Linkedin Engagement Workflow
LinkedIn Engagement Workflow
Daily Routine (30-40 min, batched once per day)
Block 1: Tend Your Own Garden (5 min)
Reply to every comment on your most recent post. Not "thanks!" but substantive replies that extend the conversation. This signals to the algorithm that your post is generating discussion and pushes it to more feeds. It also makes people feel seen, which means they comment again next time.
Block 1.5: Scout New Engagers (5 min)
Before you go comment on other people's posts, check who engaged with yours that you don't already know. Likes, comments, and reposts from strangers are signals that your content reached beyond your existing network.
The process:
- Scan the likes, comments, and reposts on your recent posts for names you don't recognize
- Quick profile check: headline, current role, do they post content themselves?
- Sort them using the connection request triage framework (potential client, amplifier/peer, referral source, or noise)
- If they look relevant, send a connection request with a short note referencing the post they engaged with
What a good outreach message looks like:
- Reference the specific post or comment so they know you're not mass-connecting
- Keep it to 2-3 sentences max
- Don't pitch, just establish the connection
- Example: "Hey [name], I saw you liked my post about [topic]. Checked out your profile and it looks like we're in similar spaces. Would love to connect!"
What to skip:
- People with no headline or clearly inactive profiles
- Anyone who falls into the "noise" bucket in the triage framework
- Don't send more than 3-5 outreach messages per day, quality over volume
Why this matters: These people already showed interest in your content. A connection request from you at that moment has a much higher acceptance rate than cold outreach. They engaged with your ideas first, you're just closing the loop.
Block 2: Strategic Commenting (15-20 min)
Pull up your tracking list (below) and check who's posted recently. Aim for 5-7 comments per session across tracked accounts and whatever else catches your eye in the feed.
What makes a good comment:
- Add a perspective or specific example from your experience
- Build on their idea with something actionable
- Offer a respectful counterpoint when you have one
- 2-3 sentences minimum, enough to make someone stop scrolling
What to avoid:
- "Great post!" or "Love this!" (adds nothing, looks performative)
- Anything that redirects to your own content or services
- Comments that are longer than the original post
Timing matters: Early comments get more visibility. If you can catch posts within the first hour, your comment is more likely to be seen by the poster's full audience.
Block 3: DM Warmth (5-10 min)
This is where relationships actually convert. None of this is pitching. It's just being a person who follows up.
- Someone left a particularly good comment on your post? DM to say you appreciated it
- Had a good comment exchange on someone else's post? Follow up in DMs
- A tracked account posted something that genuinely resonated? Tell them privately
- Someone new followed or connected? Quick welcome if they fit your audience
Weekly Review (15 min, Sundays)
- Review the tracking list: Are they still posting regularly? Anyone gone quiet?
- Add new people: Who's showing up in your comments or feed that should be tracked?
- Cross-reference with your content calendar: What themes are driving engagement this week?
- Review connection requests using the triage framework
Tracking List
Build this over time. You don't need all slots filled on day one. The sweet spot is 10-15 accounts you engage with consistently.
Tier 1: Larger Creators (Engineering Career Growth)
These people have large audiences. An early, thoughtful comment on their posts puts you in front of thousands of software and infrastructure engineers. Rule of thumb is to comment on posts that have been made within the last 24 hours, earlier the better.
| Name | Focus | Why Track |
|---|---|---|
| Gergely Orosz | The Pragmatic Engineer. Big Tech, startups, engineering culture | Massive reach, posts about exactly the career dynamics your audience navigates |
| Jordan Cutler | High Growth Engineer newsletter. Leveling up, leadership | Directly aligned with your "path to senior" positioning |
| Alex Chiou | Co-founder of Taro. Career advancement for SWEs | His audience IS your audience, strong overlap |
| Nikki Siapno | Level Up Coding. Engineering concepts, career growth | Eng Manager at Canva, 400k+ audience, simplifies complex topics |
| Irina Stanescu | The Caring Techie. Leadership, soft skills, career growth | Ex-Google/Uber, focuses on the human side of engineering careers |
| Gregor Ojstersek | Engineering Leadership newsletter | Practical engineering leadership, active LinkedIn poster |
| Luca Rossi | Refactoring newsletter. Engineering leadership, best practices | CTO perspective, interviews top tech leaders |
Tier 2: Peers and Adjacent Founders
People in your orbit who amplify your reach and may become collaboration partners.
| Name | Focus | Why Track |
|---|---|---|
| [Add 1909 founders who post regularly] | ||
| [Add Zero to Founder members who post regularly] | ||
| [Add South Florida tech community members] | ||
| Lucie Allaire (Guiltless.ai) | AI, founder content | Potential collaborator, adjacent audience |
Tier 3: Your Engaged Audience
People who regularly comment on your posts or whose content you engage with. These are potential clients and referral sources.
| Name | Focus | Why Track |
|---|---|---|
| [Add people who comment on your posts consistently] | ||
| [Add engineers whose content you naturally engage with] |
How to Find New People for the Tracking List
- Your own comments section. Anyone who comments more than once is worth investigating. Check their profile, see if they post.
- Comment sections of Tier 1 creators. Other engineers who leave thoughtful comments on Jordan Cutler or Alex Chiou posts are exactly your audience.
- LinkedIn search. Search for "software engineer" or "SRE" + your content themes. Filter by "Posts" to find people who actually create content.
- Hashtags. Monitor #SoftwareEngineering, #DevOps, #SRE, #PlatformEngineering, #EngineeringLeadership for active posters.
- Event connections. After local tech events or 1909 sessions, check who's posting about it.
Connection Request Triage Framework
Buckets
- Potential client: Software or infrastructure engineer who looks experienced but hasn't hit senior yet, or at that senior threshold wanting to level up further. Highest-value accept.
- Amplifier/peer: Other founders, content creators in your space, people in tech mentorship or career coaching. Won't buy from you but boost your reach.
- Referral source: Engineering managers, tech leads, HR folks at companies that hire the kinds of engineers you mentor. They encounter your ideal clients daily.
- Noise: Recruiters mass-connecting, people selling services to you, crypto/hustle culture accounts, no clear connection to your world.
The 10-Second Checklist
- Did they send a message? Relevant message = almost always accept. Cold pitch to sell you something = ignore or decline.
- No message? Check headline and current role. Software or infrastructure engineer = accept. Founder or career services = quick glance at their content. Can't tell in 10 seconds = decline.
For the Backlog
- Pass 1: Accept everyone who sent a relevant message
- Pass 2: Accept engineers and obvious peers/referral sources based on headline
- Pass 3: Decline the rest
Monthly Check-ins
- 1st and 15th of each month: Export LinkedIn connections (Settings > Data Privacy > Get a copy of your data > Connections). Save with date prefix (e.g.,
2026-03-01_connections.csv). Run the diff script to track disconnections. - Cross-reference disconnections with your content calendar to see if certain post types correlate with attrition.
- Review tracking list effectiveness: Which tracked accounts are driving the most engagement back to your content?