Yo! Welcome to the next episode of The Reeder — content strategy and growth in <5 minutes. First time reading? Subscribe here.
“I know I should post on LinkedIn, I just don’t know what to say."
My 1st LinkedIn Cohort kicked off this week. And that hurdle came up multiple times. But you should know: it's not a talent problem. It's a strategy problem. That's why on Day 1 everyone creates their custom LinkedIn Strategy deck. (I even personally reviewed their decks to give detailed feedback.) Next up: creating un-ignorable content, growth strategies, and a monetization masterclass. Every attendee leaves with plug-and-play templates, and a clear system for turning attention into personal and business growth. It's been so well-received that I'm already planning the next cohort. It starts on June 25th. Want in? You can join the waitlist here.
I’m sitting at the airport lounge waiting for my flight when my wife slid me her laptop and asked:
Is this any good? On screen was her LinkedIn performance metrics for this month. Me: What do you mean, exactly? Like, is this good compared to benchmarks? You teach this stuff, so I know you know! Here’s the honest to god, cross-my-heart, hope-to-never-die answer: I’ve never looked at benchmarks. Not once.
Because, as I told Shali:
When you ask, “Is this good?” — I'm thinking, compared to who exactly? Other creators with 17,000 followers? Other creators who post 5 times per week? Other creators who just started 6 months ago? Other creators who share “sharp point of view” content?
You see my point. You surely heard the famous saying: Comparison is the thief of joy. And in my experience, it's the thief of progress too. Instead of focusing on other people’s success… Instead of fixating on your competitor's growth… I invite you to try my approach:
Be your own #1 competitor. Only compare yourself to your previous results. Oh, that’s what do! I just look at last month's numbers and see if they’re any better. But… what should I be looking at exactly? Here’s what I look at every month: (And this is true for me, my private CEO clients, and my Growth Cohort Students) #1: Number of Posts Published This answers: Did I show up? It’s impossible to win on Linkedin (however you define it) if you’re not showing up and doing the work. It’s less important about how often you post. It’s more important that you commit to a post cadence and do it. Every single week. #2: Impressions This answers: how many times was my content seen? Since it measures how many times your post was featured in someone’s feed. This should increase (almost) every single month. But keep in mind the LI algo changes without warning — and never (at least not in my experience) for the better. So don’t go crazy chasing views. #3: Total Engagements This answers: is my content resonating? The algo isn’t always predictable. And it changes. So instead I’ve found the best way to monitor increase in engagement is to combine all the reactions, comments and reposts into one number. Again, if your content is resonating and getting better, this should increase nearly every single month. #4: Followers This answers: Am I converting attention into followers? This ain’t a vanity metric either. Idk what anyone says. Every time someone taps “Follow” they’re inviting you back into their world. They’re signaling “I want more.” And that’s a powerful thing. Not to be understated or undervalued. Because the more followers you have, the more impressions go up, then total engagements — which leads to more followers.
It’s simple. I'd realized I just monologued all this to Shali. Is this helpful?, I asked. Yep. She was already pulling up last month’s numbers. She shot me a grin that went up and to the right. THAT’S winning.
