How Lara Acosta Built a Multi-6-Figure Personal Brand Empire From Zero to 200k LinkedIn Followers in 29 Months
Learn How Founders Build Their Brand, Content Strategy and Create Viral Moments.
*This is Lara's total engagement numbers from her 2-year journey (through October 25, 2024)
Introduction
What if I told you that a single LinkedIn post could literally change your life?
That's exactly what happened to Lara Acosta.
In May 2022, Lara started a new LinkedIn account from scratch. Zero connections, zero followers, zero posts.
All she wanted was a reference for her grad school or maybe just a nice LinkedIn face that would be good-looking enough for anyone offering her a job.
She just happened to come across one of Gary Vaynerchuk’s videos and decided to start posting 3x a week.
And BOOM!
Everything changed with a post she shared and went viral - 330k impressions and 4k likes on one single post.
5 months later, she’s…
- Featured on Forbes 3x.
- Landing speaking gigs in Dubai, Mexico, and the UK.
- Ranked #1 female creator worldwide for personal branding on LinkedIn.
Here’s what she said…
“A single post turned my life around.”
Fast forward to October 2024, and Lara now…
- Has 200K LinkedIn followers.
- Runs multi-6-figure personal branding agencies, LA Digitals, and Literally Academy.
Oh, and she's also racked up some serious numbers across other platforms:
- 15.3K on Twitter
- 20.9K on YouTube
- 24.5K on Instagram
- 42.1K on TikTok
That brings her total follower count to over 300k. Not bad for someone who started with a blank slate just two years ago.
Since starting in May 2022, Lara has shared over 460 posts on LinkedIn, generating…
- 478k+ reactions
- 254k+ comments
- 12,600+ reposts (as of October 2024).
Is Lara’s story just a game of luck, or what exactly?… let’s get right into it.
How Lara Makes Money
When it comes to monetizing her personal brand, Lara Acosta's journey is as impressive as her follower growth.
In just two years, she transformed her LinkedIn presence into a thriving business empire, generating substantial revenue through multiple streams.
In a post reshared on February 15, 2024, Lara revealed that she generated over £100k and 50M views on LinkedIn in 2023 alone.
And that was just the beginning.
She also confirms this in another post she shared:
“I was finishing my Master's degree at the time.
That same year I made my first $100,000.”
On September 9, 2024, she mentioned making $200,000 in the last 12 months.
But how exactly does a LinkedIn creator go from zero to six figures in such a short span? Let's break it down.
“That's Literally It” Newsletter
On September 6, 2023, Lara launched her newsletter.
But she didn’t just launch a newsletter - she engineered a movement.
Within just one week, she’s got 5.5k subscribers. But she didn’t grow this number in just one week. She started way back.
Lara first mentioned the upcoming newsletter on August 14, 2023, strategically building anticipation.
By the time she launched three weeks later, she had already gathered an audience of 5k+ email subscribers.
And she didn't stop there. Lara consistently promoted her newsletter at the end of her posts throughout the year.
She uses this newsletter strategically to offer:
- Exclusive offers for subscribers.
- Deep-dive personal branding insights.
- Behind-the-scenes looks at her journey.
As of October 18, 2024, she has 15k newsletter email subscribers.
Now, to the real money maker…
Literally Academy Mastercourse
In September 2024, Lara launched what would become her signature offering - Literally Academy Mastercourse, where she teaches how to Build a 6-figure Personal Brand on LinkedIn in 90 days - Without being cringe, spending hours writing, or selling your soul in the process.
In a post on September 17, 2024, Lara shared:
"15 hours ago I launched Literally Academy.
100+ members have joined so far - the reason?"
Here's where the numbers get really exciting.
The Mastercourse and Literary Academy membership is priced at $399 per student, with a monthly fee of $99 after the first 2 months.
With 500+ students enrolled (according to the landing page), Lara has already generated a cool $199,500+ from the Mastercourse alone. And that's not even adding the recurring revenue from membership subscriptions!
But the demand doesn't stop there.
In a post from September 21, 2024, Lara mentioned having 300+ people on her waitlist, eagerly anticipating the next cohort.
But here's what makes Lara's money story different:
- She wasn't pushing sales from day one.
- She didn't start with the intention to monetize.
