Enough With the Fake Guru Hooks

"How I grew from 0 to 50K followers in 6 months."

"How I built a six-figure business while sleeping."

"Steal my hooks and templates if you want to be rich."

Enough already.

What LinkedIn actually needs is more people talking honestly about what building a presence here is really like, the grind, the slow parts, the stuff that doesn't make for a good carousel, instead of another round of recycled hooks boosted by an "engagement community" that's really just a polite name for a pod.

Here's something worth sitting with: big follower counts don't necessarily reflect deep expertise.

Some of the most knowledgeable people on this platform, people who've genuinely been doing this, and doing it well, for a decade, have followings half the size of people who started a year ago.

Doesn't that seem a little odd? Maybe a little too convenient? Almost like there's some amount of gaming the system happening?

The truth, as unglamorous as it is: if you want to build something memorable and lasting here, there's no growth hack that gets you there. You need to invest real time and real effort. Full stop.

That means showing up regularly. Being authentically yourself, even when that's less polished than the alternative. Following what genuinely interests you, not just what performs. Sharing what you actually know. Engaging with people who are already engaging, not chasing whoever has the biggest number next to their name. Supporting other people without expecting an immediate return.

And a lot more that doesn't fit neatly into a hook.

Be careful who you take advice from here. Wherever there's organic reach to be had, there will be people trying to hack it, and they won't be around once that reach dries up. They'll already be on to the next platform, repeating the same playbook.

If you're serious about building something real here, that's the work. There's no version of this that skips it.

Originally posted on Linkedin. Join the conversation here.

Hi5,

LD 🌶️