Chris Donnelly

Founder (Business Acquired by Croud)

Founder | Follow for posts on Business, Marketing & AI

Cofounder of Searchable: 

An Autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer 
Analyse, fix, & scale your website to drive customers

Work out how to master AI Search here: searchable.com

The short life story 

I decided to skip the corporate job & start a digital marketing agency at 21. Here is the journey so far: 

Age 21: Bootstrapped Adjust Media at university making websites 
Age 22: Left Uni and rebranded to Verb Brands
Age 27: Acquired DBD Media Ltd, their 20 staff & expanded to digital marketing
Age 28: Won Bugatti & recognised as leading luxury agency
Age 30: Sell entirety of Verb Brands to Croud & LDC in an 8-figure deal
Age 31: Founded Lottie Org w/ Will Donnelly (Grow revenue to 8 figures, raise $35m & hire 100 people).
Age 32: Launch my Media, Education and Investment business
Age 33: Launched the Creator Accelerator and reached 8 figures in revenue
Age 34: Co Founded Searchable

It’s been a journey. 

Through Searchable.com I help founders and marketers to grow their organic traffic on auto pilot with our autonomous Seo and Aeo tool: searchable.com

Through my investment company, we support and invest into Entrepreneurs running incredible businesses, and with our experience as operators, help them scale. 

If you are a founder of a profitable and growing company with approximately $1m+ EBITDA, and you want to see if you can grow faster, reach out. 

If you are not at that level yet, I produce resources to help you get there. 

I run a podcast called Wake Up, and produce content on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram for free.

Commercial enquiries for speaking or brand deals: enquiries@chris-donnelly.co.uk

Co-Founder

Found CRM by Lottie 

A cloud-based care home operation software, mapped and built specifically to the care and retirement industries unique customer journey and supports care homes with CRM, Occupancy, Administration and Finance

Found results in a higher conversion rate, better attribution of marketing spend, saved time and ultimately high occupancy.

Everyone wants to know which AI is "the best."

The answer isn't simple. But here's the breakdown:

I've spent months testing every major AI model.  

And they all have different strengths and weaknesses. 

The real skill is knowing which AI to use for each specific task. 

Here's how the top 6 stack up in 2026: 

(See the sheet for more details and updates 👇)

1. Claude Opus 4.5
The model I rely on most.

Best for: Strong reasoning and long-form thinking
Handles complex documents without losing structure
Downside: Less spontaneous with creative ideas

New updates: 
Claude Code, Cowork, and Excel will change how technical teams work.  

2. ChatGPT-5.2
Still the most versatile tool available.

Best for: Strong reasoning and multimodal support.
Fast for content, workflows, and experimentation
Downside: Costs increase quickly with heavy usage

New updates: 
With Health features, Atlas, and Apps, ChatGPT has captured more of the market.  

3. Gemini 3
Google’s model, now properly usable.

Best for: Multimodal understanding across documents and data
Very good for research-heavy work inside Google-heavy teams. 
Downside: Creative output can feel restrained

New updates: 
Nano Banana with revolutionary image creation, Gemini 3, and personal intelligence. 

4. Perplexity
The fastest way to get reliable answers.

Best for: Real-time search with clear citations
Transparent sources reduce guesswork 
Downside: Limited creative generation

New updates: 
Learn Mode for structured, guided understanding and a new AI browser, Comet. 

5. Grok 4.1
Strong awareness of what’s happening now.

Best for: Real-time trend and cultural context
Useful for social listening and narratives
Downside: Limited use for structured or technical work

New updates: 
The new image generation feature is impressive (if not controversial !).  

6. DeepSeek 3.2
Open-source, highly efficient for technical teams. 

Best for: Strong quantitative and STEM reasoning
High performance relative to cost
Downside: Limited documentation outside Asia

New updates: 
3.2, which is essentially DeepSeek 3.1 with better reasoning and stability. 

Each model will serve a slightly different purpose. 

I encourage everyone to test them and make up their own mind. 

The more you experiment, the more value each one can provide.  

Which LLMs are you already using? Which ones are you most curious about? 
Drop a comment below. 

