From Praying For 20 Likes To Winning The Coachli LinkedIn Challenge

Greatwisdom Nwigwe's first LinkedIn post came with a prayer. He was a student at the University of Abuja with no idea what he was doing. He had tried creating a LinkedIn account twice before. Both times it got restricted, and so he gave up on it.

In November 2024, a few weeks before his parents' birthday, he decided to try one more time, so he created another account. The account was up, but he did not post anything because he felt he had nothing to say. He was just a student, so who was he to share anything?

In January 2025, he made his very first post. And he prayed. Not to go viral or anything, but just for 20 likes. That single post got over 18,000 impressions and more than 300 reactions. The comments and encouragement gave him the confidence to keep showing up.

When the Coachli LinkedIn Visibility Challenge came around, he joined it while managing his demanding coursework, and he won first place and ₦500,000.

He believes the real prize for him is not just the money but being able to show thousands of students watching his story that you do not have to wait until you graduate before stepping out. You don't have to wait until you are established or until you have "made it" to start building your digital presence. Your story matters even now and Greatwisdom's story proves this. Below is the interview we had with him.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: My name is Greatwisdom Nwigwe. I am a fourth-year student at the University of Abuja, an Ashoka Young Changemaker, Founder of The Student Growth Hub, Co-founder of EcoRise Nexus, and Vice President of The Helix Initiative.

I am a LinkedIn creator in the Higher Education niche. I help students turn their potential into performance by sharing practical and relatable steps to excel academically, gain career clarity, and access opportunities that help them grow personally and professionally.

How did you get started as a creator on LinkedIn?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: I knew about LinkedIn from my secondary school days because I always saw it on my sister's phone. She explained how important the platform was.

When I got into university, I opened my first LinkedIn account, but it got restricted. I created another one, and it got restricted too, so I gave up.

In November 2024, a few weeks before my parents' birthday, I decided to try one more time. I created another account, but I didn't post because I felt I had nothing to say.

Then in January 2025, I made my very first post. I remember praying to God for just 20 likes. Surprisingly, that post got over 18,000 impressions and more than 300 reactions. The comments and encouragement gave me the confidence to keep showing up. By God's grace, today I have over 17,000 followers.

How did you find your niche?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: Education, teaching, and student growth have always been my passion. My very first post was about students, and I started sharing my experiences in school while connecting them to lessons that students and even professionals could learn from.

Later, I discovered that Favikon had classified me under the Higher Education niche.

As I understood LinkedIn better, my content evolved. Today, I create content that students, early career professionals, and even experienced professionals can all relate to.

Why did you join the Coachli LinkedIn Visibility Challenge?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: To be sincere, I joined because I saw some of my friends participating. Then I saw the prize money, I became even more interested. But when I realized it was a 21-day challenge, I asked myself, "Can I really do this?" because my coursework this semester has been very demanding.

Then I remembered something I always tell people: You don't know what you can do unless you try. So I registered.

What was the hardest part?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: Omor, the hardest part was waking up early every morning to engage with other creators and also publish my own post.

During the semester, I usually post about three or four times a week. But for this challenge, I had to post every day, so I adjusted my schedule and started posting between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. because by 8:00 a.m. I was already in class.

I almost gave up on Day 4. (Laughs.) A friend of mine in the challenge, Ademidara Adeeko, encouraged me to keep going, and I'm really grateful for that.

What does winning mean to you?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: It means a lot, especially as a student on LinkedIn. Many students believe they have nothing to share because they are not working in a big company or they are not yet established professionals.

This win proves that every student's story matters. You don't have to wait until graduation before building your personal brand and digital presence.

Have you made money from LinkedIn?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: Yes, I have.

I get invited to speak at webinars, workshops, and physical events for students. I don't remember the very first paid opportunity, but the process has always been simple. Someone reaches out with an invitation, I check the details and my schedule, we agree on my speaking fee, I deliver the session, and I get paid.

How do you hope to contribute going forward?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: I want to keep helping students and young professionals build their digital presence and personal brands on LinkedIn.

I am also the founder of LinkedIn Student Connect, through which I have reached over 3,000 students across eight African countries, teaching LinkedIn optimisation, networking, and personal branding.

Going forward, I'll continue using my story and platform to encourage more students and young professionals to take advantage of LinkedIn and the opportunities it creates.

How has Coachli supported your journey?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: I created a Coachli account, but I honestly haven't explored it much yet. However, I've seen and heard many great stories from creators who use the platform, especially through this challenge.

This experience has encouraged me to explore Coachli more, and I'm looking forward to using it better.

What's one thing you'd tell someone who hasn't started posting?

Greatwisdom Nwigwe: Don't overthink it. Just start.

Whether you agree with me or not, in 2026 your digital presence matters. If you're a student, build on LinkedIn. Many scholarships and opportunities I've received asked for my LinkedIn profile so they could see what I was doing.

If you're a young professional, document your journey. You don't have to be a CEO before you have something worth sharing. Talk about what you're learning, an event you attended, what you learned in class, or a lesson from your everyday life.

And always remember, the creators you admire today all started with their very first post. So just start.

It was a delight interviewing Greatwisdom.

His story proves that there is no age limit or career stage requirement for building on LinkedIn. He won first place and ₦500,000 at 20, while still a student, managing demanding coursework, waking up at 7 a.m. to post before class.

If a fourth-year student can do it, what's your excuse?