As a big LinkedIn user, I am often inspired by content creators who post often. However, Craig Davis caught my eye because he has taken a refreshing approach to growing his LinkedIn following to over 24K since the pandemic.

With just under 1K followers in May 2020, Craig wanted to get serious about LinkedIn because he wanted to build his network before he needed it. However, he was shy and didn’t really know how to stand out. With a friend, he started attending Creative Morning events where creators shared interesting facts about different topics like job hunting or writing. He took notes throughout these sessions and shared his learnings in his first LinkedIn post.

Craig eventually realized that he could replicate this approach of sharing learnings and takeaways without having to make his own posts all the time. This led him to work on being a better commenter with the goal of helping others. It took a lot of time for him to feel his way around the platform, and he also found some peers who showed him the ropes on how to stand out.

Once he had a knack for leaving value driven comments on thought leader posts, he started getting attention from those influencers’ followers, and even got shoutouts from them. Craig would also attend LinkedIn sessions and create slide decks to share his takeaways.

Craig’s Tips & Approach

1. Figure out which topics you’re interested in and find thought leaders who resonate with you and follow their content closely. For example, Craig enjoyed creators like Justin Welsh, Austin Belcak, and Jasmin Alić.
2. Be consistent with commenting on thought leader posts everyday to develop your presence and familiarity in that space. Be as early as you can to post a comment because more people will see it as the post picks up reach.
3. Leave value driven comments that show you paid attention, agree or rephrase what you learned, and add your own thoughts and expertise from your own experiences. You can still thank the author for taking the time to share the post. If you don’t know a topic very well, try asking a question! Avoid generic comments like “great post, thanks for sharing!”.
4. Be mindful of what you post because people are noticing and watching what you do and who you are online is also who you are offline. Don’t leave a comment that makes people regret connecting with you because your personal brand is your personal credibility. As you build trust and rapport, people will start recognizing you as a high value connection who they should pay attention to.
5. Write for the people who would want to listen to you. The LinkedIn algorithm is always changing, but Craig recommends listening to Richard Van Der Blom for tips.

If you don’t put yourself out there, you’re not going to get anywhere—on LinkedIn and in life.

craig davis

Thanks for reading!

Thank you to Craig for sharing his tips and advice to help us amplify our LinkedIn presence through the art of commenting. Please follow his hashtag #CraigNotes on LinkedIn if you’re interested in seeing his future content and check out his top performing posts:

• What if you don’t post everyday on LinkedIn?
• How to Achieve 6-Figure Success on LinkedIn from Austin Belcak