- She wasn't dropping "link in bio" in every other post.
Instead, here’s what she did:
- Created proof of concept.
- Built genuine connections.
- Delivered consistent value.
- Launched sales only when ready.
When she finally did launch her products, her audience wasn't just ready – they were waiting with credit cards in hand.
And hey! This is the same person who started with zero everything in May 2022.
No connections. No followers. No posts.
With just a simple decision to post valuable content three times a week.
Today …
- 15k+ newsletter subscribers.
- 500+ course members.
- $200k+ in 12 months.
- 300+ course waitlist.
The Platform Jumps
Sometimes the best way to start over... is to actually start over.
That's exactly what Lara Acosta did in May 2022. She didn't try to resurrect her old LinkedIn account or slowly build momentum. She went all out, and then, all in – deleted everything and started fresh.
In her YouTube video “I Blew Up My LinkedIn Following As Fast As I Could!", Lara breaks down this counterintuitive decision.
Most people would call this crazy. After all, who throws away years of connections? But Lara wasn't interested in playing it safe – she was playing to win.
She shared her first post, got 4k+ likes, and continued to post at least 3x a week.
Understanding the risks involved in running on a single social media platform, she planned on pivoting to another - YouTube.
But before we get into that, Lara also got banned once by LinkedIn (you can say what she feared eventually happened).
And this has happened to some top creators too. Luke Matthews has been banned 10x on LinkedIn, and Dakota Robertson was once banned on Instagram.
And that’s the thing about platform-dependency. It’s like building your house on rented land. No matter how “friendly” their policy looks, you can still be kicked out (even if you’re very careful).
Hence, the need to expand your reach…
Lara’s Pivot to YouTube
While most creators try to be everywhere at once, Lara played it differently.
But she was smart with it. Instead of spreading herself thin across every platform, she played the long game:
- Master LinkedIn first.
- Hit significant milestones.
- Then... and only then... expand.
Lara understands that platform expansion isn't just about growing numbers - it's about creating a sustainable, diversified digital presence that can withstand the uncertainties of social media.
By December 2023, she'd crossed 100k followers on LinkedIn. That's when she knew it was time for her next strategic move… Enter YouTube.
On January 25, 2024, she dropped her first video: "How ONE LinkedIn Profile Hack Made Me $100K!"
Six minutes long.
24K views.
Now, here’s the benefit of pivoting to a new social media platform… you’re not exactly starting from scratch. You already know what you’re doing. It may be a new platform, but you’re not new.
Lara leveraged her LinkedIn authority to jumpstart her YouTube growth. The same day she posted her first video, she shared on LinkedIn:
"I just uploaded my first YouTube video.
This is the biggest day of my entire life." (1,629 reactions, 813 comments, 18 reposts.)
In August 2024, she shared a post about crossing 10K subscribers on YouTube…
“I just crossed 10,000 subscribers on YouTube!
And before I share a lesson, I want to say thank you.” (1,787 reactions, 1,009 comments, 46 reposts).
But the real gold is in her content creation system. As Lara grew her YouTube presence, she developed a simple but potent content creation system. In a post from September 18, 2024, she broke down her process:
1. Post 3-5x a week on LinkedIn
2. Analyse the best-performing posts
3. Turn those posts into script ideas
4. Use the hooks on posts as video hooks
5. Use LinkedIn to A/B test winning YouTube titles
By October 2024, her YouTube channel had grown to 19 videos with over 480,000 total views.
Although, she has accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, she’s actively building LinkedIn and YouTube right now.
The Attention Timeline
Some creators stumble into success; others engineer it. But Lara did something entirely different – she deleted her way to success.
Her very first post on this brand-new account was shared on May 15, 2022. Because this post had 4k+ reactions, I was stunned . So, I decided to manually scroll to the bottom of her "show all posts" page. I was aggressively scrolling through, thinking, "Who gets 4,174 likes and 432 comments on their first post?"...
Surprisingly, it was her first post. So that got me thinking… How??
But before we get to the how, take a look at the post:
"2 weeks ago I decided to take my LinkedIn seriously and today I reached my 2-month connection goal I set myself! In TWO weeks! So I thought I'd re-introduce myself by sharing some facts!
