From job loss to LinkedIn Influencer: How this FP&A professional went from 300 to 42k followers and 6.6 Mn views.

• Hi, I am Gaurav Sharma, an FP&A Professional with over 42,000 followers and 6.6 million plus views on LinkedIn.
• I did not start my LinkedIn journey to become a content creator… however fast forward 3 years later I am one.
• Being active on LinkedIn can have a huge positive impact on your career, without you even knowing.
• Here is my journey starting with 13 followers on LinkedIn.

How it all began 

I live with my wife and two daughters, so I hardly get a chance to speak at home. Hence, I needed a platform where I could express myself. Okay, enough of my dad jokes!

Truth be told I love to write and have been creating content on different social media platforms before transitioning to LinkedIn.

But, why did I even start writing on LinkedIn?

In 2020, I lost my job at InterContinental Hotels Group due to the harsh impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience was undeniably tough.

Determined to make a comeback, I applied some useful job search strategies on LinkedIn that worked like magic… And I landed a new job almost instantly. My last working day was on 31st August, and by the 22nd of the same month, I already had an offer letter in hand.

So, my wife dropped this gem on me: “Why not share your job-finding escapades and the nifty tricks that worked for you? Thousands out there are in job-hunt mode because of Covid.”

And that’s how it all started.

So I began posting content like,

• ‘What should be the ideal answer to a particular interview question?’,
• ‘What are some common interview questions and how should you answer them?’
• ‘How should you create an ideal CV?’
• And other nitty-gritty of job hunting strategies that helped me.

Fast forward, 3 years later here I am at 42k plus followers on LinkedIn and posts that have garnered more than 6.6 million views (Yes you heard it right!).

But it didn’t happen overnight though.

Breaking down my LinkedIn Growth Journey 

2020

In 2020, I began with around 14 followers. And despite maintaining consistency in my posts, they didn’t gain much engagement for the first three months.

I observed that the field of FP&A was growing and multiple job vacancies were opening up. That’s when I considered sharing my FP&A knowledge with aspiring individuals.

It took me almost 3 months to reach 500 followers.

2021 & 2022

Even a year later in 2021, I was barely gaining 10 to 12 followers per day.

While most of my posts were not doing very well there were days when some of them would perform exceptionally well, flooding my inbox with messages.

This got me curious and yes like a true analyst, I began to analyze the posts that gave me the most engagement in terms of likes, comments, and shares.

To date, this is one of my most successful posts – ‘Here are some of the most common FP&A interview questions.’

People have even shared it on WhatsApp. It boosted my follower count to 1,800 in a day.

That’s why I decided to create more FP&A-related content and made it my niche on LinkedIn.

2023

At the beginning of 2023, I completed my 10,000-follower milestone.

When you reach a follower count of 5,000-10,000 and consistently post good content, LinkedIn’s algorithm might prefer you over people with more followers. Your name would come up in the suggested people list to follow and that’s what happened.

In the next 3-4 months I had around 12,000 followers.

And today, it’s at around 41,522 followers. Never expected this, to be honest.

Secrets to getting more engagement on LinkedIn

There are many rules for getting engagement on LinkedIn.

Set the trend

Previously, people were posting about Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour workweek statement. Did I fall on the bandwagon? No. I kept posting about FP&A-related content which is my niche.

Your content should not be driven by what is trending… your content should create the trend!

Engage with other people’s content

Don’t just write a simple congratulatory message. Take some time to express your unique views. It would grant you much-needed visibility and a presence on LinkedIn.

I also engage with promising LinkedIn content creators.

Have a designated time for posting

Posting your content at the right time is crucial, a lesson I learned the hard way.

There were instances when I shared something truly captivating, hoping for visibility, only to find it overlooked. It dawned on me that timing played a significant role.

I find Saturday mornings preferable. However, I’ve noticed fewer views on Sundays.

Another suitable time is after office hours, typically between 5:30-6:30 PM, or 6 to 7 PM.

Additionally, there are a few general considerations. For instance, during festivals.

Slow down

I don’t endorse the practice of posting daily. It can eventually become un-enjoyable for you and feel burdensome.

The law of diminishing marginal utility comes into play here. If I post every day, you might initially engage with and appreciate the content. However, as time passes and more posts appear, the likelihood of sustained engagement diminishes.

I prefer maintaining a gap of one or two days between my content. If I don’t have anything substantial to share, I don’t hesitate to take a break, even for a week.

Get LinkedIn Premium

Lastly, if nothing else works, consider getting LinkedIn premium. LinkedIn does promote the content of premium members. But nothing beats good content and consistency.

And most importantly, remember that some people might disagree with you. Accept the criticism and move on.

Also read: Building a career in FP&A: From Fortune 500 Companies to Startups. Thirst for challenges is key to success.

How do I get inspiration for my content?

Now the big question is, what is my content creation strategy that helped me gain upwards of 40,000 followers?

Here are a few steps that I follow.

Find your writing style and niche

Everyone has a unique writing style.

Before starting on LinkedIn I was actively present in Quora and used to read other people’s content a lot. That’s how discovered my writing style.

I try to keep my content diverse but don’t digress from my niche which is FP&A. People should identify you by just reading your posts.

Make crisp but interesting posts

Every time I sit down to create a post, I ensure that it is more interesting than my previous post.

All of my content is crisp and to the point. In the modern world where our attention span is lower than that of a goldfish, a YouTube short might get more views than a long podcast.

Insert humour

This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I usually add a touch of humour to my posts. And I’ve received compliments for doing so. My posts come with an explanation of a serious topic with a side dish of a chuckle or a smile.

Add something unique

While scrolling through LinkedIn, a different form of content caught my attention; carousels. I heard that they were getting more engagement than general text-based posts. So, I started incorporating that into my content strategy.

Amid boring texts, when you see something beautiful on your LinkedIn page, you are bound to click on it.

This is called, ‘Stop scrolling’ content. I learned this trick from a creator called Oana Labes. She uses catchy fonts and yellow-and-white colour combinations for her carousels.

Create value

I tend to provide practical solutions through my content, which is slightly different from what you might find on Google or other people’s posts.

Note your ideas

I gather inspiration for my post, from the smallest of things. But it has to be relatable for me and my audience.

For instance, while purchasing vegetables one day, I pondered over the potential inventory strategy employed by the vegetable seller. This thought process led me to draw connections with inventory valuation techniques, inspiring me to create a post around the concept.

I always note my ideas on my phone and collate them during the weekend.

Be free-flowing

I never run out of content ideas. I note down whatever I can think of at a given time, be it on the notepad section of my phone, Gmail draft, or PPT.

The most important aspect of my posts is that I write about my mistakes as well. When you present your vulnerable self to the world they tend to empathize with you more.

Closing…

Being active on LinkedIn has one of the greatest benefits that most members overlook.

Even when I am not looking for a job, my inbox is filled with job offers. Recruiters keep approaching me. Why? Because of the algorithm.

When they search for FP&A professionals my profile appears among the top names.

Still, if you are hesitant to start, my earnest suggestion to you would be, ‘Today, post something and go to sleep, don’t wait for the perfect day to come. Keep posting and over time you will evolve, as have I.”

Looking back at my posts from 3 years ago, they have drastically improved.