How I grew my followers to 20K on LinkedIn - without tricks
No cheating and only using original content.
I tipped over 20K followers last week, from 4.5K just 19 months ago. Here's what I did then, and how I do it now.
In April 2023, I decided to spend more effort on LinkedIn. I’ve never bothered previously, though I had 4.5K followers since I joined many years ago.
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- Obsess over follower count and post metrics.
- Initiate connections to complete strangers.
- Endless studying of best practices.
When I first started, I’ll slice and dice the numbers, dissect various best practices and test them. I even tried connecting to strangers in my ‘niche’ in the first month!
In hindsight, I was missing the wood for the trees. The metrics were just a gauge, not the be-all and end-all for a professional social media platform.
Now
Write faster.
- Focus on being myself.
- Fixate on value not metrics.
After 19 months, I’m more convinced than ever of LinkedIn’s ability to connect you with like-minded professionals - and potential clients.
My strategy has also evolved, and I’m now focused on being myself and delivering compelling value in each post. Never mind the metrics.
Tip: Focus on outcomes
Because I post every day, I had a front view seat of the various algorithm changes. Today, it rewards top-ranked content with a much larger proportion of eyeballs.
This has prompted many to use pods to get in, or parrot ‘winning’ post formats. The result is a slew of mediocre and formulaic content that you can’t tell apart.
My advice?
The algorithm has changed and will keep evolving. Focus on your outcomes, whether to:
- Build your brand.
- Broaden your learning.
- Access new opportunities.
You don’t need big numbers for any of these. What you do need is consistency.
May you keep posting in 2025!
