LinkedIn Tips for a Strong 2025

[00:00:00] Calan Breckon: Today’s episode is sponsored by Kit, Formerly known as ConvertKit, the email marketing platform for creators. I’ve been using Kit for years because I found that it is the most efficient and easy to use out of all the email service providers. Kit simplifies your email marketing by combining powerful automations with an easy to use interface. I love the Visual Automations builder because I am a very visual person and it really helps me to organize all of my automations in a very simple, simple and easy way. And let’s face it, Automations is a must have in order to succeed in any business today. Kit also integrates with all of your favorite ecommerce platforms, lead generation services and much more. The best part about Kit is that it runs on a sliding scale for payment so that you can get started for free while you learn all about Kit systems and how to grow your email list. So to get started today for free, head on over to calanbreckon.com/kit or just click the link in the show notes. Now let’s get on to today’s episode.

Welcome to the Business Gay podcast where we talk about all things business, marketing and entrepreneurship. I’m your host Calan Breckon and on today’s episode I have co-founder of designACE, Andrew Charles Edwards. designACE is your partner for a fun, impactful and growth focused LinkedIn journey. Andrew is a Futures Innovation Partner at OCAD University Co, which is Canada’s oldest and largest art, design and media university in North America where he helps enterprises, entrepreneurs and nonprofits leverage strategic foresight to co create a brighter future together.

Today we’re going to be chatting with Andrew about building a brand using LinkedIn and how you can get the most out of your marketing this year. So, let’s jump in.

Hey Hey Andrew. Welcome to the podcast. How’s it going?

[00:01:53] Andrew Charles Edwards: I’m doing so well. Thank you very much for having me today.

[00:01:56] Calan Breckon: I am very excited to have you. We are in a new year. It’s a fresh start. You know, times are wild, but we want to really focus and talk about how we can rock LinkedIn this year. Because I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed that LinkedIn seems to be doing really well when it comes to like, I guess I call it social media, but I don’t necessarily feel like LinkedIn is social media to me. So with that, let’s kick off with LinkedIn. Why do you think LinkedIn is the best place to build your brand recognition right now in 2025?

[00:02:31] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. LinkedIn is a platform unlike any other I mean, Instagram is great if you want to post a topless photo, and X is wonderful if you want to, you know, be a neo Nazi and download your only fans. But LinkedIn is a platform unlike any others because it really allows you to build that thought leadership and it rewards intelligence and compassion, which I think is very unique and so needed in this world right now. So, especially for entrepreneurs, small businesses, people in the 2SLGBTQI+ community, this is a place for you to stand out and find people who have similar life experiences as you and also want similar outcomes as you. So very great for community building, finding new customers, and showing really what makes you special.

[00:03:21] Calan Breckon: Okay, so what I’m hearing is, is that there’s more of an awe, a genuine authenticity vibe over in LinkedIn that’s different from TikTok. TikTok’s videos. It’s quick wins. I do get authenticity over there, but LinkedIn is a different type of authenticity. So let’s, let’s dive deeper into that. Where do you think that comes from?

[00:03:42] Andrew Charles Edwards: I think it comes from the algorithm. So TikTok is a platform that people use every day. You know, I know I can get sucked into it for hours, but because LinkedIn is a platform that some people use, you know, once a day, some use once a month, some use once a year, it really only rewards great content. So unlike any other platform, the LinkedIn algorithm brings you, brings your feed the most relevant information to you. So you’re not going to see what’s been posted most recently. You’re not going to see what just happened. You’re going to take. The algorithm is going to take what they think is most important, most most powerful and most, most connective to you. And that’s why I think it’s a little bit different. So it’s not just a slam of everything that’s out there, but it’s really content in your feed that’s content in your community that’s doing well, that others are engaging with. So you know you’re getting content that’s already risen to the top of an algorithm, which I think is pretty powerful.

[00:04:41] Calan Breckon: So it’s a little bit more of a conscious curation that’s happening over on LinkedIn instead of like a free for all.

[00:04:50] Andrew Charles Edwards: Exactly. It’s not just a big dump of what has happened today. It’s really a curation of. I love that. A curation of just the best, the best and the brightest. So really powerful platform and not just a platform for selling things and trying to make yourself, trying to climb your business to the Next level, but really a powerful place to find community and like minded individual individuals.

I help a lot of nonprofits and a lot of small businesses find like minded individuals where they’re able to collaborate and find authentic connections. So that’s a big important part of what makes LinkedIn special.

