“You are the average of the 5 people you spend most time with” – Jim Rohn.

It has been my experience too.  The more I followed a particular blogger, the more my writing and through processes became similar to theirs.  I did not realize this, until a colleague at work commented.  (Incidentally she said she liked the way I come up with “3 points” for any argument!).

So, here are 3 steps in which you can find and engage with influencers on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn, because that is the best forum for career professionals and business owners, with more than 810 million members.  Most members put out content and share thoughts on that platform.

  1. Identify influencers:

Strategically pick out 5 influencers and reach out.  Connect to them or follow them on LinkedIn. 

2. Read and Engage with their content:

Read, engage and share their content on the forum.  You may have to tweak your feed settings or unfollow and follow others, until you strike a good balance of feed quantity and quality.

Hit the “like” button, offer compliments where appropriate and ask questions.  Best way to engage is to comment.  Do this only if you can add value or provide insights.

3. Reference them in your content:

There are two ways in which you can get their attention. 

One is by referencing them in your content.  Provide due credit to their piece if you are referencing.  Or put out their story, provided you have been following them for a while, and have permission to do so.

Another way is to respond to other comments and questions on their posts. This is something that the author or post creator does.  And when a follower takes on this role, it gets their attention.  Again, do so only when you can add value and have the right information to satisfy the question.

Following key influencers has huge advantages.  It improves your skills, thinking and writing.  It shows your interest and expertise on a particular topic.  Your comments help you get noticed.  When the influencer shares your content, or “comments”likes” on your comment, you are exposed to their huge audience.

Accelevaite provides guides and courses help you write better and get noticed. This post shows examples on how you can engage influencers and grow your outreach.  Better writing is a sure way to find your next job, get customers to take action and generally have your ideas and thoughts recognized.