What You Should Remember
Instead of asking a leader for their time, share a unique idea or useful data that builds upon what they originally posted.
Engage with a leader’s content thoughtfully and often over several weeks so they recognize your name before you send a private message.
Re-share their content but add a short explanation showing how their big ideas can be used practically in your specific work area.
When you send a private message, mention a positive comment exchange you had publicly as an easy, warm way to start the conversation.
How to Build Authority on Social Media for Your Career
Most people use platforms like Twitter like they are waiting in line for an autograph—cheering, waving, and asking busy people for "just a few minutes" in their private messages. This "fan" way of acting hurts your career. When you leave weak comments like “Good stuff!” or “I agree,” you’re showing others that your own time isn't worth much. You end up looking like someone who just consumes great ideas instead of someone who creates them.
For top executives, the most valuable thing is attention. They use these platforms to find important new ideas that their own teams might miss because they are too focused internally. Getting this wrong doesn't just mean an ignored reply; it means missing out on the "Trust Shortcut" that lets powerful people bypass normal hiring rules. If you can't show your value publicly, you'll stay replaceable, and your career growth and earnings will be limited by how visible you are.
The main problem isn't the technology; it's the "Safe Silence" forced by nervous company lawyers and PR teams. Most companies want you to post boring, company-approved stuff, but "safe" posts are invisible to the people who can actually help your career. To succeed, you need to switch to a strategy of "Context Addition." Stop trying to talk to leaders and start building your expertise right next to theirs.
By offering real data, success stories, or helpful structures that prove what they are saying, you provide the "Proof of Effort" that makes them see you as an equal. This changes you from a follower asking for a favor into an expert offering an advantage. When you fill in the missing parts of their idea, you don't have to chase leaders; they will eventually seek you out.
The Three Steps for Reaching Top Executives
To get past the "Safe Silence," you need to find the middle ground between boring corporate talk and sharing dangerous internal secrets. You aren't trying to sound "cool"; you are looking for places where a leader has started an important discussion but hasn't backed it up with real data or a clear process. When you spot these open spots, you look like a smart researcher adding value, not an employee who might leak sensitive information.
Pick three industry leaders you want to connect with. Look at their last 30 posts and find one topic they mention often where they seem frustrated or make a prediction about the future. Find one piece of public information or a common business concept (something you’d read in a basic business book) that supports what they are saying but hasn't been mentioned in their comments yet.
"I've been following [Leader's Name]'s thoughts on [Topic]. While everyone focuses on [Common Idea], there is a data gap regarding [Specific Detail]. I plan to fill that gap by using the [Name of Framework] approach."
Recruiters and hiring managers don't just look for what skills you have; we look for "Executive Presence." When we see you identifying big trends and backing them up logically, we stop seeing you as just an "applicant" and start seeing you as an "expert consultant" we need to hire quickly.
This is how you step up as an expert. Instead of replying directly underneath the leader (where your comment gets lost), you "Quote Tweet" them to build your own following right beside theirs. You are providing the "Proof of Effort" that they are too busy to create themselves. This uses their post as a base to showcase your knowledge.
Take the data or idea from Step 1 and turn it into a short series of 3 related posts (a "Value Thread"). Post 1: State the leader’s main idea and why it matters. Post 2: Introduce the "missing piece" (your data or framework). Post 3: Explain what the practical result is when you combine the two. Only mention the leader in the very first post to give credit for the inspiration.
"[Leader Name] is correct about [Topic], but the 'how-to' part is often missing. Here is a 3-part breakdown of how this actually works in a [Your Industry] setting: [Link/Thread]."
Internally, we call this "Public Vetting." If a senior person in our company likes or shares your breakdown, you’ve essentially skipped the entire first stage of the hiring process. You become a "pre-approved" candidate in our system before you even click 'Apply.'
Now that you’ve proven you are an equal by sharing smart ideas, it's time to move to private messages. You should not ask for a meeting, which feels like a chore to busy leaders. Instead, you offer a "Tool" or a "Helpful Guide" that helps them succeed. This reinforces that you create value, making it "safe" for them to talk to you privately.
