Something fascinating happened: I gained like 60 new followers on this platform last week and I posted absolutely nothing.

Much to the chagrin of my content-planning colleagues 😬

I was on vacation. I didn’t have anything pre-written or scheduled, and I wanted to take a break from the topics I usually write about here. But what I’ve posted in the past was enough to pique the interest of those 60-some folks!

I’m not some famous guy or influencer extraordinaire. I’m just a product guy occasionally sharing silly-but-sometimes-useful takes and the occasional interesting remote job.

But that is what seems to be helpful to people!

And if I’ve learned anything about building a following online in the last couple of years, it’s really just one thing: be helpful.

This doesn’t just apply to LinkedIn. Just being helpful kind of works anywhere. It’s the reason why so many people can build entire content businesses on TikTok and YouTube in obscure niches, or why I’ve somehow built my 2nd-largest following online on Threads about my explorations as an indie musician despite having basically no fanbase as an indie musician.

I don’t have a strategy (and I especially don’t aim to use creepy or engagement-bait tactics) for this stuff. I just aim to be helpful. I hope I am!