LinkedIn training questions I get asked most often

I've had a brilliant week driving around Northern Ireland delivering LinkedIn training. I also ran sessions for the European Free Trade Association in Iceland and Brussels, both over Zoom.

Whenever I train a group, the same handful of questions come up again and again. So here they are, along with the answers I give in the room.

Where do I get content ideas from?

This is the one people ask most. They assume you need something dramatic to happen before you're allowed to post. You don't.

• Everyday business experience. A conversation with a client, a mistake you made, a lesson from a meeting that went sideways. All of it is content.
• What your clients are thinking about. If three prospects have asked you the same question this month, that's a post. You already know what your audience cares about, you just haven't written it down yet.
• Personal stories. These get the most engagement, and they're often the hardest for people to bring themselves to write. Your career changes, your setbacks, the advice your dad gave you. People connect with people, not with polished corporate updates.
• Occasions and dates. World Book Day, International Women's Day, Mother's Day. These give you a natural hook if you're stuck for a starting point, as long as you connect them to something real rather than posting for the sake of it.

If you're still stuck, look back at your last ten client conversations. There's a post in most of them.

Should I try to go viral on LinkedIn?

No, and I'd actively steer you away from making it a goal.

Going viral means days spent replying to comments from people who will never buy from you. It's nice for the ego, but it doesn't automatically translate into more business. I'd rather you had 50 comments from your actual target audience than 5,000 from people outside it.

What if nobody likes my post?

Everyone starts at the bottom. The only way from there is up.

Nobody is judging you as much as you're judging yourself. People are busy with their own lives, their own targets, their own inboxes. They are not sitting around scrutinising your engagement numbers. Post, learn, adjust, post again.

How long does it take to succeed on LinkedIn?

Some people get enquiries in the first month. For others it takes three to six months. A lot depends on how you define success in the first place.

For me, success isn't just leads. It's helping people win, connecting with my tribe, encouraging others to tell their stories, and raising awareness for charities I care about. The sales follow because I show up consistently and because I invest heavily in coaching for myself, not because I'm chasing a number.

If you're only measuring success in enquiries, you'll give up before it has a chance to work. Measure the consistency first.

Is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth paying for?

If you're scaling a business with a growing team, Sales Navigator can be a genuine advantage. It gives you better filtering, saved searches, and visibility into who's changed roles.

But here's the big however: if you can't write an effective email and you don't know how to sell, Sales Navigator is a waste of money. It's a prospecting tool. It won't write your outreach for you, and it definitely won't have the conversation for you.

Buy it once you know how to:

• Write an effective first message or email
• Write an effective follow-up when someone goes quiet

Get those two things right first. Then Sales Navigator becomes a multiplier instead of an expensive way to find more people to ignore your messages.

What actually gets results on LinkedIn?

Content gets you seen. Conversations get you clients. The bit people skip is the follow-up.

Most salespeople send one message, hear nothing back, and assume the prospect isn't interested. In reality, they're probably just busy. I've written a full breakdown of how to write a follow-up email that actually gets a reply, because this single skill will do more for your pipeline than any amount of viral content.

Combine consistent posting with proper follow-up, and that's where the results actually come from. Not from a big single post. Not from a tool. From showing up and following through.

If you want to get better results for yourself, your business, or you'd like me to speak at your event, get in touch.