#17: A stale 259 to almost 3,000 followers in less than 10 months [+ PDF guide]
How I grew my LinkedIn account as an Engineer with 20 minutes a day!
Almost 3000 followers feels surreal (likely a little higher by the time you read this).
And to think I almost ignored it… again!
I’m only an Engineer living and working in London and today, I have a vibrant community of engaged followers that’s been growing week-on-week for months, reading and sharing what I create.
My ideas, my technical passions, my content!
I’m so glad I pushed on past the doubt and initial wobbles to discover what’s possible for myself.
If you’re trying to grow from 0 or a handful of followers, this is one post you won’t want to miss…
From zero traction to daily inbox pings
An audience really is leverage.
…for whatever you want to leverage it for (improving your writing / communication skills, job and career opportunities, speaking gigs, your book launch, to get product feedback, leaving a legacy etc.).
However, most think they need a big audience of a gazillion followers to benefit.
That’s simply NOT true - and I’m living proof.
After the first few weeks of posting consistently I started getting messages in my inbox like below, a book review offer:
Positive feedback for my posts:
A request to collaborate:
A request for help:
More positive feedback:
An invite for a project chat:
This is only a handful of those received over the course of my journey so far!
I get to build my writing skills, make new meaningful connections and help people with my technical knowledge and experience.
This is my reality now.
My growth in numbers
Numbers keep me objective and if you’re an Engineer or technical like me, you’ll know how important they are for objective decisions.
Here are my follower count snapshots - unfortunately I couldn’t dig up one from before (I guess I didn’t plan to write this up back then!) but this one from October 15th 2024, a few weeks later. Pay particular attention to the scale on the left -hand side…
By this time I was consistently writing and publishing content, getting on average 2-5 new followers a week.
I hear what you’re saying, “That’s not much!”…
Ah, well let me introduce you to the power of compounding and go one step further, showing you a more recent graph!
As you can see, I’m now averaging around 35 - 50+ new followers each week and with 1341.8% increase since December 2024, compared to the previous 6 months (June - November 2024)!
This is mind-blowing by any account - and the numbers don’t lie.
I share them to show you what’s possible with consistency, not to boast or prove I’m better than you in any way.
The questions we all have starting out
I’m in my late 30’s now and I was sitting on my hands for years - not because I was ignoring the fact that the online world that was taking over but I was simply overwhelmed with the noise out there.
At the time of graduating in 2008, the offline world was still ticking away…
Paper CV’s were still a thing.
LinkedIn was still just a digital business card.
‘Social media’ included Facebook - something only younger kids did for popularity.
Looking back this was a very narrow-sighted view of a platform like LinkedIn.
Still, even if I wanted to start I was stuck thinking:
What should I write about?
How do I come up with content ideas in the first place?
Will random strangers on the internet listen to me?
What if my real-world colleagues find me weird?
(By the way people on LinkedIn are as ‘real’ as you and me)
Is it even worth it?
What if I’m wasting my time?
…[ insert your own here ]…
Your time is valuable and you want to spend it doing what you need to do (i.e. earn money to live) or want to do (i.e. enjoy a holiday with your family or friends).
I believe every Engineer (or experienced professional) should be building an audience with their body of work to get known in the wider community beyond their immediate network.
You’re effectively scaling yourself and your expertise through the power of the internet.
What a time to be alive indeed!
My very own system to grow on LinkedIn - now yours!
If you’re still reading you’re likely keen to know what I did tactically to get the results I’ve shared above.
So, I’ve created a complete guide of all the practical steps, tactics and strategies I’ve used, tested and developed throughout my audience-building journey.
This is not for you if:
you have 10,000+ followers on LinkedIn and consistently growing your each week
you’re not planning to create content around your lived-experience / technical expertise
you can’t put aside up to 60 minutes each day to create and write content (and without AI)
BUT if you’re starting in a similar place to me - with less than a few hundred followers (or even 0) then this can be the perfect spring-board for you to grow your audience on LinkedIn!
Click below to start growing on LinkedIn as an Engineer!
📘 What’s Inside the Guide:
1. My LinkedIn Journey
How I went from 259 to nearly 3000 followers in under 10 months — as a full-time Engineer, with zero audience-building experience.
2. Crafting a Magnetic LinkedIn Profile
Step-by-step tweaks to position yourself as a trusted voice in your field — even if you’re just starting out.
3. My Simple Content System
The repeatable method I use to go from idea to post in 20 minutes.
4. Never Run Out of Ideas
How I consistently generate high-engagement content without being "creative."
5. Finding Your People
Discover how to attract engineers, technologists, and curious minds who care about what you care about.
6. The 20-Minute Daily Writing Habit
How to build a consistent writing routine — even with a demanding job and family life.
7. Engagement that Builds Trust
How I turn comments and DMs into real conversations and career opportunities.
8. Creating Your Community
Strategies to build not just followers, but a real tribe around your ideas, work, and mission.
9. My Weekly Review Template
The exact reflection process I use to improve my writing, understand what’s working, and grow faster.
10. The 3-Step LinkedIn Launchpad Framework
A practical, proven system to go from 0 to your first 1000 quality followers — starting today.
Course FAQ
Q: What can I expect if I read and follow this guide?
A: You will grow your Linked audience whilst building an effective writing habit, making it sustainable and opening you up to valuable career opportunities like those mentioned above.
Q: When can I expect results?
A: I saw signs of traction after 2 weeks of posting consistently. After 30 - 60 days you can expect your ideas and writing to get better, netting you more quality followers. The early signs include messages in your inbox from your new raving fans! After 6 - 12 months,
Q: Why are you charging for it?
A: I spent over a year of trial and error with many years before researching and studying material in order to understand what it takes to build an audience. You get to bypass that for a small cost, saving you valuable time. This is not just a guide but a resource you can go back to and keep improving with.
Q: Do you provide any support with the guide?
A: Not at present. It is a self-paced guide intended to be as clear as possible. If you do have issues following any of the detail or become stuck, feel free to send an email and I will try my best to help. I may also open the Substack chat for newsletter subscribers.
Q: Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
A: No. Once you have my strategy and information, you’re considered to have everything you need to get started in building an audience like me. In addition it’s a proven system that has yielded me the great results shared above.
A few words
Building a community / an audience / your tribe online can do amazing things for your career and I’ve been fortunate to experience these first-hand.
There’s a lot of confusion and overwhelming information on the Internet and I’m glad I just started and, through trial and error, developed a reliable system allowing me to grow each week consistently on LinkedIn.
It’s easy to think there are a lucky few but in reality there are thousands of ‘small’ creators out here creating incredible communities around their ideas, creative work and products.
All we need to do is have to courage to start experimenting with our ideas and put them ‘out there’.
I hope you found this post insightful and give the guide a go if you too want to build your audience on LinkedIn!
Keep writing, keep engineering!
- Nasser
Connect with me:
🙌 Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nassermushtaq/
📧 Send me an email: hi@nasserm.com
Disclaimer:
All content in this post and newsletter is my own and do not reflect the opinions and position of any employers, partners or associates.