Who are the top dogs on LinkedIn?

Welcome back to Digital Gravity 🪐

Every Friday we share strategies to help you grow your business with content marketing and reach ‘critical mass’ in the great online game.

In case you missed it, you can read the full rebrand announcement post here.

This week, Katie covers who’s blowing up on LinkedIn (and why).

Enjoy 👇

🌟 Let’s talk LinkedIn superstars… 🌟 

By Katie Conover

Ever wondered who’s blowing up on LinkedIn (and why)?

I get so busy reading the posts of companies I already follow and stalking people I went to high school with, that I never think about the LinkedIn celebs. The people really gaining traction.

I always figured the top 5 most popular profiles were Larry Fink, Jensen Huang, or some other guy with a similar ‘money, money, money’ outlook (no offense).

But I got curious this week, so I Googled it.

And I was kind of right. According to this blog, Bill Gates is number 1, Richard Branson and Satya Nadella are at 2 and 3, and Jeff Weiner is number 4.

But the profile in the 5th? Right above the profiles of Simon Sinek (number 6) and Mark Cuban (number 7)…

Arianna Huffington from the Huffington Post.

How did this happen?

Am I the only one shocked by that? Or was this old news?

In a sea of CEOs/founders of tech groups and venture capital conglomerates, I was very surprised to see The Huffington Post in the mix.

And yes, after reading, now I know Huffington’s also the founder of Thrive Global, an American company that focuses on science-backed behavior change.

But, still, why is the LinkedIn profile of a privately owned healthy-habit organization ranked above Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric (number 9)?

So, I did some investigative work (back to Google).

So, what’s her magic formula?

Arianna Huffington has over 9.5 million followers on LinkedIn (7 of whom are mutuals of mine) and is a certified LinkedIn “Top Voice”.

She posts almost every day, either with a personal story turned motivational, her opinions on current topics, or with a simple picture.

And each post feels like there’s a purpose. They feel authentic, holistic, and credible. She doesn’t spam out industry lingo hoping for a bite. She’s welcoming and empowering.

Her profile is more of a blog full of her own beliefs than a platform to build professional relationships.

Sure, she shouts out her work and her own (very successful) newsletter from time to time. But she’s still consistently her.

So, the big picture: be you… every single day.

Looking at Arianna Huffington’s LinkedIn, my biggest takeaway for a successful LinkedIn profile is to speak your truth and speak it all the time.

Because her main focus is always there, woven into every post, whether you notice or not: Success doesn’t have to be defined by a narrow, burnout-driven approach. Not everything is about money, power, or hustle.

Her mission is to educate on a more holistic method to success. Which she does, every day, all the time.

And honestly, it is a relief to read such a thing on LinkedIn, or any social media, for that matter.

I feel like all the “thought leaders for success” I read scream at their audience and ask things like “Why sleep when you can be grinding?” or “Are you eating real food tonight? You should be eating work for dinner!” (Google it, they’re everywhere.)

Huffington was simply refreshing. It calmed me down to read her posts. So, maybe that’s the secret to LinkedIn success, too.

Make your reader feel heard, even if you’re the one doing the talking.

So, frankly, she earned my follow, too (make that 9.5 million and ONE).

—Katie