The Dirty Little Secret of the ‘LinkedIn Famous’
“Over 1 million impressions! Can you believe it only led to 1 newsletter sign up and 0 dollars?!”
This is what the ghostwriting agency owner said to us on the writing team after a post went viral on Twitter.
Here’s what’s shocking… this is not uncommon. Back when I was ghostwriting… I saw this a lot.
Everyone aiming to get likes and impressions (the vanity metrics).
All which led to nearly no clients signed which means… no money.
This showed me firsthand why being respected online by your niche is FAR more important than being liked.
I took this approach to my LinkedIn content and guess what happened?
I grew slow.
I definitely wasn’t ‘LinkedIn famous’.
But I hit my first $5K month with less than 5K followers. I also went on to hit my first $10K month with less than 7K followers. Proving to me once again the dirty little secret I learned while writing for the ghostwriting agency…
→ You want your dream clients to respect you more than they like you.
Respect vs Likeability
I can already hear you saying, "But I've always been told people only buy from those they like."
While it is true… there’s more nuance to it, so I'll start with this…
I’m not saying be hated or go out of your way to not be liked… I’m saying aim to be a respected authority first
The more they respect you… the more they will like you over time. But the more they like you doesn’t mean they’ll respect you as an authority more
The key word here is ‘more’. You want more respect than likeability… not 0 likeability.
When I tell my clients who are new to my world this, their biggest fear is the algorithm. They think aiming for authority will tank their posts and make them invisible. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you saying that it won’t have in impact on your reach…
But just remember the story I told you about the viral post in the beginning (1 million impression → 1 newsletter sign up).
Reach does not = clients or money.
Respect and authority does.
You don’t have to be dull, cold, and unapproachable to do it either. All you need to do is show the people you can help that you’re great at what you do and can get them results. Think about it like this…
If you’re trying to lose weight and gain muscle, would you rather pay someone $3000 to help you who:
You like them, they seem cool, but they’ve never helped someone do it before (and is out of shape).
OR…
Someone who has helped 50+ people do it, is in great shape, but maybe isn’t the most outgoing or likeable.
When your money is on the line… you’re going for #2.
Credibility Over Time
Don’t worry if you don’t feel like a full-on expert yet. We’ve all been there at some point.
You need to keep stacking proof. Even small wins, you have to share them publicly. Your credentials and status rise as you go, they’re not a prerequisite. (Just don’t lie or make up results). But the longer you stay in the lane of being seen only as a likeable peer… you’ll struggle to magnetize high value clients. You’ll also stay stuck in the dopamine trap chasing vanity metrics.
Above all else, you need to realize higher respect leads to the ability to:
Charge premium prices
Say no to certain people
Magnetize your dream clients to you
Perception is everything.
So command respect, the likeability factor will follow after. I can't stress this enough.
2 weeks ago, I got one of my clients to send an email to a client of her own that kept responding to her messages late and paying her invoice late.
I won’t tell you what the email said exactly… but let’s just say it demanded respect from her client in a polite way…
The client apologized, signed up to an automatic subscription (no more late invoices), and agreed to respond within 24 hours.
That’s the power this has. And when it comes to your content, something I didn’t mention before is…
Be Bold
Being too agreeable and aiming for broad engagement stops you from taking bold stances on topics. Which forces you into the same broad vanilla content that’s all over LinkedIn right now.
From now on…
Stop checking your LinkedIn notifications and start checking your Stripe balance.
This will force you to focus on the things that actually matter… doing business.
Start writing content with relevance to who you help. Speak to them only. Help them solve their pains, fears, and worries. Show them how they can get closer to their dreams and desires.
Then position yourself as the bridge for them to get there.
That’s it. That’s the game.
That's how you earn respect and build authority.
And that’s the difference between the solopreneurs who actually make money and sign clients using LinkedIn and the ones who don’t.
Now go take 1 action today that will earn you more respect from the people who matter the most…
Your dream clients.
