When I entered the workforce, I didn’t expect tech to be an industry that would value my journalism background. But I quickly realized that many tech companies were hungry for great content—it was becoming a powerful way to build thought leadership and brand awareness.
A few years out of school, I landed my dream role at LinkedIn, where I spent six years as a founding editor on the LinkedIn News team. I was part of the core group that created, curated, and cultivated the news and professional voices on the platform. I even moved to Hong Kong for a year to help launch the Daily News module (the one you see in the top right corner of your feed), writing stories during my day so that members in the U.S. would wake up to fresh content. I served as the editorial lead for LinkedIn Newsletters and worked on the original LinkedIn Influencer program, which you might now recognize as LinkedIn Top Voices.
While I always understood LinkedIn’s power, it wasn’t until after I left the company that I truly embraced how critical it could be for building a career brand for myself.
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Today, I have more than 300,000 followers, a thriving speaking and training business, 19 LinkedIn Learning courses, and a bestselling book, Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career (Fun fact: my editor found me—where else?—on LinkedIn). What started as a social platform became the single most important driver of my business.
Here’s what I’ve learned about growing a LinkedIn presence—and how founders and startup teams can use it to grow their influence, too.
People Give Up Too Soon
Posting on LinkedIn can be really scary. It’s your professional identity and there are a lot more questions that run through someone’s head than it might on another social platform (Will I sound smart? Is this going to be cringe? What will my coworkers think?). Then, once someone finally musters the courage, they don’t see results they expect from a social media platform, and then quickly give up.
But success on the platform isn’t about overnight virality—it’s about showing up consistently, refining your voice, and building trust with the people you want to reach.
I share a framework in my book called the 4E Framework, and it breaks down the content creation journey into four stages:
- Explore (Posts 1–30): Get comfortable with the process. Try different formats (text, video, carousels) and focus on pressing “post” without overthinking.
- Establish (Posts 31–60): Build a habit. Choose a few themes based on your expertise and post regularly.
- Envision (Posts 61–99): Align your content with your goals—whether that’s increasing visibility, attracting clients, or landing speaking gigs. Pay attention to what’s resonating.
- Excel (Posts 100+): Start refining your voice. Share more personal stories. Lean into your point of view. At this stage, people begin to recognize and remember you.
Consistency beats perfection. I’ve written thousands of posts—and not all of them have landed. But by showing up every day, I stay top-of-mind with my network and also continue to refine and strengthen my ideas and content creation muscle.
Helpful > Viral
Going viral might feel exciting, but being helpful is what’s most important. That means teaching what you know, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, and offering practical value—not trying to “hack” the algorithm with trends or clickbait (an algorithm inherently learns and changes, so chasing it is not a good use of time).
It’s also important to remember: Your quietest followers are often the most powerful.
I’ve landed paid speaking gigs, podcast interviews, and corporate training requests from people who never once liked or commented on a post. They’d been following silently for months—and when the timing was right, they reached out (I call them “quiet lurkers” and there are many out there!).
Helpful content will also increase your chances of getting featured by the LinkedIn News team. They look for relevant, timely, and insightful commentary on stories in the news and what’s going on in your industry.
Pro tip: Keep your eye on the Daily News module in the top right-hand corner of your feed. If you post quickly about a story featured there, a LinkedIn editor may spotlight your take. You may also receive emails from time to time asking you to weigh in on trending topics—say yes to those! It’s a great way to increase your visibility and credibility on the platform.
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Why Founders (and Their Teams) Should Be on LinkedIn
In the early stages of a company, people aren’t buying your product—they’re buying into you. Your personal brand builds trust, credibility, and awareness faster than any marketing campaign.
That’s why I encourage every founder to create content—even if it feels awkward at first. Post about what you’re building. Big goals you have. What you’re learning. Share the journey. Build in public (people love this!).
And creating a LinkedIn presence shouldn’t be something that starts and stops at the C-Suite. When employees show up on LinkedIn, it creates a ripple effect:
- Organic brand visibility
- You create more thought leaders
- Interest from future hires, partners, and investors
By posting on LinkedIn, I’ve given myself the chance to grow my following and my business. This starts compounding on itself too as you gain more visibility on the platform and start expanding your reach through podcasts, interviews, and articles.
Your people are your best brand ambassadors. Empower them to share their stories and expertise.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn is the most underrated growth lever for startups and solopreneurs. You don’t need to be a polished speaker or an influencer. You just need to show up with something to say.
The post How I Got 300,000 LinkedIn Followers — And the Secrets Every Founder Should Steal appeared first on StartupNation.
