LinkedIn: Connect, Mastermind, Progress

[Andy Black]

(This isn't MY thread. It's for all of us to chat and mastermind about what's working and not on LinkedIn.)

LinkedIn is a great platform and I encourage you all to put some effort into your profile and network.

I've been on there for over a decade and I've had countless DMs with interesting people. I've help many, and many have helped me.

I thought I'd make this a chat thread where we all give tips about making the most use of the platform, and where we can post our profile so we can connect with each other.

I'm always stoked when I get a message from someone saying they're a fastlaneforum member. It's like meeting a tribe member out in the wild. So make sure you say you're a forum member when you connect with each other, and make sure you also follow MJ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjdemarco).

If you're on LinkedIn then drop your URL and any tips you might have to help others on the platform.

If you're not on the platform, then I'm curious why not.


Everyone's URLs:
I'll keep this updated.
Remember to make sure you say you're a forum member when you connect with each other!

1. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyblackjnr
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudyarodriguez/
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/absar-a-82542028a
4. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarthak-tyagi-b341ab275
5. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-dugger-law/
6. Nuno Vaz - DIA PORTUGAL Supermercados | LinkedIn
7. Chris Waldron - ChrisWaldron.com | LinkedIn
8. Mikkel Linskey, DPT - Physical Therapist - MAS Medical Staffing | LinkedIn
9. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-völk-7b76ab276
10. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-wurtz/
11. https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-veitch-b14835218
12. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijah-shin-b4653b144
13. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielargueta/
14. Darren Kirby - MBA - Cyber Security Program Director - International Airlines Group (IAG) | LinkedIn
15. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhausmann
16. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivandjukicdev
17. https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglaschoate/
18. https://uk.linkedin.com/in/karandeepbadwal
19. https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-hemingway-ab66a5280
20. Joshua Rausch - Rausch Web Solutions | LinkedIn
21. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackery-sprague
22. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubham-kanojiya-832b00257/
23. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ash-cooke-aa1ba723b/

PS: I do have a "Figuring Out LinkedIn" thread here that may have some nuggets amongst the rambling:

• Figuring Out LinkedIn

 

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[RudyR]

I've mainly only used LinkedIn as a job board. I just haven't given much thought to it. But I can see there being advantages to using it too. I should maximize it more. Would be good for personal brand building.

Here's my LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudyarodriguez/

 

[Absar]

Just made an account,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/absar-a-82542028a

 

[Ayush_]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarthak-tyagi-b341ab275

Here's my LinkedIn
Totally agreed that linkedin is a massive place to gain value from if known how to use properly.

 

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[Caminsky]

You and I connected already, but I'm happy to connect with others from FL as well!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-dugger-law/

 

[Andy Black]

I hope you guys are all connecting with each other too!

 

[NVaz]

I'll drop mine as well. Feel free to connect.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nunovaz/

It took a while, but I've managed to connect with Andy on LI

 

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[RudyR]

Just saw that LinkedIn has a thing called, Collaborative articles: Collaborative articles | LinkedIn Help

From my quick view of it, It looks like they are creating AI docs/topics and want people to edit or comment on it. To help flush out the AI text. In exchange you get a special badge. I ignored this at first. But now I'm thinking I should help contribute a bit. I'm not sure who all see's these articles or if you name is given for contribution. But seems like there could be some upside to it.



Not sure if others here have been invited to contribute to this?

Here's the list of their collaborative articles: Discover thousands of collaborative articles on 2500+ skills

 

[LightHouse]

I have been pushing my content out on LinkedIn for a few months... Likely connected with a lot of you already...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswaldron13/

 

[EngineerThis]

This couldn't have come at a better time @Andy Black ! I recently overhauled my Linked-In, and started posting articles and posts from my newsletter too... I definitely want to get more leads and connections, so everyone here! Be on the lookout for my connection coming soon! Also, feel free to roast my business or profile, I'll take all the tips I can get. I'm here to learn.
Here's my profile! Visit it and subscribe to my newsletter if you want
www.linkedin.com/in/ian-thompson-6869258b

Edit: To Add a profile Screenshot

 

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[Andy Black]

feel free to roast my business or profile

Ooo. Great idea.

What don't we all post screenshots of our profiles and ask for feedback?

We can post updates as we amend them. The screenshots will give the history of our changes and help others following.

