I’ve been on LinkedIn long enough to see just about everything. The follower milestones. The endless humblebrags. The generic advice that sounds like it could have been written by anyone. I’ve also seen people spend hours creating posts that get plenty of likes but never lead to a single new client or opportunity.

On the flip side, I’ve seen posts that barely got a reaction quietly lead to a new matter, a referral or a long-term professional relationship. Over the years, I’ve built a strong network on LinkedIn, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that numbers alone don’t grow your brand, network or business.

When you approach LinkedIn with that mindset, it starts working the way it’s meant to, helping you stay visible, connected and top of mind in a meaningful way.

Vanity Metrics Can Be Misleading

Let’s start with the shiny objects that distract so many people — vanity metrics. These include followers, likes and views. They’re easy to measure and easy to chase, but they don’t tell the real story.

I know professionals who celebrate hitting 10,000 or 20,000 followers, yet when you ask how many of those people could actually hire them, the answer gets quiet fast. Followers are nice to have, but they don’t pay the bills.

I once worked with a lawyer who had more than 10,000 followers. His posts looked impressive on the surface, racking up hundreds of likes each time. But when we dug into where his work was coming from, none of it traced back to LinkedIn. His audience was mostly peers. They were quick to click like, but they weren’t the people giving him business.

Then there’s another lawyer I know who posts maybe twice a month. His posts rarely get more than ten likes, but those posts speak directly to the people he wants to reach — general counsel and executives. They may not engage publicly, but they read closely. He’s landed matters directly from people who reached out privately after reading his “quiet” posts.

That’s why you can’t let surface-level metrics guide your strategy. Some of the most valuable readers on LinkedIn never click like at all. They’re busy. They don’t engage publicly. But they remember you.

Tip: Keep track of the posts that lead to private conversations. Those are the ones that matter, even if the public numbers look underwhelming.

Share Content That Has Substance

If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s this — substance matters more than style. The posts that resonate are the ones that teach something useful, solve a problem, or give a fresh perspective.

Think about the questions clients ask you every day. Think about the advice you give that saves someone from making a mistake. Think about the insights you share with colleagues in the hallway. That’s the kind of content people value.

Here’s an example. A lawyer I worked with thought she had nothing to say on LinkedIn. She worried she wasn’t “thought leader” enough. I asked her to start by answering one simple client question in a post. She did. It was something basic about structuring a deal that she explained in plain language. That post got more traction than anything she’d ever written, and better yet, the client shared it with their entire team. Two introductions came directly from that one post.

Ideas for creating substantive posts:

  • Turn the questions you get asked most often into content. If a client asks, chances are others are wondering about it too.
  • When you share news, don’t just drop the link. Add your take. Why does it matter? What should clients take away from it?
  • Share lessons from your own experiences, even the small ones. Readers connect with real-world examples more than broad advice.
  • Reframe mistakes. If something went wrong and you learned from it, talk about that. People value candor and honesty.

Turn Wins Into Lessons

There’s nothing wrong with sharing your wins. New client. Big speaking slot. Industry recognition. These are proud moments, and they deserve acknowledgment. But if your post is all about how honored and humbled you are to receive this award, you’ve missed an opportunity.

The real impact comes when you turn those wins into lessons. What did you learn? What did it take to get there? What can your audience take away from it?

One lawyer I know posted about being promoted to partner. Instead of a simple thank-you post, she shared three lessons she learned on the way. Her advice was practical and candid. That post had incredible engagement, but more importantly, it sparked conversations with people she hadn’t heard from in years. It deepened her relationships because people saw value in her experience.

Examples of how to reframe your posts:

  • New client: instead of just announcing, share what helped you build trust with them.
  • Speaking slot: highlight the question you got most often and what it says about client concerns.
  • Recognition: explain what it means for your clients or industry, and credit the people who helped you get there.

Your success still shines through, but the focus shifts from you to your audience. That’s when people lean in.

Skip the Empty Brags

Everyone’s seen them. The posts that start with “excited to announce” and end with “honored to be included.” They get a flurry of likes, but they don’t build lasting engagement.

Here’s why: when content is only about you, your readers have no reason to care about it.

I once worked with a professional who couldn’t figure out why his posts kept falling flat. Every update was a list of achievements. It looked impressive but didn’t give anyone a reason to engage beyond a quick “congrats.” Once we reframed his updates into teaching moments, the shift was immediate. His posts became useful, not just self-congratulatory, and his network started reaching out with opportunities.

Ask yourself: if someone didn’t know me, would this post still be valuable to them? If the answer is no, rewrite it.

Spotlight Others

Some of the strongest posts you’ll ever write won’t be about you at all. They’ll be about your clients, colleagues and connections.

