How I Grew to 22,496 LinkedIn Followers in the Gaming Industry
I’ll be honest. I missed being famous.
Two and a half years ago, I left Riot Games. And the moment I walked out that door, I realized something brutal. I wasn’t famous anymore. I was invisible.
At Riot, people reached out to me. Opportunities showed up in my inbox. I thought they wanted me. Turns out they wanted the brand. The moment I left, the phone stopped ringing. I thought I’d just start coaching. The reality check? I couldn’t even give my coaching away for free.
And that’s when it hit me. No one owes you attention. You have to earn it.
The Generic Phase (And Why Nobody Cared)
I started from scratch. At first, I was writing generic life coaching posts. Boring stuff like “follow your dreams” and “believe in yourself.” Nobody cared. Why? Because I was trying to be everything to everyone.
So I stopped being generic. I focused on what I knew. The gaming industry. I started writing about layoffs, job hunting, getting promoted, the hard truths nobody wanted to say. The truths everyone needed to hear.
I got sharper. Snarkier. Willing to ruffle feathers. I stopped worrying about being liked and focused on being useful.
The System That Actually Works
Here’s the unsexy part that makes all the difference. I built a system.
I sent over 200 connection requests one by one. Not blasting random people. I focused on hiring managers, mentors, and professionals in the gaming industry. I used databases, industry directories, LinkedIn search. And every post I wrote wasn’t for me. It was for them. What they wanted to hear. What they needed to hear. Not what my ego wanted to say.
And I didn’t wait for engagement. I started it. Every comment, every DM, I treated it like gold. I replied. I followed up. I built relationships. Slowly posts started reaching people I didn’t even know.
The work was manual, repetitive, and humbling. But that’s the game. You don’t need to go viral. You need consistency. It’s a systems game.
I also asked for engagement explicitly. I’d write a post and say, “If this resonates, drop a comment. Share it with someone who needs it.” At first it felt awkward. Like, who am I to ask for likes? But then I realized if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
What 2 Years of Grinding Actually Produced
22,496 followers in the gaming industry. I became the most followed gaming career coach on LinkedIn. Clients from Electronic Arts, PlayStation, Dream Haven, inXile. People I never would have reached otherwise.
And most importantly, I built my own name. Not someone else’s brand. Mine.
You don’t need to be famous. You just need the right people to know you. And that starts by showing up.
The Mindset Shift That Changed Everything
The turning point wasn’t a viral post. It wasn’t some algorithm hack. It was the moment I stopped writing for me and started writing for them.
When I was posting generic life coaching stuff, I was writing what I wanted to say. When I switched to gaming industry content, layoffs, job hunting, promotions, the hard truths, I was writing what my audience needed to hear. That’s a MASSIVE difference.
Most people who try to build a following on LinkedIn fail because they’re performing. They’re trying to sound smart or be impressive. The content that actually works is the content that’s useful. That solves a problem. That says the thing everyone is thinking but nobody is saying out loud.
I also learned to stop caring about being liked and start caring about being remembered. Some of my best-performing posts made people uncomfortable. That’s the point. You don’t grow a following by being agreeable. You grow it by being useful and being honest.
The Four Things That Actually Matter
Stop waiting for permission. No one’s going to hand you the spotlight. You have to take it.
Be specific. Talk about what you know and don’t be afraid to have a point of view. The generic posts die in the feed. The specific, opinionated ones travel.
Build a system for outreach. Consistency beats perfection every time. Five connection requests a day. One post a week. Reply to every comment.
Ask for engagement every time. Every post. Every time. Stop hiding behind politeness. Be bold. Be clear. Be specific.
No one owes you attention. It’s on you to make them care. So stop being generic. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Pick one thing you know inside and out. Write a post about it today and ask one person to comment. That’s how it starts. From invisible to unstoppable.
Read our complete guide: LinkedIn & Personal Brand for Gaming Guide
Q: How do you grow LinkedIn followers in the gaming industry?
A: Build a system. Send targeted connection requests daily, post consistently about what you know, focus on being useful instead of likable, and ask for engagement explicitly on every post. It’s a grind, not a viral moment.
Q: What kind of LinkedIn content works best for gaming professionals?
A: Specific, opinionated content about what you actually know. Write about layoffs, job hunting, getting promoted, the hard truths in gaming. Generic “follow your dreams” posts die in the feed. Specific, useful posts travel.
Q: How many LinkedIn connections should I send per day?
A: Start with targeted connection requests focused on hiring managers, mentors, and gaming professionals. The key isn’t volume but consistency and relevance. Reply to every comment, follow up on every DM, and build real relationships over time.
Q: Do you need to go viral on LinkedIn to get noticed?
A: No. You don’t need to go viral. You need consistency. It’s a systems game. Manual, repetitive, humbling work that compounds over time. After 2 years of daily posting and outreach, the results speak for themselves.
Q: How do you ask for engagement on LinkedIn without seeming desperate?
A: Be direct. “If this resonates, drop a comment. Share it with someone who needs it.” It feels awkward at first but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Stop hiding behind politeness. Be bold, clear, and specific about what you want people to do.