkedIn mainly to make connections with colleagues to exchange knowledge, then they are your target group . If you are an entrepreneur, then potential clients are your target group.
The employee
who specializes in spokesperson work and you are looking for a new challenge. Then employers are your target group. To be precise, organizations that are regularly in the news.
The entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur I use LinkedIn to connect with new clients. As a pitch coach these are people who sometimes have to pitch or present.
Please note: in a 20 second message you can only choose one target group!
Step 3. Analyze the problem you have a solution for
If you have that target audience, ask yourself: what is the problem? What do they want that you have a solution for? Don't think from yourself, but from your chosen target audience.