His Secret To Blow Up On LinkedIn In 2024

Summary

In this 'Creative Elements' episode, host Jay Clouse interviews Austin Belsack, a LinkedIn influencer with 1.3 million followers. They discuss Austin's journey from a misdirected college graduate to a successful entrepreneur, leveraging LinkedIn for growth. The conversation covers overcoming fears, the importance of aligning with one's aspirations, and the strategy behind Austin's content creation. They delve into the power of networking, the evolution of Austin's posting habits, and his data-driven approach to understanding what resonates with his audience on the platform.

Takeaways

• 😀 Austin Belsack's success on LinkedIn is rooted in his data-driven approach to content creation.
• 😀 Austin's content fits well with LinkedIn's platform, helping him garner over 1.3 million followers.
• 😀 Despite starting with no clear career direction, Austin found alignment and success by shifting his focus to tech companies.
• 😀 Networking and referrals were crucial in Austin's job search strategy, leading to interviews and a position at Microsoft.
• 😀 Austin's LinkedIn content strategy evolved from long-form blog posts to short-form text posts, adapting to algorithm changes.
• 😀 Consistency in posting content on LinkedIn (five times a week) contributed significantly to Austin's growth.
• 😀 Gamifying the networking process helped Austin manage anxiety and improve his outreach effectiveness.
• 😀 Building relationships with other creators and leveraging their feedback played a key role in Austin's continuous improvement.
• 😀 Austin emphasizes the importance of taking advice from people who have achieved what you aim for, rather than from well-meaning but inexperienced sources.
• 😀 Authenticity and genuinely adding value to relationships are central to Austin's approach to networking and content creation.

Q & A

What was Austin Belsack's initial fear when he started using LinkedIn?

Austin was scared about what his employer, friends, and people on the internet would say. He had a lot of fear but recognized that LinkedIn was a clear path to major growth.

How did Austin's experience with a newsletter on LinkedIn contribute to his success?

Austin started a newsletter on LinkedIn as part of their beta program about two years ago. The growth was significant, with hundreds of subscribers per week, eventually reaching over 34,000 subscribers.

What was Austin's background before he became a successful content creator on LinkedIn?

Austin had a background in SEO and marketing, and he had been writing long-form blog posts about job search strategies. He had also gone through a traditional job search process and had to find an alternative way to land interviews at big tech companies.

What advice did Austin receive that significantly impacted his job search strategy?

Austin received advice from a friend to stop taking advice from people who haven't walked the path he's looking to walk. This led him to seek out people who had successfully made similar career transitions and learn from their strategies.

How did Austin's approach to content creation on LinkedIn evolve over time?

Austin initially struggled with creating content that fit within LinkedIn's character limit. He built a backlog of 30 to 50 posts to alleviate the pressure of daily content creation. Over time, he found a cadence that worked for him, posting five times a week on LinkedIn and once a day on Twitter.

What is Austin's current posting cadence on LinkedIn and Twitter?

Austin posts one post a day, five days a week on LinkedIn, taking the weekends off. On Twitter, he posts one tweet a day and one thread per week.

What is the minimum viable cadence Austin suggests for new creators on LinkedIn?

Austin suggests that the minimum viable cadence is probably three posts per week to start seeing meaningful traction.

How does Austin leverage data to drive his content creation on LinkedIn?

Austin keeps a spreadsheet to track the performance of his posts, looking at character count, hook rating, post structure, and themes. He aggregates this data to create a checklist that helps him align future posts with what has been successful.

What was Austin's reaction when he saw his face suggested as someone to follow on LinkedIn alongside well-known figures like Bill Gates and Satya Nadella?

Austin described it as insanity and surreal. He still finds it hard to believe and it never gets old. He considers himself a regular person and doesn't think of himself any differently than when he started on LinkedIn.

How does Austin approach relationships and collaboration with other creators?

Austin enjoys building relationships with like-minded creators. He finds joy in connecting with people who share his values and interests. He also sees these relationships as opportunities for learning, growing, and getting new ideas.

What is Austin's view on using a CRM for managing relationships?

Austin used to use a Google sheet as a CRM for relationships, tracking contact details, dates, and notes. He doesn't use it now, but he believes that having a CRM doesn't make relationships any less authentic; it's the approach to the relationship that matters.