“I don’t do LinkedIn…”
Hello Friend!
Three years ago, I had 3,000 followers and not much action on LinkedIn. Today, I have close to 35,000 followers and generate roughly 10 inbound leads every day. (Inbound = people reaching out to me, not the other way around.)
That didn’t happen by accident. But it also didn’t require what most people think it does.
Recently, I was working with a long-time CTO who was just laid off. After 20 years of service, he was thrust into unemployment.
Quicker than he hoped, too. He had been hatching a plan to go out on his own, but wasn’t very far in the process.
He admitted up front, “I don’t do LinkedIn. And I haven’t prioritized offline networking either. I realize I’m not in a position of strength.”
For the most part, he was a best-kept secret in his industry.
Whether he was going to search for another job or accelerate his new business idea, virtually no one knew who he was. He had 400 connections on LinkedIn but never shared a single post, comment, or like.
Instead, he saw it as nothing more than a resume keeper. And even that wasn’t very current!
Here’s what he was missing: LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. If we opt out, we are leaving an enormous opportunity on the table.
In an information economy, our value in the marketplace is based on the value of our ideas. If we never publicly share those ideas, our value remains unknown. We remain unknown.
I’ve spoken to many people who reject LinkedIn because they reject personal branding. They don’t want to participate in the “look at me, look at me” social media noise.
But I’d encourage you to reframe the opportunity. This isn’t about building a personal brand… It’s about building your thought leadership. Positioning your original take on a problem, and with it, the value of your ideas.
You don’t need Instagram-style reels to make it work either. You could comment thoughtfully on other people’s posts. Or create posts two or three times a week and consistently talk about a problem you’re absolutely in love with solving.
Just like retirement savings, it pays to invest a little at a time. With compounding interest, your gains can be enormous. An optimized profile, a post every few days, and thoughtful commenting… you’d be surprised at what becomes possible.
Honestly, even if I didn’t have my own business, I’d still be on LinkedIn the way I am today. Because I know it would generate career, volunteer, and board opportunities I’d never find otherwise.
This isn’t a superficial activity. It’s your opportunity for ideal clients and employers to know who you are and what you stand for.
BTW, the CTO? He’s posting now. Consistently. His first three posts led to two consulting conversations.
Try this:
Open LinkedIn right now and look at your last 30 days of activity. If someone who didn’t know your title stumbled onto your profile, would they understand what you believe? What problems you solve? Why your perspective is worth paying attention to?
If the answer is no, the good news is it’s fixable and faster than you think.
Your coach,
Chris
P.S. My partner, Patricia Wooster, and I are hosting a 2-hour live LinkedIn Bootcamp on June 4, designed for people who know they could be getting more from LinkedIn, but don’t know how.
In two hours, you’ll walk away with a system for showing up consistently and confidently in a way that builds real trust with the people you want to reach. We’ll cover writing posts that get attention, hooks that stop the scroll, strategic commenting, and how to use AI to create content faster without losing your voice. You’ll also get a done-for-you post generator and a profile checklist, so yours is working before you post a single thing.
Live, interactive, and practical. The replay is yours to keep if you can’t make every minute.
