How I Use LinkedIn and AI Without Sounding Like a Robot!

There’s a growing problem on LinkedIn.

You can spot AI-written content instantly. It’s polished, tidy… and completely forgettable. It reads like spam. And for agency leaders trying to build trust, that’s dangerous.

Nigel Cliffe’s session tackles a challenge many founders feel but struggle to articulate: how to use AI to become more human on LinkedIn, not less.

Because LinkedIn isn’t a broadcast platform. It’s a relationship platform. And relationships collapse the moment people suspect they’re talking to a bot.

Why This Matters Now

AI tools are everywhere. LinkedIn has its own AI writing prompts. Content production has never been easier.

But trust has never been harder to earn.

For agencies, LinkedIn is often the single most powerful channel for:

• Building authority

• Starting conversations

• Attracting the right clients

• Warming up relationships before a call ever happens

If your content feels automated, you lose the very advantage LinkedIn offers: human connection at scale.

Key Lessons from Nigel’s Approach

Nigel has trained people on LinkedIn for over 12 years. He uses ChatGPT daily. But always with one rule: Human first. AI second.

Here’s how he does it.

1. Your profile is your shop window

Most agency leaders waste the two most important areas:

• Headline: clearly state who you help and how (first 40 characters matter most)

• About section: tell your story, show personality, include contact details and a call to action

AI can help sharpen this — but it must still sound like you.

2. LinkedIn is a one-to-one game

Nigel’s network isn’t huge by influencer standards:

• ~8,500 connections

• ~12,500 followers

But every connection has been vetted since 2007.

Quality > quantity. Always.

3. Use AI to shape ideas, not replace your voice

He uses ChatGPT to:

• Refine profile sections

• Turn rough notes into compelling summaries

• Generate content prompts from FAQs

• Maintain tone consistency

• Build content themes from real client questions

AI provides structure. Humans provide stories.

4. Content starts with the questions clients ask you

List the 10 questions you’re always asked. Put them into ChatGPT. Ask what naturally follows.

You’ll have 40–50 content ideas instantly — all rooted in real conversations.

5. Tools don’t matter. Fundamentals do

Forget chasing every new app.

Focus on:

• Profile

• Content

• Engagement

• Connection strategy

• Messaging

Consistency beats complexity.

6. Move relationships off LinkedIn quickly

There’s no “Buy Now” button on LinkedIn.

The goal is to build enough trust that someone wants a call, a coffee, or a Zoom. That’s where deals happen.

The Big Takeaway

AI is incredibly powerful. But only if you stay in the driver’s seat.

The agencies winning on LinkedIn are not the ones producing the most content. They’re the ones producing the most human content — helped, but not replaced, by AI.

This session is also featured as a chapter in the Agency Growth Book.

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