Engaging with LinkedIn Articles to Build Connections

I started posting on personal finance and psychology content 6 months ago, and here's the biggest insight I wish I'd known from day one: LinkedIn isn't a publishing platform—it's a social bulletin board. (incoming advice for newbies on LinkedIn…especially a few handful of college students/recent graduates who still read my posts regularly) Your LinkedIn profile and posts are just YOUR corner of this massive bulletin board. What makes it truly social (i.e. networking with others) is how you interact with everyone else's corners. Here's what I'd do differently if I were starting over today: I'd spend 80% of my time commenting thoughtfully on other people's posts and only 20% creating my own content. Because you don’t get discovered when you post—you get discovered when you COMMENT. When someone (maybe your future collaborator or manager) sees your insightful comment on a post they're reading, they become curious. They click through to YOUR corner of the bulletin board to see what you're all about. That's how the magic happens. Most people have this backwards. They think: "I need to post more to get discovered." The reality is, you need to show up more to get discovered. And the fastest way to show up is in the comments of posts your ideal connections are already reading. You don't need a lot of posts on your profile to start building relationships this way. You just need to show up with genuine value in the conversations that are already happening. If you’re just starting out: - Share one thoughtful post per week. Something you’ve learned or found valuable. Yes, just one per week! - Every day, spend 30–60 minutes engaging with others’ posts by leaving thoughtful comments. That’s it! Don’t build a content strategy and then hope people show up. Build a commenting strategy and let your content back it up. When people land on your profile after seeing your thoughtful comments, THAT'S when your posts do their job. Not before then.

The LinkedIn growth hack that works while you sleep: It’s called 'shadow networking.' Strategic visibility in other people's comments. Here's the proven approach: Step 1: Find high-engagement posts Industry thought leaders Trending topics Popular hashtags Step 2: Add meaningful insights Share experiences Offer unique perspectives Build on others' ideas Step 3: Be consistently present Engage regularly Drive discussions Support others' points The real power move:  Become known for specific expertise through your comments. Example:  Don't just say "Great post!" Add your unique insight: "This reminds me of a client project where..." " One thing I'd add from my experience..." "Here's what I've seen work..." Think of comments as: Mini content pieces Relationship builders Authority signals Portfolio entries Why this works: Exposes you to larger audiences Builds organic connections Creates natural networking Positions your expertise Key insight: Don't just collect connections. Build relationships through conversations. The best part? While you sleep, someone's reading your thoughtful comment from yesterday and clicking through to your profile. Your thoughtful comments today become tomorrow's opportunities. Do you 'shadow network?'

You know you should network. But you probably don’t know what to say or how to get on people’s radar. Here’s an easy 7-step LinkedIn networking strategy (that anyone can use): 1. The 3 Principles Of Good Networking If you want to network effectively, you need to:  - Have a way to reach people  - Have a way to add value to them  - Have a way to keep the engagement going This strategy does all three! 2. Make A List Of Job-Related Keywords Think of keywords, skills, phrases, and jargon that align with your target role. Ex: If you’re in sales, that might be “sales,” “leads,” “pipeline,” “sales cycle,” etc. Make a quick list of these. 3. Run A “Post” Search On LinkedIn Start with one keyword (or the job title itself). Run a search for it on LinkedIn. From the “Filters” option, select “Posts.” Then change “Date Posted” to “Past Week.” 4. Filter By “Author Company” Click on “All Filters” to find the “Author Company” filter. Add all of your target companies to this filter. This will give you a list of all the posts related to your target role, written by people at your target companies, posted in the past week! 5. Analyze Posts & Authors Scroll through the posts. When you find one that resonates? Click the person’s profile and check to see if they post consistently (at least once / week). If they do? Bookmark their profile in your browser. 6. Leave A Value Driven Comment For each author you find that posts regularly in your target space? Leave a comment on their post recent post that is:  - Supportive  - Postive in tone  - Offers your own take / value  - Is more than one sentence Repeat for each author. 7. Rinse & Repeat Daily Every day, click through the author profiles you have bookmarked. See a new post? Leave a new comment. Repeat this process every weekday if you can. But aim to leave at least one comment / week at minimum. 8. Why This Works Content creators love engagement. By cosistently offering that in a positive way, you’re going to get on their radar. And when you’ve done this for a week or two, the likelihood of getting a “yes” to a coffee chat, or even a referral, goes WAY up. Give it a shot today!