Earlier this year, the number of LinkedIn users reached half a billion worldwide. For those yet to take the LinkedIn plunge, there’s a whole world of valuable connections and insightful conversations that you need to be a part of.

Beyond the networking and recruiting attributes of LinkedIn, the social media channel has an increasingly important role to play in PR programs – both at a company and individual level. As an ‘owned’ media channel, it’s an asset for profile raising, building awareness and sharing thought leadership, where you can directly communicate with your connections and broader audience.

In an era driven by social media, and combined with fewer media outlets, it’s important LinkedIn receives the attention needed. Keeping your LinkedIn presence slick and relevant not only benefits you, but also your organisation more broadly.

Here’s three ways to refine your approach:

Do you have: an active and relevant personal profile?

The first step is checking the basics – are your position title, company and education correct? Aim to link these to the relevant organisation’s LinkedIn presence where possible. LinkedIn is one of the first places a journalist will check to verify information, so this is particularly important for key company spokespeople and C-suite executives who have an industry or media profile.

As you move between roles and companies, ensure your profile is updated to include an end date. It’s confusing when someone is seemingly working at four different companies at once! Correct tenure information gives your profile validation, and detail about your achievements and responsibilities provides clout. Social media is one of the few places where self-promotion is expected and accepted, so make the most of it.

It’s worth logging into LinkedIn every day – the more engaged you are with LinkedIn and your connections, the more value the platform offers. Try to find two things to like, share or comment on each day, connect with relevant groups, and give your connections endorsements where suitable. (They will likely return the favour!)

Do you have: worthwhile connections? 

A major turnoff to using LinkedIn can be the quality of your connections. With so many people using the platform incorrectly to spread fake news or gain as many (irrelevant) connections as possible, your feed can easily fill with spam and trash. We’ve all seen those pointless posts that somehow go viral and it’s onerous having to filter through your feed for insightful gems. Read more about the LinkedIn ‘likes’ protocol here.

Keep your connections relevant – it’s not about having the most connections, but about having the right connections. Remove those who aren’t valuable to your profession or industry.

Do you have: regular and interesting insights to share?

Richard Branson is a well-known thought leader who uses LinkedIn well, regularly posting articles on LinkedIn Publishing. While an extreme example, this shows how simply sharing your insights can create a personal brand and mini community.

Different to a regular ‘status-style’ post, the LinkedIn Publishing platform encourages members to post blog-style content and articles about their expertise or interests. Learn more about how to use LinkedIn Publishing here.

A number of our clients have had success in sharing insightful content on LinkedIn Publishing, positioning themselves as a commentator on a number of topics. LinkedIn Publishing pieces have longevity over regular posts, and are one of the first things a viewer of your profile sees. As a starting point, keep it short and relevant to your industry or area of expertise.

When used correctly, LinkedIn has enormous power as a self-promotion and company profiling tool – but you need to be engaged to find the platform valuable! LinkedIn cannot be a set-and-forget approach, so it’s important that you regularly review your profile, engage with your connections and explore ways to share your expertise.

Still unsure? Honner offers social media training for individuals and companies.

The public relations industry being a hard nut to crack is a no-brainer. However, if you are an overseas migrant trying to make a mark in the Australian PR landscape, you have a fair share of learning to do before you can dive deep into this developed sector.

I had previously worked with the largest PR agency in India, adfactors pr, which happens to be Honner’s partner agency from the prestigious global communication partners network. That made me think I could easily adopt a ‘plug and play’ model of work – apply my PR knowledge from India, and experience from Adfactors (and another boutique agency) to succeed at my Honner gig.

This was not as easy as it may sound in the first instance. To say the least, I ended up on a roller coaster ride during my first year – which has now landed me a portfolio of Honner’s crème de la crème clients and rich learnings from the Aussie Land.

I often get approached by my fellow Indian mates who have either moved to Australia or plan to move soon, asking me for tips to land a PR job in Australia. In all honesty, surviving and thriving in the role is a bigger landmine than getting placed.

Here are my top five tips on how to nail that PR job Down Under.

• Get hold of an Australian writing and talking style guide

This is important.

