Actually, I haven’t got anything to announce.
I’ve had my head in LinkedIn and I’ve broken out in a rash triggered by the gush of ‘announcements’ and the thrill of their making.
I get it.
A new job, award won, awesomeness recognised, is news worth sharing on LinkedIn.
But let’s clean the slate of “I’m thrilled to announce”.
It’s nice that you’re thrilled.
But each time a LinkedIn reader sees these words they imagine stabbing themselves in the eye with a Bic Biro.
Let 2024 be the year that this torture ends.
The year that LinkedIn enthusiasts overcome the urge to upchuck the handiest self-aggrandising cliché and breathless expression of joy at publishing news of their awesomeness.
The year when LinkedIn members ask themselves: why do people in my feed need to hear this?
Start there and you might sound a bit more useful.
Because though we may feel obliged to write, few have ever felt obliged to read.
No one wants to read our crap.
Not even when we’re thrilled to announce it.
With one notable exception.
I was thrilled to discover this post on ShlinkedIn.
I’m thrilled to announce that I’m better than you. So humbled to remind you once again to congratulate me on my awesomeness. This post is purposeful and fills me with a sense of gratitude, reminding me of the fact that I too lead a life of mindful intentionality.