Celebrating others builds trust, shows generosity and makes your feed more engaging. I’ve seen it pay back tenfold. Once, I highlighted a colleague’s success in a post. I wasn’t expecting much, but that single post led to an invitation to speak at a major industry event. People remember when you take the time to lift others up.

Ways to spotlight effectively:

  • Share a client’s achievement (with permission) and talk about why it matters.
  • Congratulate a colleague and include a personal note about what makes them exceptional.
  • Highlight someone else’s content and explain how it helped you.

The more you give attention to others, the more your network sees you as someone who creates value, not just someone promoting themselves.

Write With Decision Makers in Mind

One of the biggest mistakes I see is writing for peers instead of decision makers. Peers are often quick to like and comment, but they’re not the ones hiring you.

If you want LinkedIn to lead to opportunities, write content that speaks directly to the people who can. For lawyers, that’s often general counsel, private equity partners, business leaders.

Ask yourself: what pressures are they under right now? What questions keep coming up in your conversations with them? What industry shifts are they watching closely?

A partner I worked with made this shift by tailoring his posts to the concerns of general counsel in his sector. His engagement dropped in terms of likes, but his messages filled up with thoughtful notes from exactly the people he wanted to reach. He landed two new matters directly from those quiet interactions.

Tips for writing to decision makers:

  • Make a running list of client questions. Use those as prompts.
  • Follow industry news and add your take on what it means for your clients.
  • Before posting, ask yourself: would my clients care about this? If the answer is no, it’s not the right post.

Build Relationships That Raise Your Profile

Your network influences how people see you. If you only interact with peers, your reach stays flat. When you engage with respected leaders, it changes how you’re perceived. Building authentic connections with people whose work you admire and who shape your industry is one of the most underutilized yet effective business development strategies.

How to do this:

  • Leave thoughtful comments on posts by industry leaders. Over time, they’ll notice.
  • Reach out privately with something meaningful, not just “let’s connect.”
  • Look for ways to collaborate, such as an article, a panel or a webinar.

I’ve seen people change the trajectory of their careers by being intentional about who they build relationships with on LinkedIn.

Redefine Engagement

Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear, some of your best posts won’t get much visible engagement. And that’s okay.

I’ve had posts that seemed to disappear into the void, only to have someone mention them months later in a meeting. Those quiet readers are often the ones who matter most.

Engagement isn’t just likes and comments. It’s private messages. It’s someone remembering your post and reaching out later. It’s being top of mind when an opportunity comes up.

Keep a simple record of the posts that lead to conversations or referrals. That’s your real measure of success, not how many people clicked like.

Stay Consistent

LinkedIn success doesn’t come from one-off bursts of effort. It comes from steady, consistent actions. You don’t need to spend hours each week on LinkedIn to see its benefits. Even 15 minutes a few times a week makes a difference if you’re focused and strategic.

Practical ways to stay consistent on LinkedIn:

  • Comment thoughtfully on a few posts each week.
  • Post one original update weekly and repurpose it into smaller snippets.
  • Keep a running idea list so you’re never starting from scratch.
  • Follow up offline when you engage online. If you comment on someone’s post, consider sending a quick message too.

Consistency makes LinkedIn less of a chore and more of a natural part of your routine.

The Long Game

Results on LinkedIn don’t happen overnight. They come from showing up over time, building credibility and creating relationships that last. Every post, comment and message is a touchpoint that adds up.

The people who do well on LinkedIn aren’t the ones who go viral once — they’re the ones who earn trust day after day, even when no one’s watching. I’ve seen enough to know that likes and follower counts won’t build a practice. What does work is having substance, being consistent and focusing on relationships.

So the next time you sit down to post, think about whether you’re chasing numbers or building a presence that opens doors, and then adjust your strategy from there.

Key Takeaways

Here is your Cliffs Notes version of things that consistently make LinkedIn work for lawyers and professionals who want to use it to build relationships and opportunities.

  • Don’t let vanity metrics fool you. Likes and followers don’t equal business. Quiet readers are often the ones who matter most.
  • Share content with substance. Teach something useful, answer a question or offer a perspective your audience can use.
  • Turn wins into lessons. Achievements resonate more when you explain what you learned or how others can benefit.
  • Skip the empty brags. Posts that are only about you don’t give readers a reason to care.
  • Shine a light on others. Celebrating clients and colleagues builds trust and strengthens relationships.
  • Write for decision makers. Think about the people who can actually hire you and what they need to hear.
  • Build relationships that elevate your profile. Who you interact with shapes how others see you.
  • Redefine engagement. Track the conversations and opportunities that come from posts, not just the surface-level numbers.
  • Stay consistent. Small steady actions over time matter more than sporadic bursts of activity.

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