0 to 10K Followers: LinkedIn Growth Strategy Using Comments

Most LinkedIn growth advice tells you to post more. Create better content. Be consistent. Use hashtags. Post at optimal times.

That advice assumes people are waiting to see your posts. When you have 200 followers, nobody is waiting. Your brilliant insights get 30 impressions because LinkedIn's algorithm has no reason to show them to anyone beyond your tiny network.

Here's what actually works: Go where engaged audiences already exist. Comment strategically on posts your ideal audience is already reading. Build relationships and visibility before you build content volume.

I used this comment-first strategy to grow from 800 followers to 12,000+ in 11 months. Dozens of people I've consulted used the same framework to reach 10K followers in under a year, starting from scratch.

Here's the complete roadmap with specific tactics for each growth phase.

Why the Comment-First Strategy Works

Traditional approach (posting-focused): Create content → Hope algorithm shows it to people → Wait for followers → Repeat

Problem: When you have few followers, great content reaches almost nobody. You're shouting into an empty room.

Comment-first approach: Find engaged audiences → Add value through comments → Build visibility and relationships → Followers find you → Your posts reach more people

Why this works better:

Algorithmic advantage: When you comment on popular posts, LinkedIn shows your comment to everyone who views that post. Instant access to thousands of engaged readers.

Borrowed audience: Instead of building your own audience from zero, you access established audiences. A thoughtful comment on a post with 10,000 views gets seen by those 10,000 people.

Relationship building: Comments start conversations. Conversations build relationships. Relationships convert to followers, customers, and opportunities.

Compound effect: As your commenting generates profile visits and followers, your own posts start reaching more people. The flywheel accelerates.

Data backing this: In my analysis of 50,000+ LiGo users, accounts that commented 5+ times daily grew followers 4x faster than accounts that only posted without strategic commenting.

The Four Growth Phases: 0 to 10K Roadmap

Each phase has different priorities, metrics, and tactics. Moving too fast or skipping phases reduces effectiveness.

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Phase 1: Foundation (0-500 Followers, Months 1-2)

Goal: Establish presence, test messaging, build initial momentum

Primary Focus: 80% commenting, 20% posting

Daily Time Commitment: 30-45 minutes

Core Activities

Morning routine (15 minutes, 7-8 AM):

1. Identify 3-5 posts from target creators where your ICP is actively engaged
2. Leave thoughtful comments adding specific value (use framework below)
3. Respond to any replies to your previous comments

Commenting framework for this phase:

• Open with agreement or interesting observation
• Add specific insight from your experience
• Include a question to extend discussion
• Length: 3-5 sentences (substantial but not overwhelming)

Example: "Your point about sales team onboarding resonates. When we scaled from 5 to 25 reps, onboarding time dropped from 90 days to 45 days after implementing a buddy system where senior reps shadowed new hires for first two weeks. Have you tested mentorship approaches like this?"

Content creation (2-3x weekly):

• Post simple, authentic insights (not polished thought leadership yet)
• Focus on stories, lessons learned, specific observations
• Goal: Test what topics resonate, find your voice
• Don't stress perfection; focus on authenticity

Profile optimization:

• Headline: Clear value proposition (use headline formula)
• About section: Specific about who you help and how
• Featured section: Add best content as you create it
• Professional photo and banner

Metrics to Track

Weekly targets:

• Comments posted: 25-35 per week
• Comment replies received: 5-10 per week
• Profile views: 50-100 per week
• New followers: 10-20 per week
• Posts published: 2-3 per week

What good looks like: By end of Month 2, you should have 300-500 followers, clear understanding of which topics resonate, and several people who regularly engage with your comments.

Common Mistakes in Phase 1

Posting too much, commenting too little: Reverse the ratio. More commenting builds faster momentum early.

Generic comments: "Great post!" adds nothing. Specific insights get replies and profile visits.

Inconsistent activity: Three days of intense activity followed by week of silence. LinkedIn rewards consistency over bursts.

Perfect content paralysis: You're testing and learning. Imperfect but authentic beats polished but delayed.

Acceleration Tactics

Use LiGo for efficient commenting: The LiGo Chrome Extension helps generate thoughtful, authentic comments in 30 seconds vs. 3 minutes manually. This lets you comment on 10 posts in the time it used to take for 3.

Strategic creator targeting: Follow 50-100 creators whose audiences match your ICP. Turn on notifications for top 10.

Engage before posting: Comment on 5 posts right before you publish your own. Warms up algorithm and brings eyes to your profile.

