Over the past 2.5 years, I've provided a spectrum of services to B2B climate tech founders and marketing teams.

And one thing has become crystal clear to me:

Founder & CEO content on LinkedIn is one of the highest-leverage types of marketing for a startup.

With LinkedIn, you can attract potential customers, investors, and media attention all at once.

But if you haven't posted much on LinkedIn before, how can you get started?

Today, we'll focus on the first three steps of getting started on LinkedIn.

1. Write a clear headline

The first step to optimizing your profile is to write a clear headline describing what you do.

If your value proposition and brand messaging for your company aren't clear yet, this will be a bit experimental. Still, it's worth crafting this just to get started.

For instance, Plan A CEO Lubomila Jordanova writes a clear headline that focuses on building credibility:

CEO & Founder Plan A & Co-Founder Greentech Alliance │ Obama Leader │ MIT Under 35 Innovator │ LinkedIn Top Voice

However you do it, make sure to describe your role at your company, mention the industries you work with, and add your most compelling credibility elements.

2. Set up your key images

Next, make sure you have a professional profile picture and a good header image.

I've noticed that many founders have a nice headshot, but they miss the opportunity to include a good header. For the header, you could:

• create a graphic with the help of a designer or Canva template

• keep it simple with a themed photo

• or, feature a photo of you in a compelling setting (like speaking on a stage)

Whatever you decide, use your profile picture and header image strategically, showcasing media that builds credibility and adds context.

3. Follow and engage with top thought leaders

If you're ready to post content, you can. But the best way to see what works on LinkedIn is to follow other thought leaders in your space.

Start following folks in your niche, especially those who have 10K+ followers. Then, don't just "like" their content — start commenting on their posts and adding to the conversation.

Your comments will show up in others' feeds. As a result, you'll start to become more visible — even without creating your own content yet.

Set up your LinkedIn in an afternoon

You can get the first two steps done and start on the third in just a few hours.

With these three steps, you'll have the basics done.

From there, you'll have a solid foundation to create content so you can use LinkedIn as a tool to grow your startup.