P.S. We built Searchable to make it as easy as possible to prepare for AI search 
that happens within these LLMs. 

It's an autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that: 
Analyses, fixes, and scales your website automatically to drive customers. 

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial 👇
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

----

📌 If you want a high-res PDF of this sheet:

1. Follow Chris Donnelly
2. Like the post.
3. Repost to your network.
4. Subscribe to: https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

Co Founder of Searchable.com | Follow for posts on Business, Marketing, Personal Brand & AI

This funnel powers multimillion-dollar businesses. 

And now I'm giving it to you completely free:

It's the same one I used to build multiple 7-and 8-figure businesses. 

Here's the full breakdown: 

1️⃣ Awareness: Get discovered by people and AI

Online Location

- Founder-led social content. LinkedIn, X, YouTube
- AI search results. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI
- Broad top-of-funnel SEO content

KPIs

- Impressions
- AI mentions and citations
- Organic traffic growth

Strategy

- Publish founder-led POV content to earn attention
- Optimise content for AEO and GEO + Google (SEO)
- Create broad content AI can surface and summarise

2️⃣ Consideration: Educate and nurture that audience

Online Location

- Educational social posts and cheat sheets
- How-to and comparison blog content
- Community platforms. Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn comments

KPIs

- Scroll depth
- Returning visitors
- Product or demo page views

Strategy

- Build mid-funnel SEO content (comparison pages, buyer guides)
- Use gated content (guides, webinars to capture emails)
- Engage in communities AI scrapes (Reddit, Quora)

3️⃣ Intent: Capture high-intent signals

Online Location

- Bottom-funnel SEO. Pricing, reviews, alternatives
- Interactive tools. Calculators, quizzes
- Branded search results + referral traffic

KPIs

- Demo requests
- Form completions
- Branded search growth

Strategy

- Optimise BOF pages for Google and AI citations
- Use interactive tools to surface buying intent
- Showcase proof with structured data

4️⃣ Conversion: Turn intent into revenue

Online Location

- Conversion-focused landing pages
- Email sequences
- Social DMs and follow-ups

KPIs

- Conversion rate
- Revenue per lead
- Card abandonment rate

Strategy 

- Personalise CTAs using behaviour signals
- Test AI-generated page variants
- Layer urgency, e.g. time-bound offers

5️⃣ Loyalty: Compound trust and growth

Online Location

- Email (upsell flows)
- Community platforms (Discord)
- Help centres and support hubs

KPIs

- Retention rate
- Repeat purchase rate
- Referrals

Strategy 

- Build loyalty loops with personalised rewards
- Use AI internally for predictive churn alerts
- Encourage community-led growth with referrals & UGC

Using this funnel, we built:

- The Creator Accelerator to 600+ founders across 5 cohorts
- Lever Brands into a content production engine serving clients globally
- Searchable to $83K MRR in 1 month

This is the most scalable, cost-efficient growth engine out there. 

And the same one we teach through The Creator Accelerator by Chris Donnelly. 

It's doable for any founder willing to dedicate the time and energy. 

Cohort 6 starts January 19th.

But be aware, we are down to our last few spots ! 

Click here to secure your spot: 
https://lnkd.in/eybF9QQG

Early applicants will get access to exclusive resources worth over $2500. 

♻️ Repost to help your network build smarter in 2026.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses that scale.

We analysed over 1m LinkedIn posts in 2025...

This is absolutely everything you need to know for 2026: 

Unfortunately for us all, the algorithm did not take a holiday...
And the LinkedIn "game" has changed yet again. 
 
That's why Will McTighe and I spent hours studying the latest data. 
 
So this year can be your best one yet on the platform. 

I'm still seeing the same old practices:  

Bland hook structures, over-relying on motivational quotes, 
And sticking to safe, but irrelevant topics...

If you want to see real growth, you need to know the new rules. 

LinkedIn users want more value and substance than ever before. 

