​

Read Time: 3 minutes

​
How I Went From 0 to 639,643 Followers on LinkedIn
​

At the start of 2024, I had the fastest-growing account on LinkedIn.

I grew my profile from 0 to 272,000 followers in just 12 months. Today, I'm at over 639,643 followers - and I'm still growing at a rate of 112,341 new followers per month.

Today, it drives over $200,000 in MRR for Founder OS through the Organic Content Funnel.

All without spending a single cent on paid ads.

But I'm no special case.

I've given this exact advice to thousands of founders...

Many of them started with little experience and no LinkedIn presence.

People just like you.

I've advised hundreds more founders to achieve the same kind of explosive growth. And they've done it by following 7 key steps I'll be outlining for you in this edition.

Here's how to get your first 100,000 LinkedIn followers (and turn it into a money-printer):

---

Get $1,000 for Each Founder You Refer to Founder OS

This week, by popular request, we launched the Founder OS referral program.

Here’s how it works:

1. You send your unique referral link to a Founder:
   https://www.founderos.com/claim?referred_by=[REFERRAL_ID GOES HERE]
2. They join Founder OS
3. We pay you $1,000

There’s no limit to the amount of referrals you can make.

So, who do you know who’d benefit from Founder OS?

But now, back to growing your LinkedIn to 100,000 followers…

---

7 Steps to Get Your First 100,000 LinkedIn Followers

Step 1: Set Up Your Money-making Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is a salesperson who works 24/7.

It's the first thing people see about you and your brand - you can't afford to be sloppy here.

A few quick tips:

1. Get a great headshot that makes you look confident and trustworthy. Use natural light, try different angles, and hire a pro photographer if you can. It makes a difference.
2. Write an attention-grabbing headline. that quickly shows a) who you are and b) how you help people. Try to make people associate you with a big idea.
3. Turn your summary into the ultimate trust-building piece. Share your story, qualifications, and how you help people in a short, interesting way.
4. Add social proof. Whatever makes you stand out - media mentions, big-name clients, and stand-out accomplishments. Build trust.
5. Create a tasteful cover image. Get creative to show your brand visually.

​(steal my ultimate LinkedIn profile checklist for step-by-step)​

If you want an example, my team & I spent 100s of hours optimizing my profile:​

Step 2: Post Original Content Regularly

Posting is how you build real connections with your audience. The more people engage with and reshare your posts, the faster your follower count will climb.

Try to post once per day, if you can. But start with a schedule you can manage, even if that's just 2-3 times per week. Being consistent matters most.

To figure out what to post, make 4 lists:

• What you're good at
• What you can get paid for
• What the world needs
• What you love to do

The overlap in the middle is your Ikigai. But it's also your content strategy.

Then, match your Ikigai with the proven content formats:

• Tips
• Tools
• Facts
• Stories
• Guides
• Systems
• Mistakes
• Summaries
• Frameworks
• Industry breakdowns

Our goal is to give away our best stuff and be as generous as possible with our knowledge.

Step 3: Create Must-Read, Click-Worthy Content

The first 3 lines of your LinkedIn posts are all people see when scrolling through the feed.

That's your hook. It has only 1 job:

To grab attention and make people eager to click "see more".

Think of it like a movie trailer or book cover. Hint at the outcome inside with your headlines and opening lines. Use curiosity, specifics, and emotion to reel people in.

Some more tips:

• Keep sentences short and punchy
• Use simple words a 5th grader would understand
• Open a loop you close later in the post ("Last Friday, I had a conversation that completely changed the way I view time management..."
• Share an eye-catching stat or fact ("Humans process visuals 60,000X faster than text")
• Call out the reader ("7 regulatory mistakes med-tech founders must avoid")

Spend at least 30% of your writing time on the first 3 lines. Use a tool like Taplio to see the preview of your post (so you see where the hook cuts off).

If you want to speed up your content creation, automate 50% of your workflow, and save 16 hours a week, check out this 3-hour Crash Course on AI & ChatGPT by our partners (worth $399). They have 100 free seats available just for Founder OS readers. Thanks.

Step 4: Use My 4 Favorite LinkedIn Post Styles

My 4 go-to post formats will help your content stand out in the LinkedIn feed and get tons of engagement:

• Long-form list posts with numbers, bullets, or checkmarks
• Carousel posts with a series of images or slides
• Hook-stacking posts that start multiple short paragraphs with a compelling phrase
• Handwritten or hand-drawn posts with text or visuals written out by hand

Focus on sharing your unique points of view and hard-earned lessons. Share the "How I" instead of "How to" - it makes you sound less preachy and more authoritative.

Step 5: Engage With Your Audience

Building an audience is a two-way street. To create real relationships with your followers, you need to engage.

That means:

• Respond thoughtfully to post comments
• Answer DMs
• Ask questions and encourage discussions

Show your audience you hear them and value their input.

This IS a high-leverage activity.

I spent 1 hour a day engaging personally until I reached 100,000 followers (while running 2 companies).

Step 6: Build Relationships With Other LinkedIn Creators

Other creators won't tell you this but...

Social media is a game of alliances.

The fastest way to grow your audience is through support from bigger creators.

Their audience can become your audience when you all share and engage with each other's stuff.

My advice:

1. Make a list of 20-30 LinkedIn creators in your niche with 10k-20k more followers than you
2. Message all of them with a personal, customized note about their content
3. Propose starting an engagement group or pod to share and comment on each other's posts
4. Aim for 5-10 creators who say yes and set up a group chat to coordinate
5. Celebrate each other's wins and help each other through challenges

This support group will help you grow faster than trying to go it alone.

Step 7: Share Your LinkedIn Content on Other Platforms

Don't limit yourself to LinkedIn only - your content can work harder for you on other channels too. Repost your content on:

• Reuse your best LinkedIn posts as tweets on Twitter
• Turn your LinkedIn posts into longer articles for Medium and your blog
• Change LinkedIn carousels into eye-catching Instagram slide posts
• Adapt post content into short video scripts for TikTok and YouTube Shorts

(want to learn more? Read my edition on the Content Waterfall System)

The more places your content shows up, the bigger your luck surface area becomes.

Step 8: Monetize Your Audience

The best way to make money online is a personal brand.

But 100,000 LinkedIn followers alone won't lead to millions in profit.

To make consistent money effortlessly, you need to create your Organic Content Funnel.

You also need systems for your:

• Newsletter
• Sales machine
• Lead magnet
• Offer Creation
• Webinar funnel
• and much more...

I know because I spent 1,000+ hours building out these systems myself. Now, you don't need to invest the same amount of time.

Inside Founder OS, I share all of these proven plug-and-play systems with you. And you'll be in good company with hundreds of other ambitious founders like you.

​>>> Founder OS Consultation​

(spots are limited, and we only accept 2% of applicants)

Steal my $100,000 LinkedIn Profile Checklist

I created the Ultimate LinkedIn Profile Checklist to help you create an irresistible profile.

Want it?

​>>> Get the LinkedIn Profile Checklist and create a million-dollar profile​

Let's win together,

Matt

P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

​#1: If you want to learn more about how I grew my followers on LinkedIn, check out my YouTube video on 15 Years of Business Knowledge in 43 Minutes.​
​
​#2: Know someone who would benefit from Founder OS? Refer them today and earn $1000! Watch my video on Founder OS - The Organic Content Funnel​

​​​​#3: Book me as keynote speaker. In my talks, I share practical strategies and systems for audience growth, brand building, and automation.