How to Get More Followers on LinkedIn

Growing your network on LinkedIn really comes down to two things: having a magnetic profile that turns visitors into followers and sharing consistent, valuable content that keeps them paying attention. The first step is to stop thinking of your profile as a stuffy resume and start treating it like a dynamic landing page for your personal brand.

Build a Follow-Worthy LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is the bedrock of your entire strategy. Before you even think about what to post, you need to make sure anyone who lands on your page instantly gets who you are, what you do, and why they should listen to you. It's your digital handshake, and you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

Too many people just list their work history and call it a day. But if you want to build a real following, you have to reframe your profile as a strategic tool. Every single section needs to be optimized to convince a casual browser to become an engaged follower.

Optimize Your Core Profile Elements

Think of your photo, headline, and banner as your personal billboard. They're the first things people see, and they need to work together to tell a clear, compelling story.

• Your Profile Photo: This is not the place for that picture from your friend's wedding or a cropped vacation shot. You need a high-quality, professional headshot where you look both confident and approachable. It's worth understanding exactly what makes a good LinkedIn photo.

• Your Headline: Ditch the boring job title. Your headline should be a value proposition. Who do you help, and what do you help them achieve? Instead of "Marketing Manager," try something like "Marketing Manager | I Help B2B SaaS Companies Double Their Inbound Leads." See the difference?

• Your Banner Image: This is prime real estate that most people waste. Use a simple tool like Canva to create a custom banner that backs up your headline. You can showcase your brand, list your areas of expertise, or even add a call-to-action that encourages people to follow you.

This infographic breaks down how these key pieces fit together to create a profile that naturally attracts followers.

As you can see, a polished profile is the essential first move in any follower growth plan.

Craft a Compelling About Section

Your "About" section is your big chance to tell your story. Don't just list a bunch of skills; walk people through your professional journey in a way that connects with your ideal audience.

Start with a strong hook, explain the problems you're passionate about solving, and finish with a clear call-to-action. Simply inviting people to connect or follow you for more insights works wonders.

It’s also smart to weave relevant keywords throughout your profile—in your headline, About section, and job descriptions. Think about the words and phrases your target audience would use to find someone with your skills. Sprinkling these in naturally will help you show up more often in LinkedIn searches. For a more detailed guide, check out our post on how to build a LinkedIn profile that really gets noticed.

Key Takeaway: Your profile isn't just about you; it’s about what you can do for others. Every word should help answer the visitor's subconscious question: "What's in it for me if I follow this person?"

Activate Creator Mode and Customize Your URL

A couple of quick technical tweaks can signal to everyone that you're an active voice on the platform.

First, go claim your custom URL (like linkedin.com/in/yourname). It’s a small detail, but it makes your profile look much cleaner and more professional when you share it.

Next, turn on Creator Mode. This is a game-changer. It switches the main button on your profile from "Connect" to "Follow," removing any friction for people who just want to see your content. It also lets you highlight up to five topics you talk about, which immediately tells visitors what to expect from you. Flipping this switch is one of the easiest and most effective ways to show you’re serious about building a community.

With an optimized profile in place, you’ve built the perfect launchpad. Now, when people find you through your posts, comments, or a search, they’ll be far more likely to click that "Follow" button.

Create Content That Stops the Scroll

If your perfectly tuned profile is the foundation, then great content is the engine that actually drives follower growth. Just posting for the sake of posting is a recipe for stagnation. To get more followers on LinkedIn, your content has to make someone literally stop their endless scroll, think for a second, and maybe even react.

The goal is to become a go-to resource, not just a broadcaster for your own wins. Every single post is a chance to teach, inspire, or kick off a real conversation. That mental shift is what separates the profiles that stall from the ones that seem to grow overnight.

Pick Formats That People Actually Engage With

Let’s be honest: not all content formats are created equal on LinkedIn. The algorithm definitely plays favorites. While a simple text post can still hit the mark sometimes, the data consistently shows that multimedia just works better. It's that simple. Visuals grab attention.

The numbers don’t lie. Here's a look at which content types are currently getting the most love on LinkedIn, based on average engagement rates.

LinkedIn Content Format Engagement Rates

A comparison of average engagement rates per impression for different content types on LinkedIn, helping you prioritize your content creation efforts.

Content Format	Average Engagement Rate (per impression)	Best For
Multi-Image Posts	6.60%	Breaking down complex ideas, telling a visual story, step-by-step guides.
Native Documents (PDFs)	6.10%	Sharing valuable resources like checklists, templates, or short reports.
Video	5.60%	Building authenticity, sharing quick tips, showing behind-the-scenes content.
Text-Only Posts	5.30%	Storytelling, asking provocative questions, sharing personal lessons.

This data paints a clear picture: to stop the scroll, you need to think visually. You don't have to abandon text, but you should absolutely lean into formats that give people something to look at and interact with.

