LinkedIn is a money printer.

But most don’t use it right.

I made a list of 37 profitable LinkedIn tips and tricks that almost nobody takes advantage of. If you do, you'll quickly become a top-1% user on the platform.

For professionals, that'll mean more job interviews, attention from hiring managers, and connections with recruiters.

For freelancers and entrepreneurs, it'll mean more clients, customers, and followers.

For everyone, it'll mean growing a larger following and network. Plus, if you combine these with my LinkedIn growth services, you'll get even better and faster results.

I've used these to turn LinkedIn into a $300k+ per year income stream. Now they're yours...

1. Use LinkedIn Search Correctly

One example:

• Search a term like “CMO”
• Click “people”
• Filter in a variety of ways
• Do personalized outreach
• Get clients/jobs/etc.

You can also pay for Sales Navigator (more on that later in the article) if you want to make this system more efficient.

No matter what, you want to be targeted and systemized when searching for people to add to your network.

2. Put A Keyword In Your Profile

People use LinkedIn search all the time. That includes employers, possible clients, and recruiters.

If you have a keyword in there (e.g. software developer), they’ll be more likely to find you.

Identify your most important keyword(s) and organically put them in your bio. Just make sure you don't "keyword stuff." That's never a good look.

3. Optimize Your Header Photo

Most LinkedIn users leave it blank or put a low-effort photo up.

Invest in making your visually appealing with good copywriting.

You can make it yourself in Canva or hire someone on Upwork or Fiverr. At a minimum, make it clearly say what you do. Optimally, add a differentiator and/or proof of your competence to it too.

4. Optimize Your Profile Photo

At the very least, make sure it's a high-resolution picture that clearly shows your face.

If you want, you can get a bit fancier by adding a colored background.

Lots of the biggest accounts match the color scheme of their profile photo and header photo to create a cohesive brand.

5. Personalize your URL

“Jeff-4325245343554” doesn’t look great.

Hit the “public profile & URL” edit button and try a few URLs until you find one that’s not already taken.

This will be harder if you have the world’s most generic name, like me, but it's worth doing. Every time someone shares your profile, they'll think you're a bit more professional.

6. Consider Using Creator Mode

This gives you a few useful tools for content creators.

The rule of thumb here is that if you're primarily looking for connection and not creating much content, don't use it.

On the other hand, if you want followers and you are publishing a lot of content, you should turn Creator Mode on.

7. Use Social Proof

My bio mentions results I’ve gotten for clients, my header shows results driven for clients, and I lead my About section with case studies.

Other people will mention big-name past employers or famous companies they’ve worked with.

If you have anything like that, use it. Social proof and proof of results are two of your best sales tools, no matter what you sell.

8. Create Content

You don’t need to be a full-time creator to post. You can do something like 3x a week instead.

That’s enough to get some leverage. It’ll also likely make your profile more appealing to employers.

If you're very serious about LinkedIn, you can post 5 or more times per week. I post every day.

9. Promote Yourself

If you sell a service, mention it in posts and DMs often. It's especially effective when you share results, like an outcome you drove for a client.

If you sell a product or are trying to get a job, do the same thing.

As long as you're not obnoxiously bragging, you should promote yourself often. Some great ways to do so are talking about your results, your story, your opinions, results driven for clients, and results driven for customers.

10. Add a Link With a Custom CTA

LinkedIn used to not have profile links.

A couple years ago, they started letting you add a link with a customized call-to-action text.

Pick your most important offer, make a link for it, and put it on your profile. Or, you can highlight your work or yourself with a portfolio or personal website. At the time I'm writing this, you can either do a profile-only link, or you can use a link that shows up underneath your bio when you post (this is for premium plan accounts only). I use the premium button so more people see that I have a newsletter.

11. Add Contact Info

This is another thing you can do while editing your profile.

It makes it easier for people to reach you.