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Phase 2: Momentum (500-2K Followers, Months 3-4)

Goal: Scale what's working, build pattern recognition, increase posting frequency

Primary Focus: 60% commenting, 40% posting

Daily Time Commitment: 45-60 minutes

Core Activities

Morning engagement block (20 minutes):

• Comment on 7-10 strategic posts
• Quality maintained but efficiency increased
• Start recognizing which post types generate most profile visits

Content creation (3-4x weekly):

• Increase posting frequency to 3-4x per week
• Focus on topics that got best engagement in Phase 1
• Test different formats: stories, frameworks, contrarian takes, lists
• Respond to every comment in first hour after posting

Strategic networking:

• DM 5-10 people monthly who engage with your content
• Build genuine relationships (not transactional networking)
• Collaborate on content or share insights privately

Metrics to Track

Weekly targets:

• Comments posted: 40-50 per week
• Profile views: 200-400 per week
• New followers: 30-50 per week
• Posts published: 3-4 per week
• Engagement rate on posts: 3-5%

What good looks like: By end of Month 4, you should have 1,500-2,000 followers, regular commenters on your posts, and inbound DMs from interested connections.

Content Pattern Recognition

Track what works:

• Which topics generate most comments?
• Which formats get highest engagement?
• What time slots work best for YOUR audience?
• Which creators' audiences engage most with your comments?

Double down on winners: When you find a topic or format that resonates, create more of it. Stop creating what doesn't land.

Automation Without Losing Authenticity

Where to automate: Scheduling posts, saving comment drafts, tracking metrics

Where NOT to automate: The actual commenting and replying (authenticity matters)

Tool recommendation: Use LiGo for quality commenting at scale. The free extension maintains authentic voice while saving 60-70% of time. Works across LinkedIn, X, Reddit, and Meta.

Get LiGo Free

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Phase 3: Acceleration (2K-5K Followers, Months 5-7)

Goal: Establish authority, increase content quality, build systematic process

Primary Focus: 50% commenting, 50% posting

Daily Time Commitment: 60-90 minutes

Core Activities

Structured engagement (30 minutes):

• Comment on 10-15 posts daily
• Mix of established creators and rising voices in your niche
• Start getting tagged by others in relevant discussions
• Your comments regularly get 10+ likes

Content strategy evolution:

• Post 4-5x weekly with strategic mix:
  • 40% educational (frameworks, how-to)
  • 30% storytelling (personal experiences)
  • 20% thought leadership (original takes)
  • 10% conversational (questions, discussions)

Original research or unique insights:

• Start sharing proprietary data, case studies, or unique perspectives
• This differentiates you from generic content creators
• Establishes genuine expertise vs. curated insights

Relationship nurturing:

• Maintain 10-15 key relationships with influencers and peers
• Regular engagement with their content
• Occasional collaboration opportunities

Metrics to Track

Weekly targets:

• Comments posted: 50-70 per week
• Profile views: 500-800 per week
• New followers: 60-100 per week
• Posts published: 4-5 per week
• Engagement rate on posts: 4-6%
• Inbound opportunities: 2-5 per week

What good looks like: By end of Month 7, you should have 4,000-5,000 followers, recognized expertise in your niche, regular inbound opportunities (speaking, consulting, partnerships).

Content Systematization

Weekly content planning:

• Sunday: Plan week's topics
• Monday-Friday: Create and publish
• Weekend: Analyze metrics, adjust strategy

Repurposing strategy:

• Turn high-performing LinkedIn posts into X threads
• Expand popular topics into long-form articles
• Use Reddit to test contrarian takes
• Cross-platform presence amplifies LinkedIn growth

Quality vs. quantity balance: As follower count grows, quality becomes more important than volume. 4 excellent posts weekly beats 7 mediocre ones.

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Phase 4: Authority (5K-10K Followers, Months 8-12)

Goal: Cement thought leadership, optimize conversion, build sustainable system

Primary Focus: 40% commenting, 60% content creation and strategy

Daily Time Commitment: 60-90 minutes (more strategic, less scattered)

Core Activities

Strategic engagement (20-30 minutes):

• 10-15 high-value comments daily
• Selective about which posts to engage with
• Focus on maximum ROI conversations
• Comments often start multi-person discussions

Premium content creation:

• 4-5 posts weekly with high production value
• Original frameworks, research, case studies
• Carousel posts, long-form articles, video (test formats)
• Every post optimized for specific outcome (followers, leads, authority)

Thought leadership initiatives:

