The Comment-First LinkedIn Strategy: Growth Without Original Posts
Definition
The comment-first LinkedIn strategy is a growth methodology that uses strategic commenting as the primary mechanism for building professional visibility, audience, and pipeline on LinkedIn. Instead of spending time creating original posts, practitioners invest 20 to 30 minutes daily commenting on high-visibility posts from accounts whose audiences overlap with their ideal customer profile. The approach generates 5 to 15 times more profile visits per minute of effort than original content creation for accounts with fewer than 5,000 connections.
The Distribution Problem With Original Posts
Original posts on LinkedIn from accounts with fewer than 5,000 connections face a distribution ceiling. LinkedIn shows your post to roughly 5 to 8% of your first-degree connections in the initial test distribution. For an account with 2,000 connections, that is 100 to 160 people. If engagement is average, the post stalls at 500 to 2,000 impressions.
Creating that post took 20 to 45 minutes. Reaching 500 to 2,000 people. That is a lot of effort for a small audience.
Comments bypass this ceiling entirely. When you comment on a post from an account with 50,000 followers that has already entered expanded distribution, your comment is visible to a portion of that expanded audience. Your comment did not need to earn distribution. It inherited it. For the underlying data, see Why Replies Outperform Original Posts.
The 30-Day Comment-First Challenge
The fastest way to prove whether comment-first strategy works for you is a structured 30-day challenge. Here is the exact protocol.
Setup (Day 0)
- Build your target list. Identify 25 to 40 LinkedIn accounts whose posts consistently generate engagement from your ideal audience. Include industry leaders, active creators in your niche, and competitors whose audiences you want to access.
- Optimise your profile. Professional headshot, clear headline that states what you do and who you help, an About section that tells your professional story, and a Featured section that showcases your best work or offer.
- Set up tracking. Record your current LinkedIn SSI score (linkedin.com/sales/ssi), current follower count, and average weekly profile views. These are your baselines.
Week 1: Building the Habit
Target: 8 comments per day, 20 minutes maximum. Focus on consistency over quality. Your goal this week is to build the daily habit, not to write perfect comments. Use the Strategic Reply Matrix to ensure variety: 2 Authority comments, 2 Bridge comments, 2 Catalyst comments, and 2 Resource comments per day.
Week 2: Improving Quality
Target: 10 comments per day, 20 minutes maximum. Review your Week 1 performance. Which comments generated the most likes and replies? Which target accounts generated the most profile visits? Double down on what works. Start incorporating data points and personal experiences into your comments.
Week 3: Expanding Reach
Target: 12 comments per day, 25 minutes maximum. Add 10 new accounts to your target list based on Week 2 performance data. Start engaging with second-degree connections who engaged with your comments. You should notice a measurable increase in daily profile views by mid-week 3.
Week 4: Conversion Focus
Target: 12 comments per day plus 3 to 5 connection requests to engaged profiles. Transition from pure visibility building to relationship building. Send connection requests to people who liked or replied to your comments. Include a personalised message referencing the specific conversation.
Expected 30-Day Results
| Metric | Starting Baseline (typical) | Day 30 Target |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly profile views | 50 to 150 | 300 to 800 |
| SSI score change | Baseline | +8 to 15 points |
| New connections | Baseline | +80 to 200 |
| Inbound DMs | 0 to 2 per week | 3 to 8 per week |
| Total time invested | 0 | 10 to 12 hours |
What Makes a Comment Worth Reading
LinkedIn comments that generate profile visits and connections share specific characteristics. Understanding these characteristics lets you engineer comments that convert, whether written manually or with AI assistance from Reply Engine.
The Value Add Test
Before posting any comment, ask: "Does this comment add something the original post did not say?" If the answer is no, rewrite or skip. Comments that merely agree, rephrase, or compliment are algorithmically invisible and provide zero strategic value.
Value can take many forms:
- A specific data point that supports or challenges the original post's claim
- A personal experience that illustrates the post's point with concrete detail
- A framework or mental model that structures the post's ideas
- A thoughtful question that reveals an unexplored angle
- A connection to an adjacent domain that expands the conversation
The Conversation Invitation
Comments that end with an open question or provocative observation generate 2 to 3 times more sub-conversations than comments that end with a definitive statement. Sub-conversations increase the algorithmic weight of your comment and create opportunities for deeper relationship building.
Examples: "I wonder how this changes for [specific scenario]?" or "The counterargument might be [perspective]. Interested in how others see this." For more comment frameworks, see The LinkedIn Comment Strategy That Books Meetings.
When to Introduce Original Content
The comment-first strategy does not permanently exclude original content. It resequences the priority. Comments come first because they build the audience that makes original content effective.
After 30 days of consistent commenting, you have enough audience and engagement to make original posts worthwhile. The recommended integration is:
- Day 1 to 30: Comments only. Build audience and SSI score.
- Day 31 to 60: Comments plus 1 to 2 original posts per week. Posts should draw on insights from comment conversations.
- Day 61 to 90: Comments plus 2 to 3 original posts per week. Maintain the 80/20 ratio of comments to posts.
- Day 90+: Sustained hybrid approach. Comments remain the growth engine. Original posts serve retention and thought leadership.
For the complete growth arc across 90 days, see From Lurker to Authority in 30 Days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the comment-first LinkedIn strategy?
A growth methodology that uses strategic commenting as the primary mechanism for building visibility and pipeline. It generates 5 to 15 times more profile visits per minute than original content creation for accounts under 5,000 connections.
Can I grow on LinkedIn without posting original content?
Yes. Many professionals have grown from under 1,000 to over 5,000 connections using only strategic comments in their first 60 days. Original content becomes more effective once you have built an initial audience.
What makes a good LinkedIn comment?
100 to 300 characters, adds new information, professional tone, invites further conversation. It must pass the "value add" test: does it say something the original post did not?
Summary
Key Takeaways
- Comments bypass the distribution ceiling that limits original posts from small accounts.
- The 30-day challenge builds from 8 to 12 comments per day across four weekly phases.
- Expected 30-day results: 3 to 5x increase in weekly profile views, 8 to 15 point SSI boost, 80 to 200 new connections.
- Every comment must pass the "value add" test: does it say something the original post did not?
- Comments ending with questions generate 2 to 3 times more sub-conversations.
- Introduce original content after day 30 at a 1 to 2 posts per week cadence.
- Maintain an 80/20 comment-to-post ratio even after day 90.
- Total time investment: 20 to 25 minutes per day, or 15 minutes with Reply Engine AI assistance.