• Multi-Image Carousels: These are fantastic for breaking down big ideas into bite-sized slides. Think of it as a mini-presentation that walks your audience through a process or shares key takeaways from an article.
• Native Documents (PDFs): Much like carousels, these let you share high-value resources right in the feed. Checklists, templates, and short guides work wonders here because people can swipe through without leaving LinkedIn.
• Authentic Video: You don't need a professional film crew. A simple video shot on your phone with good lighting can be incredibly powerful. Share a quick tip, offer a peek behind the curtain on a project, or just share your thoughts on an industry trend. Authenticity builds trust.

The Anatomy of a High-Performing Post

Beyond the format, the structure of your post is critical. A great post grabs attention right away, holds it with a compelling story or idea, and then tells people what to do next.

I always think of a post in three parts: the hook, the body, and the call-to-action (CTA).

Expert Tip: The first one or two lines of your post are everything. If your hook doesn't grab someone, the rest of your brilliant content will go unread. Spend a little extra time crafting an opening that sparks curiosity or makes a bold claim.

The body is where you deliver the goods. Use short sentences and plenty of white space—it just makes things easier to read on a phone. This is your spot to tell a story, share a personal experience, or break down a tough topic.

Finally, every post needs a clear CTA. You're trying to start a conversation, right? So ask a question. Prompting your audience to share their own experiences is one of the best ways to boost engagement, which in turn helps attract new followers who see the discussion.

Keep Your Content Mix Fresh and Sustainable

Posting the same kind of thing over and over is a fast track to boring your audience. The key is to build a varied content mix that keeps your feed interesting and appeals to different people. If you're stuck, our guide on what to post on LinkedIn has a ton of ideas.

Here are a few different social media content ideas to build a balanced mix:

• Share a personal story or a lesson learned. (Text or Video)
• Teach something with a step-by-step guide. (Carousel or Document)
• Ask a thought-provoking question. (Text or Poll)
• Share a curated article with your key takeaway. (Link Post)
• Highlight a success story or case study. (Multi-Image Post)

Remember, consistency beats frequency. It's far better to publish three high-quality, engaging posts per week than five mediocre ones. Find a rhythm you can stick with. That predictable cadence trains your followers to look forward to what you have to say.

Find a Posting Rhythm You Can Actually Stick With

Great content is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want to grow your following, you need to show up consistently. The LinkedIn algorithm loves creators who post regularly because it signals that you’re a reliable voice in your niche. But let’s be real—the pressure to post every single day is a surefire recipe for burnout.

The goal isn't to post constantly; it's to find a sustainable rhythm that keeps you in the game for the long haul. A good cadence keeps your profile active, builds your authority, and attracts new followers without completely draining your creative energy.

How Often Should You Really Post on LinkedIn?

Forget the idea that you need to be on LinkedIn seven days a week. It's just not necessary. For most of us, posting three to five times per week is the sweet spot. This keeps you visible in the feed without forcing you to scrape the bottom of the barrel for ideas.

Always remember: one thoughtful, high-quality post is worth more than five rushed, generic updates. It’s the quality that sparks conversations, and those conversations are what lead to real follower growth.

The "less is more" approach is backed by hard data. For instance, LinkedIn's 2025 data revealed that pages posting just once a week see 5.6 times more follower growth than those posting less often. On a platform with over 69 million companies all trying to get noticed, that's a huge advantage. You can dig into more stats like this in an in-depth LinkedIn analysis.

Create a Simple System for Your Content

Consistency isn't about willpower; it's about having a system. This doesn't have to be some elaborate, color-coded spreadsheet. It just needs to be strong enough to save you from that dreaded "what am I going to post today?" panic.

A simple content calendar is a game-changer. Whether it’s a basic spreadsheet or a Trello board, planning your posts a week ahead makes all the difference. If you want to get more organized, our guide on building a LinkedIn content calendar walks you through the whole process.

Your system should be built on two powerful, time-saving habits:

1. Batch Your Content: Stop trying to write a new post from scratch every morning. Block out a couple of hours once a week—say, Sunday afternoon—and write everything for the upcoming week. This lets you get into a creative flow and frees up your mind during the week for what really matters: engaging with your network.

2. Repurpose Everything: Not every post needs a brand-new idea. A single great concept can be sliced and diced into multiple pieces of content. That deep-dive article you wrote? It can become a five-slide carousel, a quick video tip, and a text-only post sharing one key takeaway. This is how you get the most mileage out of your best work.

Pinpoint Your Best Times to Post

You've probably seen articles claiming the "best" time to post is Tuesday at 10 AM. While those are decent starting points, your audience is unique. The only way to know for sure is to look at your own data.