[00:05:26] Calan Breckon: Definitely. So what are, well, what are people missing when it comes to like hitting the mark on LinkedIn? Like, what are they missing? Where are they screwing it up?

[00:05:37] Andrew Charles Edwards: I think a lot of people treat LinkedIn like it’s a resume. You know, you dust it off when you’re searching for a job and then you wonder why maybe it’s not working well because it’s the first time you’ve signed on in a year. LinkedIn works really well if you give it the love it deserves on a regular occasion. So whether it’s signing in once a week or once a month, find an opportunity to go onto LinkedIn not when you’re desperate for finding that next opportunity, but make it part of your daily, weekly, monthly routine so that you are connecting with people regularly. You’re, you know, building your thought leadership in your respective field and you’re not just leaving it to a oh no, I need to find a new customer or oh no, I need to find a new job. And now I’m going to all of a sudden just start using LinkedIn frantically and wonder why it’s not working. So, you know, constant thoughtful usage and always, I always like to encourage you to. It’s like a playground full of, full of friends you haven’t met yet. You know, go tap on the shoulder of somebody that you haven’t met and introduce yourself and give them a reason to connect.

[00:06:40] Calan Breckon: I will admit that I definitely treated LinkedIn that way until recently, maybe last year, year, just the year before that, when I really started building my business and wanting to branch out and grow. I definitely pivoted to look at LinkedIn a little bit more seriously. And also LinkedIn had made some pretty impressive and new changes to its algorithm and how it was operating that when I started really engaging with the platform and putting out regular content, not for the sake of bombarding my audience with content, but putting out really good quality content. Like this podcast, for instance. I post it and it’s podcast, right? And it’s only once a week and maybe I’ll put out one video from this episode that week and maybe there’ll be like one other kind of thought piece that I’m like, oh, this is interesting or something. But even that small amount is what I found is really helpful on LinkedIn to bring the people into your sphere of like, oh, who is this person? What are they doing? And it’s definitely been a lot more useful than I thought it was going to be to keep it maintained. And I enjoy it so much more than all of the other platforms. Like, I actually feel good when I’m on LinkedIn, whereas a lot of the other platforms make me feel bad about myself. So it’s, it’s for certainly a positive place to be. A more positive place to be.

So what are some strategies you found to be effective for creating content that balances that personal identity with professional aspirations? Because, like, I just shared, like, I share a couple things, but I don’t go too deep on the personal. But where, where have you found an effectiveness when it comes to that kind of balance? Where it’s professional and personal?

[00:08:25] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. A recommendation I often give is think about what you would talk about in the workplace with coworkers. So it’s good to be personal, it’s good to talk about your human side, but you want to do it in the confines of a professional atmosphere. So it’s okay to tackle tough topics. It’s okay to get to, you know, it’s not a place that you need to stick your head in the sand and pretend like the whole world is just roses. But when you are having tough conversations or you are having controversial conversations, what I encourage folks to do is to have a really strong call to action and why that call to action is relevant to your professional journey. An example of this is I volunteer at my community food bank. Food insecurity is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. And often I will rant about certain monopolies in Canada that I find are making this a making the problem worse, not better. And unlike how I would rant about it on Facebook, where I would just maybe go off and be like, grr.

On LinkedIn, I make sure that I’m forming that conversation around what we can do to affect change and also how people can support my causes to bring that topic back to an action. So often when I’m talking about food insecurity, I’ll ask people to donate to my local food bank. Or if I’m talking about an issue that’s affecting the queer community, I’ll bring it back to either my membership at the CGLCC as a Rainbow certified organization. Thank you.

Or my work at the Gilbert center, which is a fantastic community health organization up in Barrie. Being able to root that, that outrage, or the things that make you mad and want to change the world. You know, those are great things to talk about on LinkedIn, but make sure that you’re being productive. Make sure that you have a clear call to action and make sure that you’re not just saying things for the sake of saying them.

[00:10:24] Calan Breckon: I feel that, that’s what I feel like Facebook definitely turned into that where it’s just like, I love, I love everybody, but like a boomers just screaming at the top of their lungs to everybody and anybody and they’re like, I’m mad about this. And you’re like, okay, cal down. But I, to the point where I don’t even, I haven’t been on Facebook or engaged with Facebook, like I don’t even know how long. But LinkedIn definitely is a place where you can have that discord, you can have that conversation. But it’s important to have that call to action, whether it be informational of like, here’s where you can find out more information about this, or here’s where you can sign up to volunteer, or here’s where you can sign up for email to get more information or here’s how you can support xyz. There’s, there’s, there’s some sort of actionable step to it. Not always, but it does have this feeling of people who are possibly angry or upset about something tend to have at least an offering of a solution. It’s not just kind of yelling for the sake of yelling, which is a lot of other social media platforms.

