5 things I learned from posting on LinkedIn for 10 months ✍🏻

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Growing your brand on LinkedIn can bring you:

• Leads

• Email subscribers

• Meaningful connections

But it takes a long time.

I’ve been posting consistently on LinkedIn for 10 months now.

I want you to learn from my mistakes.

So today, I’ll share 5 things I learned in the past 10 months on LinkedIn.

But before that, let me know which mini-course interests you the most!

5 things I Learned from Posting on LinkedIn for 10 Months ✍🏻

Back in September 2023, I made my first post on LinkedIn.

It gave me only 20 impressions.

Fast forward 10 months later, and each post gives me thousands of impressions.

What’s best is that I have a wonderful audience - you guys!

Want to learn how I did it?

Here are 5 things I learned on my LinkedIn journey.

1. Utilise AI for Creating Content

For busy solopreneurs/self-employed freelancers like yourself, AI can be a powerful helping hand you never knew you needed.

Managing clients and fulfilling client work is tiring enough.

Using AI to create LinkedIn content is quite a no-brainer.

However, building a brand on LinkedIn is a whole other skill set.

That doesn’t mean you should give up on it.

Throughout my 10 months, I did one thing right:

Use AI in a repeatable flywheel to create content.

The flywheel should look like this:

AI aggregation/repurposing → AI formatting → AI post design → Scheduling → AI marketing → AI engagement

Here’s how it can work:

• AI aggregation → Perplexity is great for aggregating content from the web. Its AI search engine features allow you to find the latest news.

• AI repurposing → If you already have a YouTube channel, you can use TubeonAI or Supergrow to repurpose videos into a post.

• AI formatting → Supergrow has amazing post templates that work very well on LinkedIn. Just pick one and give it some context.

• AI post design → AI carousels and Canva are good options for creating beautiful carousels. From here, you can create scroll-stopping content. If you are creating videos, I recommend VEED to help you with AI subtitles and edits.

• AI marketing → AI is great for creating lead magnets, generating ideas, and marketing campaigns. I use ChatGPT to help me write my email welcome series.

• AI engagement → You can use AI to engage with others on LinkedIn. BUT PLEASE EDIT AI COMMENTS BEFORE COMMENTING!

Then, build a Kanban board in Notion to track the content being created.

The more you spin it, the better and faster the flywheel snowballs your content.

• Inbound leads will start flying in.

• Your online audience explodes.

• You become an expert in your niche.

The best part of all this?

You don’t need to hire a helping hand.

AI does it quickly for you!

📌 Action item: Grab a piece of paper and draw your repeatable AI flywheel for your content creation process.

2. Keep Creating Content and Consuming Content Separate

LinkedIn is a social media, after all.

And we all tend to look at others and compare.

Don’t get sucked in.

As busy entrepreneurs, we need to stay laser-focused on the creation process.

We’re in, we do the work, and we’re out!

So, it’s important to keep your content creation and content consumption separate.

This means that when creating content on LinkedIn, don’t be on the LinkedIn website/app itself.

I use Supergrow, a LinkedIn scheduling tool, to create content.

When I want to engage and consume content for ideas, I schedule a time to do it in my calendar on LinkedIn’s website.

Oh, and I don’t keep the LinkedIn app on my phone.

Life is so much more than LinkedIn outside of work!

📌 Action item: Pick a scheduling tool outside of LinkedIn (Supergrow, AuthoredUp, Taplio)

3. Iterate to Find Your Ideal Customer Profile

Many people tell you to define your ideal customer profile (ICP) at the start.

If you don’t already sell a product or service, you won’t have a clear ICP yet.

You might not have even found a niche yet.

It’s best to take an iterative process to find your ICP.

How it can look like:

Test content → Evaluate results → Tweak content → Pivot if necessary → Refine your ICP

Here’s a rule of thumb: the more specific your audience, the better.

How specific your free offer (lead magnets and posts) is to followers and subscribers will determine how specific your ICP is.

📌 Action item: Schedule a time for a monthly review in your calendar to refine your ICP.

4. Build a Strong Personal Brand

LinkedIn is not as big as other social media sites.

But the intent for business and work is very strong.

That makes it worth having a strong personal brand on it.

Whether you are a founder, solopreneur, or working professional, it’s important to build a strong personal brand.

For reference, here’s my LinkedIn profile.

📌 Here are 7 action items you can take today:

1. Professional Photo

• High-Quality Image: Use a clear, high-resolution image with good lighting.

• Professional Attire: Wear appropriate professional attire that aligns with your industry.

• Friendly Expression: Aim for a friendly, approachable expression.

2. Compelling Headline

• Clear and Concise: Write a headline that clearly states your role and the value you offer.

• Include Keywords: Use relevant keywords that potential employers or clients might search for.

• Personal Branding: Reflect your personal brand, for example, "Marketing Strategist | Helping Brands Grow through Innovative Solutions".

3. Detailed Summary

• Professional Story: Share your professional journey, highlighting key experiences and accomplishments.

• Value Proposition: Explain what sets you apart and the value you bring to your industry.

• Call to Action: Include a call to action, such as inviting people to connect or visit your website.

4. Branding Colors

• Profile Banner: Customize your profile banner with your personal branding colors. Use tools like Canva to create a professional-looking banner.

• Consistency: Ensure the colors used in your banner match other branding materials (website, business cards).

• Subtle Accents: Incorporate branding colors subtly in your profile picture background, text highlights, and multimedia content.

• Visual Identity: Choose colors that represent your brand’s personality and industry standards. For example, blue is often associated with trust and professionalism.

5. Recommendations and Endorsements

• Request Recommendations: Reach out to colleagues, supervisors, and clients for recommendations.

• Highlight Strengths: Ask recommenders to focus on specific strengths and skills that align with your personal brand.

• Give Recommendations: Write recommendations for others, which can encourage them to reciprocate.

6. Certifications and Awards

• List Certifications: Include relevant certifications and licenses to build credibility.

• Highlight Awards: Display awards and recognitions prominently to showcase your achievements.

• Link to Evidence: Where possible, link to external sites or documents that verify your certifications and awards.

7. Contact Info and Custom URL

• Up-to-Date Contact Info: Ensure your contact information is current and includes a professional email address.

• Custom LinkedIn URL: Create a custom LinkedIn URL to make your profile easier to share (e.g., linkedin.com/in/yourname).

5. Give Value for FREE Like You Were Charging for It

In today’s attention economy, it’s hard to stand out.

That’s why I learned this:

Giving away FREE content that people would charge for is the way to go.

That means you’re raising the bar with higher standards.

What’s the ROI for this?

You’re essentially building trust with your audience.

You can always sell them a higher-value product later when they trust you and want to give back to you.

In fact, you probably subscribed to this newsletter because I gave you value upfront with a lead magnet.

What was my lead magnet? It was this AI bundle full of my free resources.

📌 Action item: Create a killer lead magnet with AI and give it away for FREE.

To help you understand more, here are some helpful YouTube videos I found:

How to get your first 10k:

Here’s one on the LinkedIn algorithm:

That’s all for this week.

See you next time!

Justin Chia

Find me on LinkedIn or shoot me an email at [email protected]

If you have any questions or feedback, reply to this email. (I'll personally reply! :)