I think there’s a misconception here that if you are not a thought leader, influencer, business owner, or job seeker, there’s no place for you on LinkedIn.

I posted a poll a couple of days ago here on LinkedIn, asking people which category they fall into. I asked, “What are you?” The options I gave people to choose from were full-time employee, business owner, and job seeker. The final option was “none of the above”, when I invited people to comment.

Thank you to everyone who voted or who will vote! The results as of yesterday afternoon were:

43% Full-Time Employee 39% Business Owner 11% Job Seeker 6% None of the above

There are millions of people employed, and here on LinkedIn, and I assume the vast majority want to be more visible on this platform.

Those people are my audience too, I don’t just talk to business owners. If you are an FTE, “Hello, Hola, How you doin’?”

About six weeks ago, I pivoted from business owner to full-time employee, and now my LinkedIn newsletter is going to pivot and expand, too.

I last posted this newsletter in January, and over the past three months, even though I haven’t posted, it has still gained more subscribers. This newsletter now has more than 9,000. If you’re one of my subscribers, thank you. I feel a responsibility to keep this up. I also know that a LinkedIn newsletter creates permanent, searchable, and authoritative content that ranks on both Google and AI.

When I launched this newsletter 4 years ago, I wrote up the description to say “Deanna’s take on her triangle strategy for LinkedIn and juggling a business (Leverage Up) and family…it can be done!”

Well, now that my priorities have changed, we are switching that description up to “Deanna’s take on boosting your visibility here on LinkedIn while juggling a full-time job or a business and a family, too!”

OK, now on to the lesson that I’ve learned after starting my new job.

When I started my new job in mid-February, I knew I wouldn’t be posting as much, but looking back, I’ve still managed to post at least a couple of times a week and comment daily.

Gotta make the time, and I learned that it can be done. I’ve posted 15 times since I was hired.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t pass along this friendly reminder: if you’re just shouting from your megaphone (posting content) and not shaking hands (commenting), you’re missing out on an important part of LinkedIn, the conversations.

Sometimes I’ll comment to boost visibility for someone’s content. After all, if a post has lots of reactions but not as many comments, that person usually really appreciates that comment. Reactions are equivalent to going to that networking event, giving a thumbs-up, and leaving. Conversations happen in the comments. The like factor is built into the comments.

Just think: 15 minutes a day, and even a mom with three kids who’s juggling a ridiculous number of sports and activities can manage 15 minutes of commenting a day.

➡️ I am no longer using a signature. Time to go back to ending the posts without one.

Just sign off with a question like What do you think of my latest newsletter? Do you agree that commenting is where conversations happen?