Connection First

I’ve seen two approaches to creating content on LinkedIn: creating to sell and creating to connect.

These two camps always seem to be rolling their eyes at one another.

Those who create to sell are all about “providing value” (i.e. creating content that educates and establishes their authority so they can make more sales), while the create-to-connect people are all about building relationships and getting to know one another beyond transactional communications.

I’d count myself in the “create to connect” camp, not because I’m anti-sales (money is great), but because I see sales as more of a benefit of connecting than as the end goal.

I’d also argue that building real connections is more valuable to you and your business than any short-term sales.

It may seem counterintuitive, but creating to connect can even lead to more sales than creating to sell.

When you create to connect vs. create to sell, a few things happen:

• You stop scaring people. No one likes to feel the predatory energy of fitting someone’s ICP or getting hit with a “pitch slap” in the first DM.
• You'll make more real connections with people, which can lead to more organic conversations and, ironically, more sales and referrals.
• Your content becomes more fun for you to create and for others to read, making it more sustainable for you to keep up and more engaging for the people who follow you.
  
  Also, “value” isn’t only about sales!
  
  The most valuable thing I’ve gotten from LinkedIn so far has been the connections I’ve made with other business owners and creators who have provided me with insights, friendship, and support that have helped me grow personally and professionally.
  

You can’t put a price on friendship, but if I had to estimate the value of just the business advice alone, I’d price it in the thousands.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill entrepreneurs you’re connecting with, these are world-class business owners and creators at the top of their fields.

They are people I probably would have repelled or overlooked had I been approaching LinkedIn with a sales-only mindset.

Personal Branding is About Connecting

Think about it. Why do people build personal brands?

Most business owners I speak with want to build their personal brand because they know that people follow and connect with people, not companies.

We get bored and put off by company content because it feels like they're always trying to sell us something (because they are).

So if you're building a personal brand to grow your business, why write like a business intent on selling (or educating to sell)?

Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of building a personal brand to begin with?

People connect with people, not people who sound like businesses.

We want to share stories, laugh, get advice, and have conversations that live outside your three designated content buckets.

We don’t want to be preached to, constantly educated, or forced down some marketing funnel.

We want to work with our LinkedIn friend who shared that funny meme and had that thoughtful SEO insight the other day.

So instead of only defining “value” as content that leads to sales, why not define it as content that leads to connection?

This is content that:

• Makes people laugh
• Feel seen
• Sparks conversation

You can do this by sharing memes, personal stories, or asking questions, anything that gets people engaging and connecting with you outside the standard sales conversation.

This isn’t to say educational and authority-building content doesn’t have its place—it does! But it’s not the only way to provide “value.”

Focus on connecting first and the sales will follow.

What do you think? How do you define valuable content?