Make Money Off People’s Silly LinkedIn Replies

Or At Least Have Fun

It happens a lot on LinkedIn, you get a request to connect from some well-groomed, perky professional and think, why not?

Then, minutes after accepting the connection, they “reply” with a sudden business proposal that’s like 5 paragraphs long.

Common phrases they use include: Reach out, circle back, win-win, outsource, possible collab… Blah blah blah…

I’ve tried being nice, and that just gets the next canned response in their sales funnel. I’m not into ghosting, as it’s bad karma, but I don’t think you can ghost a bot, even if it’s auto-repling for a human.

And I don’t ever get mean, because again, I don’t like bad karma.

Update! I might be about to close my first deal using this method!

Humor is the Positive Transformation of Misfortune

Laughter is not only a lubricant to life, studies show laughing releases healing hormones in the body, and optimists live longer.

So instead of getting mad, let’s find a way to laugh.

How You Do This Depends on Your Skillset

Not only can you turn something annoying into something amusing, you might make money doing it.

What’s this magic solution? Well, first we have to realize that there are actual human professionals behind these LinkedIn replies who are probably good people and have good things they’re trying to accomplish in the world (we hope).

So, why not just flip the narrative and send them back your own proposal?

Here’s what I did recently, and I’m laughing as I write this because I think I’ve already been ghosted by the gentleman… but that’s why this can be fun too.

He said:

Joe, thanks for connecting… [followed by several paragraphs about some project I should be fascinated with and maybe invest my time/money.]]

I replied:

Hey [Name withheld], thanks for reaching out! (I used their own phrase)
Sounds interesting (I actually didn’t read it all)
I’m pretty busy lately but do have openings for writing projects. If you’re looking for help and I think your project will make the world a better place, let me know. Have a fantastic day!

So, I try to cover a few bases. Number one I’m only really interested if he needs some freelance work, and only then if I think his project is awesome will actually benefit humankind.

In other words, it’s a pretty tall order, and probably won’t happen. But at least you might get a laugh and you never know what could happen…

After all, we usually don’t get things we never ask for.

Anyway, hope this makes your LinkedIn journey more enjoyable, and maybe life too as there’s no better cure for annoyance than humor.