Here’s what will actually win in 2026: 

1. How to build a brand
❌ Go broad for maximum growth. 
✅ Become an authority in your niche. 

2. Text hooks
❌ Generic contrarian hooks.
✅ Proof of work, authority and personal story hooks perform best.

3. Comments that count
❌ “Get as many comments as possible.”
✅ Comments from authority figures have the most impact. 

4. How to go viral
❌ Top 1% posts would get 455x the reach of average posts.
✅ A Top 1% viral post gets ~80% less reach than 12 months ago 

(But you can still grow your business and following...) 

5. Carousels are still king
❌ Purely educational carousels preferred. 
✅ Contrast and storytelling carousels are outperforming.

6. Emojis
❌ A tell-tale sign of AI.
✅ Improve readability.

7. Lead magnets
❌ Just playbooks and step-by-step guides.
✅ Top lead magnets are often GPTs.

8. Questions?
❌ Every post must end with a question. 
✅ Only include genuine questions.  

9. Video
❌ Videos get insane reach. 
✅ Videos are for product demos and building trust.

10. Single images
❌ Generic motivational billboards.
✅ Surprising pictures OR authority pictures.

11. Hashtags
Shock horror, nothing's changed here. 
They're still useless.

It's possible to grow a large LinkedIn following quickly. 

The top 1% of creators are growing by 1,000+ followers per week.

But you need to know how to play the game. 

That's why we've created this 50+ page report. 

It's your rulebook to succeed on LinkedIn in 2026. 

To get access, simply: 

1. Like this post ✅
2. Share it with your network ♻️
3. Join the Saywhat & Creator Accelerator Webinar on January 8th 5:30 pm GMT 🖥️ 

Will and I will break down the playbook step by step and give you: 

- The full ~50-page data report
- Our in-depth analysis of what's changing
- Actionable strategies based on real data
- A live Q&A for your specific questions

Learn more and sign up here: 
https://lnkd.in/ecXxBGTN

♻️ Repost to help others master LinkedIn in 2026. 
Follow Chris Donnelly for more growth strategies like this.

2025 LinkedIn vs 2026 LinkedIn

Founders in 2026 desperately need leverage.

These 20 AI tools could replace a 10-person team...

Most early business problems can be solved without increasing headcount. 

You'll save money and time if you invest in some smart tools instead. 

But you'll need the right stack to get the best results. 

I’ve tested all 20 of these AI tools over the past year while building Searchable (an AI tool in of itself).

If used correctly, they can produce the work of 10 people,  
Before you make a single new hire. 

Here are 20 AI tools to kick-start your startup without heavy spend: 

1. Lovable  
Build a full site without writing a line of code.

2. Searchable  
Get ranked on Google, ChatGPT, and anywhere people are searching for solutions.

3. Cursor  
Accelerates the speed and efficiency of your engineering team. 

4. Zapier  
Automate connectivity for CRM and automated retention and upsell campaigns. 

5. ChatGPT  
Your brainstorming partner for the tough problems. 

6. Claude  
Set up workflows, create SOPs, and get consistent outputs.

7. Clay  
Enrich contact details and stitch together social media/marketing activities. 

8. Claude Code  
Spot trends, analyse churn, create automated comms, and more. 

9. Replit  
Turn ideas into working software without a big engineering team. 

10. Descript  
Create founder-led content at scale without a full media team. 

11. Willow  
Capture ideas, specs, and prompts while walking or between meetings. 

12. Perplexity Comet  
For market research, competitor breakdowns, and decision support. 

13. Julius AI  
Understand user behaviour, churn, pricing sensitivity, and growth levers. 

14. Superhuman  
Email operating system to stay on top of sales and customer comms. 

15. Gamma  
Beautiful presentations in minutes.

16. Saywhat  
Write LinkedIn content that compounds attention and demand. 

17. Framer  
Ship marketing sites, waitlists, and MVP landing pages quickly. 

18. Zendesk  
Customer support that scales without hiring too early. 

19. n8n  
Replace brittle no-code tools with flexible automation.

20. Granola  
Stay aligned after calls with the best AI meeting notetaker. 

This isn't about avoiding hiring altogether. 

It's about building leverage so that when you do hire, 
You have an enormously capable, productive, and high-margin team.

The best teams I've seen use AI to handle 80% of the work, 
Then bring in humans to finish the final 20%. 

