linkedin-strategy

name	linkedin-strategy
description	Builds LinkedIn personal brand strategy with posting schedule, content themes, engagement tactics, and connection outreach. Use when growing your professional presence and generating leads on LinkedIn.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

LinkedIn Strategy

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Build a LinkedIn personal brand strategy for lead generation or authority
• Create a posting schedule with content themes and formats
• Design a connection outreach approach that builds relationships
• Plan a systematic LinkedIn growth strategy for the next 90 days

DO NOT use this skill for writing individual LinkedIn posts or articles (use linkedin-article skill). This is for strategic planning.

---

Core Principle

LINKEDIN REWARDS PEOPLE WHO SHARE EXPERTISE GENEROUSLY — BUILD AUTHORITY BY TEACHING, NOT BY PITCHING.

---

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Your role / expertise	"What do you do and what are you known for?"	No default — must be provided
Target audience	"Who do you want to reach? Job titles, industries, company sizes?"	No default — must be provided
Business goal	"What should LinkedIn drive? Leads, partnerships, job offers, thought leadership?"	Inbound leads
Current LinkedIn activity	"How active are you now? Post frequency, connection count?"	Minimal — posting occasionally
Time budget	"How much time per week for LinkedIn?"	4 hours
Content comfort	"Are you comfortable with personal stories, or prefer professional-only?"	Mix of both

GATE: Confirm brief before building strategy.

---

Phase 2: Outline

1. Profile Optimization — headline, about, featured, experience
2. Content Pillars — 3-4 themes for consistent posting
3. Posting Schedule — cadence, formats, best times
4. Engagement Strategy — comments, connections, DMs
5. Connection Growth — outreach templates and approach
6. 90-Day Growth Plan

GATE: Approve outline before full strategy.

---

Phase 3: Write

1. Profile Optimization

## LinkedIn Profile Overhaul

**Headline (220 chars max):**
[What you do] | [Who you help] | [Proof or CTA]
Example: "I help B2B SaaS companies close 30% more demos | Sales coach for 200+ AEs | Follow for daily sales tips"

**About Section (2,600 chars max):**
Paragraph 1: Who you help and what result you deliver (hook)
Paragraph 2: Your story — how you got here (credibility)
Paragraph 3: What you believe about your industry (perspective)
Paragraph 4: How to work with you + CTA (conversion)

**Featured Section:**
- Pin your best-performing post
- Link to your lead magnet or website
- Share a case study or portfolio piece

**Experience Section:**
- Write results-focused descriptions (not job duty lists)
- Include metrics: "Grew revenue from $X to $Y" not "Managed sales team"

**Banner Image:**
- Include your value proposition or CTA
- Dimensions: 1584x396px
- Clean, professional, on-brand

2. Content Pillars

## Content Pillars

**Pillar 1: [Expertise / How-to]** (40%)
- Share frameworks, tips, and tactical advice
- Format: text posts with bullet points or numbered lists
- Example: "5 things I tell every new freelancer about pricing"

**Pillar 2: [Personal Stories / Lessons]** (30%)
- Share failures, surprises, and behind-the-scenes moments
- Format: storytelling posts with a lesson at the end
- Example: "I lost my biggest client last month. Here's what I learned."

**Pillar 3: [Industry Opinions]** (20%)
- Take positions on industry trends and debates
- Format: contrarian takes, predictions, hot takes
- Example: "Unpopular opinion: cold email is still the best B2B channel."

**Pillar 4: [Promotional]** (10%)
- Share testimonials, launches, and offers
- Format: case studies, announcements, social proof
- Example: "Just helped a client double their demo rate. Here's how."