• Publish original research or data
• Share contrarian but defensible perspectives
• Build frameworks others reference
• Get invited to speak, write, or consult

Conversion optimization:

• Clear CTAs based on goals (newsletter, product, consulting)
• DM strategy for warm leads
• Email capture for deeper engagement
• Community building (newsletter, group, platform)

Metrics to Track

Weekly targets:

• Comments posted: 50-75 per week (fewer but higher value)
• Profile views: 1,000-1,500 per week
• New followers: 100-150 per week
• Posts published: 4-5 per week
• Engagement rate on posts: 5-7%
• Conversion to business outcomes: Track specific to goals

What good looks like: By Month 12, you should have 10,000+ followers, regular business opportunities from LinkedIn, established authority in your niche, and systematic content process.

The Compound Effect Payoff

Algorithmic credibility: LinkedIn now recognizes you as quality creator. Your posts get broader initial distribution.

Network effect: Your 10K followers engage, which shows your content to their networks. Reach multiplies exponentially.

Inbound vs. outbound: Opportunities come to you instead of you chasing them. LinkedIn becomes lead generation engine.

Platform leverage: You can now move audience to other platforms (newsletter, podcast, product) if desired.

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Weekly Schedule Template (Adaptable to Any Phase)

Monday:

• 7:00-7:15 AM: Comment on 5-7 posts
• 12:00-12:10 PM: Reply to comment notifications
• 5:30-5:45 PM: Create Tuesday's post, respond to DMs

Tuesday:

• 7:00 AM: Publish post
• 7:00-8:00 AM: Monitor and respond to every comment
• 12:00-12:15 PM: Comment on 5-7 posts
• Evening: Engage with any new post comments

Wednesday:

• 7:00-7:15 AM: Comment on 5-7 posts
• 12:00-12:10 PM: Reply to notifications
• 5:30-5:45 PM: Create Thursday's post

Thursday:

• 7:00 AM: Publish post
• 7:00-8:00 AM: Monitor and respond to comments
• 12:00-12:15 PM: Comment on 5-7 posts
• Evening: Engage with post comments

Friday:

• 7:00-7:15 AM: Comment on 5-7 posts
• 12:00-12:10 PM: Reply to notifications
• 4:00-4:30 PM: Weekly analytics review, plan next week

Weekend (optional but beneficial):

• Saturday AM: Plan content for upcoming week
• Sunday: Strategic commenting (lower competition, good engagement)

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Troubleshooting Common Growth Stalls

Plateau at 500 followers: You're posting but not commenting enough. Increase commenting ratio.

Plateau at 2,000 followers: Content isn't differentiated enough. Find unique angle or share proprietary insights.

Plateau at 5,000 followers: Need more consistency or better quality. Audit recent posts for patterns.

High profile views but low follows: Profile or content doesn't clearly communicate value. Optimize headline and pinned posts.

Good engagement but no business outcomes: Missing conversion strategy. Add clear CTAs and follow-up process.

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Tools to Accelerate Growth

LiGo Chrome Extension: Generate authentic comments quickly across LinkedIn, X, Reddit, Meta. Free tier covers core functionality. Maintains your voice while saving 60-70% of time.

Try LiGo Free

LinkedIn Analytics: Track what's working. Free and built-in.

Scheduling tool: Buffer, Taplio, or similar for consistent posting.

Note-taking system: Track which topics resonate, content ideas, relationship notes.

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Measuring Success Beyond Follower Count

Followers are a vanity metric if they don't convert to outcomes.

Better success metrics:

• Inbound opportunities per month
• Quality of opportunities (relevance, potential value)
• Engagement rate (not just total engagement)
• Profile-to-follower conversion rate
• Business outcomes (clients, partnerships, job offers)

The real goal: Build an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you enough to buy from you, hire you, partner with you, or refer you.

Follower count is a milestone. Business outcomes are the destination.

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This comment-first growth strategy worked for me and hundreds of professionals I've helped. The framework is proven. The timeline is realistic. The tactics are actionable.

Start with Phase 1 activities this week. Block 30 minutes daily. Comment strategically on 5 posts. Post 2-3 times weekly.

In 12 months, your LinkedIn presence will be completely transformed.

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Related Resources

• How to Write LinkedIn Comments That Actually Get Replies (2025 Formula)
• LinkedIn Algorithm 2025: How Comments Impact Your Reach (Data Study)
• LinkedIn Commenting Schedule: When to Comment for Maximum Reach
• 15 LinkedIn Engagement Hacks That Actually Work in 2025
• How to Comment on LinkedIn Posts to Build Your Network