Sharing my LinkedIn usage and where I stand at the 3-month mark.

Three months since I started LinkedIn. 240 connections, 271 followers, and zero direct projects. Here is why I am not quitting yet.

LinkedIn, the social media platform used by business professionals around the world.
It is a well-known platform where freelancers can land work with overseas companies and connect directly with them.

I started using it too.
Three months into using LinkedIn, I have zero direct projects.

271 followers, 240 connections. I post every week, alternating between English and Japanese.

Even so, I cannot yet say that I have signed a contract through LinkedIn.

Is this a failure?

Chasing posts, I reached my limit

At first, I was managing note and LinkedIn separately.

Thinking of content for each and posting at their respective paces.
After doing it for a while, honestly, it was tough.

I started to feel like I was spending too much time on social media.

So I decided to make a change.
Make note the core. Use LinkedIn as a place for cross-posting.

Write thoroughly on note once a week.
Post it in Japanese on Wednesday, and in English on Monday on LinkedIn.
I limited it to just this.

What I realized after trying it is that this suits me very well.

The good thing about note is that you can write long-form content.
Where I am now, what I want to convey, and what is actually happening.
I can properly put those into words.

By posting that article directly to LinkedIn, I have come to feel that my achievements, thoughts, and actions can accumulate on LinkedIn as well.

And since note's translation feature became available at the end of May, it was perfect timing for me as I am also posting for people overseas!

(Actually, I do not know how accurate note's translation is.
After all, I am taking on overseas projects with zero English skills! Haha)

I believe that the most important thing on LinkedIn is to convey 'what kind of person this is'.

Things started to change a bit once I passed 100 connections.

By expanding your network on LinkedIn, you can increase your credibility, get your business content seen by more people, and even start receiving scouts from companies.
(Or so they say... I haven't experienced that yet, haha.)

At first, I was just sending connection requests to anyone and everyone.

There are kind people out there who are willing to accept requests from accounts like mine that only had a few connections.

I was searching for and sending requests to accounts of people overseas who seemed relevant to my business, acting without really knowing how to use the platform.

Once I started cross-posting my content from note, my business became easier to understand, and I started receiving connection requests little by little.

Once I passed 100 connections, I started getting 1 to 3 connection requests every day.

Around this time, I also started receiving business inquiry messages.

I really feel that having consistent content is what matters most.

Different platforms attract different people.

After using it for three months, I noticed something interesting.

Even though I share the same content on Fiverr and LinkedIn, the types of inquiries I get are different.

Fiverr gets a lot of export and sourcing inquiries like 'I want to source products from Japan.'
On the other hand, LinkedIn gets inquiries that are a bit more upstream, like 'I want to enter the Japanese market.'

Both are within the scope of my work, but the temperature is different.
I feel like more people on LinkedIn talk to me in the context of their business.

Although I haven't reached a direct contract yet, there have been several interactions where I was able to guide them to my Fiverr gig after they said, 'I saw your post.'

This is a connection that wouldn't have happened without LinkedIn.

Come to think of it, there was also a time when someone accessed my business website from my LinkedIn profile and sent a project inquiry.

The fact that inquiries aren't turning into projects yet means there is still room for improvement, and I see it as an opportunity for growth, so I'm not feeling impatient.

Photos reach more people than long-form text.

Another thing I've learned from using the platform.

Aside from cross-posting, I occasionally make standalone posts featuring photos I've taken myself.
These posts feel more like Instagram, if anything.

These get the highest impressions.

Since posts using AI-generated images are increasing, I've realized through my own posts that real photos truly have a different kind of presence.

I recently started an Instagram account for REFOUND and tried cross-posting its Reels to LinkedIn, but they didn't perform very well.
Perhaps the files were too heavy.

I still don't fully understand the LinkedIn algorithm, but I suspect that "photos showing people's faces" might be powerful.

And my first recommendation.

Last week, I received a recommendation from a client.

He is a CEO launching a Japanese toy business in France.
We met on Fiverr and worked together.

He looked me up on LinkedIn, and he is a client with whom I've worked on projects outside of Fiverr.
I think if I hadn't started using LinkedIn, our relationship might have been limited to Fiverr, and it would have been harder to build trust.

Among the words in the recommendation he wrote, there was this sentence:

"She connected me with a supplier I hadn't been able to reach for months in just two weeks."

When I read it, I felt a bit emotional.

What I do isn't just making lists. It's opening up relationships within Japanese business culture.
He put that into words perfectly for me.

That recommendation is now on my LinkedIn profile.
This carries much more weight than a number showing zero projects.

The real work on LinkedIn is still ahead.

I am currently developing a product brand called REFOUND.

I am negotiating with artisans, selecting materials, and preparing for Kickstarter (an overseas crowdfunding platform).

Someday, the day will come when I share this on LinkedIn.

I believe that when that time comes, the efforts of these past three months will have meaning.

240 connections, 271 followers, and zero direct projects.

This is my current status on LinkedIn at the 3-month mark.

The reason I won't stop, even so, is that I realized LinkedIn is not a sales tool, but a place to build trust.

The real work is still ahead.

I hope this reaches those who are freelancers starting to work internationally.

MY WAVES / Maiko Tsutsumi
Based in Kyoto, former general merchandise buyer, supporting exports of Japanese products and managing the REFOUND brand.