Most people don’t struggle with LinkedIn because they don’t know how to use it. They struggle because they don’t know how to show up as themselves.
A client recently sat staring at the “Start a post” box. Not for a few seconds. Long enough that it got uncomfortable.
They know their stuff. Smart, experienced, well respected. If I needed someone to solve a problem in their field, I’d call them. But when it came to sharing what they knew, they froze. “What do I even post?”
So they did what most people do. Scrolled a few posts, looked at what everyone else was saying, closed LinkedIn and got on with their day. I see it all the time. Not from people with nothing to say, but from people with years of experience and stories worth telling, who’ve quietly convinced themselves they’ve nothing interesting to add.
The problem isn’t that they can’t write. It’s that they don’t know how to write about themselves.
It was never really a LinkedIn problem
Most people think they have a LinkedIn problem. I don’t think they do. They have a clarity problem. They don’t know which stories matter, which experiences are worth sharing, or what they actually want to be known for. So they overthink it, hit a block, and do nothing. The irony is, once you know what you stand for, the writing gets easy.
Where I actually start
I don’t start with LinkedIn. I don’t rewrite your headline or hand you a list of content ideas. That comes later. Instead we spend a couple of hours together and I interview you. Not about LinkedIn, about you.
Your career, the moments that shaped you, what frustrates you, what you believe, the work you’re proud of, where you’re headed next. Somewhere in there, the patterns start to show. I’m listening for the stories you’ve stopped noticing because they feel too normal to you. The opinions you’ve earned. And just the way you talk.
From there I pull it together into the pillars of your personal brand, and we write a handful of starter posts so you’re not staring at a blank screen. By the end, yes, you’ll have some content. But more than that, you’ll have found your voice.
Finding your voice is the easy part
Here’s what I’ve learnt. Finding your voice isn’t the hard part. Keeping it going is.
Life gets busy. Marketing is usually the first thing to fall off the list, because nobody’s standing over your shoulder asking whether you posted this week. That’s why I don’t stop after the first session. We catch up every fortnight, review a post before it goes live, brainstorm, or simply check in. Not to teach LinkedIn, to keep the momentum going.
Over time I’ve noticed three things that make people actually follow through.
You pay for it.
You set a clear standard.
Someone holds you to it.
I call it Jacqui's Accountability Law.
Yes, the first post is uncomfortable. The second is a little easier. Then one day it’s simply part of your week, because you’ve built the confidence that only comes from doing the reps. It’s the same in anything worth getting good at. You show up before you feel ready, and readiness catches up.
Does this sound like you?
If you’ve been meaning to sort your LinkedIn out for months but keep putting it in the “I’ll get to it later” basket, you’re not short on experience. You don’t need another article telling you to be authentic or post more often.
You need someone to help you work out what you want to be known for, turn that into content that genuinely sounds like you, and keep you moving long enough for it to become a habit. That’s the work I love doing.
If that’s the thing you’ve been putting off, let’s have a chat.
FAQs
Why do capable people struggle to post on LinkedIn?
It’s rarely ability. It’s clarity. When you’re not sure what you want to be known for, every post feels like a risk, so you post nothing. Get clear on what you stand for and the words come.
How do I find my voice on LinkedIn?
Start with you, not the platform. Your stories, your earned opinions, and the way you actually talk. You build the brand from the inside out, not from the headline in.
How often should I post?
Whatever you’ll actually keep up. One post a week, held for months, beats a burst that fizzles in a fortnight. Consistency over volume.
Can I do this myself, or do I need help?
Plenty of people do it themselves. What usually makes the difference is someone to draw out what you stand for, and someone to keep you accountable when life gets busy.
Jacqui Gage-Brown is a Fractional CMO. She works with business owners who are still wearing the marketing hat – stepping in to set the strategy, lead the work and make sure the right things actually get done.
With 20+ years in strategic marketing and business leadership, Jacqui co-founded and directed an award-winning agency before founding LifeWOD. She believes in Working On Dreams and building a thriving, healthy business and life.