Especially ones who prefer email over LinkedIn DMs. You might be surprised at how many people have this preference and will give you an opportunity if they can easily find your email.

12. Send Personalized Connection Requests

Most LinkedIn users never connect with anyone. This limits their potential network size.

Many others don't personalize those requests, which leads to fewer acceptances.

Come up with a good template or personalize every request, then send it to people you actually want to talk to. That's how you build the best relationships and earn the most money.

13. Maximize Your Experience Section

Job name and title are fine, but they don't generate interest.

Describe your experience in a way that makes you appealing to hire, use proof of results, and/or use social proof like testimonials from former employers.

Also consider adding media like images or links. I put links to Copyblogger Academy and my personal site in mine.

14. Optimize Your About Section

Make your About section appealing to readers.

This isn't just your story. It’s your story told in a way that leads to your desired outcome.

For example, don’t just talk about your experience. Talk about delivering outcomes to past clients/employers. My About section starts with 5 of my best case studies. That tells people what I do, but it also builds trust and desire instead of just being a plain description.

15. Maybe Add Non-Core Profile Sections

There are some profile sections that aren't standard but might be useful for you.

For example, volunteer work might be a strength of yours. You can add a section specifically for that.

There are many other non-core sections to choose from too. Take a look at them and see if any apply to you.

16. Follow Up On Connections

Don’t just get connections and collect them like Pokémon cards.

After they accept, start conversations. Ask questions. See if they want to talk more.

If you have nothing to sell them, mention that right away. Find a balance between being casual while also pushing the interaction forward.

17. Keep Up With Connections

You can do better than just talking once.

If you enjoy someone or think there is mutual benefit in collaborating, reach out periodically.

You can even set reminders to do this once every few months. You can also pitch them on some sort of strategic partnership, like engaging with each other's posts every day.

18. Comment In Your Niche

You don’t need to be a high-volume creator to benefit from the content side of LinkedIn.

Comments on people’s posts and reply to comments from other smaller accounts in their replies.

That’ll get you connections and maybe some followers too. It also creates familiarity so that when you send a connection request later on, they're more likely to accept.

19. Use Images & Carousels

They make your posts more appealing and add length to them so they’re more eye-catching.

For carousels, turn useful information into a PDF and post it as a document. You can do this in Canva.

For images, build them in Canva, pay someone else to, or occasionally post photos of yourself. I've found that text-based photos work best. That includes ones that look like tweet screenshots and infographics.

20. Experiment With Video

Though carousels and images seem to do best, videos can be good too, and they build trust by showing your audience who you are.

That's especially true now that LinkedIn is pushing a TikTok-like feed on their app.

Consider adding them to your content strategy. Best case, they grow your brand quickly. Worse case, they just build some familiarity with your followers.

21. Create A Posting System

First, choose a schedule like M, W, F, all weekdays, or every day. Then, choose a time where your followers are active (I've found 7am-10am Eastern time works well for most people).

You can also create a thematic schedule if that helps you. That might be something like: quick tip on Monday, personal story on Wednesday, and inspiration on Friday.

Lastly, execute on that system weekly. Predictability helps you be consistent.

22. Get Inspiration From Others

You can read other people’s posts, find a resonant angle/idea in them, and then create a post based on it that’s entirely original.

All creators do this. Some stick to LinkedIn only. Others go outside of it and find ideas on X, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and more.

If you plan to start posting content, get ideas from established creators in your niche, then put your own spin on them and inject your experiences.

23. Build A Simple Website

It doesn't have to have a blog or be complicated in any way.

It can just be a one-pager with important links, contact info, and/or your work.

It's professional and will likely get you more leads than just relying on DMs and connection requests. When I added a form to my profile, my leads generated doubled overnight. Some people just prefer doing that over messaging you.

24. Use Your Featured Section

My favorite use is linking to my most important offer.

That might mean a Typeform to collect leads, a Calendly to book calls, a newsletter opt-in page, a product sales page, or a landing page for yourself or a service.

