This week in the world’s #1 newsletter on leadership communication:
- How to 5X your LinkedIn in 2025
-
Turn Hiring Into Your Greatest Advantage
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How to Negotiate with Pirates
-
The Quiet Power of Words
How to 5X your LinkedIn in 2025
LinkedIn isn’t just another social platform.
It’s your opportunity to:
- Own your narrative
- Connect with 1bn people – i.e. everyone who matters to your business
- Pre-sell through authenticity: Build trust before conversations even start.
But how do you make your profile and content stand out?
Since last year, I 5X’d my LinkedIn to nearly 80,000 which helped me to:
- Grow this newsletter into the #1 in the world on leadership communications
- Generate a constant flow of leads for the business, and
- Secure a TEDx Talk in March.
You may think that LinkedIn is too crowded nowadays and that there is no point in it anymore.
But when you look at the data, it turns out that you can enter the top 1% of users easily – by posting just once per week, which is doable for everyone.
So here’s a quick guide to help elevate your presence and maximize your impact on the platform, following my PACE method.
PACE stands for Profile, Audience, Content, Engagement.
Audit your PROFILE
Your LinkedIn profile is your digital first impression. Here’s how to make it count:
- Photo & Banner: Use a high-quality profile picture and a compelling banner image. Don’t waste that key real estate!
- Unique Value Proposition: State clearly what sets you apart and why people should engage with you.
- Beyond Job Titles: Explain what you bring to the table in a relatable way.
- Click here to get my guide for drafting your About Section.
Write for your AUDIENCE, not the algorithm
- BUT: Work with the algorithm, not against it.
- That means: Don’t niche down – appeal to a large audience to gain traction
- Authenticity First: Avoid AI-generated texts, comments or posts; your voice matters.
CONTENT that Stops the Scroll
LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards quality and consistency. Here’s how to make your content work:
- Focus on Value: Educate, inspire, or entertain your audience. Skip the hard sales pitches.
- Learn and iterate: Post regularly and prioritize quality—your last five posts influence your reach.
- Diversify Your Posts: Share milestones, behind-the-scenes content, or industry insights.
- Try Video: Video content sees 1.4x more engagement. Use subtitles and ensure clarity and relevance.
ENGAGEMENT Strategy
Posting is just one part of the equation. Meaningful interaction drives growth:
- Engage First: Comment and like others’ posts (in that order).
- Timing is Everything: Interact with comments on your posts within the first 30 minutes of posting for the best results.
- Daily Check-In: Spend 15–20 minutes a day connecting with your network.
Pro Tips for Success
- Create Shareable Content: Cheat sheets and visual resources are gold for reach and repurposing.
- Boost Organically: Avoid scheduling tools—LinkedIn’s algorithm penalizes pre-scheduled posts.
- Teamwork Matters: Build an “engagement squad” to support your posts, especially in the first hour.
A lot of people recommend consistency. The problem with that is that you may make the same algorithmic mistakes every day, wasting precious time but staying in impression hell.
Instead, opt for iteration.
Persistency and iteration > consistency and repetition.
THE RECOMMENDATION CORNER
Turn Hiring Into Your Greatest Advantage
Aside from communication, hiring is the ultimate leadership skill. If you want to turn hiring into your greatest advantage, I recommend signing up for the School of Hiring newsletter by Konstanty Sliwowski. He is a serial founder, three-time Speak Like a CEO podcast guest, and a true master in the art and science of hiring.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PODCAST
How to Negotiate with Pirates
I do a podcast to help you become a top 1% communicator. Please subscribe on Apple or Spotify.
Scott Walker is one of the world’s foremost experts on negotiation.
When hostage situations, kidnappings, or cyber-attacks put lives and livelihoods at stake, Scott is the crisis negotiator called in to resolve the chaos.
Having successfully negotiated over 300 high-stakes incidents, Scott shares the field-proven principles from his best-selling book "Order Out of Chaos" - hailed as "A Masterclass in Communication Excellence" by The New York Times.
This week, I am sharing a short clip from my conversation with Scott in which he reveals how to negotiate with pirates, and why kidnappers are just business people looking for a great deal.
For Oliver’s full conversation with Scott, check out episode 239 of the Speak Like a CEO podcast.
Listen on Spotify and Apple:
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
The Quiet Power of Words
If you’re looking for a book that truly reshapes how you think about communication, The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh is a gem. This isn’t about mastering rhetoric or crafting the perfect argument—it’s about the deeper purpose of communication: connection.
Hanh explores how words can be tools for healing and understanding rather than conflict or confusion. He emphasizes mindfulness in every interaction, showing how listening deeply and speaking with intention can transform not just relationships but also your inner peace.
What struck me most is the idea that the quality of our communication is tied to the quality of our thoughts. If we cultivate kindness and clarity within ourselves, it naturally reflects in what we say.
For anyone striving to build meaningful connections—professionally or personally—this book offers a simple but profound guide to using words with care and compassion.
On that note...
Have an inspired weekend,
Oliver
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