LinkedIn has become an important platform for creators to build their personal brands and grow their audiences. With over 800 million users, LinkedIn offers creators access to a massive professional network to get their content and messages out.
But who are the creators really making an impact and engaging audiences on LinkedIn? Here we look at 10 of the top creators on LinkedIn based on their follower count, engagement levels, and thought leadership.
Gary Vaynerchuk
With over 2.2 million followers, Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the undisputed kingpins of LinkedIn. He’s an entrepreneur, investor, speaker, author and internet personality. Gary shares daily video and written content on LinkedIn focused on business, marketing, social media, and self-improvement.
His content comes across as authentic, transparent, high-energy and highly motivational. Gary isn’t afraid to speak his mind and share tough love advice. This resonates as he tackles topics like work ethic, mindset, creativity and building personal brands.
Bernard Marr
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling business author, keynote speaker and strategic advisor to companies. He has over 728,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Bernard is a thought leader when it comes to the business impact of technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, robotics and the Internet of Things. His content provides practical insights for business leaders on leveraging these technologies.
Bernard also regularly shares career and productivity advice for professionals looking to boost their skills and performance.
Sophia Amoruso
As the founder and former CEO of fashion retailer Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso has accumulated over 712,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Sophia shares personal stories and lessons from her entrepreneurial journey building a leading brand. She provides motivation along with real talk around topics like leadership, branding, company culture and empowering women.
Her bestselling book #Girlboss is popular among millennial and Gen Z professionals looking for inspiration. Sophia also hosts the Business Unusual podcast featuring interviews with prominent entrepreneurs and leaders.
Mel Robbins
Mel Robbins is an author, speaker, TV host and social media celebrity with over 679,000 LinkedIn followers. She is known for her bestselling books and global speeches focused on motivation, leadership and changing mindsets.
Mel’s content provides science-backed tips on building confidence, fighting fears, productive habits and getting out of comfort zones. Her signature “5 Second Rule” teaches people how to take action by counting down 5-4-3-2-1.
Mel also shares personal stories and lessons from key life inflection points. This authentic style helps professionals apply her practical self-improvement tips.
Vala Afshar
Vala Afshar is the Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce. He has over 660,000 followers on LinkedIn attracted by his blend of inspirational leadership and technology insights.
Vala shares advice for executives looking to lead their companies into the digital age. He provides tips on digital transformation, AI, big data, customer experience strategies and leading change.
His inspirational leadership style shines through in motivating posts and quotes. Vala also shares wise advice for professionals at all levels like the importance of loving your work.
Liz Ryan
Liz Ryan is CEO and founder of Human Workplace, which aims to reinvent the world of work. Liz has accumulated over 615,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Liz is a champion for employee rights and workplace reform. Her content tackles the serious issues plaguing workers like age discrimination, toxic work cultures and lack of flexibility. But she also injects humor and heart into her engaging posts that get widely shared.
Liz also provides tactical tips for professionals on things like resume writing, interviewing successfully and navigating interoffice politics.
Marla Tabaka
Marla Tabaka is an internationally recognized business advisor, speaker, and corporate trainer. With 597,000 LinkedIn followers, Marla calls herself the “Queen of Self-Promotion.”
She provides helpful and encouraging advice for business professionals looking to develop their personal brand and achieve new heights in their career. Her down-to-earth style resonates as she tackles topics like networking, marketing yourself, and overcoming imposter syndrome.
Marla also shares plenty of tips for entrepreneurs looking to build their influence, improve their mindset and enjoy more work-life balance.
Glennon Doyle
Glennon Doyle is a writer, speaker and thought leader with over 596,000 followers. She is the author of #1 New York Times bestsellers like Love Warrior and Untamed.
Glennon is brutally honest and inspirational as she shares about her own personal journey dealing with addiction, mental health and societal pressures. Her heartfelt and humorous posts aim to help people live more authentic and courageous lives.
She’s developed a loyal tribe of fans, particularly among women, inspired by her messages of self-love, inner wisdom, redemption and connecting to purpose.
Amy Landino
Amy Landino is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, speaker, and sales expert with 568,000 LinkedIn followers. She is the founder and CEO of Blue Sky Development Solutions.