[00:11:31] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. What are you going to do about it Is a great thought to have. When you’re writing maybe a controversial post and for every controversial post that you put out there, make sure that you have something that’s professional. Make sure you have a post that’s talked about, you know, a recent event that you went to, what that event meant to you, a certification you just completed, a milestone in your career, even personal. Personal accomplishments, whether they be, you know, about a fitness goal that you had or maybe a new hobby, you know, I always bring it back to what are topics you would talk about at the water cooler. You know, that proverbial water cooler when you’re talking to Heather from accounting, you don’t know her that well, but you’ve definitely smiled and seen a couple photos of her kids. You want to make a little bit of small talk and you want to share something about yourself, but you don’t want to make it too personal or inappropriate. So, you know, think about what you want to share and then have a little bit of variety and Test, test, test, test. If you are trying to grow your brand recognition and you are trying to, you know, grow your thought leadership, then think very strategically about what you’re putting out there and look at the numbers, look at the results, look at the impressions. Are people commenting? Are people engaging with that post? If they’re not, then maybe it’s a topic for another platform and if they are, then you’ve probably struck gold and you want to find new ways to iterate on that content and to continue that conversation on.

[00:12:54] Calan Breckon: I’ve definitely noticed it’s a great place to toot your own horn in like, a really positive, good way where people are going to build you up as opposed to, like, tear you down. I find on other social media platforms nobody gives a flying fuck about, like, what you’re doing or achieving. But on LinkedIn, because it is more professional setting, it is more, we want to see you achieving, we want to see you doing those things. People tend to cheer you on a little bit louder and, like, want to engage with those kinds of posts of like, this is amazing, like, congratulations, keep on working hard. And it’s, it’s like entrepreneur speak. When you’re an entrepreneur, you can’t talk about entrepreneur stuff with your friends who just work normal corporate jobs because, like, it doesn’t compute the same way. When you’re in a room full of entrepreneurs, you can just talk a lot more freely and openly and it’s, it’s a whole different vibe. That’s how I kind of see, you know, other social media versus LinkedIn. You can be that authentic person and share those things into your own horn in a good way. As long as it’s just not a constant. Look at me, look at me, I’m amazing.

[00:13:55] Andrew Charles Edwards: Yeah, look at me, look at me. But then also look at the people around you. I think that a big part of LinkedIn is also lifting up those around you and giving kudos and compliments to people that have helped you out, people that have mentored you and given you a leg up. You know, we all stand on the shoulders of those that came before us. So talk about people that have inspired you and what their, what their work in your community means to you. You know, those are the things that others will grasp hold of and think, oh, yeah, you know, I also love Dolly Parton or, you know, this, this certain figure also has had a big impact on shaping my career. So, you know, as much as you want to talk about yourself, which I’m always doing, you also want to find, you know, those around you that you can lift up alongside you. So what you said about entrepreneurial really strikes a chord. All of my friends are in traditional professional settings, so I love LinkedIn to help me find new entrepreneurial friends. That’s how we connected. That’s how, you know, we found each other. And I think it’s just the proof is, the proof is sitting right in front of us. You know, reaching out to folks and finding those new connections that have something to offer you and new perspectives to offer you that you may not have in your, you know, day to day life is such an important part of growth, especially as an entrepreneur.

[00:15:10] Calan Breckon: Definitely LinkedIn is one of those places where of course I have it turned off so, like, you can’t message me unless we’re friends or connected because, like, there is a lot of spam you gotta wait through. But as long as you turn on the right settings and stuff, you can avoid most of it. But I found that I’ve come across and met so many amazing entrepreneurial people and just people in my life here in Toronto through LinkedIn. Case in point, US, but a number of mentors who have come to me, a new business partner has come to us through LinkedIn just because the genuine connection of reading a post and connecting there and then reaching out, adding a person and sending a little message, being like, hey, this is actually impactful to me, or hey, I really appreciated your thought on this.

