The New LinkedIn Playbook with Nikolett Jaksa: Why Clarity and Consistency Beat Virality

If you’re spending hours perfecting your LinkedIn content but clients aren’t showing up, you might be optimizing for the wrong outcome. In this conversation, a Forbes‑featureed strategist reveals the hidden gap between posts that get likes and posts that start conversations—and why the real work begins after you hit publish.

Nikolett Jaksa, Personal Brand Strategist, LinkedIn Coach & Ghostwriter

You've gone from zero to the #1 female LinkedIn creator in Serbia. At what moment did you realize, "that's it, I'm done following the conventional path"?

There wasn’t one dramatic moment where I “quit the conventional path.” It was more like a slow realization.

I started posting while I was still a student, just trying to figure things out. At first, it felt like… okay, this is fun, but it’s not “serious.” You know how everyone around you is following a very clear path: graduate, get a stable job, play it safe.

But then a few things started happening at the same time:

• People I didn’t know began reaching out

• Opportunities started coming to me

• And I realized I was making money from something I genuinely enjoyed

That’s when I realized that this could be more.

Not in a “I’m done with everything else” way, but more like: “Wait, this actually works. Why would I ignore it?”

I think it came down to permission.

Permission to take myself seriously before anyone else fully did. Permission to choose something that didn’t look safe on paper, but felt right in practice.

And once I saw that this path could give me freedom, creativity, and income… going back to the conventional one just didn’t make sense anymore.

Was there a moment of deep doubt or failure when it felt like personal branding just wasn't for you?

Yeah, 100%. I had phases where it felt like I was just putting things out there with no real response. Spending time on posts, overthinking every sentence, and then nothing really happening.

No traction, no clear direction, no proof it would turn into anything.

And the hardest part wasn’t even the numbers, it was the doubt: “Am I actually good at this, or am I just convincing myself I am?”

Especially in the beginning, when you don’t have results yet, it’s very easy to question everything.

But looking back, that phase was necessary. That’s where I stopped trying to sound “impressive” and started focusing on being clear and useful. That’s when things slowly started to click. So yeah, there were definitely moments where it felt like maybe this isn’t for me.

I just didn’t let that feeling make the decision for me.

Do you have an ideal future version of yourself? What does she look like?

I picture someone who moves faster on decisions and slower on overthinking. Less in her head, more in execution.

She’s in rooms she used to watch from the outside.
Not trying to prove anything, just there because she belongs.

Her work speaks before she has to. People come in already trusting her, not needing to be convinced.

And life-wise, it’s simple.

Good routines, people she actually likes, work she doesn’t need to escape from. Nothing crazy, just everything feeling aligned without forcing it.

That’s the version I’m building toward.

You help founders generate revenue through personal branding. At what point does content actually start monetizing?

It’s way less about timing and way more about how clear you are.

Content doesn’t magically start paying because you hit a certain number or followers. It starts paying when people get you.

Like, what you do, who you help, and why they should care.

I’ve seen people with a few thousand followers make money because their positioning is sharp. And others with way more just posting and hoping something happens.

For me, it was a bit of a build-up.

At first, nothing.
Then a few DMs.
Then someone asked, “Do you offer this as a service?”

That’s usually the turning point.

Not when you decide to monetize, but when your audience starts asking you to.

What are the most common mistakes founders make on LinkedIn that cost them money?

They treat LinkedIn like a content platform, not a business tool. They post consistently but there’s no clear offer behind it. So even if people are interested, there’s nowhere for that attention to go.

Second, they overcomplicate their positioning. Trying to sound high-level, strategic, different… and it just becomes hard to understand. Simple sells. Complicated gets saved and forgotten.

Another one is being inconsistent with their message.

One day it’s mindset, next day it’s hiring, then a random life post… There’s no clear association, so people don’t remember them for anything specific.

Also, no call to action, ever.

They’ll post something valuable, people resonate, and then nothing. No next step, no invitation, no “here’s how I can help.”

And a subtle one: avoiding selling completely.

They’re scared to talk about their offer, so they stay in “value mode” forever. Which feels safe, but it doesn’t convert.

At the end of the day, it’s not that they’re doing nothing.
They’re just missing the link between content → trust → action.

If someone only has two hours a week for LinkedIn, where should they invest that time to actually see results?

I’d keep it very simple and focused on things that actually move money, not just visibility.

If you only have 2 hours, I wouldn’t try to be everywhere. I’d split it like this:

• First, write 1 solid post (45-60 min). Not 3 average ones. One that clearly shows what you do, who you help, or a real insight from your work. Something that makes people think, “okay, this person gets it.”

• Then, spend the rest on conversations and visibility through others.

— Reply to every comment properly.
— DM a few people who are engaged or fit your target.
— Have actual back-and-forth, not just “thanks for connecting.”

• And spend time commenting on other people’s posts.
  That’s how you grow your network without posting more.

Not “great post” comments, actual thoughts, different angles, something that makes people notice you and click your profile.

That’s where most people miss it.

They think the post is the work.

But the post is just the door.

The money usually comes from what you do after it.