Amy shares practical sales techniques and mindset shifts for salespeople looking to improve their skills and results. Her upbeat style helps motivate sales professionals while giving them tactical tips on things like social selling, gaining referrals and prospecting.
Amy also provides inspirational career advice on topics like building confidence, leveraging failures and balancing ambition with mindfulness.
Pete Mockaitis
Pete Mockaitis is a keynote speaker, author and expert on business communication with over 435,000 followers on LinkedIn.
As a former Cisco employee, Pete brings a wealth of knowledge on how to make powerful connections and communicate effectively in business settings. His LinkedIn posts provide excellent tips on networking approaches, relationship-building skills and communicating complex messages.
Pete also regularly shares career development advice for professionals at all levels, helping them hone their leadership presence and achieve success.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key commonalities among the top LinkedIn creators:
- They provide highly motivational content focused on inspiring professionals to reach new heights in business and career.
- They tackle serious issues head on, but also inject personal stories, humor and heart into their messages.
- They aim to start important conversations and drive change around workplace and societal challenges.
- They share tactical, practical tips people can apply right away to improve their results.
- They utilize an authentic communication style that builds trust and connection with their audience.
While their specific topic areas vary, these top LinkedIn creators ultimately succeed by engaging their audiences and delivering real value on a consistent basis.
Top LinkedIn Creators by Follower Count
Here is a table summarizing the top 10 creators on LinkedIn ranked by their total follower count:
| Creator | Followers |
|---|---|
| Gary Vaynerchuk | 2.2 million |
| Bernard Marr | 728,000 |
| Sophia Amoruso | 712,000 |
| Mel Robbins | 679,000 |
| Vala Afshar | 660,000 |
| Liz Ryan | 615,000 |
| Marla Tabaka | 597,000 |
| Glennon Doyle | 596,000 |
| Amy Landino | 568,000 |
| Pete Mockaitis | 435,000 |
Measuring LinkedIn Creator Impact
While follower count is one metric for gauging LinkedIn creator impact, engagement and content quality also matter. Here are some other key analytics to analyze:
- Content likes, comments, shares – Are audiences actively engaging with the creator’s posts?
- Content consumption – Are people clicking, viewing and spending time with the content?
- Content relevance – Does the creator post content that aligns to audience interests?
- Consistency – How often is the creator posting quality content?
- Network quality – Do followers include target demographics and industry leaders?
The top LinkedIn creators not only attract huge followings, but also generate high engagement and get their content widely shared each day.
Tips for Becoming an Impactful LinkedIn Creator
For professionals aiming to grow their influence and following on LinkedIn, here are some best practice tips:
- Establish your niche and expertise – Create content focused on your unique perspective and insights.
- Post high-value content daily – Share advice, ideas and stories that your audience will find helpful.
- Interact with your network – Comment on posts, join Groups and initiate conversations.
- Monitor analytics – Track engagement levels and optimize content accordingly.
- Leverage visuals – Use images, infographics and video to make content more engaging.
- Promote content – Share posts across other social platforms to expand reach.
- Find your authentic voice – Communicate in a way that feels real, human and approachable.
- Build relationships – Make connections and collaborate with influential professionals.
- Provide practical takeaways – Make sure followers can apply your advice for tangible results.
- Keep innovating – Experiment with new content formats, ideas and hooks.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for thought leaders to build an audience and share impactful messages. While the top creators highlighted here have followed different paths, they share common practices like posting consistently, focusing on engagement, and developing unique voices.
Professionals aiming to boost their influence can apply many of the same strategies while also carving out their own niches as creators. With practical tips and compelling content that provides value, any LinkedIn user has the potential to amass and engage a strong following.
The key is to provide a steady stream of inspiring, informative and helpful posts that support your professional brand objectives. While becoming a top LinkedIn creator requires major commitment, the benefits of expanded reach and influence are well worth the effort.
Creators aiming to maximize their impact should focus on quality over quantity, identify their ideal audience niche, interact continuously and track analytics religiously. By fine-tuning their approach based on performance data, creators can unlock the full power of LinkedIn to engage their target community.
LinkedIn’s unmatched professional audience and sharing capabilities make it the premier platform for establishing thought leadership. For professionals ready to elevate their personal brands, now is the time to start creating.