My name is Lara, not Laura or Clara…"
This isn’t the typical "excited to announce" post you find on LinkedIn. No growth hacks, no industry jargon - It’s personal, casual, and... perfect.
It's a very, very personal and relatable introduction of herself…
Looking at this post, you can see she wasn't really a beginner. The copy was too clean. Too strategic. She definitely knows a thing or two about writing copies that are appealing.
See the good use of white space and short paragraphs.
Of course, she wrote in British English (she has been in the UK for 8 years at this time. So expect nothing less.)
In this single post, her execution was flawless:
- A high-quality, engaging selfie.
- Seamless mention of her agency.
- A sprinkle of humor to keep things light.
- Strategic use of @mentions and #hashtags.
- A subtle CTA that didn't feel forced (make a CTA without making a CTA).
But a niggling question remained - was this really her first post on LinkedIn?
The answer came 3 months later, on August 10, 2022, when Lara dropped another post:
"I deleted my whole LinkedIn account."
There it is, the missing piece of the puzzle.
Lara hadn't just appeared out of thin air - she had made a conscious decision to start fresh, having a new perspective and a fire to go all in.
Well, Gary Vee happens to be the catalyst for this transformation.
In Lara's words:
"I was listening to one of Gary Vaynerchuk keynotes, & he said to "Go all on in LinkedIn."
💭 " I'm already here, might as well make it worth my time while I wait for these replies…"
I saw people were using LinkedIn as more than a "I'm so happy to announce" platform!
A genuine community of creators, killing it, being authentic, and posting about their skill set and also themselves.
I was sold. I went from, "nobody wants to hear what I want to say" to "I can't wait to write about this." "
She'd discovered what many miss – LinkedIn wasn't just an "I'm so happy to announce" platform anymore. It was a community of authentic creators crushing it.
And fueled by this newfound inspiration, Lara committed to posting.
Here's what's interesting about Lara's consistency – she never did the "Post Every Single Day" grind. In fact, there's never been a full month where she's posted every single day. But she never dropped below 3x/week.
Instead, she focuses on quality over quantity, ensuring that each post delivers real value to her audience.
Lara continued to experiment, iterate, and evolve her content strategy.
On December 31, 2022, she shared a carousel post titled "Here's 7 ways you can grow your LinkedIn this 2023 without spending $$$ on a course".
This post racked up 1,002 reactions, 438 comments, and 65 reposts.
This willingness to try new formats and share actionable insights became Lara's approach. In a later post, she reflected on the importance of continuous testing and iteration - a philosophy that's clearly served her well.
By January 2023, her following had reached 24k+. She marked the occasion with another powerful carousel post: "Steal the engagement strategy that got me from 0 to 24k:"
In February 2023, she shared that she truly started 10 months ago (which was around the time I found her first post.)
Check out her hook:
"I wrote my first LinkedIn post 10 months ago.
I started from scratch just to get a reference for my master's degree."
By now she already had 30k+ followers on LinkedIn, and this post got 1,100+ likes and almost 500 comments.
The growth kept coming. By June 2023, she was at 66k followers.
And then, on August 11, 2023, Lara shared the post that would become her highest-performing to date:
"I've read many books, but this one changed my life:
(And it's not Rich Dad Poor Dad)" (4,674 reactions, 1095 comments, 195 reposts)
Of course, it’s always a smart move to reshare whatever resonates with your audience. So Lara reshared this exact post in December. This time, the post got another 2700+ likes and nearly 800 comments.
Lara's followership on LinkedIn continued to grow. She hit…
80k followers in August 2023,
85k in September, and
135k by March 2024.
And since there’s no “single” way to do it right, Lara also tried new formats for her posts. In 2023, she began experimenting with short video clips - a move that paid off handsomely in terms of engagement.
Then she did something that raised eyebrows – a LinkedIn giveaway.
But who does giveaways on LinkedIn?
Well, Lara does.
"I'm about to hit 150,000 followers
(And I'm giving away $1,500 this month)"
That was in May, 2024. By that time, she had crossed 142k.
Fast forward to September 30, 2024, and Lara dropped another post - one that would go on to generate her highest comment count to date.