I am from India, which is ‘considered’ a non-English speaking country. Despite being the world’s second-largest English speaking country by population (second only to the U.S.), only 10% of our folks can understand English and speak in everyday situations with limited proficiency. Very few, only 1% can speak English with mastery. The Australian style of English, however, is a completely different ballgame.

Aussies love short, simple sentences in writing so make sure when you write media releases and other pieces of content for your clients, stick to a maximum of 25-30 words per sentence. Less is more in professional writing everywhere, but even more so in Australia than India.

• Break the ice with coffee

Let’s admit it. Australians love their coffee. It’s always a good idea to approach journalists and/or your colleagues for a coffee catch-up and share your story with them. Once they know of your background and the differences between your world and theirs, they will be able to relate better with you on a professional and personal level.

As part of our media contact program at Honner, I have had ample opportunities to catch up with journalists and know more about them, what they expect from us and how the media works here.

• Events and conferences for networking 

Get involved. Start by attending a few networking events in your industry when you get a chance. (It gets busier with client work afterwards, so make use of your honeymoon period to tap these events).

An example would be @PRINKSAustralia which encourages professionals in media, PR and advertising, and other communications professionals, to connect, share ideas and a drink or so.

There are a few more events organised by PR organisations like the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) that will allow you to discover new agencies, new people and new opportunities.

• Go shopping!

This is my favourite part.

PR is essentially a client-facing role. It never was and will never be a boring desk job, which is why we love it so much. That also means you always must be presentable, and adapting to Australian fashion is a bonus. I can’t be too sure of men’s fashion, but the ladies out there can always take a trip to popular local fashion brands for your work wear like Portmans, Forcast and The Iconic online store.

I suggest this because it’s easy to do, within your control and makes you feel less out of place in the crowd.

• In the end, public relations is all about relationships 

Needless to say, but PR rests on the shoulders of relationship building. After all, we are all dealing with real people who have their own emotions, preferences and life journeys to share. If you have built likeability among clients, journalists and fellow team mates, things may automatically fall in place and you’ll feel more settled in your role than ever before.

I can attest that despite being stationed in the “quiet corner” at the Honner office (due to my own preferences), I have built some great friendships and everyone has warmly accepted me despite the cultural differences. In fact, Honner is a melting pot for PR pros from different cultures and backgrounds. In the last year alone, I’ve seen overseas recruits from partner agencies in France, London and India – giving us the opportunity to bring our local experiences on board.

I would conclude by saying all-in-all it has been a worthwhile move — a bit overwhelming at the start, but that is part and parcel of every relocation process. The key is to embrace that you belong here now and be confident that you’ll be offered a raft of benefits from working in the Australian PR industry, if you invest enough time and emotion into it.

We see ourselves as partners with our clients and with the other PR agencies we work with globally—collaborating to achieve outcomes that deliver real benefits to an organisation.

We also believe that this equality should extend to every individual; not just those in our team, or our industry, but to every Australian.

September represents an important month for equality and how we in Australia want to be perceived in the world.

On recognising the rights of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) colleagues we are already well behind. The United States, France, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, South Africa and New Zealand are some of the 23 countries who have already legalised marriage between same sex couples.  The Netherlands was the first country to recognise this right way back in 2001.

It is now our turn to make equality a reality.

Everyone is entitled to their view and opinion. But history repeatedly shows excluding people on the basis of race, religion or sexual preference is not the way forward for a modern, inclusive society. As communication professionals, we understand well that open and respectful dialogue is critical to bringing people together.

Superfriend, Honner’s long term pro-bono client representing some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds and more than 7.5 million individual Australian super members, knows the negative mental health outcomes that are associated with such exclusion.

Studies show that people who identify as LGBTQI are at increased risk of exposure to institutionalised and interpersonal discrimination, which can lead to poorer mental health outcomes and higher rates of anxiety disorders and suicidality, compared to the broader population.

Over 1,600 organisations have already pledged their support for marriage equality. This includes major financial services brands such as the Big Four banks, Mastercard, Visa, Citi, ASX and State Street to name a few.

We are proud to add Honner to this list. After all, equality for all should not be too much to ask in 2017.