Make a simple one-page document or a list of 5-10 great links (a "Resource List") that goes deeper into the topic from Step 2. Send this as a private Direct Message (DM) to the leader only after they have reacted to your public posts. Offer the document with no strings attached—don't ask for a meeting yet.
"I saw you liked my thread on [Topic]. I actually put together a one-page 'Action Checklist' on this for my own team to help with [Specific Problem]. I thought you might find it useful for your next planning meeting—no need to reply, just wanted to share!"
Most people use DMs to take things. When you use a DM to give something, you trigger the "Rule of Return Favor." When a job opening comes up later, the leader won't remember you as "the person who asked for a favor"; they will remember you as "the person who truly understands their challenges." That is the fastest way to get a very high salary offer.
How Our Tools Help Your Twitter Strategy
Step 1: Finding Gaps
Career Guidance ToolFind important discussion gaps using our AI Mentor to uncover things others in the industry are missing.
Step 2: Creating Value
Journaling ToolUse the AI Journal Coach to help you write clear, professional summaries for your value-adding posts.
Step 3: Private Contact
Networking ToolDraft personal messages focused on offering resources to encourage leaders to reply back to you.
Common Questions About Joining C-Suite Talks on X
"My company has very strict rules about what I can post online. If I share 'strong opinions,' I worry Legal or HR will report me. How can I build my profile without risking my job?"
You shouldn't use your company's social media rules as an excuse to be quiet or afraid. You do not need to share your employer’s internal secrets to prove you are valuable. In fact, if you are sharing trade secrets, you are a risk, not an expert.
The key is External Analysis. Don't talk about what's happening inside your office. Instead, apply your expertise to information that is already public. Look at a competitor’s financial report, a new government rule, or a general industry trend. When you create a clear way to understand public information, your company’s legal team has no reason to stop you. You aren't "speaking for the company"—you are showing you can think clearly. Top leaders don't want to know your company's secrets; they want to know how you think.
"I'm not a senior manager yet. Won’t it seem rude or pushy if I try to 'correct' or 'add' to a CEO’s post? I don't want to look like I'm acting above my level."
Only people who are stuck in lower-level jobs worry about "rank." To a CEO or a top founder, there are only two kinds of people online: People Wasting Time and People Adding Value.
If you post a simple "Great post!" comment, you are wasting time. You are just noise. But if you create a thread that shows their point with a graph, or offer a real-world example that proves their idea, you are adding value. That is not "being rude"; that is helping them out. You are doing the detailed thinking they don't have time for. Stop asking for permission to be smart. When you provide useful analysis that makes a leader look better or think clearer, you aren't stepping out of line—you are trying out for the senior team.
"I don't have secret data or a fancy research team. How can I provide the 'missing part' of a discussion if the leader probably already knows more than I do?"
You are confusing having "Information" with having "a good Viewpoint." Leaders are usually overloaded with information but lack Clarity.
You don't need a secret file to be useful. Your job is to find the "Use Case Gap." If a leader posts a big strategy idea, your "missing piece" is showing how to actually do it in the real world. For example, if a CEO posts about "The Future of AI in Delivery," you don't need to be a top programmer. You can post a thread about the three real problems you run into when trying to install new tracking software in a warehouse. That is a perspective they cannot get from their reports. You provide the "Real-World Proof" they lack. That is how you become someone they follow back.
Stop Asking for Attention, Start Solving Problems.
In my field, we don’t hire "people looking for jobs"; we invest in high-value partners who immediately demand respect. Falling back into the BAD HABIT of begging online and giving simple praise only signals that your ideas aren't worth much in the real world.
By sticking to the EXPERT MOVE, you prove you are a rare person who brings clear answers to the confusion, instead of just another fan in the crowd. Companies pay top money for professionals who act like they are already in charge because those people fix issues instead of waiting for approval.
Stop trying to get picked for a role and start acting like the solution the industry needs.
Make the Expert Move
