Are you an active LinkedIn member and want to elevate your visibility on the platform? LinkedIn offers two types of badges for members who make significant contributions: LinkedIn Top Voices and Community Top Voices. Earning these badges can enhance your profile, increase your reach, and establish you as a thought leader in your field.
LinkedIn Top Voices
The LinkedIn Top Voices program is a prestigious, invitation-only initiative that features a global group of experts covering diverse professional topics. This badge, symbolized by a distinct blue icon, represents senior-level experts and leaders who consistently share valuable and original insights on the platform.
Formerly known as the Influencer program, LinkedIn Top Voices are vetted to meet high trust standards and maintain active engagement. The rebranding is part of LinkedIn’s efforts to make it easier for members to identify and follow high-quality content from worldwide experts.
Community Top Voices
The Community Top Voices badge, denoted by a light gold icon, recognizes members who make noteworthy contributions to collaborative articles on LinkedIn. Unlike the Top Voices program, you can earn this badge based on the specific skills represented on your profile.
Contributors who display expertise in a particular skill set, as determined by their input to collaborative articles, can earn a Community Top Voice badge. There’s no limit to the number of skills for which you can earn a badge, and these badges can be combined into one on your profile.
However, the badge requires upkeep. It remains active for 60 days after you earn it, but can be removed at any time if your posts are not additive or violate LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies. To keep your badge beyond 60 days, you must continue to contribute relevant, original, and valuable content that other members find noteworthy.
The Community Voice Top Badge appears on your profile and alongside your contributions to collaborative articles. If you prefer not to display the badge, you can edit your settings to hide it.
Is there a cap on the number of Community Top Voices badges I can get?
Nope, there’s no cap! Although you can only showcase one badge on your profile at a time, you’re free to rack up as many as you can.
How to Become a LinkedIn Community Top Voice
LinkedIn invites some creators to add their thoughts to these articles. If you get an invite in your notifications, that’s your cue to join in.
But don’t worry if you don’t get an invite. You can still join the conversation.
Here's how you can find these group articles and add your own thoughts:
1. Pick your topic:
Go to this list of group articles. On the right side of the page, under ‘More to explore’, pick the topics that interest you. If there’s not a perfect match, pick the one that’s closest. This will show you articles all about that topic.
2. Pick your article:
Click on the article you want to add to from the list on the left. Then click ‘Start a contribution’, or scroll down to find a subheading that matches what you want to talk about.
3. Add your voice:
Now it’s time to share your thoughts and experiences. Remember, there are lots of contributions to these articles, so try to make yours interesting and different. You can write up to 750 characters. If your thoughts don’t quite fit with any of the subheadings, go to the bottom of the page. There’s a section called ‘Here’s what else to consider’ — a great place for your unique insights.
As you start contributing, you’ll see that the quality of comments varies a lot. I’ve noticed that Top Community Voice badges only go to the top 10% of people who add good-quality comments. They don’t just give them out when you hit a certain number of contributions.
Once you’ve made your contribution, you’ll be in the loop! LinkedIn will send you notifications whenever someone interacts with your post. Whether they’ve given it a ‘like’ or marked it as ‘insightful’, you’ll know. It’s a great way to see your impact and engage with others who find your contributions valuable.
Review
In terms of my own review of this feature: the pros certainly stand out. It provides an excellent platform to share your unique perspective on various topics, allowing you to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. However, it’s not without its flaws. The vetting process for the badges appears somewhat opaque and potentially open to manipulation. For instance, I’ve encountered a LinkedIn trainer organizing a group for creators where they essentially ‘like’ each other’s posts, potentially skewing the perceived value of these contributions. It will be interesting to observe how LinkedIn addresses this issue, as it could potentially undermine the credibility of this otherwise valuable feature.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a seasoned leader or an emerging voice in your field, these badges offer a way to demonstrate your expertise and value to the LinkedIn community. They represent not just professional achievement, but a commitment to sharing knowledge, fostering discussion, and contributing to the growth of others.
Check out my other LinkedIn tips and tricks that will help you get that shiny, new, and effective LinkedIn Headline.
