If you are anything like me, writing a recommendation can feel like a real chore. It always seems to take far longer then I want, because I often have no idea what to write. I want to give the person a great recommendation – one that will help their business and highlight their strengths. So to make writing a LinkedIn recommendation easier, I have developed a 4 step process.
Step 1: Grab Their Attention
With any good sales presentation or marketing piece, you want to grab their attention early. Your first sentence in the recommendation should instantly involve the reader. This first sentence will tell the main reason why you want to recommend this person.
After just one coaching session with Clint, I got more work done in the following week than I did in the past 3 years.
Lily turned my mundane marketing letter into a dynamic direct mail piece that generated more sales, faster.
Try to avoid general or generic statements, and be as specific as possible. A recommendation that talks about a specific product or service is much more effective than something written about the overall business. ‘Specific’ sells.
Step 2: Explain the Relationship
Your next sentence should explain the relationship you have with that person (e.g. they did work for you, or worked with you; you worked side by side on as a volunteer etc.). Tell the reader why you are uniquely qualified to be writing this recommendation. Make sure to include the element of time in the sentence such as length of time you worked together or if you used they person’s services multiple times.
Lily has been my go to copywriter for the last 3 years, and has worked on 5 successful campaigns.
I worked closely with Erin for 4 years in her capacity as Corporate Marketing Manager at ACME.
Step 3: Why They Standout
You’re not going to recommend someone whose services you don’t love … at least, you shouldn’t. Make sure you describe specifically what you love about this person’s expertise – the expertise that makes them valuable to you and your organization. Try to do this in one or two sentences. The more focused you can be, the more valuable the recommendation will be.
Technology is constantly changing in our industry, but no one can keep up the way Mark can. His ability to understand technology, and how it can be incorporated into our business, has saved our organization thousands of dollars.
Step 4: Sum It Up
Tell the reader why you feel compelled to write this recommendation. This one sentence should summarize the value this person could bring to the reader’s company.
If you are looking for results from your direct mail pieces, Lily is the only person you need to call.
When it comes to technology, Mark is my go-to guy.
Use This
The next time you want to write a LinkedIn recommendation for someone, use this simple four step process. It will help you write an effective recommendation to let the reader know why this is a great person to work with.