 

[Mikkel]

Feel free to connect with me on Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikkel-linskey-dpt-2848b3b9/

Most of the content on my page(which is limited) is related to physical therapy(slow lane job), but looking to pivot as my work changes.

 

[MaximOntheRoad]

Love to connect as well!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-v%C3%B6lk-7b76ab276

 

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[Andy Black]

1) Complete Your Profile

I've looked at the profiles of everyone I've connected with so far and many are incomplete.

At the very least, fill out your photo and headline.

Those are what people see when you send a connection request, when you comment on a post, or when you post a thread.

Here's some examples from my feed today:









They might entice people to then click through to your profile to learn more about you.





Here's all the sections on your profile:

(From Your LinkedIn Profile | LinkedIn Help)





2) An interesting account to follow?

Could be an interesting account to follow for his info, and to see how he gets such good engagement on his posts:

Hasan Toor ✪ on LinkedIn: #jobpreparation #remotejobs #websites | 215 comments




His bio link goes here:

Hasan Toor

Digital Creator & Software Engineer

bio.link

 

[Andy Black]

What's your goal this week on LinkedIn?

Mine is to get back to posting daily short videos again.

 

[Andy Black]

Thought this was clever.

Who are you posting for? And why?

 

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[Caminsky]

1) Complete Your Profile

I've looked at the profiles of everyone I've connected with so far and many are incomplete.

At the very least, fill out your photo and headline.

Those are what people see when you send a connection request, when you comment on a post, or when you post a thread.

Here's some examples from my feed today:

View attachment 51013

View attachment 51014

View attachment 51015



They might entice people to then click through to your profile to learn more about you.





Here's all the sections on your profile:

(From Your LinkedIn Profile | LinkedIn Help)

View attachment 51012



2) An interesting account to follow?

Could be an interesting account to follow for his info, and to see how he gets such good engagement on his posts:

Hasan Toor ✪ on LinkedIn: #jobpreparation #remotejobs #websites | 215 comments

View attachment 51016


His bio link goes here:

Hasan Toor

Digital Creator & Software Engineer

bio.link

View attachment 51017

A nice wake-up call, Andy. I joined LinkedIn back in February when I decided I probably was not doing myself any favors by being the last holdout. I'm sure I could improve it quite a bit.

 

[Andy Black]

A great video:

View: https://youtu.be/U4VMThGSsys?si=8L9U2ZpgS_8TnyBW

 

[Yula]

Thank you for creating this thread Andy!

My LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-wurtz/

I'm currently building up my network as I've previously underestimated the power of connections. I mainly post marketing tips and tricks focused on the Tech niche.

The tip I'd give to people trying to gain some traction: Consistency is everything! In the beginning, it's quite difficult but once it's part of your routine it's really easy to build connections and expand your network.

 

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[Tattman]

Hi all. Followed/connected with everyone on the list!

Mines here:

www.linkedin.com/in/craig-veitch-b14835218

I've a long way to go to complete my profile so apologies!

 

[Andy Black]

I've just updated the opening post with everyone's URLs. If you connect with anyone then let them know you're from the forum, and also brainstorm with each other how you can improve your profiles, posts, and comments.


Backing up though...

What's your goals on LinkedIn?

I presume it would be to build relationships and your business.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Who do you most want to connect with?
• Do you want to connect with peers so you can learn from each other?
• Do you want to connect with people who might become clients?
• Do you want to connect with the people your ideal clients follow and engage with?
• Or maybe it's all of the above or something else?

 

[RocketG]

Dropping it here. Always great to connect with more like minded individuals!
www.linkedin.com/in/elijah-shin-b4653b144

 

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[Tattman]

I've just updated the opening post with everyone's URLs. If you connect with anyone then let them know you're from the forum, and also brainstorm with each other how you can improve your profiles, posts, and comments.


Backing up though...

What's your goals on LinkedIn?

I presume it would be to build relationships and your business.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Who do you most want to connect with?
• Do you want to connect with peers so you can learn from each other?
• Do you want to connect with people who might become clients?
• Do you want to connect with the people your ideal clients follow and engage with?
• Or maybe it's all of the above or something else?

At the moment I'm looking at it as a potential customer to help get future business off the ground

 

[Andy Black]

I posted this to my "Figuring Out LinkedIn" thread, but wanted to post here to spark conversation and inspire you guys to work on your profile and goal.

To date I posted whatever came to mind and get a lot of people following who want to start freelancing, which is great, but not who I serve as a consultant.

I decided to change my bio (and posts) so I'm focused on helping founders. I enjoy working them and they often move faster than more established business, especially if I end up dealing with an employee in those businesses.

Here's what my amended profile currently looks like:

And I just posted my second carousel ever:

LINK

 

[Andy Black]

Someone shared this with me:

Free Carousel Maker & Generator | aiCarousels.com

The Fastest ⚡ Way to Create Social Media Carousels for LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok – free, no sign-up required!

www.aicarousels.com

 

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[Daniel A]

Hello! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, and please leave a note saying you're from The Fastlane Forum, TFF, the forum, etc. Thank you!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielargueta/

 

[Andy Black]

How to approach LinkedIn when you're new:

Aashik Thakkar on LinkedIn: New content creators on LinkedIn | 113 comments

New Content Creators on LinkedIn Clearing your basic doubts... __ Repost and follow Aashik Thakkar for valuable content. | 113 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

 

[Kirby73]

Great idea @Andy Black this is a link to my profile

Darren Kirby - MBA - International Airlines Group (IAG) | LinkedIn

An accomplished IT & Security Director experience empowering business growth through… | Learn more about Darren Kirby - MBA's work experience, education, connections & more by visiting their profile on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

 

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[Choate]

I've had LinkedIn twice, deleted it both times. Open to making one again but it'd have to be done with a specific goal in mind. If a person is successfully generating leads with LinkedIn, it seems like a great opportunity to post regularly. But it also seems like you could potentially build more authority and long term success if you just make the same post on a platform you own, like your own website. The social media content creation game is a competitive, never ending black hole demanding more and more for the puppet master-esque secret algorithms.

 

[Andy Black]

it also seems like you could potentially build more authority and long term success if you just make the same post on a platform you own, like your own website.

Think of these platforms as buildings where people congregate. Rather than standing outside with a megaphone trying to get people to come out, you could just go in and start talking to people.

I posted this yesterday on someone else's thread:

I posted a carousel on LinkedIn today and PM'd everyone who Liked it to say thanks. Wee conversations have ensued and I'm chatting to someone next week. They won't become a client, that's not why we're chatting. She does email marketing and is interested in whether Google Ads could help the business she works for (I suspect not). I'm curious about email marketing so thought it would be good to connect and chat.

Keep putting your face out there. Keep helping people, even if they're not your target market. Good things start happening, and you start dialling in who your target market is, and how to get your face in front of them better.

After posting the carousel yesterday and messaging everyone who engaged with it, I then messaged everyone from this thread about a tool someone shared with me that should help me create carousels better (Free Carousel Maker & Generator | aiCarousels.com).

I woke up to 18 messages in my LinkedIn inbox. I replied to everyone and now have 3 Zoom calls scheduled next week. One with someone I worked with over a decade ago and haven't messaged since 2012, and two with people who follow me that I've never spoken to.

They're not going to become clients, but I get to meet interesting people doing interesting things. Think of this as my "diesel and coffee". Those Zoom calls are like grabbing a quick coffee with someone in the building.

That's very hard to make happen when you're relying on a website and getting visitors from Google (which is also someone else's building).

The social media content creation game is a competitive, never ending black hole demanding more and more for the puppet master-esque secret algorithms.

I think it would help to reframe this.

I get to post content on someone else's platform in front of the people they've gathered together, whenever I want, however I want (within reason of course).

If I create content that people find valuable then those people will engage with it, and the platform will notice and try to get it in front of more people.

If I don't get "engagement" then that tells me my post or strategy wasn't good enough. I can then try again the next day (or sooner depending on the platform).

I get to run tests every single day that can bring me business, that makes me a better content creator, and that builds up a library of content that works and doesn't work.

The carousel I posted yesterday is from a text post I created last year. I "just" reformatted it.

From the feedback I got from those I thanked for Liking it, I'll make it shorter and maybe change the first slide to hook people better. I get to post it again in a couple of weeks, or even post it as a video.

When/if it works better, I can then repost to other platforms - after getting feedback from people who've read it and like it enough to engage with it. Oh, and by me asking for feedback I'm deepening relationships with them, helping them, and making my world a sunnier little world.

Does that help?