Will McTighe: How to Build a LinkedIn Personal Brand in 2026

Will McTighe did not start out wanting to be a LinkedIn creator. But his story is a masterclass in LinkedIn personal branding, LinkedIn strategy and building a standout professional reputation for you. Will McTighe studied mathematical economics, worked at Goldman Sachs, did an MBA at Stanford, raised VC funding for a startup, and then watched a competitor with a strong personal brand walk into meetings he was struggling to get. That changed how he thought about visibility. In this episode of The Lakshmi Rebecca Show, I speak with Will about how he went from around 3,000 followers to 400,000+ on LinkedIn in 20 months, what he learned from posting every day, and why personal branding is no longer just a creator game. For founders, CXOs and senior leaders, this conversation is about a bigger shift: in 2026, LinkedIn is becoming a place where people judge credibility, expertise, trust, and business momentum. Will lays out your entire LinkedIn strategy. In this episode, we talk about: Why Will started taking LinkedIn seriously after his startup shut down How he grew from 3,000 to 400,000+ followers Why most people create LinkedIn content that no one stops to read How founders can use LinkedIn to build trust with buyers, investors, and employees The difference between awareness, trust-building, and lead-generation content Why senior leaders do not need to post every day to build authority How AI is changing personal branding and why proof matters more now Why your writing should sound like how you speak What “authenticity” gets wrong when it does not serve the reader Why LinkedIn in 2026 is moving toward receipts, proof, and authority This episode is for anyone who knows they should be more visible online, but does not want to sound like everyone else. Chapters 0:00:00 - 0:01:07 - Teaser 0:01:07 - 0:01:41 - Introduction 0:01:41 - 0:02:10 - Meet Will McTighe 0:02:10 - 0:05:26 - The 100-mile run that explains Will’s mindset 0:05:26 - 0:06:21 - From Stanford MBA to LinkedIn creator 0:06:21 - 0:07:48 - Why personal brand became business-critical 0:07:48 - 0:10:25 - How Will started posting on LinkedIn 0:10:25 - 0:12:14 - What worked when he started creating content 0:12:14 - 0:13:10 - Posting every day and learning the game 0:13:10 - 0:14:36 - Why credibility matters when choosing topics 0:14:36 - 0:16:33 - Why he focused only on LinkedIn 0:16:33 - 0:17:30 - Turning LinkedIn presence into business opportunities 0:17:30 - 0:19:23 - Building SayWhat from a real pain point 0:19:23 - 0:21:13 - How he found his first customers 0:21:13 - 0:22:41 - Why trust takes longer than follower growth 0:22:41 - 0:24:08 - Why your newsletter should match what you sell 0:24:08 - 0:25:06 - The executive branding opportunity 0:25:06 - 0:28:29 - Why trust is moving from companies to people 0:28:29 - 0:31:24 - Is LinkedIn becoming your personal website? 0:31:24 - 0:34:15 - What B2B founders should post on LinkedIn 0:34:15 - 0:36:12 - Content that turns trust into leads 0:36:12 - 0:41:51 - LinkedIn strategy for larger companies 0:41:51 - 0:46:04 - How B2B brands can create stories with stakes 0:46:04 - 0:47:03 - Why leadership buy-in matters 0:47:03 - 0:48:58 - Why invisibility is becoming a business risk 0:48:58 - 0:51:24 - How senior leaders should start posting 0:51:24 - 0:55:41 - Why people scroll past your content 0:55:41 - 0:56:38 - Questions that unlock better LinkedIn posts 0:56:38 - 0:58:14 - How to use AI without losing your voice 0:58:14 - 1:00:11 - Why proof matters on LinkedIn in 2026 1:00:11 - 1:02:05 - Why most LinkedIn content is boring 1:02:05 - 1:06:46 - Why authenticity still needs to serve the reader 1:06:46 - 1:07:44 - Why founders need social signals 1:07:44 - 1:08:41 - What Will learned about entrepreneurship Podcast Creation and Marketing Partner: Makerrs YouTube: @makerrsagency Website: www.makerrs.com Follow The Lakshmi Rebecca Show: Instagram -   / lakshmirebecca   LinkedIn -   / lakshmirebecca   Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0BcorlU... X - https://x.com/lakshmirebecca Subscribe to my channel for meaningful conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership and personal growth. New episodes every month.