The Attention Attractors of Lara Acosta
In March 2024, Lara shared a repost of Farouk Bacha’s post, where he analyzed 105 of Lara’s posts. Here’s what he discovered:
“First, I studied the word count of Lara hooks and rehooks:
⤷ Every post of Lara's contains a hook and a rehook
⤷ The average length of Lara's hooks is 7-8 words
⤷ Average length of her rehooks is also 7-8 words”
“Then, I analyzed her use of numbers and symbols:
⤷ 70% of her hooks include numbers
⤷ 46% have parenthesis
⤷ 42% use a colon”
“Next, I studied how often Lara used specific words in her hooks:
⤷ Every single hook contained the word "I" or "My"
⤷ "I" or "My" were used 221 times in 115 hooks
⤷ 71% of her hooks include the word "I"
⤷ 50% include the word "My"
⤷ 38% include "LinkedIn"
⤷ 25% include "How"”
Having seen those discoveries, let's dive into Lara's real attention attractors…
- Vulnerability as a Superpower
- Master the Comment Section
- Cross-Platform Storytelling
- Tactical Writing Framework
- Strategic Creator Mentions
- Community Celebration
- Pinch the Nerve
1. Vulnerability as a Superpower
Lara has turned vulnerability into a strategic advantage and an opportunity to make real, deep connections.
She doesn't just share successes – she openly discusses…
- Uncertainties.
- Learning moments.
- Personal struggles.
- Real-time experiments.
Here’s some of what Lara shares…
"I don't really know what I'm doing " (October 19, 2022)
"Entrepreneurship as a GenZ can be lonely as f**k" (January 25, 2023)
"12 months ago, I decided to stop drinking alcohol" (September 20, 2022)
“I moved to the UK when I was 15, and it saved my life.” (October 20, 2022)
2. Master the Comment Section
Lara has mastered the art of turning her comment sections into valuable content hubs. Unlike most creators who see comments as mere engagement metrics, she turns them into extended learning spaces.
But it's not just about dropping additional tips – it's about creating a second stage for her content that:
- Increases dwell time.
- Drives deeper engagement.
- Creates a treasure hunt effect.
- Builds community through discussion.
Another thing Lara does here is to actively engage with some thought-provoking questions at the end of her posts. These direct questions…
- Challenges conventional wisdom.
- Pushes for better quality.
- Demands accountability.
Check ‘em out:
- "What did you think?"
- "What's your biggest failure?"
- "What are you excited to announce today?"
3. Cross-Platform Storytelling
Unlike many LinkedIn creators who stick strictly to professional LinkedIn content, Lara breaks the mold by discussing other platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Check this out:
“The INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK algorithm has changed AGAIN! 🤯 ” (May 29, 2022)
“The worst thing you can do for your Instagram is not repurposing your TikTok’s into reels.” (September 16, 2022).
She announced her YouTube on LinkedIn when she launched and also posts about her videos.
This cross-platform approach:
- Shows versatility.
- Broadens her appeal.
- Creates multi-platform engagement opportunities.
4. Tactical Writing Framework
Lara's writing follows a clear, replicable structure.
On December 21, 2022, she shared her writing style on her post. Here’s the hook:
“Last week, I gained 846 followers from one post.”
And here’s the 4 steps she expounded:
“1. I thought of a common problem.
2. I made the problem clear on the hook.
3. I leveraged other creators’ audiences.
4. I used examples.”
5. Strategic Creator Mentions
Lara revolutionized the art of mentioning other top creators through several techniques:
Here’s how she mentioned Matt Baker in one of her posts…
“Got to hang out with legend Matt Barker last weekend - what do you think we spoke about?”
She hosted an event with Dakota Robertson - Personal Branding Q&A with Dakota Robertson and Lara Acosta.
In a particular post, she mentioned all these 7 creators (here’s how she did it):
“7 content creators that transformed my content, marketing and copywriting skills:
1. Matt Barker
2. Sophie Miller
3. Richard Moore
4. Charles Miller
5. Florian Decludt
6. Catalina Valentino
7. Izzy Prior”
Lara took mentions to another level with something she did with Jasmin Alic on February 27, 2024 (2,180 reactions, 901 comments, 162 reposts).
She designed a carousel post featuring her thoughts and Jasmin’s.
Here’s another one she did featuring Luke Matthews (I wrote Luke Matthews edition of the Creator Attention two weeks ago, and you can get the full deep dive here).