I actually just had a person reach out who was at the queer Tech conference that happened back in November, being like, hey, I really loved your talk there and I found you here on LinkedIn and I really like your stuff here. Could we connect? Can we have a conversation? And we just had a conversation the other day and it was incredibly lovely. And so you can find that on LinkedIn if you’re approaching it from a very genuine, honest place and not from a skeezy. I want to find clients kind of a place because by default, eventually, through genuinely wanting to connect with people, business will flow to you, whether it be through that person or other people. And that to me is definitely one of the biggest perks of LinkedIn is that the direct connection might not be somebody who might work with you or buy from you or what have you, but their circle that you then get exposed to might be.

[00:16:54] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. And authenticity is the name of the game. We don’t want to be. I’m a car salesman. Here’s five reasons why we should connect and be best friends. You know, that isn’t how you’re going to build your empire, but you Know, finding a genuine reason to reach out to somebody and say, hey, I love that, you know, you’re also working in the non profit sector. I do a lot of work in the non profit sector. I’d love to, you know, learn about what your goals are this year. Starting a natural conversation, congratulating somebody on a recent accomplishment, going into conversations openly. I love to reach out to at least three people a week and say, hey, do you want to have a virtual coffee? No agenda, just want to get to know you want to get to know your offer, what you’re looking to accomplish because you never know where these relationships will take you. And it’s not about going into each conversation with a, a dedicated approach to I’m going to sell you something today. It’s more of I want to build genuine connections with people. I want to learn from people and I want to see what’s working and what’s not working so that I can, you know, replicate that success in my own, my, my own authentic way.

[00:17:55] Calan Breckon: 110%.

How can somebody do that and be authentic and inspire dialogue without coming across as like bland or just adding noise to the online space?

[00:18:11] Andrew Charles Edwards: 100%. So two things that I encourage people to do. One is use a headshot. You don’t need a professional photo of like you don’t need to get big branding budget photos, but just get some nice, ask your friend, a roommate, to take some nice professional photos of you and your face smiling, happy and include that in post. When people see you smiling and they see your friendly face, that’s going to really open up a lot of your posts in a much more friendly and authentic way. So when you’re creating content, include a picture of yourself because you are your best asset. And like I really want to emphasize, this is an Instagram, you don’t need to get more beauty and make yourself all dolled up. Just a nice genuine photo of yourself with your pictures will help, you know, help you build, help you build some reputation around when you’re posting. The second thing is try to employ empathy when creating posts. So an exercise I like to do when I’m creating content around building those relationships is I build out what’s called an empathy map. I think about what people are feeling, thinking, saying and doing. And I get out my post its and it’s just four quadrants and if I’m brainstorming around, okay, I’m going to go on a podcast, you know, what are people saying about this topic? What are people doing about this topic? And I just start to jot down. Maybe I’ll do a little side of desk research. I love Answer. The Public is a great website that tells you what are the most recently searched topics. And when I’m then creating content, I’m not doing it on ChatGPT being like, make me a post about me going on a podcast. I’m able to ground myself and okay, these are topics people are talking about. This is what people are frustrated about. You know, this is what they’re doing about that frustration. And the content really starts to come together in a more empathetic and authentic way. So it’s a really great easy activity that you can do. And I do it like once a week. Before I create my content. I just think about what are people saying about this, what are people doing about this, what are they feeling and what actions are they taking. So it’s really a great way for you to build content that’s much more authentic and allows you to, you know, connect with people in a, in a more genuine one to one manner.

[00:20:16] Calan Breckon: Nice. I actually like those. I don’t always have a photo of myself, but I do always try and have either a photo or if I’m sharing this podcast, it already has kind of like the creative. So there’s somebody’s face on there. Somebody’s usually smiling or somebody smiling. Yeah. Or the brand is recognizable, that they go, oh, I know that that’s Kellen’s podcast or something. Because if you just have text, people are, you know, do tend to kind of fly by that they like something that captures their eye in a photo to any degree. Definitely helps that. All right, so it was 2025, it’s a new year. We want to start things off strong. What are some last ideas or strategies or even LinkedIn features that maybe we don’t know about that could help people kick off their new year, New me journey.

