So let me set the scene. It’s March 2024.
I’d had a LinkedIn account for some time (since about 2019) but hadn’t really taken it seriously.
I had a few hundred connections from my corporate days and that was it.
So in all fairness I didn’t start from 0. Because when I switched my account to creator mode those connections became followers.
But it didn’t really matter.
Because here’s my first genuine post when I decided I was going to take LinkedIn content creation seriously to build an audience.
1 Like.
0 Comments
0 Reposts
So I basically started at 0 right?
Notice the date?
February 2024.
I posted another 15 times in Feb 2024.
But everything started to change in March.
Because I did 2 things.
1 - I started posting everyday…no matter what.
2 - I started to study LinkedIn (most importantly - its users).
Here’s what I learnt that made the biggest difference in me getting from 0 - 1000.
With regards to LinkedIn users, there are 3 types of user:
1 - Inactive Users
2 - Active Consumers
3 - Active Creators
But the biggest lesson that really made a difference was that:
The active creator is the most important user.
Because they are the ones interacting, engaging and can capture an audience.
So what I proceeded to do in March 2024 is:
1 - Identify creators who were mildly successful - IE <10,000 followers
2 - Sent them a connection request
3 - Then send connection requests with EVERY person who commented on their posts
It seems unintuitive right?
But here’s the thing:
↳ These creators already have an audience
↳ They have credibility
↳ They want to network
↳ Because they want to sell you something lol
Which also means:
They will give you a lot of information in the DMs for FREE!
Once I connected with a creator.
I sent them a message and asked them a few questions. For example:
↳ What are the top 3 tips you have to get more engagement on the platform?
↳ How can I optimise my profile for leads?
↳What do you wish you knew before you started?
And guess what?
They told me.
Now given there was a lot of the same advice in there.
But they all say it because it works.
I’m going to write up a separate article/post about this so stay tuned.
But listen, it worked.
Slowly but surely. I began to see results.
I even reused this same image/post pretty much identically because I was interested in how it would do. Here’s what happened:
So to be honest it wasn’t brilliant.
36 Likes.
31 Comments.
Which at this point was not great in comparison to my other posts.
But it was a big improvement. Plus the formatting and writing was definitely poorer because I’ve learnt a ton in 2 months.
For example here are my best other posts:
Pretty huge right? These posts exploded.
So here are the other main key things I did to go from 0 - 1000 followers:
1 - Engage
Literally reply to every comment and DM I received.
Genuinely.
Every single one.
Because the more I did.
The more those people kept commenting and reaching out.
Human connection is key.
I formed relationships with other creators. We formed a mutual respect and commented on each other's posts without asking.
2 - Create quality content
It’s simple but I made sure my posts:
↳ Had value in every post
↳ Spoke to one type of person with one problem
↳ Were formatted well
And MOST IMPORTANTLY I documented my journey.
My most successful posts were ones that shared exactly these types of tips.
But also, just like this blog post:
My content is easily scannable.
It’s digestible. And mobile friendly.
But I showed that I’m human.
I’m still learning.
My most successful posts were showcasing how I did something. Not just “look at me” this is what you should do.
But HOW.
This was key in scaling my engagement.
The Bottom Line
The biggest things that made a huge impact in getting from 0 - 1000 followers rapidly:
1 - I started posting everyday…no matter what.
2 - I connected with similar < 5000 follower creators and dmed them/commented on their posts
3 - I formatted and produced scanable valuable content
4 - I showcased my journey
So if you are looking to gain traction on LinkedIn then I hope this helped.
Otherwise be sure to reach out if you want more details at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwyattt/
Or hey, be sure to reach out if you want to buy something from me too ;)