As I approach the end of my 10-year tenure at WSP, I’ve been reflecting on how I work, the tools I use, and why I use them. I’m a strong believer in finding the simplest solution to a problem, and no simpler. I’m also a firm advocate for using the simplest tools you need to solve a problem, and no simpler. This likely stems from my software engineering and UX design background where KISS (keep it simple, stupid) is lingua franca.
I believe that every piece of the jigsaw puzzle must earn its place. If you don’t need it, bin it. Or, at the very least, find a more effective way to use it. Cal Newport discusses this at length in his book Digital Minimalism; I’d strongly recommend giving it a read, his philosophy applies to life more broadly.
So, given that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time this year building my Substack and watching my paid subscriber list grow alongside my annual recurring revenue (ARR), I naturally became curious as to where LinkedIn fits within my plan.
I don’t get paid to post on LinkedIn. I’ve never taken a job offer through the platform. I’ve never hired anyone. All I’ve ever used it for is to log my professional achievements, post content I’m interested in, and to replace physical business cards at networking events.
But is that enough?
And, more importantly, is that enough for you?
Is LinkedIn actually worth it?
Have you ever stopped to consider whether LinkedIn is actually worth it? Is your return on investment meaningful? Or have you simply been sold the narrative that you must be here, else you’re failing your future self?
Do you ever ask (1) what LinkedIn means to you, and (2) why you use it? No? Well, I’m here to argue that you should. Because you may be either wasting your time entirely, or leaving opportunities on the table. The issue you face is lack of both clarity and purposeful direction.
You probably recognise that there is some value, but does that justify the time you invest, the benefits you reap, and the anxiety you feel when doom-scrolling down your feed? I think many users have gotten lost amongst the flurry of content, the tech bros shouting “the end is nigh”, and the generic recruitment messages that pollute your inbox and that you know are copy-pasted because they forgot to remove your middle initial: “Hey James S.” - Yeah. That.
Fundamentally, LinkedIn is an industry tool and a vehicle; it should be used as such.
It’s easy to get lost here.
Because the platform is so huge and offers so many features for different target users, it can quickly become a minefield. It’s easy to forget what you’re actually here for...
For some users, LinkedIn is just a social media platform. They’re here to make friends, nurture connections, post their achievements, and generally just consume people’s content.
For others, they’re here to sell, sell, sell. They consider everyone to be fair game as far as distribution goes. They’re not here to make friends. They’re here to promote their work, find new leads, and build a huge following so they can market even harder.
Others are here to recruit. They’re actively searching for prime talent. They are crafting messages to multiple potential suitors, hoping to find that special someone just in time for Christmas.
There are the job hunters. Those who return to LinkedIn when it’s time to remind people they exist. You never hear from them for 95% of the year, but every now and again they post their latest job change or educational milestone.
And then, there’s the rest of us. Perfectly happy with our work and life, we’re not actively searching for a new role. We just want to grow our personal brand, participate in discussion, read insightful content, and occasionally share our work, projects, businesses, and life stories. Yes, we’re very happy if private opportunities come our way, but we’re not looking. We’re just trying to be a good member of this digital community. We like to leave LinkedIn a little better than we found it.
Living with noisy neighbours.
Whatever your reason for being here, you have to remember that you’re cohabiting with everyone else. People’s frustration with LinkedIn triggers because they see their feeds and inboxes get cluttered by noisy neighbours. They’re just here to find a new job, so why are they being peddled a new CRM? Or they just want to keep tabs on industry news, yet they’re pestered with job opportunities or developers available for hire. LinkedIn doesn’t seem to effectively segregate use-cases, so we’re all drowning in the same mixing pot.
It would alleviate some platform fatigue if you could spend your time with those likeminded folk here for the same reasons as you. You can get so far by trimming your follower list and by participating in groups. But, it’s not a perfect solution. Groups never seem to work very well, and it can be psychologically and reputationally hard not to follow someone back (especially if you know them personally). The consequence is a bloated news feed.
You don’t really own anything here.
Because LinkedIn users don’t really own any of the IP that they produce, nor the audience they’ve built, the time invested here can be difficult to take with you should you ever choose to leave.
If you disappear from LinkedIn without having carried your audience to another platform, exchanged emails, or met in real-life, then all that time you spent nurturing your following is almost wasted (the obvious exception being the skills and experience you gained by doing so).
Building from scratch is fun (and builds confidence).
I am huge advocate for learning how to build again from scratch. Arguably, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing over on Substack. It’s satisfying to play in a different sandpit for a while.
Producing engaging content and being valuable online are skills that take time to hone. However, once you’ve learned the skills and built the confidence to self-promote, then it’s fun to reproduce your success elsewhere.
It’s very compelling to watch your audience, engagement, and connections rise from zero again. The fact that you can build again gives you confidence and is proof that you know how to sell yourself. You’ve learned how to market your expertise. If you lost everything, you’d be ok. You’d make it back.
It can also feel nice to surround yourself with an entirely different audience. When people don’t already know you, there is no pressure to be anyone but yourself. It’s like transitioning from primary school to high school, to college, and then to university. Each step is a chance to reimagine who you are, without your legacy social circle reminding you of who you were.
Don’t squander the investments you’ve already made.
That said, you still want to maximise the return on investments that you’ve already made. If you’ve spent years building an organic following on LinkedIn, then you don’t really want to squander that. But, in order to reap the rewards of your time and effort, you need razor-like clarity on why you’re here and what you’re hoping to achieve. Otherwise, you’re potentially just wasting your time.