[00:21:07] Andrew Charles Edwards: Okay, so a couple tips. First of all, update your headline at least once a quarter, especially at the new year. And I see people where they’re like, CEO, thought leader, you know, you try to shove as many keywords. Don’t do that. Okay. Think about what you want to communicate to people. What’s your goal? What would you hope that somebody would accomplish by reaching out to you? You have 240 characters, so write something very genuine. And if you’re not sure what to write about yourself, here’s another little trick that I like to use. Write out your thoughts in 40 words and then cut that down to 20 words and cut it down to 10 words. And each time as you Rewrite what you want to say about yourself. You’ll really hone in on the most authentic bits of yourself that you want to communicate and that’s going to give you a killer headline. Two, get a nice banner. Whether it’s a photo of the city you live in, you know, you in a professional setting, create visual elements to your profile so that when somebody comes to your profile, they see and they scroll and they have little bits that catch their eye. You know, we read, we scan. So don’t just rely on text. So that’s, you know, a big part of, you know, have a good headshot, have a compelling headline and have a nice post.

The second is the fourth that I would say is groups. I love groups, which is very Facebook esque, but there’s a couple that I really like and I wrote down here. LGBTQ Arts and Media Marketing and LGBTQ Professional Network are two groups that I absolutely love. And you know what, they’re fabulous places to go and meet new people. So what I would encourage you to do this year is step outside yourself and start to build new connections. Go into one of these groups, get a nice headshot of yourself, a nice picture of yourself working with your cat. I always post photos of me and Ben, my cat, working together and people love it. And just post in the group what you want to accomplish this year and why somebody should connect with you. I promise people will connect with you. They will comment and you are going to find new, exciting energy. So, you know, take a minute to make over your profile and then take a second to step outside yourself, join a group, post and find some new friends that are going to give you the energy you need to make this year incredible.

[00:23:17] Calan Breckon: Okay? I really like that.

Posting about what you want to accomplish this year and then also why somebody should connect with you. Because I think that that does tend to get left out. I always see these posts and it’s always like, this is who I am and what I do. And then there’s no kind of call to action in terms of, and if you’re xyz, reach out to me or this is who I’m looking to connect with. And that pit always seems to get missed. So that’s a really, really good, important part.

[00:23:46] Andrew Charles Edwards: My business partner always says, and so what, you know, you got a degree, so what? You finished a marathon, so what? You’re volunteering, so what? And it really helps me think, like, so why does this matter to people? And what, what should they take from it and why should they connect with me? So you know, when you’re writing about these accomplishments and you’re asking somebody for something, so what? Why does it matter to them? And just be very direct. You know, people on LinkedIn are getting bombarded with spam and people reaching out to them. So be concise and authentic and you’re going to find yourself some new friends, I promise you that.

[00:24:17] Calan Breckon: I like that. Even if I were to just ask myself before every post and say so what before and read it in that context and be like, okay, I need to add a little bit more context here or oh no, this is good. Like people know why I’m doing this. That, that by itself is gold.

[00:24:35] Andrew Charles Edwards: Well, I’m glad I had that on a post it on beside my laptop for so long because I definitely was a definitely had some posts that did not answer the so what? So that was a big part of my 2023 LinkedIn journey and I think that it still stands today in 2025.

[00:24:53] Calan Breckon: Yeah, you know what? I think I might actually do the same thing. I’m going to write so what on one of my notepads here and just have it there. Just be like, okay, so what. Andrew, I want to thank you so much for taking your time today. This has been great, I hope, and I think we’ve given a lot of thought pieces for folks who are looking to make 2025 their year of their LinkedIn growth.

[00:25:13] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. And if there’s anything I can do to help your LinkedIn journey, please reach out to me. I’m Andrew Charles Edwards or ace, and.

[00:25:19] Calan Breckon: I’m here to make you sparkle online a magical. And I’m going to make sure that all the links are in the show notes. So if people want to connect with you on LinkedIn or your website and all that kind of stuff, it’ll be there. But where can people find you if they’re looking for your website?

[00:25:34] Andrew Charles Edwards: Absolutely. You can find me at ww designACE, ca or on LinkedIn you can find me Andrew Charles Edwards ace. Or you know, on LinkedIn you can find DesignACE as well. So those are, those are our spots and I look forward to connecting with you and making a genuine relationship.

[00:25:51] Calan Breckon: Magical. Well, thank you so much, Andrew. You have a fabulous day.

[00:25:54] Andrew Charles Edwards: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:25:56] Calan Breckon: Take care.

[00:25:57] Calan Breckon: Thanks for tuning in today. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, I would love a star rating from you. The Business Gay podcast is written, produced and edited by me, Calan Breckon. That’s it for today. Peace, love, rainbows.