Why Your LinkedIn Presence Isn’t Working (And What To Do)
- Stephanie Roulic
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
At 4:00 p.m. on a Friday - arguably the hardest slot of any conference and, yet, still a packed room - Gabrielle Dalvet (Marketing Consultant & Community, Coterie Mktg and Co-Founder, MKTG WMN) took the stage at Startup Boston Week with a promise: no hacks, no shortcuts, and no pretending.
What followed wasn’t a traditional “how to grow on LinkedIn” talk. It was a candid breakdown of why most people struggle on the platform and why artificial intelligence won’t fix that problem for them.
The Problem: LinkedIn Feels Fake - Because It Is
Ask almost anyone how they feel about LinkedIn and the answers are consistent: performative, overly polished, and painfully inauthentic.
Dalvet didn’t shy away from that reality. In fact, she leaned into it.
According to her, the issue isn’t the platform itself, it’s the way people show up on it. Professionals often adopt what she describes as a “big boss mask,” presenting a version of themselves that feels safe but ultimately disconnects them from their audience.
That disconnect matters. Because at its core, LinkedIn is still a marketing channel and marketing only works when people feel something.
“The whole point of branding and marketing is to connect with people,” she emphasized.
The Myth of AI as a Shortcut
With the rise of generative AI tools, many professionals have turned to automation to produce LinkedIn content. But Dalvet cautions that this approach often backfires.
AI can help, but it cannot replace the underlying work required to build a meaningful personal brand.
“You’ve got to do some deep personal work,” she said.
Without that foundation, AI-generated posts tend to sound generic, overly polished, and indistinguishable from the rest of the feed, what many now refer to as “AI slop.”
Her framing is simple: AI should act as an editor or assistant, not the author.
Step One: Do the Work Most People Avoid
Before writing a single post, Dalvet encourages founders and operators to understand themselves.
That means asking questions most people skip:
What shaped you growing up?
What early experiences still influence how you work?
What frustrates you about your industry?
What do people consistently come to you for?
These answers form the foundation of a personal brand - not job titles, not achievements, but perspective.
During the session, attendees shared stories ranging from childhood obsessions with immersive fantasy worlds to early struggles with reading that later evolved into careers in behavioral science. Those stories, Dalvet argued, are far more compelling than polished corporate updates.
Step Two: Use AI the Right Way
Once that self-awareness is in place, AI becomes powerful.
Dalvet recommends building a dedicated “personal brand project” within tools like ChatGPT, essentially a living repository of your voice, ideas, and experiences.
Instead of prompting AI from scratch each time, users can:
Upload past writing, notes, or reflections
Add responses to personal prompts
Continuously feed new ideas and experiences
Over time, the system begins to reflect not just what you say, but how you think.
The goal isn’t efficiency. It’s consistency and depth.
Step Three: Turn Emotion Into Content
The most effective LinkedIn posts don’t start with strategy…they start with emotion.
Frustration, in particular, is a powerful trigger.
“What pisses you off about your industry?” Dalvet asked.
That question often reveals the clearest signal of what someone truly cares about and what others will resonate with.
Instead of generic updates or recycled advice, she encourages people to capture those moments in real time:
A frustrating customer interaction
A broken industry norm
A belief that challenges conventional thinking
From there, the format matters less than the authenticity. Writing, voice notes, and even self-recorded videos can all work, as long as the core idea is real.
What Actually Drives Results
Dalvet’s approach isn’t theoretical. She shared that her own LinkedIn presence has generated all of her business through inbound leads and referrals, without traditional outreach.
In one case, a CEO she worked with received direct outreach from a Bloomberg reporter based solely on a LinkedIn post, something that typically requires months of PR effort and significant financial investment.
The takeaway: meaningful content doesn’t just build an audience, it creates opportunities.
The Metrics Trap
One of the biggest misconceptions about LinkedIn is that success is measured in likes and comments.
Dalvet argues the opposite.
Many of the people who convert - clients, investors, partners - never engage publicly. They watch quietly, forming opinions over time.
“All of my clients…have never liked or commented on a post,” she noted.
In other words, visibility matters more than vanity metrics.
The Real Strategy (It’s Simpler Than You Think)
Despite the complexity of personal branding, Dalvet’s tactical advice is refreshingly straightforward:
Post a few times per week
Comment on others’ content regularly
Build your network intentionally
Focus on conversation over perfection
Most importantly: stop overthinking.
“Nobody’s going to see your first few posts anyway,” she joked.
A Shift in Mindset
Perhaps the most notable moment came during the Q&A, when a younger attendee questioned whether LinkedIn could ever feel authentic, especially for those who don’t want their identity defined by work.
Dalvet’s response reframed the platform entirely.
LinkedIn doesn’t have to be about business alone. It can (and should) reflect the full picture of a person’s life, values, and perspective.
The professionals who stand out aren’t the most polished. They’re the most human.
The Bottom Line
AI can amplify your voice, but it can’t create one.
In a feed dominated by templates, trends, and automation, the real differentiator is still the same as it’s always been: authenticity.
Or, as Dalvet put it, more bluntly: “Just be yourself.”
