Most people overcomplicate LinkedIn. This is the simplest way that I've found to use it for generating new business.

Most people overcomplicate LinkedIn.

They think they need to spend hours writing content, mastering algorithms, or building massive audiences.

You don’t.

If you’re a business owner, founder, or sales professional, you just need a simple, actionable strategy that drives ROI.

This guide will show you exactly how to use LinkedIn to generate leads and sales—without the fluff.

Step 1: Build a Custom LinkedIn Feed

You can’t create effective content without understanding what resonates in your industry. A custom feed ensures you’re constantly learning from the best.

• Follow the Right People:
• Identify 5-20 industry peers, leaders, or competitors who consistently post valuable content.
• These should be people whose audiences overlap with your target market.
• Set Notifications to “All”:
• Go to their profiles, click the bell, and select “All” to see every post they make.
• This creates a personal feed of content tailored to your goals.
• Why It Works:
• By studying the content that performs well in your niche, you’ll quickly understand what resonates with your audience.

Don't forget to also remove all notifications that aren't helpful for you, such as birthdays, job changes, and the like. You can do this by clicking on the three dots next to the notification type and selecting "Show less like this." Warning: if you do this for any post notification, it may affect your post notifications. You can always visit your LinkedIn notification settings to reset this if you mess up.

Step 2: Start Commenting

Engagement builds visibility and credibility. You don’t need to post right away to make an impact—start by joining the conversation.

• Add thoughtful comments to posts from the people in your curated feed.
• Aim for 1-2 comments per week to start, and gradually increase as you build confidence.

Why It Works:

• Comments show up on your profile under “Activity,” so even if you haven’t posted yet, your insights are visible.
• This builds awareness and positions you as someone worth following.
• If someone visits your account, they'll be able to see that you're active on LinkedIn (win for trust-building) AND get an idea of how you think (which you want in order to attract great buyers).

Step 3: Start Posting Consistently

Once you’ve built momentum by commenting, it’s time to share your own content.

• Focus on Pain Points:
• Think about your ideal clients or customers. What keeps them up at night? What are they struggling with?
• Create posts that identify those pain points and provide simple, actionable solutions.
• Post Weekly:
• Start with one post per week. Consistency is key.
• Don’t aim for perfection—focus on being useful and relatable.

Stuck? Remember Step 1.

Not sure what to post? Take notes from the leaders you follow. What topics are trending? How can you add your own perspective? This is why step 1 is so important. If you surround yourself with influential people in your niche, your content will improve as you learn what's working and what resonates with your shared audience.

Step 4: Use the Content Buddy System™

Consistency is the hardest part of LinkedIn—so don’t do it alone.

Here’s how to simplify your content creation:

• Find a Buddy:
• Pair up with someone you trust, like a colleague, peer, or mentor.
• Schedule a monthly 1-hour call to discuss industry trends, challenges, and success stories.
• Record the Session:
• Use Zoom or any recording tool to capture the conversation.
• Platforms like Opus AI can turn these recordings into short video clips.
• Repurpose the Content:
• Turn the video clips into LinkedIn posts (both video and text).
• Use the transcript to draft posts and refine them with tools like ChatGPT.

In just one hour per month, you’ll generate enough content for the entire month—without ever staring at a blank screen.

Step 5: Combine One-to-Many with One-to-One

To maximize ROI, you need to pair content with personal outreach. If you skip this step, you'll join the thousands of people who complain that "they tried posting and it didn't work." Unless you have 100,000 followers or more, you must be willing to start conversations in the DMs to make LinkedIn work for you.

Start with Warm Leads

Focus your efforts on people who’ve already shown some level of interest or knowledge of your industry:

• Profile Viewers:
• Use LinkedIn’s profile viewer feature to see who’s checking you out.
• Prioritize those who match your partner profile or ideal client criteria.
• Engaged Connections:
• Look for people who’ve liked, commented on, or shared your content or on the content of your network (remember step 1? Yep, here's another reason why you want to have a custom LinkedIn feed).
• These individuals are familiar with you or your industry and more likely to respond positively.
• New Connections:
• Message those who’ve recently connected with you.
• They’re already open to a conversation since they accepted your request.

Open with Curiosity

The key to a great DM is making it about them. Your first message should spark curiosity and invite a response.

Effective Openers for Warm Leads:

• “Hi [Name], I noticed you viewed my profile—was there something specific you were interested in?”
• “Hey [Name], I saw you checked out my profile. Just curious, what caught your attention?”

For New Connections:

• “Thanks for connecting! I’m curious—what made you want to click on that connect button?”
• “Hi [Name], great to connect. How did you come across my profile?”

Build Rapport Before Diving In

Don’t rush into business talk. Start with genuine curiosity about their goals or interests. This builds trust and makes the conversation feel natural.

• Look for context clues in their profile, such as shared interests, recent posts, or work experience.
• Use an authentic, unscripted tone:
• “I noticed you’re in [industry]—what are you focused on these days?”
• “It looks like you’ve been working on [specific project]. That’s fascinating—how’s it going?”

Embrace Asynchronous Sales

LinkedIn DMs are rarely instant back-and-forth chats. You’re playing the long game, so patience is key.

Tips for Managing Asynchronous Sales:

• Stay Persistent: If someone doesn’t reply immediately, follow up a week later with a light touch.
• “Hey [Name], just checking in! Curious if my last message landed—no rush.”
• Focus on Adding Value: Share a relevant resource, insight, or idea that aligns with their goals or challenges.
• “I came across this article on [topic] and thought it might be helpful for you.” (Bonus points if you share content you've created that's relevant to them. See Step 4.)
• Avoid Over-Pitching: Let the relationship develop naturally. If they express interest in your expertise, then transition to discussing your services.

Learn from the Best

Mastering DMs takes practice. To refine your approach:

• Follow Dr. Nancy Zare and Darren Gibb, who are experts in conversational selling and LinkedIn outreach.
• Study their tips to better balance curiosity, value, and relationship-building in your messages.

Combining one-to-many (content) with one-to-one (DMs) ensures you’re creating both visibility and meaningful connections. Thoughtful outreach turns casual LinkedIn activity into a steady pipeline of opportunities.

The ROI of This Approach

This strategy isn’t about going viral or becoming an influencer.

It’s about building trust, creating visibility, and turning LinkedIn into a pipeline for your business.

With just 1-2 hours per week, you can:

• Increase your visibility with your ideal audience.
• Build relationships that lead to real sales conversations.
• Position yourself as a thought leader in your niche.

You don’t need to spend hours on LinkedIn to see results.

Start by following 5-20 leaders, engaging with their content, and using the Content Buddy System™ to simplify your own content creation.