If you want to know how to grow on LinkedIn, let me start with where I began: one follower. Not one thousand. One. And I knew him personally. For years I was convinced social media was not for someone like me. It felt distracting, overwhelming, a place for cat photos and noise. Then a strange flight changed my mind.
The flight that started it all
I was flying to visit my daughter when the plane landed with a loud thud. The pilot came on: “We hit a deer, please stay seated.” Then, to everyone’s surprise, he started singing about it. The man next to me laughed, we started talking, and by the time we landed he asked, “Are you on LinkedIn?” I said, “Link what?” He wrote it down, handed me a gift card, and told me to buy a book called Traction. I followed his advice, joined LinkedIn, and a year later I had exactly one follower: him. I almost deleted the account.
Why I stayed
I stayed because I decided to treat it as learning, not performing. Slowly, awkwardly, and then with more confidence, I started showing up. Over time LinkedIn stopped being a chore and became a bridge. It brought me international speaking and photography work. It connected me with educators and entrepreneurs around the world. People found me organically, on a platform I had spent years avoiding. None of that happened because I went viral. It happened because I kept showing up as myself.
How to grow on LinkedIn without losing yourself
If you are starting where I did, here is what actually works. Start with purpose, not perfection; you do not need fancy graphics, just intention. Pick one platform and commit, because showing up consistently in one place beats scattering yourself across five. Share your story, because people connect with people and your voice is what builds trust. Treat your website and profiles as a promise, not a portfolio, a place people find something useful. And remember that consistency matters more than cleverness. Be useful, be visible, be human.
Visibility is not vanity
The fear that keeps most people off social media is that it looks like bragging. It is not. People do not need you to be perfect. They need you to be present. Being findable is a form of leadership: you are making it easy for the right people to reach the help, the ideas, or the work only you can offer. That is the heart of my book, Tech-No to Tech-Pro, and it is the whole reason I now teach the thing I once swore I would never touch.
So here is your nudge: start anywhere, but start. Pick one platform where your voice can carry, and show up there like you mean it. You do not have to be everywhere. You just have to be somewhere the right people can find you. Let your story be seen. Your people are waiting.
Leila Kubesch is a keynote speaker, speaking coach, and author. Her keynote, The Art of the Ask, shows leaders and teams how to make the ask with confidence. To bring Leila to your event, write to Leila@LeilaKubesch.com.
