The idea, in one sentence. When you start on LinkedIn with no audience, posting barely works: nobody reads you yet. Commenting does. By commenting on the right creators, you borrow their audience and become visible today — without a single follower. This guide is a step-by-step method for beginners, backed by our first-party LinkHub data. Third-party figures are estimates from cited, dated studies — flagged as such. No invented numbers.
Key takeaways
- With no audience, a post falls flat — a comment doesn't. In raw reach, posts crush comments (1,607 vs 35 median impressions), but a post requires a network to distribute; a comment requires none. (see comment vs post)
- A comment is seen ~179 times on average, whether you have 30 or 30,000 followers: its reach depends on the host's audience, not yours. (see comments vs likes)
- You can grow without ever posting. Visibility, network and clients are all reachable through comments alone. (see grow without posting)
- The 4 beginner steps: 1) optimize your profile, 2) target 10-20 creators in your niche, 3) comment early and well, 4) keep a simple routine.
- The right creator changes everything: commenting on a top 10% creator in your niche earns ~3.4x more impressions than the median. (see who to comment on)
- And timing: commenting in the first 30 minutes earns ~3.8x more than after 24h. (see when to comment)
- The real goal isn't impressions — it's relationships. LinkedIn is a social network: commenting should lead you to chat, move to DMs and build a network of peers in your niche. That network is what later earns you likes and comments from people genuinely interested in you.
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1. Why commenting is THE best starting point with no audience
The first mistake when starting out is believing you have to post to exist. But a post only exists if it has an audience to distribute it. With no established network, the algorithm shows your post to a handful of contacts; if initial engagement is weak, it dies. The result: you write, you publish… and 12 people see it. Discouraging.
Commenting flips the equation. When you comment on someone else's post, you appear in front of the audience that creator already gathered — without having to build it. That is exactly what makes it the best way in when you start from zero:
| Criterion | POST | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Median reach / unit | 1,607 impressions | 35 impressions |
| Audience required | Yes — you need a network that reads you | None — you borrow the host's |
| Visible on day 1? | No — you need a network first | Yes — with zero followers |
Reading. Yes, a single post reaches further per unit (x46 at the median). But that reach has one condition you don't have yet: an audience. The comment caps lower per piece — yet it requires no network and is still seen ~179 times on average (see comments vs likes), because it's the audience of the creator you comment on that sees you, not yours. The full numbers face-off is in comment or post: which pays off more.
The good news: you are not required to post to grow. Visibility, network and first clients are all reachable through comments alone — the full method is laid out in grow on LinkedIn without posting. And if you do start posting later, commenting will boost your posts on top. So start there.
General guides confirm this starting point: commenting is "the best algorithm hack with no ad budget, no big audience" (The Trusted Voice, 2025).
2. Step 1 — Optimize your profile (before you comment)
When you comment, people click your name. If your profile is empty or confusing, they bounce. Your profile is your landing page — polish it before you start:
- Sharp photo + a banner that says your niche. A smiling face, a banner that visually communicates your topic (Windmill Growth, 2026).
- A headline stating the problem you solve, not just your job title. "I help B2B freelancers find clients on LinkedIn" beats "Consultant."
- An About section that reads like a pitch: who you help, how, and why to follow you.
That's a 30-minute investment that makes every comment more profitable: your borrowed visibility turns into profile visits, then connections.
3. Step 2 — Target 10-20 creators in your niche (the #1 lever)
For the same effort, who you comment on swings your visibility by a factor of 1 to over 40. Across 4,861 creators analyzed, the median creator earns 36 impressions per comment; a top 10% creator earns 124 (~3.4x) and a top 1%, 357 (~10x). Same comment, same quality — placed under the right creator, it's seen 3 to 10x more (see who to comment on).
To start, build a list of 10 to 20 creators (then grow to 20-40) that combine:
- An audience in your niche: their public = your prospects, peers and decision-makers. A big off-topic account is worth less than a highly engaged niche creator.
- Real engagement: an account with 8,000 active followers often beats one with 80,000 passive ones.
- Consistency: a creator who posts often gives you more chances to comment early.
Beginner tip: aim for creators outside your current network — commenting only within your connections means talking only to people who already know you (Windmill Growth, 2026).
To find these targets without guessing, LinkHub includes an AI profile recommendation: it analyzes your profile to infer your ICP, then searches 100,000+ LinkedIn profiles for those with the best ROI for your niche — not just the biggest accounts.
4. Step 3 — Comment early and well
Once your targets are grouped, two reflexes make the difference: being early and writing well.
Comment early (the 0-30 min window). Across 261,137 real comments, a comment posted within the first 30 minutes generates 391 impressions on average, versus 104 after 24h — that's ~3.8x more (see when to comment). The reason: a post gets most of its reach in its first hour; commenting then exposes you to its audience peak. The practical problem — you can't watch the native feed nonstop — is solved by personalized feeds: you group your target creators and see their posts as soon as they go live.
