How to Build Your Brand on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become the de facto platform for tech professionals to build credibility, attract opportunities, and grow their network, but most people are doing it wrong. This week we sat down with Shamus Madan, founder of Dealroom Media, to discuss what actually works when it comes to building a personal brand on LinkedIn.

‍ Shamus has helped numerous founders, engineers, and executives turn LinkedIn into a real growth channel, and in this session he broke down the strategy behind high-performing content, from the anatomy of a great hook to why "spammy" has nothing to do with how often you post.‍ ‍

Here are 6 takeaways from the conversation.

1. The strongest posts combine emotion, value, and credibility

‍High-performing LinkedIn content does three things at once: it creates an emotional reaction, teaches something useful, and gives the reader a reason to trust the author. Posts that are missing any one of these three elements can struggle to gain traction.

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2. The hook is the single most important part of a post

Readers decide within seconds whether to keep reading. The most effective hooks create curiosity, present a surprising result, reference a recognizable company, or take a contrarian stance - anything that makes someone stop scrolling and click "see more."

3. You don't need a large audience to get significant reach

‍ One case study shared during the webinar featured a Head of Engineering with just 2,700 followers. A single recruiting post he wrote generated 400,000 views and more than 160 qualified applicants from companies like Apple, Meta, and Google. The lesson: great content consistently outperforms audience size.

4. Authenticity beats sounding like a "LinkedIn creator"

‍The biggest mistake professionals make is shifting their voice to match what they think LinkedIn content is supposed to sound like. Audiences pick up on inauthenticity quickly, and performance suffers.‍ ‍

5. "Spammy" comes from repetition, not frequency

Posting often isn't the problem. But posting the same story, the same themes, or the same talking points over and over is. Variety in topics matters far more than how frequently you publish.‍ ‍

6. Share insights others can't easily replicate

Some of the best-performing content comes from lessons learned on the job, surprising data points, industry observations, or conversations with experts. Original perspectives consistently beat generic advice. Tie topics to personal experience and moments of growth.‍ ‍

7. Optimize for people first, algorithms second

Platform mechanics change constantly, but the underlying principle doesn't: create content people genuinely want to read, share, save, and discuss. Algorithm tactics can offer incremental gains, but audience relevance drives the majority of performance.

Want more takeaways? Login to see all 10 takaways or watch the full recording of the conversation with Shamus Madan, including audience Q&A.

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