Getting the most from LinkedIn: what it actually takes in 2025

There's a lot of criticism about LinkedIn right now, and some of it is fair. But not all of it.

You know the complaints. Too many selfies. Too many personal posts. Too many people saying they're humbled and honoured to be nominated for something. Too many spammers clogging up your inbox with copy-and-paste messages that didn't work in 2019 either.

Here's my take on all three.

Personal posts and selfies aren't the problem

Every supplier I've hired in the last three years came to me through LinkedIn. And in most cases, I hired them because of a personal post or a selfie. Not despite it.

I buy into people before I buy into services. A personal post tells me who someone is. It tells me how they think, what they care about, whether I'd want to spend time with them. That's not noise. That's useful information.

So if you're holding back from posting something personal because you're worried about what people will think, stop. The people who matter won't judge you for it. The people who do judge you for it aren't your clients anyway.

Award nominations deserve more grace than they get

I spent 15 years working in awards and events, so I know better than most that not every award is worth the trophy it's printed on. Some are genuine recognition. Some are money-making schemes dressed up in a nice logo.

But here's what I've learned. When someone posts that they've been nominated for a local award, publicly criticising them says more about you than it does about them. That person might be having a genuinely tough month. Their business might be struggling. That nomination might be exactly what they needed to get through the week. You don't know. So perhaps don't.

Spam is a reminder you're visible

When I get spammed on LinkedIn, I've learned to reframe it. It means I'm visible enough to be worth targeting. That's not nothing.

Business and life are largely about perspective. You don't have to be offended by everything you disagree with. Save the energy for something more useful.

What getting the most from LinkedIn actually looks like

To get real results from LinkedIn in 2025, you need to show up consistently, give value without expecting an immediate return, and build relationships rather than just broadcasting at people. That's the short version.

The longer version is what I cover in the LinkedIn training I run for businesses and teams - everything from how to build your profile properly to how to generate leads without resorting to the kind of messages that end up in this post's opening paragraph.

Why LinkedIn events are worth your time

One of the best things you can do for your LinkedIn presence has nothing to do with what you post. It's getting in a room with other people who take it seriously.

I spoke at Uplift Live in Birmingham earlier this year - the only UK conference dedicated entirely to LinkedIn - and it was one of the best events I've been involved with. Not just because of the quality of the speakers, though that was genuinely impressive. Michelle J Raymond flew in from Australia. AJ Wilcox came from the USA to talk LinkedIn Ads. Ivana Brutenic made the trip from Bratislava. Juma Bannister flew in from Trinidad and Tobago. You don't often see that kind of international line-up at a UK conference.

The full speaker list also included Gus Bhandal, Sam Rathling - whose books are well worth your time - and John Espirian, author of Content DNA and someone I'd trust with my LinkedIn reputation without hesitation.

My own session covered sales lessons from my childhood and how to apply them in 2025. It got the best feedback I've ever received at an event, which still makes me smile.

What made Uplift Live worth attending wasn't just the content. It was the atmosphere. A genuinely welcoming, non-judgmental mix of people from different backgrounds, cultures, and ways of thinking. I'd planned to go before they asked me to speak, which tells you everything.

Keep an eye on Uplift Live for future events. If it runs again, go.

If you want to talk through how to get better results from LinkedIn for your business or your team, get in touch or find out more about the LinkedIn training I run.