Comment well. A useful comment adds something: a specific observation, an example, a reasoned disagreement, or a question that extends the conversation (get inspired by these LinkedIn comment examples). Aim for 15-40 words: a comment of 10+ words weighs clearly more than a like in the algorithm. Avoid "Great post! 👏" that adds nothing and earns neither replies nor visits (on the right use of emojis in comments). (The "how to write a good comment" details are covered in our dedicated guide — see write a good comment.)
LinkHub helps you do both fast: spot the right post as soon as it goes out and draft a personalized AI comment (always approved by you) in seconds.
5. Step 4 — Keep a simple routine
The real beginner's lever isn't a one-off stroke of genius: it's consistency. And it's within reach.
- Aim for 5 comments/day to start (the "5-comment rule"), then ramp up gradually (The Trusted Voice, 2025).
- Budget 15-30 min/day — that's what 2026 guides recommend for the first month (Windmill Growth).
- Be patient: most accounts don't gain momentum until month 3-4. Consistency beats intensity.
With LinkHub, a comment takes ~29 s measured (median, n = 44,523) — so 5 to 10 comments fit into a few minutes a day. That's exactly what makes the routine sustainable when you're starting out. (The full routine structure is detailed in our commenting routine guide.)
6. The end goal: move to messages and build a real network
Keep one thing in mind: LinkedIn is a social network, not a billboard. Impressions are only a means — the goal, from day one, is to build relationships. A well-placed comment is just the first handshake; the real value is created when the conversation moves to messages.
Concretely, a beginner's journey looks like this:
- Commenting opens the door — you appear, you exist for the creator and their audience.
- Exchanging in replies under the post creates a first public link.
- Moving to DMs turns that link into a relationship: a message that extends the conversation, no pitch, just genuine interest (the full path from comment to client).
- Building a network of peers in your niche: by exchanging with other creators covering the same topic, you build a circle that knows you, reads you and is genuinely interested in you.
That network is what holds value over time. When 20, 50, then 100 people in your niche know you through your comments and exchanges, the likes and comments on your own content will come from genuinely interested people — not the algorithm alone. You no longer just borrow other people's audiences: you build your own, made of real relationships.
That's also why targeting the right creators (step 2) matters so much: commenting every day on the same 10-20 creators in your niche makes you familiar to them and their community. Keep them at hand in personalized feeds so you never miss a post and can nurture the relationship, day after day.
7. Should a beginner really never post?
No — but not right away. Posting builds your deep authority over time. The catch: with no audience, your first posts get little reach — they'll land better after commenting has built you an initial network and warmed up the algorithm.
So the optimal order for a beginner is: comment first (to get visible and earn your first followers without depending on an audience), post later (for authority, once people follow you). As a bonus, a daily commenting routine amplifies the reach of your future posts. The "grow without posting" method is detailed in this guide.
FAQ
Can you really break through on LinkedIn with no audience or followers? Yes. A comment borrows the audience of the creator you comment on — it's seen ~179 times on average, whether you have 30 or 30,000 followers. It's the most accessible way in when you start from zero, whereas a post with no network falls flat.
Should a beginner post, or only comment? Start by commenting. With no audience, your posts get little reach; the comment makes you visible today. You can post later, once you've built an initial network — and commenting will then boost your posts.
How many comments per day for a beginner? Aim for 5 comments/day to start (the "5-comment rule"), then ramp up. Budget 15-30 min/day — with LinkHub, ~29 s per comment, so a few minutes is enough.
Who to comment on when you have nobody in your network? On 10-20 creators in your niche, ideally outside your current network (a top 10% earns ~3.4x the median). See who to comment on and the AI profile recommendation.
What's the real point of commenting when you have no audience? To build relationships. Impressions are only a means: LinkedIn is a social network. Commenting gets you known by creators in your niche, opens conversations that move to messages, and gradually builds a real network — the one that earns you sincere likes and comments, not just algorithmic reach.
How long before you see results? Be patient: most accounts don't gain momentum until month 3-4. Consistency (a simple routine, kept up) matters more than intensity.
Sources & methodology
- First-party LinkHub data — impressions per comment and per post, creators commented on (
creator_stats_cache), timing (261,137 comments), measured creation time (n = 44,523). See comment vs post, comments vs likes, who to comment on, when to comment. - Windmill Growth — How to Grow on LinkedIn in 2026 · The Trusted Voice — The 5-Comment Rule (2025)
- Browse all our studies on the LinkHub blog.
About the author
Founder of LinkHub
Yannis writes about social selling, LinkedIn comments and visibility. He builds LinkHub, the extension that helps you attract qualified clients through your comments.
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