So, you’re thinking of getting started or ramping up your presence on LinkedIn?
Awesome.
I’m pumped for you!
LinkedIn is an excellent tool.
But there is no magic formula.
Also, just about everything WILL work on LinkedIn.
People will exclaim “company pages are dead!” and I’ll watch a client’s company page churn out leads.
They’ll claim videos are tanking, and I’ll decide to be contrary and post a video, and it’ll get more engagement than my posts with a selfie.
They’ll give you templates of spammy hook after spammy hook and assure that that’s the ONLY way you can stop a scroll.
They'll swear that carousels are "the bomb"… and then, my carousel bombs instead.
Ugh.
LinkedIn is an enigma wrapped in a slippery algorithm tied with a neat bow of “AI-generated crapola.”
So this post is going to be a little different than your average “LinkedIn Best Practices.”
Why? Because you are a normal person. Working with other normal people. Trying to build a business! You’re not worried about going viral.
You just want to know where to focus your attention and how to create an engaged audience that helps your business grow.
We’re going to talk about what it actually takes to do a good job on LinkedIn as a normal, everyday person.
This is MUCH different than the advice from influencers. (So if you’re looking for a massive increase in followers overnight or for your first post to go viral… this ain’t that 😆)
Here we go…
1. Establish your WHY
2. Embrace your inner lurker (and start creating drafts)
3. Comment as if your life depends on it
4. Start posting simple, honest content
Let’s walk through them.
Before you type ONE SINGLE keystroke of content, you need to get clear on WHY you are posting on LinkedIn, ok?
You’re going to have a post tank.
You’re not going to feel inspired.
You’re going to be staring at the screen at 9 pm, retyping the same sentence over and over.
So if you don’t know your “why,” and it isn’t personal or motivating?
Forget it.
You’re done before you’ve even started.
Don't worry! I'm not going to leave you hanging... To get to the heart of why you want to build your presence on LinkedIn, ask yourself:
Follow the thread all the way down until it feels true.
THAT is your fuel.
Yes… I’m encouraging lurking.
I lurked for YEARS.
Dipping my toe in by posting every once in a while when I felt a superhuman surge of dopamine and an almost heroic level of motivation.
But mostly, I just hung out to see what other people said, how they posted, what I liked, what I didn’t like.
I was a little SPONGE. Soaking it all in.
Now, mind you, while this was happening, I was actively managing company LinkedIn pages like a boss… but my own page?
Eek. Terrified.
After years of this, I finally mustered the courage to comment.
And that leads us to…
Ok, maybe it’s not that dire.
But it IS the key to LinkedIn success. And it’s SO FREAKING EASY.
Plus, it's the fastest way to build community, confidence, and visibility.
Comment with encouraging remarks, like "I love this!"
Comment on the little guys, "You got this!"
Comment on the big guys: "So insightful, thank you for sharing."
Just… comment.
You don’t need to come up with the entire idea. You can just respond to what’s already there.
It’s fun!
It feels good.
Sometimes you’ll get a reply — and that feels even BETTER.
You can even see the impressions your comments get! Have you noticed that yet? It's really great and a good sign that LinkedIn highly prioritizes comments.
Which helps you realize:
Oh hey… people actually read this stuff.
Comment daily if you can.
3–5 comments a day = massive momentum.
If you can't, try to find 30 minutes weeks to intentionally show up and engage.
Warm up like this for a couple of weeks, and you’ll feel totally different about LinkedIn.
Here’s the thing: your first posts don’t need to be masterpieces.
Start with:
An observation
A lesson learned
A mistake you made and what you’d do differently
Something you’re working on
Something you’re curious about
A tiny story from your day
A client insight
A question you genuinely have
Short. To the point. Human.
You are not writing the great American novel.
You’re simply starting a conversation.
Write it.
Edit it once.
Post the dang thing. (Sounds like good advice, I should take it as well!)
And then — this part is important — don’t delete it if it tanks.
You're building a body of work, not chasing vanity metrics.
LinkedIn becomes a million times easier when you stop treating it like “a platform you have to conquer” and start treating it like a place to connect and build relationships.
Show up with intention.
Comment generously.
Share what’s true for you.
Keep going even when it’s boring.
And before you know it, you’ll have:
Most of all?
You’ll feel proud of YOURSELF.
And that matters more than any vanity metric a guru could ever promise.