If I only had 2 hours a week, I’d rather have:

• 1 strong post

• 5-10 real conversations

• consistent visibility in the right comment sections

…than 5 posts and zero conversations.

Because one good conversation can turn into a client.

You've worked with 30+ founders, is there a common pattern among those whose accounts truly get a boost?

Yeah, there is a pattern, and you start noticing it really quickly when you work with enough people.

I’ve worked with 30+ founders at this point, and the ones who get a boost don’t necessarily post more or have better ideas, they just approach it differently.

First, they get clear fast.

Not in a perfect way, but enough that if you land on their profile or read 2-3 posts, you immediately understand what they do and who they help. That alone changes everything.

Second, they tie their content to real work.

The founders who grow fastest are the ones sharing what’s actually happening in their businesses: client results, mistakes, decisions they’re making. That’s what builds trust. That’s also what I focus on with my ghostwriting and coaching, because theory doesn’t convert, real context does.

Third, they don’t wait to make money from it.

They make it obvious they have an offer. And because of that, when attention comes, it turns into inbound.

I’ve had clients go from “just posting” to getting their first inbound leads in 1-2 months, not because they suddenly went viral, but because people finally understood what they were selling.

And probably the biggest one, they stay consistent after things start working.

A lot of people show up until they see a bit of traction and then disappear.

The ones who really grow treat it like a channel, not a phase.

If I had to sum it up:

The boost doesn’t come from doing something special. It comes from being clear, visible, and consistent long enough for people to trust you, and then actually giving them a way to work with you.

How do you distinguish between "content that gets likes" and "content that brings in clients"?

I look at what happens after the post.

Likes are easy. People double tap, maybe comment, and move on.
Clients show up when the post makes someone think, “this is exactly what I need.”

The difference is pretty obvious once you pay attention to it.

It comes down to a few things:

Clarity.

If I read your post and still don’t know what you do or who you help, it won’t convert. The posts that bring clients make that obvious without overexplaining.

Specificity.

General advice gets engagement. Specific situations get DMs. When someone sees their exact problem in your content, that’s when they reach out.

Proximity to your actual work.

The posts that convert are usually pulled from real client situations, decisions, or results. That’s what builds trust quickly.

And then conversations.

Most clients don’t come directly from the post, they come from the comments and DMs after. If there’s no follow-up, even a high-performing post won’t turn into anything.

So I don’t really judge content by how many likes it gets. I pay attention to: who’s engaging, what they’re saying, and whether it leads to actual conversations.

What metrics do you consider truly important, and which ones are just vanity metrics?

I mainly look at anything that shows intent, not just attention.

So the important ones for me are:

• DMs coming in

• Profile views (after a post)

• Follower and engagement quality (are they actually my target audience)

• Discovery calls booked / actual inquiries

• And even comments like “this is exactly what I needed”

That tells me the content is landing with the right people.

Likes and impressions are nice, but they don’t tell you much on their own. You can have a post blow up and still not get a single client from it.

I’ve had posts with lower reach bring in way more business just because they were clear and spoke to the right problem.

So I pay attention to reach, but more as a signal, not a goal.

If the right people see it and take action, that’s what matters.

Does LinkedIn have a ceiling for growth? Or is it still an underrated platform?

I don’t see a ceiling anytime soon.

LinkedIn has 1B+ users, but only around 1% are actually creating content weekly. That means you’re competing with a very small group of people for attention, even though the platform itself is huge.

Most people are there to consume, not post. So if you’re someone who shows up regularly, you’re already ahead.

And it’s not just reach, it’s who you’re reaching. Founders, decision-makers, investors, people with budgets. That’s why even smaller accounts can generate real business.

So yeah, it still feels underrated compared to Instagram or TikTok in terms of opportunity.

There’s a lot of attention available, not that many creators, and a very high-quality audience.

You've been featured in Forbes twice – how has that impacted your business? Does it actually bring in clients?

It definitely helps, but not in the way people expect.

It’s not like you get featured and suddenly your inbox is full of clients the next day.

What it does is build trust faster.

When someone is already considering working with you and they see “featured in Forbes,” it removes hesitation. It makes the decision easier.

I’ve had people mention it on calls or in DMs, but usually as a confirmation, not the reason they found me.

It also opens doors: partnerships, collaborations, speaking opportunities. People take you more seriously before you even say much.

So yeah, it brings business, just more indirectly.

It shortens the trust gap, rather than creating demand on its own.

What makes a speaker memorable today?

When people walk out of the room knowing exactly what they can apply the moment they step outside.

Not later, not “I should try this someday”, literally something you can apply the same day.

The speakers people remember are the ones who make things click in a practical way, so you don’t need to figure it out after, you just go and do it.

What’s something you would never say from the stage, even if it’s trending or controversial?

Anything I don’t actually believe or haven’t experienced myself.

Even if it’s trending or gets attention, I wouldn’t say something just because it sounds good on stage.

Also, I avoid strong opinions just for shock value. It might get a reaction in the moment, but it doesn’t build real trust.

If I’m saying something on stage, it has to be something I’d stand behind in a room of clients, not just an audience.