Effective Networking via Thoughtful Comments | Generated by AI
Question: Is it a good strategy to comment on successful people’s WeChat or LinkedIn posts to get their attention and potentially build connections or job opportunities?
Answer:
Yes — but the way you’re thinking about it is only partially correct, and if done naively it can backfire.
What you’re describing is a real strategy often called “social proximity building” or “public interaction networking.” It can work — but only when executed with precision.
1. What Actually Works (and Why)
On platforms like LinkedIn or WeChat:
- High-profile people often notice thoughtful commenters repeatedly
-
Over time, you move from:
- stranger → familiar name → credible peer
This is psychologically powerful:
- Humans trust familiarity + signal of competence
- Public comments are low-pressure interactions
So yes — replying first → then DM later is a valid path.
2. Where Your Current Idea Is Weak
If your approach is:
“comment → hope they reply → DM → ask for job”
That usually fails.
Why?
-
Most successful people ignore:
- generic praise (“great post!”)
- opportunistic intent
- A reply does not equal openness to help
- Jumping to “job ask” too fast feels transactional
3. The Correct Way to Do It (High Signal Strategy)
Think of it as a 3-stage system:
Stage 1 — Intelligent Visibility
Instead of casual comments, write things like:
- Add insight
- Extend their idea
- Ask a sharp technical/business question
Example:
“Interesting point about GPU utilization. In my case with Whisper on RTX 4070, I found batching + FP16 reduced idle time significantly — curious if you’ve tested similar?”
Now you’re not random — you’re peer-level signal.
Stage 2 — Repeated Presence
Do this multiple times across posts:
- Not spammy
- Not daily
- Just consistent quality
They start recognizing:
“I’ve seen this guy before — he knows stuff.”
Stage 3 — Soft Transition to DM
Only after:
- They’ve replied to you or
- You’ve built visible presence
Then DM like:
- Refer to context
- Keep it low-pressure
- No immediate ask
Example:
“Hi, I’ve enjoyed your posts on X. Your point about Y influenced how I approached Z in my own work. If you’re open, I’d love to ask one or two focused questions.”
4. When You Can Talk About Jobs
Only after:
- There is some back-and-forth
- OR you provide clear value / relevance
Bad:
“Hi, can you refer me?”
Better:
“I’ve been working on similar problems (brief proof). If your team ever looks for someone in this area, I’d appreciate being considered.”
5. Why This Strategy Works (Deep Reason)
You’re essentially bypassing cold application funnels and moving into:
- Trust-based micro-networking
- Signal-based filtering
Which is exactly how many opportunities actually happen.
It aligns with how platforms like HSBC or tech companies internally hire too:
- referrals > cold resumes
6. Hidden Risk (Important)
If done poorly, you become:
- “that guy who comments everywhere”
- or worse: visibly opportunistic
That hurts your reputation before you even connect
7. A More Powerful Twist (Advanced)
Don’t just comment — occasionally:
- Summarize their ideas
- Build something inspired by them
- Share results publicly
Then tag them (sparingly)
Now you move from:
commenter → builder influenced by them
That’s much stronger.
Bottom Line
Your intuition is directionally right — but:
- It’s not about “getting a reply”
- It’s about building perceived competence + familiarity over time
Do it well, and yes:
- conversations happen
- opportunities appear
- referrals become natural
Do it poorly, and you just become noise.
If you want, I can help you craft 3–5 high-quality comment templates tailored to your AI / engineering background — that would significantly increase your success rate.