If you asked most people how to get more out of LinkedIn, they’d probably tell you to grow your network. They’re not wrong.

Building your network is important, but I think we’ve become so focused on making new connections that we’ve stopped paying attention to the people who are already in our network. That’s unfortunate because many of the best opportunities I’ve had through LinkedIn didn’t happen because I connected with someone. They happened because one of us reached out after we connected and kept the conversation going.

Accepting a connection request doesn’t automatically create a relationship. It creates an opportunity to build one, but that only happens if someone continues the conversation. In many cases, another connection is added to the network and both people move on. Weeks or months later they’re still connected, but they’ve never actually had a conversation. I believe that’s one of the biggest networking opportunities people miss on LinkedIn.

If you think about how networking works anywhere else, this becomes much more obvious. If you met someone at a conference and had a great conversation, you probably wouldn’t exchange business cards and never speak again. You’d send a follow-up email, connect on LinkedIn or make a point of saying hello the next time your paths crossed. That’s how professional relationships grow. They aren’t built during a single interaction. They’re built by staying in touch.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve started treating LinkedIn differently. People spend a lot of time looking for new people to connect with but very little time getting to know the people who are already part of their network. That’s unfortunate because many of the best opportunities I’ve had over the years started with conversations that happened after we connected, not because we connected in the first place.

One of the things that still amazes me about LinkedIn is how often opportunities come from people I’ve never met in person. Over the years, I’ve had people reach out about consulting projects after following my content for months. I’ve been invited to speak because someone had been reading my posts for a long time before introducing themselves. I’ve developed referral relationships with people who started out as complete strangers on LinkedIn. None of those opportunities happened overnight, and none of them started with a sales pitch. They happened because we stayed in touch and took the time to get to know each other.

When I’m working with clients, I’ll often ask what they do after someone accepts their connection request. More often than not, the answer is nothing. Some people assume they’ll interact with that person eventually, while others worry that sending a message will come across as too salesy. I understand that hesitation because we’ve all received those awful LinkedIn messages asking us to schedule a meeting before we’ve even had a chance to introduce ourselves.

Introducing yourself is very different from pitching someone. When I connect with someone, I’m not trying to sell them anything. I usually thank them for connecting, tell them a little about what I do, explain why I wanted to connect and ask about their work. If I have an article, newsletter, podcast or other resource that’s genuinely relevant to the conversation, I’ll share it. If I don’t, I don’t force it. I’d much rather start a conversation than immediately ask someone for their time or business.

A message can be as simple as: “Hi Sarah, thanks for connecting. I’ve enjoyed following your content for a while and noticed we both work with law firms. I thought I’d introduce myself. I help lawyers and legal professionals build their personal brands and develop business through LinkedIn and digital marketing. I’d love to learn more about your practice and what you’re working on this year.”

The message isn’t complicated, and that’s the point. It’s friendly, personal and easy to respond to. It gives the other person a reason to continue the conversation without feeling like they’re being sold on something.

Many people overlook one of the warmest audiences they already have: the people who consistently engage with their content. If someone regularly comments on your posts, shares your articles or frequently likes what you’re publishing, they’ve already invested time getting to know your work and your perspective. Yet many professionals never take that relationship beyond the comments section.

Sending a quick note to thank someone for engaging with your content or asking about what they’re working on feels like a natural next step because you’ve already been interacting publicly. In many ways, those conversations are even easier than reaching out to someone you’ve just connected with because there’s already some familiarity between the two of you.

People often wait until they need something before they reach out to their network. They’re looking for a new job, hoping for a referral or trying to bring in business, and that’s when they decide it’s time to reconnect with people.

The conversations usually feel more natural when there’s no agenda. Sending someone a quick congratulations after a promotion, following up after a conference, sharing an article that reminded you of them or asking how a project turned out are all easy ways to stay in touch. None of those interactions take much time, but they help build familiarity and trust, which is exactly what networking is supposed to do.

You also never know which relationship is going to become important later. Someone you connected with today might become a client next year. A former colleague might introduce you to your next speaking engagement. A person who comments on your posts regularly might eventually refer business your way. That’s why it’s worth staying in touch with people before you need anything from them.

The strongest professional relationships usually don’t develop that way. They grow because people make an effort to stay connected. That might mean congratulating someone on a promotion, checking in after an event, sharing an article that reminded you of a previous conversation or asking how a project turned out. None of those interactions take very long, but over time they build familiarity and trust.

One of the things I enjoy most about networking is that you never know which relationship is going to become important later. Someone who comments on your posts today may become a client next year. A former colleague may introduce you to your next speaking opportunity. A person you met at a conference may become a referral source years later. That’s why I encourage people to invest in relationships before they need something from them.

When people ask me how to get more value from LinkedIn, my advice is always the same. Keep growing your network, but spend just as much time building relationships with the people who are already part of it. Reach out to someone who recently accepted your connection request. Send a note to someone who’s been engaging with your content. Reconnect with a former colleague. Follow up with someone you met at a conference. Those conversations don’t need to be long, and they don’t need to end with a request. The important thing is that they happen.

I’ve met some incredible people because of LinkedIn. Some have become clients, some have become referral partners, some have invited me to speak and some have become friends. Looking back, those relationships didn’t develop because we clicked “Connect.” They developed because one of us reached out, stayed in touch and continued the conversation.

The next time someone accepts your connection request, don’t think, “Great, I have another connection.” Think, “Here’s someone I’d like to get to know.” That small shift in mindset can completely change the way you use LinkedIn and, in my experience, leads to much stronger professional relationships over time.

Key Takeaways to Building Stronger Relationships With People Already in Your LinkedIn Network

  • Keep growing your network, but don’t stop there. Accepting a connection request is the beginning of a relationship, not the end of the interaction.
  • Introduce yourself. A thoughtful message is much more effective than an immediate sales pitch. Tell people who you are, why you wanted to connect and ask about their work.
  • Pay attention to the people already engaging with your content. They already know who you are, which makes those conversations much easier to start.
  • Make staying in touch part of your routine. Congratulate people on promotions, reconnect after conferences, send an article that reminded you of them or simply check in from time to time.
  • Think long term. Some of the best opportunities come from relationships you’ve been building for months or even years.
  • Measure the quality of your relationships, not just the size of your network. The number of connections you have is much less important than the number of people who know you, trust you and think of you when an opportunity comes along.

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