This post has the highest number of reposts (285, since she started writing on LinkedIn)
6. Community Celebration
Every once in a while, Lara appreciates her community - she didn't just build followership that’s all about tips for personal branding.
Lara's community appreciation isn't just occasional – it's systematic. She…
- Responds to every comment.
- Creates dedicated appreciation posts.
- Incorporates community feedback into content.
A standout example from December 20, 2022:
“So without sounding to cringy, to my LinkedIn community:
💗Thank you for the value.
🥳Thank you for the authenticity.
✨Thank you for the relatable rants.”
7. Pinch the Nerve
Find something that’s not working for your audience and call it out. It’s like finding an open nerve and pinching it.
Lara’s never afraid of hitting the nail on the head and screaming out (when necessary).
Here’s some of her hooks that used contradiction to stop the scroll…
March 22, 2023:
“Please STOP making carousels.
I see too many of you hiring graphic designers for them and getting 0 engagement.”
March 31, 2023:
“Harsh truth:
Posting 2x a day 7 days a week isn’t a replacement for your low-quality content.“
This approach:
- Promises valuable insights.
- Creates immediate tension.
- Challenges conventional wisdom.
- Forces engagement through disagreement.
How to Copy/Paste Lara’s success
It all starts with value first. Without that—you've got nothing.
1. Value First, Sell Later
Here's something most LinkedIn creators get wrong – they start selling too soon. First, grow your account, then sell later. When you build authority with free content, you earn trust and get loyal followers.
Here’s how to do it…
- Focus on solving problems.
- Give massive value upfront.
- Build trust through free content.
- Then, let your audience ask to buy.
- Keep giving even after you start selling.
Your audience can smell a pitch from miles away. Lead with value, and they'll stick around for the offers.
2. Maximize the Comment Section
Turn your comment section into content gold. Never post and ghost. Your comment section can easily become your second stage.
True! Not everyone comes there, but make it worth the while for anyone who does.
Think of the comment section as the best part of your post, where you build real connections and get to truly meet your audience.
They can be the best source for your feedback and more post ideas.
Here’s exactly how to maximize it…
- Reply to every comment (meaningful or not).
- Drop your best tip in the comments.
- Ask thought-provoking questions.
- Create discussion threads.
Think of comments as mini-posts. Each response is a chance to showcase your expertise and build relationships.
3. Get Real (Like, Really Real)
There’s only one truly scarce product on Earth - You!
Everything else can be replaced, but you’re… YOU and nothing can change that. Your personal story is not just content - it’s your competitive advantage.
Authentic vulnerability wins every single time. It is what humanizes your brand in the world of AI noise.
And you can build genuine connections just by sharing…
- Personal growth moments.
- Lessons from your failures.
- Behind-the-scenes struggles.
- Real challenges you're facing.
But here's the key – vulnerability without value is just venting. Make sure every personal story has a lesson. It's about being valuable while being vulnerable.
4. Challenge Conventional Knowledge
Don’t be scared to challenge the status quo and make a stand.
There’s no better way to stop scrolls than…
- Call out common mistakes.
- Take controversial stands.
- Question industry norms.
But here’s the key:
Controversy without substance is just noise. Make sure your challenges add value to the conversation.
So, here’s how to do it:
- Identify real problems.
- Provide better solutions.
- Back claims with evidence.
- Open the floor for discussion.
Now, here’s the deal.
Your goal isn't to be Lara 2.0. It's to take these principles and make them uniquely yours.
Your unique voice.
Your unique story.
Your unique way.
Until the next edition, next Wednesday,
Keep growing!
Learn How Founders Build Their Brand, Content Strategy and Create Viral Moments
Each week, I breakdown a founder brand, their journey and how you can weave their strategies into yours.
About the author
I'm ANDREW MCGUIRE
Creator Attention Guy
From burnt out exec (3 exits & 15 years experience) to capturing the right attention with my creator client magnets.
Living in Bend, Oregon and taking advantage of all the outdoor adventures.
If you can't find me, I'm probably lifting some weights in the gym, sweating in a sauna or freezing in a cold plunge.
Now I'm on a mission to help you understand how top creators have captured the right attention into revenue so you can weave it into your growth strategy.
Connect with Me Here: