​

Leveraging LinkedIn to grow your career (or business)

I was NOT a social media person. I had a LinkedIn account, but really, it was a placeholder more than anything.

I started posting on LinkedIn in October 2021. I didn’t post regularly back then and I didn’t have much of a posting strategy. I posted when I had an idea or something new to share. I became serious about posting in October 2022 and have been posting regularly ever since.

I’ve grown from 750 followers in October 2021 to 82,500+ followers in August 2025 with 40M+ LinkedIn impressions. By now, I have a pretty good idea of what works on LinkedIn (and what doesn't).

Posting on LinkedIn has opened up a wide range of opportunities:

• 10+ podcast appearances including Andrew Seaman's LinkedIn News Get Hired podcast
• Invited speaker for SHRM Executive Network panel with C-Suite industry leaders
• Cited in leading publications including Business Insider, CNBC, Forbes, and Fast Company

I was also invited by LinkedIn to participate in their Mastermind program this spring, learning from LinkedIn leaders about current posting strategies and best practices.

I've helped 100s of executive clients with positioning strategies - some of them have never posted and are just looking to build a strong profile to attract potential opportunities. Others have utilized posting to grow both their personal and corporate presence.

If you are thinking about posting, here are some of my best practices:

A catchy hook is important:

1. The 1^st line of your post is key to catching the reader’s eye
2. Show that you understand the pain points and concerns of your target client (I often quote direct concerns that I have heard from clients)
3. Adding numbers to your hook can help

Here are my top-performing hooks for the past 12 months to give you an idea of what this looks like in practice:

​

It helps to have people comment on the post or share the post within the first 60 minutes. It also helps to start commenting on the posts of others to build awareness (and it goes to reciprocity – people will often start commenting on your posts if you comment on their posts)

I’m consistent in my posting schedule (I post every weekday at 8am EST). I don’t know if it’s necessary to post every day, but the more of a routine that you have, the better it helps you to grow an audience. I schedule posts on LinkedIn in advance (just press the clock button in the lower right corner to schedule posts).

Carousels and graphics can expand your reach considerably

a. Carousels are a slide show (using slides to tell your story along with your post)

b. I use Canva to create my carousels (there are free templates, but I use Canva Pro to create my carousels)

Also, it’s OK to reuse content (especially content that performs well). I recycle my best performing content and use it every 3-6 months (sometimes it performs even better the second time).

If you're thinking about using LinkedIn to grow your personal and/or corporate brand, let me know - I'd be happy to talk with you about how I can help you to develop LinkedIn content and strategies. Or if you'd just like help to develop a strong LinkedIn executive profile, I can help with that as well.

​

Upcoming Events

I'm excited to be a panelist at AMA Pittsburgh's upcoming event on improving your LinkedIn presence: Level Up Your LinkedIn Personal Brand.

Learn more here:

​https://www.eventbrite.com/e/level-up-your-linkedin-personal-brand-tickets-1657853908669​

Want to up your game on LinkedIn? Need a new resume or executive bio? I deliver resumes, executive bios, LinkedIn profile optimization, and 1-hour strategy calls. ​Learn more about 1:1 Coaching & Services​ Question of the Week: Do you have a question that you would to have answered in the Question of the Week? If so, reply to this email and let me know what's on your mind. Corporate Partnerships: I deliver customized webinars and in-person presentations for businesses and universities across topics including ageism, resume best practices, LinkedIn optimization, job search, and more. Hiring Help: Reach out if you have any open roles that you would like to share with this community. Sponsorships: Reach Gen X and Baby Boomer executives by sponsoring this newsletter (we're currently at 5,500 subscribers for the email newsletter, 34,000+ subscribers for the LinkedIn newsletter, and 82,500+ followers on LinkedIn). ​ Learn more about Ageless Careers

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!

Colleen