After a few weeks of consistent posting, dive into your analytics. Are your posts getting more traction in the morning or around lunchtime? Does Thursday consistently outperform Monday?

Use these insights to tweak your schedule. Posting when your audience is most likely to be online gives your content a crucial head start. That initial burst of engagement tells the algorithm, "Hey, people like this!" which helps push your post out to a wider audience and, you guessed it, attract more followers.

Engage Thoughtfully Across the Platform

Pushing out great content is a fantastic start, but if that’s all you do, you're only playing half the game. Growing on LinkedIn isn’t just about broadcasting your own thoughts. It's about becoming part of the larger conversation happening in your field.

Think of it like this: you wouldn't walk into a networking event, shout your pitch, and then stand in a corner expecting people to flock to you. You'd join conversations, listen, and contribute. LinkedIn is no different.

The people who truly succeed on this platform are the ones who show up consistently for their community. They don't just "post and ghost." They spend time adding to other people's discussions and building real connections, one thoughtful comment at a time. This is how you go from being just another face in the feed to a respected voice people seek out.

Master the Art of the Value-Driven Comment

Here’s one of the most overlooked strategies for getting more followers: leaving incredibly insightful comments. Every single time you comment on a post from an industry leader, you’re placing your name, face, and headline directly in front of their audience. A simple "great post!" is a completely wasted opportunity.

A truly strategic comment adds something new to the conversation, showcases what you know, and makes people curious enough to check out your profile. The goal is to leave a comment so good it could almost be its own mini-post.

Here’s a simple way to write comments that actually get noticed:

• Acknowledge & Add: Start by referencing a specific point the author made. Then, build on it with your own perspective, a quick personal story, or a relevant piece of data.
• Ask a Smart Question: After adding your two cents, pose a thoughtful question that pushes the conversation forward. This invites a reply from the author and others, which makes your comment even more visible.
• Keep it Professional and Positive: Always maintain a constructive tone. If you disagree with a point, frame it as an alternative viewpoint rather than a direct attack.

Here’s what that looks like in practice: Instead of just writing "Nice article" on a post about AI in marketing, try this: "This is a great point about AI's role in personalization. I've found that using it to analyze customer sentiment from support tickets has been a game-changer for our messaging. Have you seen it make a big impact in post-sale communication as well?"

See the difference? This kind of comment immediately positions you as a peer who knows their stuff, not just a passive scroller.

Become an Active Voice in LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups are goldmines. They are concentrated hubs of professionals who all share a specific interest, meaning they’re filled with your ideal audience. It’s a direct line to the exact people you want to connect with.

But just like with commenting, you have to lead with value. The fastest way to get ignored (or even kicked out) is to drop links to your own stuff or make a blatant sales pitch.

Instead, focus on being genuinely helpful.

• Jump in and answer questions other members are asking.
• Share a useful resource or tool you’ve found (that isn’t yours!).
• Start a new discussion with a thought-provoking question about the group's topic.

When you consistently show up as a helpful expert, you build trust. People in the group will start recognizing your name, and that recognition naturally leads to profile views and new followers who are genuinely interested in what you do.

The Two-Way Street of Engagement

Finally, remember that engagement goes both ways. When people take the time to comment on your posts, you absolutely have to acknowledge them.

Replying to comments, especially in the first few hours after you post, is critical. Not only does it build a stronger relationship with your audience, but it also signals to the LinkedIn algorithm that your post is sparking a real conversation. That signal can massively boost your post's reach, putting it in front of thousands of potential new followers. Treat your comments section like a real discussion, and people will keep coming back for more.

Use Smart Automation to Scale Your Efforts

Posting consistently and engaging thoughtfully are the cornerstones of growing on LinkedIn. We all know this. But let’s be real—it takes a massive amount of time. For most busy professionals, this is where smart automation can be a total game-changer.

This isn't about letting a robot take over your profile. It's about bringing on a powerful assistant to handle the repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Tools like autoghostwriter can help you maintain a strong presence without clearing your entire calendar. Think of it as your secret weapon for streamlining everything from brainstorming to publishing, freeing you up for the strategic networking that actually builds a loyal following.

Brainstorm and Draft Content More Efficiently

We’ve all been there: staring at a blank page, waiting for inspiration to strike. It’s one of the biggest roadblocks in content creation. Smart automation helps you hurdle right over it. Instead of wrestling with that blinking cursor, you can use AI to kickstart the whole process with initial ideas, outlines, and first drafts.

The goal isn't to let a machine do all the thinking. It’s to get a solid starting point that you can then polish with your unique expertise and personal stories.

• Generate Post Ideas: Got a core topic or a new industry trend on your mind? An AI assistant can instantly spin that into multiple angles, hooks, and content formats to choose from.
• Create First Drafts: Just provide a few bullet points or a rough concept. The tool can flesh it out into a structured post, saving you a huge chunk of writing time.
• Refine Your Tone: A good AI tool learns your voice. It can adapt its writing style to match your professional brand, whether you’re casual and funny or more formal and authoritative.

