Last week, I helped a high school senior complete her LinkedIn profile. She had only 3 connections because she was just starting out.
After 20 minutes of explaining the basics, I realized that I knew quite a bit about growing a meaningful LinkedIn network. Since I enjoy sharing what has worked for me, I decided to write this article.
This guide covers 10 actionable steps to build a LinkedIn network of people who inspire you and who you can learn from.
People chasing follower counts, fast growth, and virality. If you see LinkedIn as just another Instagram or TikTok, I'm afraid this won't help you.
This is for people who want to build a genuine high-quality network of inspiring leaders, impact-driven entrepreneurs, experts, and friends.
Profiles without a photo feel incomplete. If you want to connect with people, having a clear headshot helps.
You don't need to invest in an expensive photoshoot. My profile picture was taken during a casual Sunday lunch when I asked a friend to take a few shots.
You don’t have to be overly serious, but you also shouldn’t be NSFW. (Wedding photos can be hilarious, but they may not be suitable for this platform.)
Keep it simple: be yourself, look approachable, and smile.
Your profile headline is the line of text that appears below your name. Its purpose is to let people know who you are and what you do in just a few seconds.
There's no one-size-fits-all recipe for a good headline. My recommendation is to keep it clear.
Show your passion or strengths in simple words. If you can be fun or witty while staying clear, even better.
A strong profile should highlight your journey. Add bullet points under each experience to explain what you did.
When filling in Education or Experience, choose institutions from the dropdown so their logos appear on your profile.
In the “About” section, expand on your headline with a few sentences about what you do and what you bring to the table.
You can also feature posts you’re proud of, although this is optional.
You don’t have to post every day. What matters is consistency.
Start with once a week, then move to twice or more if you can keep up. Personally, I’ve been posting four times a week for three years.
Write meaningful content. Share what you know. There will always be people who know less than you about a topic, so don’t hold back.
I don't use LinkedIn as a platform to only celebrate achievements. I've shared my failures too.
The idea of “building in public” became popular on Twitter years ago. It involves creators sharing their journey of building a product with the public. LinkedIn can also be that space where founders and professionals ask for advice and share their learnings.
It's fine to show vulnerability and sound more human and less AI'ish on this platform. Your future employer (or co-founder) will appreciate your authenticity.
LinkedIn is a social network. To get the most out of it, I engage in conversations to learn from the experts and share my thoughts.
A simple way to get into meaningful discussions is by commenting on posts around topics that interest me. My rule of thumb is simple: I comment only when I can add value.
If what I'm saying makes sense or seems interesting, people will visit my profile and may also connect with me.
Giving back is rewarding, and I try to help whenever I can.
When I see someone open to work, looking for a partner, or posting opportunities, I take a minute to think about who in my network I can connect them with.
When I come across an article that makes sense to someone's work, I share it with them.
These small actions might take a minute of my time every day, but could be life-changing for someone else.
Start connecting with the people around you and expand from there. Connect with family, friends, neighbors, your parents’ friends, and your community.
Add colleagues from work. Add members of Slack, Discord, or WhatsApp groups you’re part of.
In short, connect with the people you already interact with in person or online.
I never send a connection request without a personalized note. People have the right to know why you want to connect with them.
Whether I was referred, have mutual connections, or share professional interests, I mention the reason to make the request more meaningful.
LinkedIn limits the number of connection requests you can send each week (between 100 and 200, depending on criteria only know to the LinkedIn algorithm).
That’s why I connect mainly with people relevant to my mission at Supportful, such as expats interested in our work. I focus on providing value, like sharing reports about Lebanon's tech scene.
Outside of work, I also connect with people who inspire me. Some examples:
For job seekers and interns: connect with people you met during the interview process.
To grow your LinkedIn network, make sure your profile is complete and that you actively connect with people. Here are 10 actions to take:
If you’d like to explore your own network, check out:
https://linked-insights.netlify.app/,
a project built by Mary Nacouzi during her internship at Supportful.
It shows charts of your network growth over time, the companies most represented, and the distribution of roles.
Book a call and get matched with engineers in 24–72h.
