The idea, in one sentence. As a student, you have neither experience nor a network — and that's exactly why commenting is your best card. A student's post reaches no one; a well-placed comment puts you in front of recruiters, alumni and pros in your future field today. You build a network early, before you even start looking. This guide gives the method, concrete examples, and is backed by our first-party LinkHub data. Third-party figures are estimates from cited, dated studies. No invented numbers.
Key takeaways
- Your "client" is recruiters, alumni and pros in your future niche — not customers who buy. Your comment ICP = who to comment under so they see you. (see the ICP of a comment)
- With no experience, a comment beats a post. You have no audience reading you; commenting borrows one. The full beginner logic is in commenting without an audience.
- You build your network EARLY, not in a rush. A student plays the long game: getting known before looking for an internship, not during. That's what sets you apart from an active job search.
- A comment is seen ~179 times on average (n=657,722), even with 0 followers: its reach comes from the host's audience.
- The right host changes everything: commenting on a top 10% in your niche earns ~3.4x more impressions than the median. (see who to comment on)
- The goal isn't impressions — it's the relationship. A comment opens a door; a well-crafted DM lands a coffee, advice, sometimes an internship.
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1. Why comment when you have neither network nor experience
At your stage, posting barely works: you don't have an audience to read you yet. You write, you publish, and three people see it. Discouraging — and it's the first mistake of the student "getting started on LinkedIn."
The comment flips the equation. When you comment on a post by a pro in your future field, you appear in front of their audience — recruiters, alumni, professionals — without having built your own. It's the host's audience that sees you, not yours (Botdog, 2025). A comment is seen ~179 times on average across our base of 657,722 comments, whether you have 0 or 500 followers.
And it fits the reality of hiring: personal brand carries more and more weight, and recruiters trust a human voice over a raw CV (LinkedIn, Future of Recruiting 2025). Your comments are that voice: they show your curiosity, your way of thinking, your motivation — far better than a "student looking for an internship" line. The step-by-step method for the total beginner is detailed in commenting as a beginner without an audience.
2. Your student ICP: who to comment under to build your network early?
This is lever #1, and it differs from an active job search: you play the long game. You make yourself familiar before you need anything, so that when the time comes to look for an internship, people already know you.
Your comment ICP is:
- Pros in your future field: aiming for marketing, comment on marketing creators; law, lawyers who publish; data, recognized data scientists.
- Alumni from your school / program: a strong shared tie that opens doors — many gladly help a student from their cohort.
- Recruiters and companies in your sector who publish (employee advocates, talent acquisition).
- Other ambitious students: your peer circle grows with you, and that matters over 5 years.
At equal effort, who you comment under swings your visibility by a factor of 1 to 40+: across 4,861 creators, the median earns 36 impressions/comment, a top 10% 124 (~3.4x) (see who to comment on). To target without guessing, LinkHub's AI profile recommendation infers your niche and suggests, across 100,000+ profiles, the best hosts. The conceptual logic is in the ICP of a comment.
3. Comment early and well when you "have nothing to say"
Many students hold back, afraid they're not legitimate. Good news: you don't need to be an expert to comment usefully.
Early. Commenting in the first 30 minutes earns ~3.8x more than after 24h (391 vs 104 impressions; n=261,137; see when to comment). Group your targets into personalized feeds to see their posts the moment they go live.
Well — even without experience. Aim for 15-40 words (a 10+ word comment weighs more than a like). Without expertise, you can always:
- Ask a good, sincere question ("How did you learn that early on?").
- Connect it to your courses / study project — it shows you think.
- Share what the post taught you and why it shifts your view.
Avoid "Great, thanks for sharing!" which adds nothing. Draw on the comment examples and how to write a good comment.
4. A concrete student comment example
Say you're after a work-study spot in marketing, and a growth lead publishes a post on organic vs paid acquisition.
Bad comment: "Very interesting, thanks! I'm a marketing student looking for a work-study placement, feel free to reach out." — it pitches, it's awkward, it adds nothing.
Good comment:
"We actually studied this exact trade-off in class this week, and your post makes it far more concrete than my slides. What stuck with me: organic takes time to compound but becomes an asset, whereas paid stops the moment you cut the budget. Beginner question: at what stage do you advise a young brand to shift part of its budget toward organic?"
Why it works: it's humble but thoughtful, it ties your student status to real reflection, it asks a precise question. The growth lead — and the pros reading — see a curious, serious student. Several will click your profile; some will reply. That's exactly how you build a network before you need it.
With LinkHub, spotting the right post and writing a personalized AI comment (always reviewed by you) takes ~29s measured (median, n=44,523) — so a routine of 5 comments/day fits between two classes.
5. From comment to internship: moving to DMs
The comment opens the door; the DM lands the meeting. For a student, the path is simple and pressure-free:
- Commenting regularly on the same pros / alumni makes you familiar.
- Replying in the thread builds a first connection.
- Moving to DMs without ever begging for an internship head-on: "Thanks for your reply under [X]'s post. I'm discovering [the field] and your path inspires me — would you spare 15 min to share one piece of advice?" Many pros say yes to a motivated student.
- Keeping the connection: one of these contacts will think of you when an internship opens. That's a network built early — it pays exactly when you're looking.
That's the big difference from an active search: you sow now to reap later. Keep your targets in personalized feeds and nurture the relationship over time.
FAQ
Can a student with no experience really be visible on LinkedIn? Yes. A comment borrows the commented creator's audience — seen ~179 times on average, even with 0 followers. It's the most accessible way in from zero, where a student's post reaches almost no one. See commenting without an audience.
Who should a student comment under? Pros in your future field, your school's alumni, recruiters/companies in your sector, and other ambitious students. A top 10% in the niche earns ~3.4x the median. See who to comment on and the AI profile recommendation.
What do I say in a comment if I have no expertise? Ask a good question, connect it to your courses, or share what the post taught you. 15-40 words, sincere. A student's curiosity is legitimate and well received — no need to be an expert.
Should I ask for an internship directly in the comment? No. You're sowing for the long term: build familiarity first. The ask (for advice, then an internship) comes later, in DMs, after a real connection has formed.
When should I start, early or late in my studies? As early as possible. The whole point for a student is to build a network before needing it. A circle built over 2-3 years is worth far more than one cobbled together in a panic the month you start looking.
Sources & methodology
- LinkHub first-party data — 179 average impressions/comment (n=657,722); creators commented on (4,861: p50=36, p90=124, p99=357, max=1,522); timing (n=261,137); measured writing time (n=44,523); base of 100,000+ profiles. See who to comment on, when to comment.
- LinkedIn — Future of Recruiting 2025 · Botdog — LinkedIn Algorithm 2025
- Find 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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