I’ll be honest, when the outreach came in for this guest, I hesitated. Someone who writes content for other people? That is not quite my world. I live in the LinkedIn inbox, building one relationship at a time.

But the more I got to know Kaila Vander Horn, Head of Content at Speedwork, the more I realized we are speaking the same language. She just comes at it from a different angle. She built Speedwork's entire social department from scratch, writes over 100 posts a month for B2B companies and executives, and is known above all else for capturing each person's authentic voice.

We talked about what thought leadership actually means, why your content and your inbox conversations are more connected than you might think, and why the best LinkedIn content often has nothing to do with your product. We also went on record about emojis. You will have to listen to find out where we landed.

Key Takeaways

• Your content is your credibility check. When someone receives a message from you on LinkedIn, the first thing they do is visit your profile. If your content shows up, tells your story, and proves your expertise, the conversation in the inbox has a much better chance of going somewhere.
• Authentic voice is not accidental. Kaila meets with every client to learn who they are, what lights them up, and how they naturally speak. That process is what separates content that sounds like a person from content that sounds like a press release.
• A content mix matters more than posting frequency. Not every post needs to be educational or a call to action. Relatable, human content — yes, even a well-placed meme — builds the top-of-funnel trust that makes your more serious posts land.
• Personal profiles outperform company pages, but do not neglect either. People follow people far more readily than they follow logos. That said, a company page still matters — especially if you are running LinkedIn ads or want to build credibility through social proof.
• Just start. Kaila shared that 88% of LinkedIn users are lurkers. If you have been waiting until you have something perfect to say, start taking notes on your next business call. The pain points you hear every day are the content your audience is waiting for.

Connect with Kaila Vander Horn: linkedin.com/in/kailavanderhorn

Learn more about Speedwork: speedworksocial.com

In appreciation for being here, I have some gifts for you:

A LinkedIn Checklist for setting up your fully optimized Profile:

An opportunity to test drive the Follow Up system I recommend by checking this presentation page - you won’t regret it.

AND … Don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn and be eligible for my complimentary LinkedIn profile audit – I do one each month for a lucky listener!

Connect with me:

http://JanicePorter.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiceporter/

https://www.facebook.com/janiceporter1

https://www.instagram.com/socjanice/

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