You can’t build a network, neglect it, and then expect your LinkedIn connections to help you to find a job or get new business. You have to give to get.

In this tutorial, I explain a bit more and give examples of how to share and comment appropriately.

Keep Your Network Warm

LinkedIn is an important tool for networking and connecting with your peers and with recruiters. Don’t forget that your customers are on LinkedIn, your coworkers are on there, and potential jobs are on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is for your professional life.

You know who else is on LinkedIn? The C-Suite: CEO, CFO, CIO, CMO, COOs — professionals who are serious about their careers.

You get attention and engagement by showing your portfolio. You get work by being a human being who is polite and respectful.

Do I Really Need LinkedIn?

If you’re blogging, if you have a service, if you have a product, then you need LinkedIn. You should be spending about five minutes a day on this professional platform. If you want more out of it, spend five minutes in the morning and five minutes after lunch.

I’ve been helping some of my friends and clients with their LinkedIn strategy; guess what? It works.

I have! In fact, the interviews I’ve had lately are because a recruiter found me. I’ve gotten lots of work from it—far more than I have with Twitter.

— Fat Dog Creatives (@FatDogCreatives) June 28, 2020

Build LinkedIn Into Your Daily Routine

So what you want to do is build this into your habit. Sign into LinkedIn in the morning. Check all your notifications. Then find two or three things to comment on in a normal way. Don’t message people telling them you offer solutions. No one cares about your solutions.

Install the app on your phone. Do it while you’re drinking your coffee. Post it in the feed. Be helpful. Comment on other people’s posts. Be social.

Train LinkedIn With Your Behavior

“But Bridget,” you say, “all I see are posts from recruiters.” This may be because you’ve never trained LinkedIn to know what you like. The algorithm has to learn what you like based upon your participation. Contrary to popular belief, social networks can’t read your mind; they can only predict your behavior.

LinkedIn recommends content to you based upon your behavior. Meaning, whatever you click on or comment on, they will show you more of. If you’re not seeing things that you think are relevant, then you need to change your behavior. This is how you train the feed on LinkedIn. (In fact, this is how you train all of the networks.)

Comment on things that are interesting to you. Share that Harvard Business Review article you just read. Share posts from your company’s LinkedIn page. Share a job opening from a friend. Participate.

What Do You Say on LinkedIn?

People always ask me what they should say on LinkedIn? What would you say in real life? If someone has good advice, thank them. If they bring up a question in your area of expertise, answer it. If your friend got a promotion, congratulate them. It’s really not difficult.

If you want to level up, offer a polite disagreement on a post. My friend Robert Nissenbaum does this all of the time. It’s super helpful.

Don’t spam people. Don’t just write the messages to them asking for work. That’s not how you get work. That’s how you get blocked.

Be Human on LinkedIn

Keeping your network warm means being a polite, human who is interested in other humans. People remember kind people.

You can keep your network warm, stay relevant, and top-of-mind by intentionally spending your time on LinkedIn. You really can do this in five minutes a day.