If you’ve spent any time experimenting with ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews, you’ve probably noticed how quickly these tools can pull together information.
Ask about a company, an industry trend or a particular area of expertise, and within seconds you get a summary, recommendations and often a list of people or organizations connected to that topic.
More professionals are starting to use these platforms as part of their research process. They’re looking for experts, evaluating service providers, learning about industries and gathering information before deciding who to contact or where to spend their time.
That raises an important question: how do these platforms decide which people, companies and sources show up in those answers?
I was reading LinkedIn’s new research on AI discovery and kept thinking, this all sounds familiar. That’s because it is. It lines up pretty closely with what I’ve been telling people to do on LinkedIn for years.
The research points to the value of a clear profile, original content, specific expertise and a consistent body of work around the topics you want to be known for. Those qualities have always helped people understand who you are, what you do and where you have experience. Now, according to LinkedIn, they may also help AI platforms make those same connections.
That matters because your LinkedIn presence is no longer limited to the people who visit your profile. What you share contributes to a much larger picture of your expertise and professional reputation online.
So what does that actually look like in practice? Here are a few places to start.
Your LinkedIn Profile Needs to Tell a Clear Story
One of the biggest missed opportunities on LinkedIn is the headline. Many professionals still default to listing a title and employer. While that may be accurate, it doesn’t really give much insight into what they actually do, who they help or where they have experience.
Your headline shows up in more places than you might think. It appears in search results, comments, connection requests and profile previews, often shaping a first impression before someone ever clicks through to your profile.
It’s worth taking a step back and asking a simple question: does your headline clearly communicate your expertise? If someone came across your profile without any context, would they have a sense of what you do and the areas you focus on?
The same dynamic often carries over to the About section. Many read like formal bios pulled from a company website, with a focus on credentials, titles and accomplishments, but less clarity around what someone actually does in practice, who they work with or why their experience matters.
This is where specificity starts to make a difference. Phrases like “results-driven professional,” “strategic leader” or “experienced executive” may sound familiar, but they don’t offer much detail. They tend to blur together because they could apply to almost anyone.
Start with how you’d actually describe your work. What kinds of matters do you handle? What types of clients do you work with? What comes up most often in your day-to-day work?
Then take another look at your profile. After reading your headline, About section and experience, would someone have a clear sense of what you actually do?
The clearer that picture is, the easier it is for someone to remember you, make connections and think of you in the right context. Increasingly, it may also help these platforms make those same connections.
Expertise Is Becoming More Important Than Activity
One of the findings that stood out to me was LinkedIn’s emphasis on original content. A lot of professionals spend most of their time sharing articles, reposting industry news and amplifying content created by others. While that can be useful, it doesn’t tell people much about your own experience, perspective or expertise.
If you’re trying to build visibility, start paying closer attention to the questions people ask you most often. Think about the conversations you have with clients, colleagues, prospects, referral sources and peers. What topics come up repeatedly? What misconceptions do people have? What challenges are they facing? What advice do you find yourself giving over and over again? Those questions are often some of your best content ideas.
For example, if you answer the same question three times in a month, there’s a good chance it’s worth turning into a LinkedIn post. If a topic requires a longer explanation, consider writing an article. If you’re seeing a trend emerge in your industry, share your observations and explain what people should be paying attention to.
Many people assume they need completely new ideas to create content. In reality, some of the most effective content comes from documenting what you already know, what you’re already discussing and what you’re already helping people understand.
This is one of the reasons I’m such a big believer in articles. A post can introduce an idea. An article gives you the opportunity to explore it in greater depth. You can answer common questions, provide examples, share lessons learned and create a resource that people can reference later. Over time, those articles help build a library of content around your expertise.
If there are topics you want to be known for, ask yourself a simple question: could someone spend ten minutes reading your LinkedIn content and clearly identify those topics?
If the answer is no, start there. Make a list of three to five subjects you want to be associated with. Then look for opportunities to write about them from different angles. Share observations, answer questions, comment on developments in your industry and explain issues in a way that’s useful to your audience.
The goal is to give people enough information to understand what you know, how you think and where your expertise lies.
Make It Easy for People to Understand What You Know
Another thing that stood out from LinkedIn’s guidance was the importance of structure. Not in a technical or complicated way. Content that’s organized, focused and easy to follow tends to perform better because people can quickly understand what it’s about and why it matters. The same thing applies to your overall LinkedIn presence.
