What’s your advice for building and nurturing relationships with other thought leaders and influencers in your industry? We asked 8 professionals, and they offered valuable insights on creating meaningful, lasting connections.
- Align Around A Shared Purpose
- Engage Authentically With Influencers
- Leverage Casual Interactions
- Use LinkedIn For Meaningful Connections
- Be Authentic And Add Value
- Understand Networking’s Value
- Support Influencers Through Engagement
- Attend Industry Events For Networking
How to Build Relationships With Influencers
To build meaningful connections with influencers, I’ve found that aligning around a shared purpose works best. In the fast-changing world, people are drawn not just to expertise but to those who want to make a real difference. For me, that often means focusing on initiatives that have a big impact, like making technology more accessible for everyone.
One example was a recent project where we collaborated with industry leaders to create new guidelines for app accessibility. It started as a small idea but grew into something bigger when I reached out to others who cared about the same issue. By working together, we didn’t just exchange ideas—we built something that had a real impact.
When you invite others to co-lead meaningful projects, you build relationships that are based on trust and respect. It shows that you’re willing to lead with purpose and bring value to the table. Those kinds of collaborations often lead to sustainable partnerships.
If you’re looking to connect with influencers in your industry, start by asking yourself: What change do I want to see, and who shares that vision? Then, take the first step to bring them into the conversation. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.
Brandon Bryler
Chief Executive Officer, Coimobile.io
Engage Authentically With Influencers
My advice? Be genuine. People can tell when you’re connecting with them just for your own benefit, and that’s not the kind of relationship that lasts. Building meaningful connections with thought leaders and influencers starts with showing real interest in what they’re doing and what they care about.
For me, it’s all about engaging authentically. I’ll follow someone whose work I admire, interact with their posts, and add thoughtful comments—something more than just, “Great post!” If they’re sharing insights, I’ll ask a question or share how their perspective resonated with my experiences. Over time, those interactions naturally lead to conversations.
One tip I swear by is finding ways to bring value to the relationship. It doesn’t have to be something huge; even sharing an article that aligns with their interests or introducing them to someone in your network can go a long way. It’s about showing you’re not just there to take, but to give.
And don’t underestimate the power of vulnerability. Sharing your own journey, including the challenges, can create a real connection. People remember those who are authentic and relatable. At the end of the day, it’s less about networking and more about building human connections that are based on mutual respect and shared goals.
Adonis Khuzwayo
Outsourced Solutions Manager – Emea, Nutun
Leverage Casual Interactions
Don’t underestimate casual interactions—they’re often the foundation for big opportunities later. A random Twitter DM about a marketing trend with a thought leader eventually led to a podcast collaboration that benefited both sides. Sometimes, staying human and informal beats a perfectly crafted email.
Keep the connection going after the “big moment” by following up with smaller, value-driven touches. After a webinar, we shared a quick summary with the thought leaders involved and tagged them in posts, keeping their audience engaged long after the event ended. Consistency after the fact shows you’re invested in the long-term.
Marc Bishop
Director, Wytlabs
Use LinkedIn For Meaningful Connections
I primarily use LinkedIn and TikTok as my social media platforms of choice, and I’ve found LinkedIn to be an excellent place for building meaningful relationships. When I come across a thought leader or influencer I’d like to connect with, I start by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts. Since I genuinely enjoy their content, it’s easy for me to share my insights and thank them for providing valuable information.
After a couple of times of leaving a comment, they usually send me a message thanking me for the engagement, or I send the person a connection request or message sharing how much I enjoy their content. We exchange messages and eventually schedule a Zoom chat.
If the conversation goes well and the vibes are vibing, we begin checking in with each other monthly or every other month. That’s when the real magic happens! We exchange information, spark new ideas, and share opportunities like speaking engagements, contracts, or referrals. This mutual exchange flows naturally after those initial conversations.
Portia Obeng
Social Media Strategist & LinkedIn Coach, Portia Obeng LLC
Be Authentic And Add Value
The terms “thought leader” and “influencer” have become overused and confusing as of late. I recently mentored a recent college grad who considered himself a thought leader in his area of gaming simply because he’d taken a lot of courses in game design.
To be clear, thought leaders and influencers should be deemed as such by their communities, not self-proclaimed. In this way, building and nurturing meaningful relationships with them comes with aligning goals and values, sharing resources and successes, and adding value to their platform. When I seek to build a professional relationship with someone who yields high influence in their area, industry, community, or topic, I first remember that people connect with people, so I need to be authentic. When we’re genuine and real, others are naturally drawn to us and more inclined to build a connection. I focus on finding ways to support and add value to them, before asking for something for myself. Approaching relationships with a win-win mindset fosters trust and creates a strong foundation for mutually beneficial connections.
Lida Citroën
CEO, LIDA360
Understand Networking’s Value
To build and nurture relationships with thought leaders and influencers, you need to understand the value of networking and have a giving mindset. Building relationships helps with personal and professional growth, so engage in coop-etition with colleagues on platforms like LinkedIn, other social media, and industry-specific forums. Focus on quality over quantity and use your authentic self, not AI, for outreach messages. Connect and don’t sell; remember to offer value first. This demonstrates your willingness to contribute and can be as simple as sharing an informational gift that might interest them so they will know you were thinking about them.
To build trust or leverage social media, offer to collaborate on projects or initiatives. Ask them to speak on panels featuring other thought leaders. Make introductions that may be helpful to them, engage on their content, or share their content with attribution. Commenting on others’ posts can create visibility, discoverability, and credibility. Join other thought leaders in communities like the Thought Leadership Branding Club, where you can gain knowledge while building relationships.
Lynne Williams
Resumes & LinkedIn – Executive Director, Great Careers Network
Support Influencers Through Engagement
The best thing you can do to build relationships with other influencers is to support them! Comment on their posts, message them, start conversations, support them. This is the absolute best way to build relationships with other leaders in your field. Then, offer to collaborate after you’ve been engaging with their content and striking up conversations.
Mandy McEwen
Founder/CEO, Mod Girl Marketing
Attend Industry Events For Networking
When your business industry creates an event near your location, I highly suggest attending to network and collaborate with business leaders alike. While we cannot ignore that they remain as competitors in your market bracket, it creates a collaborative effort to balance competition and partnerships. We may share questions like where does one manufacture their products or where do these other businesses plan to launch their branches, and the like. The competition is how to increase market value and sales among all business owners or leaders, not how to plunge into every area or field these people dive into. We cannot all share the same household, but we can share the same space.
Picture this: owning a business is like owning a house, and the business influencers or leaders are homeowners. We cannot all live under the same roof as it would mean sharing the same resources; Meanwhile, when we share the same community and allow joint effort to care for the community’s resources and demands, it makes a functional environment to live in. Conferences and events are built to entertain these opportunities for industry leaders and members. We are able to discuss where our interests lie, how we can provide for various consumers, and collaborate on how we can value the industry and our shared spaces more.
Stacy Tapping
Founder, The Beauty Sculpting Room