There’s obviously a place for the purest of personal branding: just being you, introducing yourself, talking about what you love, what you’re up to, and where you’re heading. Because yes, people buy from people.
That said, it’s easy to slip from self-promotion to simply using LinkedIn as any other social media platform. If you’re only here to maximise your likes and followers, rather than to curate a community of engaged peers (and potential customers or employers) who genuinely love you and what you’re building, then you may be playing the wrong game.
Yes, there are plenty of influencers who’ve made it big through sheer popularity alone. And yes, if you’re aspiration is to become a lifestyle influencer, then perhaps being popular is the only metric you need to measure.
But I imagine that for most people on here (if they’re radically honest with themselves), they have wider ambitions than popularity alone. They are probably here to improve their career prospects, find a new client, position themselves well for a future bid, become a trusted thought leader in their field, or identify their next career move.
Decide whether LinkedIn is the right home for you.
It’s important to remember that there are social platforms to suit all personal and professional goals. Perhaps you’re not on the right one for you? Maybe Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Reddit, Unsplash, Substack, Bluesky, or somewhere else, could be a much better home for your own aspirations?
If you don’t actually know why you’re posting or scrolling on LinkedIn, then perhaps sit with that question for a moment. It’s perfectly ok to want to post for the sheer fun of it. We’ve all done it. I still do it. I enjoy creating content.
But ask yourself what you’re mid- to long-term goals are on the platform.
Just because everyone says you need to be on LinkedIn and post daily doesn’t mean you actually do. The popular zeitgeist is to be visible, at all times, everywhere. But that’s exhausting and ultimately pointless unless there’s a reason you’re doing it.
You don’t have to be here.
So many people seem to detest the anxiety they experience on LinkedIn, yet they live here anyway. Why? Because they believe there’s no other option. That if you don’t use LinkedIn then you won’t better your career.
Well, first and foremost, that’s nonsense because we’ve successfully navigated career growth for years without needing LinkedIn.
Secondly, some people actually destroy their professional credibility and reputation on LinkedIn by posting mean, grotesque, and offensive comments that simply hurt people. Those who do this would have far more career success if they simply stopped publicly shaming people on the platform and instead focussed on becoming a better person.
Thirdly, there’s an argument to say that your ideal community, audience, clients, or employers may be living elsewhere. LinkedIn is heavily influenced by large corporates. But small, indie suppliers, publishers, craftspeople, and creatives often reside elsewhere on the internet. In which case, you could be playing football in a rugby team. You’d be better off investing your time and effort building a tribe around shared interests and values, rather than trying to fit in on a platform you’re neither designed for, or interested in.
Don’t be annoying. You’re only hurting yourself.
If you want to build a career, professional reputation, network, track your growth, find clients, win customers, promote your business, and sell your expertise, then LinkedIn offers all the tools you need to make progress.
But remember why you’re here: LinkedIn is for transactions.
The vast majority of LinkedIn users are buying or selling something. It’s important to internalise that because if your goal is simply to be visible, then unless you’re posting high-value content that resonates with your audience, it’s easy to accidentally become annoying. It’s also easy to chase likes and follower count for the sake of it, and slowly dilute your value.
There are many frequent posters I see who I originally followed for an insight they shared, but who have since become irritating. They reshare the same content again and again, without any fresh perspective. They’re not really taking the time to produce high-quality content. They are just pushing quotes and screenshots from X or Bluesky.
Regardless of what the algorithm hackers suggest, quality over quantity does matter on LinkedIn. Be memorable for the right reasons. Don’t be that annoying individual who pollutes people’s feeds. Focus on creating an experience that your followers will actually enjoy and want to connect with.
Oh, and try to use the right tool for the job:
If you want to write long-form then create an article.
If you’re posting from your company, then use a Company Page.
Tell us something meaningful in your headline. It’s a prime spot for status updates on recent changes in your work and life. Don’t just spam it with nouns.
Use LinkedIn intentionally. It’s a platform for transactions.
LinkedIn is a tool. It can help you launch your career and take you to places you’d otherwise never get to. Used in the right way, it can open doors and give you visibility right across the world. But, like any social media platform, if used idly, aimlessly, and addictively, then you’ll find yourself worse off than you would be if you deleted it altogether.
One trick I’ve found to be very powerful is to delete the mobile app and only post from the desktop. This way, you’re inclined to only use LinkedIn in a professional capacity. It restricts the number of times you open the app reflexively. It mitigates the risk of drunken posts you later regret. It reduces the likelihood of you rage posting or spitting at other people when your emotions get the better of you.
So, use LinkedIn authentically, but with intent. Leverage the tool for what it’s designed for and don’t consider it a drop-in replacement for TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat. The people are real, the experiences are genuine, but the audience isn’t here for slop, spam, or nonsense. Keep it professional.
People follow you for three reasons.
I’ve come to realise that your unique value on LinkedIn resides in just three key traits:
Trust: people trust you.
Perspective: they like what you personally have to say.
Leadership: they believe in your direction and where you’re going.
In today’s world of generative AI content, there’s very little else you can offer that distinguishes you from others. Unsurprisingly, it’s your unique fingerprint, and your view on the world, that positions you differently. So, become someone people look up to.
Be a leader. Be inspiring. Be trusted.
That’s how you build a following.
Stay thoughtful.
James.