I talk to a lot of professionals who worry about running out of content ideas. More often than not, the issue isn’t a lack of ideas. It’s that they’re talking about so many different things that it’s difficult to get a clear sense of what they actually want to be known for.
Someone visits their profile and sees a post about leadership, a post about networking, a post about company culture, a post about an industry trend and a post about something completely unrelated. Each post may be perfectly fine on its own, but together they don’t tell much of a story.
When I look at the professionals who have built strong visibility on LinkedIn, there’s usually a common thread running through their content. You get a sense of the topics they care about, the work they do and the conversations they’re most likely to be part of. The subjects may evolve over time, but there’s enough consistency that people begin to connect their name with certain ideas and areas of expertise.
One thing I often recommend is making a list of about five the topics you want people to associate with you. These will be your content pillars – the areas of expertise in your wheelhouse that support your brand and business. Then pay attention to how often those subjects actually show up in your content.
- Are you writing about them?
- Commenting on them?
- Sharing your perspective on them?
- Answering questions about them?
If not, there’s a good chance you’re leaving it up to other people to decide for what you’re known. That’s one of the reasons consistency matters so much. Most people aren’t forming an opinion about your expertise from a single post. They’re forming it from everything they see over time. An article, a comment, a post, a conversation. It all adds up and helps you build your visibility, brand and hopefully also your business.
The professionals who stand out aren’t necessarily posting more than everyone else. They’re making it easier for people to understand what they know and what they care about. Over time, that creates a much clearer picture of their expertise and gives people more reasons to remember them.
Search Yourself
One of the simplest things you can do after reading this article is open ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Perplexity and start asking questions.
- Search for your name.
- Search for your company.
- Search for your industry.
- Search for the topics you want to be known for.
Then look closely at the answers. If someone were researching you for the first time, what impression would they walk away with? Would they understand what you do, who you help and where you have expertise? Are you showing up for the topics you want to be associated with, or are there gaps between the work you’re doing and the information that’s available online?
Pay attention to what’s missing as much as what’s there. If AI platforms aren’t connecting your name to the subjects you care most about, that may be a sign that your profile, content and online presence aren’t telling the full story yet.
I think this is one of the most useful things you can do right now because it gives you a clearer picture of how you’re being represented online and where you may have opportunities to strengthen your visibility.
Key Takeaways to Enhance Your LinkedIn Presence for AI
- Key Takeaways
- Take a fresh look at your LinkedIn headline and About section. Someone who has never met you should be able to quickly understand what you do, who you help and what you’re known for.
- Replace vague descriptions with specific language that reflects your expertise, experience and the type of work you want more of.
- Pay attention to the questions people ask you most often. Those conversations are often your best source of content ideas.
- Create more original content based on your own observations, experiences and insights instead of relying primarily on reposts and shared articles.
- Consider writing articles around the topics you want to be associated with. Long-form content gives you more room to demonstrate expertise and build a library of resources over time.
- Review your recent content and ask yourself whether someone could clearly identify your areas of expertise after reading it.
- Make it easier for people to follow your content by using clear headlines, logical organization and examples that help illustrate your points.
- Focus on a handful of core topics and return to them regularly from different angles. That’s often how people become associated with particular subjects and areas of expertise.
- Stay active on LinkedIn by sharing ideas, commenting on industry developments and participating in conversations related to your expertise.
- Search for yourself, your company and the topics you want to be known for in ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini or Perplexity. The results can provide useful insight into how you’re being represented online today.
My biggest takeaway from this research is that LinkedIn is becoming even more valuable for professionals who want to be known for something. Your profile explains what you do. Your content helps people understand what you know. Together, they create a much clearer picture of your expertise than either one can on its own.
Whether someone finds you through LinkedIn, Google, a referral or an AI platform, the more clearly you communicate your experience and areas of focus, the easier it becomes for people to understand what you do and for what you’re known.
For more on AI, LinkedIn and your visibility, check out these articles:
How to Quickly Improve Your AI Search Results and Enhance Your Visibility
Seven Ways to Improve Your AI Search Results
Why LinkedIn Is Becoming Increasingly Important for AI Search Visibility
What AI Knows About You and Why It Matters More Than Ever
The AI Prompt I Use When I Need Better LinkedIn Content Ideas
What Professionals Should Know About AI and LinkedIn
What Happens When Someone Asks AI About You? Start With LinkedIn
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