The Synergy Effect!

Early in my LinkedIn journey, I made a mistake that cost me months of growth. I thought building an audience was a solo sport. I'd post my content, engage with a few comments, and hope the algorithm would do the rest.

It didn't!

Meanwhile, I watched other creators with similar follower counts grow faster, land bigger clients, and build momentum that seemed to compound week after week. I couldn't figure out what they were doing differently.

Then I noticed the pattern. They weren't building alone. They were building together.

The Lone Wolf Trap

Most creators operate like lone wolves. They create content in isolation, promote only their own work, and view other creators in their space as competition. This mindset feels logical, but it's fundamentally flawed.

Here's the truth: your ideal clients are already following someone else. They're in someone else's audience right now, engaging with someone else's content, trusting someone else's expertise. You can spend years trying to find them one by one through your own posts, or you can get introduced to them through strategic partnerships.

The second path is faster, warmer, and more effective.

What Is Synergy?

Synergy happens when two creators with aligned audiences and complementary expertise collaborate in ways that benefit both. It's not about trading favors or gaming the algorithm. It's about genuine partnership where everyone wins, including the audience.

I call the creators you build these relationships with your Synergy Buddies. The term comes from MrBeast, who built his YouTube empire partly by surrounding himself with other creators who pushed each other to improve and amplified each other's reach.

The concept translates perfectly to LinkedIn. When you find creators who serve a similar audience but offer different expertise, you've found potential Synergy Buddies. A leadership coach and a productivity expert. A LinkedIn strategist and a copywriter. A personal branding consultant and a career coach. These pairings make sense because the audiences overlap without the offers competing.

How Synergy Works

Let me give you a real example.

Early in my journey, I connected with a handful of creators who were at roughly the same stage as me. None of us had massive followings. None of us had figured everything out. But we committed to supporting each other.

We engaged meaningfully with each other's content. We made introductions when we met someone who could benefit from knowing each other. We collaborated on posts, shared each other's frameworks, and promoted each other's newsletters. When one of us landed a win, we celebrated publicly.

Over time, something interesting happened. Their audiences started recognizing my name. My audiences started recognizing theirs. We weren't stealing followers from each other. We were expanding the pie for everyone.

Some of those early Synergy Buddies have become my best referral sources. The clients they've sent me arrived pre-sold because they trusted the person who made the introduction. Those referrals close faster, pay higher rates, and become better long-term clients than anyone who found me cold.

Finding Your Synergy Buddies

Not every creator makes a good Synergy Buddy. You need alignment on three levels.

First, audience alignment. They should serve people who could also benefit from your expertise. If your audiences have nothing in common, collaboration won't move the needle for either of you.

Second, values alignment. This matters more than most people realize. You'll be associating your brand with theirs. If they operate with integrity and generosity, that reflects well on you. If they don't, that reflects on you as well. Protect your Personal Brand at all costs.

Third, complementary expertise. You want overlap in audience but not in offer. If you both do the exact same thing, you're competitors, not collaborators. The best Synergy Buddies fill gaps in each other's expertise.

Look for creators who are at a similar stage or slightly ahead of you. The biggest names in your space probably won't respond to your outreach, and that's fine. The creators grinding alongside you right now are the ones who will grow with you and remember who supported them early.

The Give First Mindset

Here's where most people get it wrong. They approach potential Synergy Buddies with a transactional mindset, immediately asking what they can get from the relationship. This kills the partnership before it starts.

Lead with generosity instead. Engage with their content thoughtfully before you ever send a DM. Make introductions that benefit them with no expectation of return. Celebrate their wins publicly. (Side Note: Be authentic, not fake.)

When you eventually reach out, you're not a stranger asking for something. You're someone who has already demonstrated value. The conversation shifts from "what can you do for me" to "how can we help each other."

This give-first approach feels slower, but it builds relationships that last. Transactional partnerships fizzle. Generous partnerships scale.

Building Your Synergy Stack

I recommend building what I call a Synergy Stack, a small group of five to ten creators you actively support and collaborate with. This isn't a formal engagement pod where everyone likes each other's posts mechanically. It's a genuine community of mutual investment.

Stay in regular contact. Check in monthly or quarterly. Keep track of what they're working on so you can make relevant introductions. Collaborate on content when it makes sense. Refer clients when the fit is right.

Over time, your Synergy Stack becomes one of your most valuable business assets. These relationships generate referrals, create collaboration opportunities, provide feedback on your ideas, and keep you accountable when motivation dips. The compound effect of these partnerships far exceeds anything you could build alone.

Your Next Client Is Waiting

Here's the reality. Your next big client probably isn't scrolling LinkedIn hoping to discover you. They're already following someone they trust, engaging with content from creators who have earned their attention.

Your job is to get introduced.

Build relationships with creators who serve your ideal audience. Show up generously. Collaborate authentically. Let their trust in your Synergy Buddy transfer to you through association and introduction.

The lone wolf path is longer and lonelier. The synergy path is faster and more fun.

Your next big client is in someone else's audience right now. Go build the relationship that introduces you.

This article is adapted from my book, Synergy: Thought Leadership, Strategic Partnerships, and Your LinkedIn Brand Engine, available Spring 2026.

Free LinkedIn Growth Workshop

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Everyone who signs up and attends will receive my Free LinkedIn Growth Guide along with 2 surprise free gifts.

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