How to Become a LinkedIn Influencer in 6 Steps

As LinkedIn continues to grow as a platform for thought leadership, it has also become an increasingly saturated space for creators looking to grow their influence and monetize their expertise. If you’re wondering how to become an influencer on LinkedIn, your path often focuses on providing professional value rather than the entertainment or lifestyle benefits typical of platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Unlike other social networks, LinkedIn’s audience is focused on career growth, industry insight, and practical knowledge that directly impacts their professional lives.

While becoming a LinkedIn influencer may look different for each person individually, there are some common traits that successful influencers enjoy. Lloyd George, Gigi RobinsonAnd Jessica Morrobel everyone connected. From creating personalized, valuable content and engaging with your professional network to building authentic relationships that foster trust and authority, these actions help establish a strong presence on LinkedIn, allowing you to expand your influence and create a profitable platform.

What is a LinkedIn Influencer?

These influencers use LinkedIn to establish authority, share ideas, and interact with professional audiences. Unlike casual users of the platform, LinkedIn influencers strategically share content that will be useful to their audience, be it posts, articles, or videos. By doing this, they will most likely begin to gather quite a following. You don’t need thousands of connections to get started, but a minimum of around 5,000 followers can attract a brand partnership, as Gigi Robinson points out: “Anyone can partner with just 5,000 people on LinkedIn.”

LinkedIn influencers typically come from a variety of backgrounds such as marketing, entrepreneurship, technology, and personal development, which sets them apart from influencers on platforms like Instagramwhere lifestyle or entertainment content dominates. Influencers like Lloyd George and Jessica Morrobel use LinkedIn for its unique focus on developing relationships, adding value, and building a professional network rather than focusing solely on likes or views.

How to become a LinkedIn influencer?

Becoming a LinkedIn influencer has many benefits, from expanding your professional network to creating monetization opportunities such as brand partnerships. Unlike influencer platforms on Instagram or SnapchatLinkedIn is less saturated, meaning active creators can quickly gain exposure and become monetized influencers on the platform. However, as Morrobel notes, success at LinkedIn is a strategic journey “based on delivering value.”

Given the hard work and dedication required to build your presence on LinkedIn as an influencer, maintaining the presence will likely require a decent amount of time and dedication, as well as the need to continually offer relevant and valuable content. It’s critical to your success to post regularly, understand LinkedIn analytics, and have a plan to actively engage your audience.

Step 1. Determine your expertise and target audience

The key to success is to start with clarity about what you offer. According to Robinson, “identify two or three key skill sets that you want to be known for” that align with LinkedIn’s professional focus. For example, if you’re a marketer, focus on topics like brand strategy, digital tools, or content creation tactics that your audience can use in their work.

This step requires self-analysis to identify areas in which you excel and have relevant experience. This may take some time because it is a very important foundational step in strengthening your presence on LinkedIn. Morrobel notes, “Think about your background or unique experiences…Make that your cornerstone content.” Continue to refine your content to match your audience’s interests and current trends.

Step 2: Start publishing content consistently

Creating valuable and consistent content helps build trust. Lloyd George explains: “The biggest problem I see is that people overanalyze the type of content they want to post on LinkedIn, to the point where they never post it.” Start by sharing ideas, experiences, opinions or industry news. Don’t let perfectionism get in the way; just start posting. Over time, your content will improve and you will better understand what resonates with your audience.

Stick to a manageable publishing schedule. Try to publish posts that inform or inspire at least once a week, as Morrobel recommends. Instead of viral hits, focus on building a “portfolio of valuable content,” as George advises. Consistent posting builds trust and keeps your audience engaged.

Step 3: Actively Engage with Your Audience

Building influence on LinkedIn requires more than just posting content. Robinson emphasizes that LinkedIn is about “connecting with people in your industry” and participating in their posts. Spend time liking, commenting, and sharing your thoughts on others’ posts, especially in your field. This increases your visibility and strengthens relationships.

Morrobel suggests setting aside time to respond to every comment on your posts within the first hour. This not only increases engagement, but also “converts casual readers into loyal followers.” Active participation builds community and trust—key elements of influence on LinkedIn.

Step 4: Show real results and case studies

Nothing builds trust faster than sharing tangible results of your work. Robinson advises authors to “consider posting case studies on your LinkedIn profile.” Highlighting a successful project with specific results, such as increased brand engagement or increased sales, shows potential clients or employers what you can achieve. For example, Robinson shared her experience working with brands like Adobe and Liquid IV to give audiences insight into her process and effectiveness, while also building credibility by featuring big brands she’s worked with before.

This step requires time and attention to detail as you will need to collect and present data and feedback. Try to share these case studies periodically to keep your profile dynamic and relevant to your target audience.

Step 5: Optimize your strategy with analytics

To better understand where you stand on the platform, take the time to track your performance using LinkedIn analytics. As Morrobel explains, monitoring metrics like engagement rates and optimal posting times allows her to refine her strategy along the way. A weekly analytics review can help you adjust your posting schedule and content topics to make the biggest splash.

This step requires ongoing effort as you will need to stay on top of your audience’s preferences as they evolve. Use this information to provide valuable content, building your authority over time.

Step 6: Create an active partnership

In the relatively new LinkedIn influencer space, consistent presentation and outreach are key. Morrobel notes, “Partnerships often arise from active self-presentation.” Reach out to brands that align with your audience by suggesting partnership ideas or offering a sponsorship package. When presenting, Robinson recommends including a media kit with case studies, engagement statistics, and audience demographics to make a strong impression.

This step takes time and persistence, especially since influencer marketing on LinkedIn is still in its infancy. However, it has the potential to generate significant profits as more companies recognize LinkedIn as a valuable platform for B2B influence.

Bottom line

To become an influencer on LinkedIn, you need to build trust, share useful content, and constantly engage with your ideal audience. Through its strategic approach and focus, LinkedIn offers creators significant opportunities to expand their influence and establish a profitable presence.