3. Posting Schedule

## Posting Cadence

| Day | Post Type | Format |
|-----|-----------|--------|
| Monday | Expertise tip | Text post with list |
| Wednesday | Personal story / lesson | Storytelling post |
| Friday | Industry opinion or engagement post | Question or hot take |

**Post timing:** 7:30-8:30 AM in your audience's timezone (Tue-Thu are strongest)
**Minimum:** 3 posts per week
**Format mix:** 70% text-only, 20% text + image, 10% carousels or documents

4. Engagement Strategy

## Daily Engagement Routine (30 min/day)

**Before posting (10 min):**
- Comment on 5-10 posts from target connections
- Leave substantive comments (3+ sentences, not "Great post!")
- Engage with people you want to connect with BEFORE connecting

**After posting (10 min):**
- Respond to every comment on your post within the first 2 hours
- Ask follow-up questions to keep conversations going
- Like comments to acknowledge engagement

**Outreach (10 min):**
- Send 5-10 connection requests with personalized notes
- Follow up with new connections via DM (value-first, not pitchy)

5. Connection Growth

## Connection Outreach Templates

**New connection request (300 chars max):**
"Hi [Name], I noticed [specific thing — mutual connection, shared interest, their recent post]. I share content about [your topic] and would love to connect. — [Your name]"

**Welcome DM (after they accept):**
"Thanks for connecting, [Name]! I noticed you're in [their field]. I share [type of content] here — curious, what's your biggest challenge with [relevant topic] right now?"

**NEVER:** Pitch in the first DM. Build rapport first. Earn the right to share your offer.

---

Phase 4: Polish

1. Strategy Checklist

## LinkedIn Strategy Checklist

- [ ] Profile headline optimized with value proposition
- [ ] About section rewritten with results-focused copy
- [ ] Featured section has a lead magnet or best content pinned
- [ ] Banner image updated with brand message
- [ ] 3-4 content pillars defined with examples
- [ ] Posting schedule set (minimum 3x/week)
- [ ] Daily engagement routine planned (30 min/day)
- [ ] Connection outreach templates written
- [ ] First 2 weeks of post topics pre-planned
- [ ] Metrics and goals defined for 90 days

2. 90-Day Goals

| Metric | Current | 30-Day Target | 90-Day Target |
|--------|---------|---------------|---------------|
| Connections | [N] | [+N] | [+N] |
| Avg post impressions | [N] | [N] | [N] |
| Inbound DMs / week | [N] | [N] | [N] |
| Leads generated | [N] | [N] | [N] |

---

Example: LinkedIn Strategy for a Fractional CMO

Headline: "Fractional CMO for B2B SaaS | Helped 12 startups hit $1M ARR | Follow for growth marketing tactics"
Pillars: Growth tactics (40%), Startup lessons (30%), Marketing hot takes (20%), Client wins (10%)
Cadence: Mon/Wed/Fri at 8 AM ET
Engagement: 30 min/day — 10 min commenting, 10 min replying, 10 min connecting
90-day goal: 500 new connections, 5 inbound leads/month

---

Anti-Patterns

• Posting and ghosting — posting without engaging with others' content limits reach. LinkedIn rewards conversations.
• Pitching in DMs immediately — sending a sales pitch in the first message gets you muted or reported.
• Only posting promotional content — if every post is "hire me," nobody follows. Lead with value.
• Generic connection requests — "I'd like to add you to my professional network" gets ignored. Personalize every request.
• Inconsistent posting — 5 posts one week, nothing for 3 weeks destroys algorithm momentum.
• Writing like a press release — LinkedIn rewards authentic, personal content. Drop the corporate tone.

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Recovery

• Zero engagement on posts: Test different formats (storytelling vs tips vs questions). Hook readers in the first two lines. Engage more with others' content to increase your visibility.
• No content ideas: Scroll your feed for 15 minutes. Respond to or riff on posts from others in your niche.
• Feeling uncomfortable sharing personal stories: Start small — share a professional lesson or a mistake. You do not need to share your life story.
• DMs are not converting: Build more touchpoints before pitching. Comment on their posts 3-5 times before sending a DM.
• Time-strapped: Batch-write posts on Sunday evening. Schedule with LinkedIn's native scheduler. Engage 15 min/day instead of 30.