I recommend having three links at most. Ideally, have just one so people don't get distracted. by the others. I don't recommend featuring your top past posts, an article you wrote, an on-LinkedIn newsletter, or anything else. That doesn't help you much.

25. Get Personal

Tell your story and share your opinions.

Only posting useful information is good, but people want more than that. Talk about your experiences and what you believe.

Do it in a way that’s appealing to your audience. That's how you get true fans, not just followers.

26. Use P.S. Plugs

Add a “P.S.” to the end of your posts.

Put a little advertisement in it, ask a question that gets replies, or ask people to repost your post.

Almost everyone reads the PS. Use it. Or, just put a separator of some kind between the post and the plug, but still plug at the end.

27. Use My Posting Approach

Every day, I write a widely appealing text-based photo.

It looks like a tweet screenshot, and it hits a strong emotion or delivers a valuable insight.

Then, in the text portion, I relate that concept to myself, my story, my opinions, results I've driven for clients, and my offer. The photo gets engagement, then the text portion creates true fans, clients, and customers.

28. Sell a Lot

There's this idea in the content world and in the world of LinkedIn that you need to be subtle.

People will tell you to "deliver value" and "create relationships" for months before selling anything.

You shouldn't constantly be asking people for things, but if you sell something, then sell it. I do so in every post, and if I want to sell someone something with a DM, I come right out and say it. There's nothing wrong with being direct.

29. Use Sales Navigator

If you want to sell with cold outreach, Sales Navigator is going to be your best friend.

Use it to create targeted leads lists that you can then message or connect with.

Without this tool, your sales outreach will be unorganized and a lot less effective.

30. Hire a Branding Professional

People are more likely to follow you and hire you if your graphics are professional and all match each other.

Consider getting a branding kit done, where a design pro makes your header, profile photo background, and a template for text-based photos.

This doesn't have to be expensive. Many talented people will charge under $100 for a service like this.

31. Connect Intentionally

Lots of LinkedIn users just connect with everyone they possibly can and think that this will lead to more opportunities.

It doesn't. You should only connect with people who might hire you, buy from you, or do what you do and seem like someone you want to know.

The first two lead to increasing your earnings. The second one expands your network.

32. Be Upfront

When I send a DM that's meant to sell, I make it pretty clear that I'm selling something. No "Hi, how are you?" before going into a pitch.

When I send a DM that's just for networking, I make it clear that I'm not selling anything. Sometimes, I even write "I'm not selling anything."

People appreciate it when you make your intentions known right away.

33. Share Exciting News

News is one of the best ways to get engagement and more exposure to other users.

If you get a new job or start a new business, tell everyone about it.

There's a good chance they'll be happy for you, congratulate you, and engage with your post.

34. Experiment With Groups

There are a lot of valuable people hanging out in LinkedIn groups.

At the same time, these groups are filled with sales pitches and a lot of noise.

It really depends on which industry you're in and which group you're a part of. They're worth exploring, though.

375. Consider an Engagement Group

Engagement groups or groups of people in a similar niche that like and reply to each other's posts.

If you're creating content, consider doing this. It makes a huge difference.

Or, read the point below to learn how to pay to get even better results.

36. Get a Personal Brand Growth Coach

Okay, fine. I'll admit it. This is a mini pitch for what I do.

If you want to grow your following on LinkedIn, the best thing you can do is have a large account or two engage with your posts, which shows your posts to those people's followers.

My partner and I have a combined 170,000 followers. We also do coaching and education. Click here to apply.

37. Understand The Nature Of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is not just a place to make money. It’s a massive virtual networking event.

Treat it like that instead of robotically selling all the time. I told you earlier that you should sell a lot, but you should do it tactically. Be upfront about what you sell, but don't pressure people or be obnoxious. Just like you wouldn't do that at a networking event.

Reply, connect, start conversations, have fun, and be you.

That’s how you win long-term.