My favorite approach: Let automation build the first 80% of the post. Then, I spend my time on the final 20%—adding a personal story, a unique insight, or a specific example that makes the content undeniably mine.

Schedule Posts for Optimal Reach and Consistency

The LinkedIn algorithm loves consistency. Posting regularly signals that you're an active, valuable contributor. This is where automation makes life incredibly easy by letting you schedule everything in advance. No more daily pressure to create and publish on the fly.

This is a massive productivity win. You can batch your content creation by writing and scheduling an entire week’s worth of posts in one sitting. Just load them into a scheduler, and you’ll never miss a beat.

This system also means you can post at the perfect time for your audience, even if you’re stuck in back-to-back meetings. By figuring out when your followers are most active online, you can schedule your content to drop right at those peak visibility moments, giving it the best possible chance for engagement.

Analyze Performance to See What Actually Works

Is your content strategy really working? The only way to know for sure is to look at the data. Many smart automation tools come with built-in analytics that are far more insightful than what LinkedIn offers natively. They help you quickly see what's resonating with your audience so you can do more of it.

These platforms track the key metrics you need to refine your approach over time.

Metric to Track	Why It Matters	How to Use the Insight
Engagement Rate	Shows which formats (carousels, videos, text) and topics your audience loves most.	If carousels get twice the engagement of text posts, start making more carousels. It's that simple.
Follower Growth	Directly measures which specific posts are actually attracting new followers.	See a spike in followers after a certain post? Break down its structure, topic, and hook to replicate that success.
Click-Through Rate	Tells you if your calls-to-action are compelling enough to drive traffic to your website or newsletter.	A/B test different CTAs. Does "Learn more" work better than "Check it out"? The data will tell you.

By checking in on this data regularly, you stop guessing what might work and start making decisions based on real performance. This cycle of creating, scheduling, analyzing, and refining is how you build a powerful content engine that consistently brings in more followers.

Got Questions About Growing on LinkedIn? We've Got Answers.

As you start getting serious about growing your LinkedIn presence, a few questions always seem to pop up. It's easy to get stuck wondering if you're doing the right thing. Let's clear the air and tackle these common hurdles head-on.

Think of this as a straight-to-the-point chat, pulling insights from countless creators who have been exactly where you are now.

"How Long Until I Actually See Results?"

This is the big one, isn't it? The truth is, patience is part of the game. If you’re doing things right, a steady growth rate of 2-5% per month is a realistic benchmark. But to really feel that momentum shift? You're looking at about three to six months of consistent, dedicated effort.

That means showing up, posting valuable content, and actually talking to people in your network.

Getting to your first 1,000 followers often feels like the steepest climb. But here's the good news: growth on LinkedIn isn't linear—it compounds. The more you grow, the faster you grow. Each post starts reaching more people, and the snowball effect kicks in.

My Two Cents: Don't let a slow start get you down. Consistency is what separates the people who grow from those who give up. Stick with it, and the algorithm will eventually start working for you, not against you.

"Should I Just Connect With Everyone?"

I see this all the time, and it's a classic mistake. The short answer? Absolutely not. Sending out a flood of connection requests might pump up your numbers, but it kills your engagement.

A smaller network of people who actually care about what you do is infinitely more powerful than a huge, disconnected audience. When you connect with random people, your content gets lost in the noise, and your engagement rates plummet.

Instead, get surgical with your connection requests. Focus on:

• People in your industry: Think peers, colleagues, and mentors.
• Your ideal audience: Who are the professionals you want to help or work with?
• Active community members: Look for people who are already liking and commenting on content in your niche.

When your network is relevant, your content hits home. People engage, the algorithm takes notice, and you start attracting followers who are genuinely interested in your expertise. That's the real win.

"What Are the Biggest Mistakes People Make?"

Knowing what to avoid is just as crucial as knowing what to do. So many creators trip themselves up by falling into a few predictable traps. If you can sidestep these, you’re already way ahead of the curve.

Here are the top three growth-killers I see:

1. Posting whenever you feel like it. If you're not consistent, you're invisible. The algorithm favors reliability. Find a schedule you can stick to, even if it's just a few times a week.
2. Making it all about you. Nobody wants to follow a walking advertisement. Your feed shouldn't just be a highlight reel of your accomplishments. Share insights, ask questions, and start real conversations.
3. Forgetting about your profile. Your content might get someone to click on your name, but your profile is what convinces them to follow. A sloppy headline or a generic summary is a huge missed opportunity to convert a visitor into a follower.

Dodging these common mistakes is half the battle in building a following that’s both meaningful and sustainable.

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