8 LinkedIn Influencers Share How They Leverage Their Audience
To help you expand your professional network on LinkedIn, we’ve gathered eight proven strategies from founders, CEOs, and other experts in the field. From making meaningful contributions and engagement to sharing personal experiences and advice, these tips will guide you on your journey to grow your LinkedIn following effectively.
- Make Meaningful Contributions and Conversations
- Utilize Data-Driven Content
- Combine Content and Engagement
- Leverage LinkedIn Video Messaging
- Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
- Schedule Consistent Content Publishing
- Communicate Directly and Build Quality Connections
- Share Personal Experiences and Advice
Make Meaningful Contributions and Conversations
Generosity. Specifically, I spend a few hours each week exploring my feed, with the sole intention of meaningfully contributing. I often find exceptional professionals of high repute receiving no engagement!
This is a fantastic opportunity to begin conversations through thoughtful contributions. This often develops into a connection. With LinkedIn working as it does, both you and your new connection then open yourselves up to a wide new mutual network. Win-Win!
As your new connection comments on different posts, you’re going to see some of that if you explore your feed, and the opportunities to meet new people expand exponentially. Get out there and be curious!
Words of caution. If you have ulterior motives, don’t bother. You will ruin your reputation, eventually! Social media networking is unforgiving. And if you try to build too quickly, you may find yourself in trouble with LinkedIn and your profile restricted!
Richard Pryor
Founder, Dogs of LinkedIn
Utilize Data-Driven Content
One highly effective strategy that propelled my LinkedIn following to new heights involved harnessing the power of data-backed insights. By analyzing industry trends and sharing interesting statistics, my engagement skyrocketed by an astounding 123%.
For example, I posted an infographic showcasing how companies that publish 20+ LinkedIn articles per month witness a 97% increase in leads, and it garnered over 2,500 likes, 800 comments, and 5,000 shares within days.
By providing tangible value through data-driven content, I established myself as a trusted thought leader and attracted a flood of relevant connections. To replicate this success, prioritize quality research, present data in visually appealing formats, and always tie it back to the professional aspirations and challenges faced by your target audience.
Himanshu Sharma
CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing
Combine Content and Engagement
Consistently share relevant and valuable content. This can include industry news, thought leadership articles, and updates on your own work or projects. It’s also important to engage with other LinkedIn users by commenting on their posts, sharing their content, and taking part in relevant LinkedIn groups. Consider running targeted LinkedIn ad campaigns to reach a larger audience of potential followers who meet specific criteria, such as job title, location, or industry.
Brenton Thomas
CEO, Twibi
Leverage LinkedIn Video Messaging
I reached out and said hello to anyone who liked one of my posts (that was not a first-degree connection) with a LinkedIn video message instead of sending a regular message. I found that recording a quick 10-20 second hello and thanks for liking one of my posts definitely was a game-changer and got the conversation going.
I would then send a connection request after I sent the video and almost had a 90% connection success rate. I think the video messaging capability on LinkedIn is one of the most underutilized features on the platform.
Allan Langer
CEO and Founder, The 7 Secrets Sales Academy
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
One strategy or tip to grow your LinkedIn following is to optimize your profile with relevant keywords and a professional profile picture. Use keywords related to your industry or niche in your headline, summary, and experience sections.
This will help your profile show up in search results when people look for professionals in your field. A professional profile picture can also make a big difference in how you’re perceived on the platform. It’s important to choose a clear, high-quality headshot that presents you as a competent and approachable professional.
Schedule Consistent Content Publishing
Creating a schedule for publishing blog posts and articles can help maintain consistency and increase interaction with your followers. Find a balance between having enough content and not overwhelming your followers. Schedule publishing once or twice a week, ideally on Mondays and Wednesdays for more serious topics and Fridays through Saturdays for more relaxed posts.
Set a regular date to publish long and informative articles on your blog, based on your knowledge and experience in the industry, once a month or a quarter.
When publishing, it is important to monitor the response of your followers. Keep track of the number of reactions, shares, and comments so you can evaluate which types of posts have the most success and which don’t.
By posting regularly and monitoring the response, you can gradually build your reputation as an expert in your field and gain new contacts and opportunities.
David Riha
Recruitment, Employer Branding, Mentor, and Founder, Recruitment 66
Communicate Directly and Build Quality Connections
I mainly grew my following by communicating directly with people via LinkedIn messages, instead of commenting publicly, when something interested me and applied to my job, job search, career path, or personal interest. From those discussions, I would create posts talking about the interests of people I wrote to without mentioning names.
I should note that it helped considerably to make sure I never connected with folks who I predicted would never be someone I would communicate with during my career for work purposes. By doing so, I have 12,000 high-quality connections, which is important because LinkedIn is an “anti-viral” platform.
Kristina Ramos
Reverse Recruiter, Find My Profession
Share Personal Experiences and Advice
One way to grow your LinkedIn following is to provide helpful tips and advice that are based on your own experiences. Personally, as the working parent of a child with special needs, work-life balance has become my area of expertise.
With my monthly LinkedIn Newsletter, I can share my own tips and advice for balancing work and family lives. As a result, I have gained nearly 900 subscribers to my LinkedIn Newsletter and hundreds of new LinkedIn followers.
Chris B.
PR Rep, Minuteman Press International
Submit Your Answer
Would you like to submit an alternate answer to the question, “What is one strategy or tip that you used to grow your LinkedIn following? Please be specific.”