But remember, even the best tool stack can't salvage bad SEO. 
And in the era of AI, discovery is no longer about Google. 

That's where Searchable comes in. 

While you're building, Searchable is optimising your content automatically. 
So you rank everywhere your customers are looking for solutions. 

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial here: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share this stack with other founders and operators. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more resources like this.

There's a good chance your prompts are rubbish.

It's 2026. Let's fix that together:

Lots of you have been using ChatGPT, and AI in general, for a few years now.

For most, it's treated like a Google replacement or a simple problem-solver.
And as a result, the outputs aren't as sophisticated as they could be.

Take these examples to see what the difference between bad, good, and great is:

❌ Bad Prompt

Write a viral LinkedIn post about entrepreneurship.

Why it's bad: it's far too vague to produce anything of value.

✅ Good Prompt

Write 5 LinkedIn posts aimed at founders building real businesses.
I’ll pick the strongest one, explain why it worked, then you’ll rewrite 5 more using that feedback.

Why it's better: it is more specific and allows for iteration and improvements.

✅ ✅ Great Prompt

Role
Act as a founder who has built and sold £10m+ businesses and writes for other founders.

Task
Here are 5 LinkedIn posts I’ve written that performed well: [PASTE POSTS].

Analyse why they worked, then write 5 new posts for founders running £1m+ businesses.

Format
• Short pattern breakdown
• 5 hook-first posts

Constraints
• Founder-first
• No generic motivation
• One clear point per post

Stop when
• Patterns are identified
• 5 posts are written

Context: [INSERT DUMP]

Why it's great: it's clear, detailed, and importantly, uses negative prompting for what not to do.

The last one follows a format my team and I swear by.

1. Role 👤
2. Task 📕
3. Format 📄
4. Warnings ⚠️
5. Reasoning 🧠
6. Stop Conditions 🛑
7. Context Dump 🗑️

It saves us all so much time and brainspace (arguably more important).

Like everything with AI... do not let it replace your thinking.
With each output, be critical about the quality and reprompt as and when necessary.

But not using AI for the sake of "authenticity" just isn't an option in 2026.

How are you getting on with AI? Using it often?
I'm curious to hear in the comments. ⬇️

My new business Searchable helps businesses appear inside these LLMs that you prompt.

If you're a business owner or marketer interested in gaining more visibility for your business...

Learn more and claim your 14-day free trial here:
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network get better at prompting.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more guidance on leveraging AI.

Bad Prompts vs Good Prompts vs Great Prompts

Reddit is the most-cited domain inside AI systems.

It probably cites your website 0% of the time.

Semrush analysed which websites are cited the most across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

The results reveal where and how to build authority in 2026: 

LLMs are citing these websites the most: 

Reddit (~9.5%)
↳ User-generated discussions and reviews  
↳ Real experiences and opinions  
↳ Community-driven content

LinkedIn (~8%) 
↳ Professional insights and thought leadership  
↳ Industry discussions and case studies  
↳ Verified professional profiles

Wikipedia (~7.5%)  
↳ Comprehensive, well-sourced articles  
↳ Neutral point of view content  
↳ Extensive citation networks

Major players Medium, YouTube, and Google are only cited around 5%. 

This indicates a shift in what AI systems prioritise. 

They favour platforms with: 

→ User-generated content  
→ Community discussions  
→ Authoritative sources  
→ Multiple perspectives  
→ Regular updates

Traditional business websites are ranking lower because they're self-promotional, lacking in community engagement, and infrequently updated.  

Meanwhile, platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn are dominating. 

They offer real user experiences, active discussions, current information, and verified professional insights.

So, if you want to get ahead in 2026: 

1. Build a Reddit presence 
↳ Answer questions in relevant subreddits
↳ Build reputation through helpful content

2. Learn how to master LinkedIn  
↳ Publish consistent, valuable content 
↳ Build authority in your niche  

3. Create Wikipedia-Style Content:  
↳ Comprehensive, well-sourced articles  
↳ Extensive internal and external linking

4. Develop video content 
↳ Educational tutorials and explanations  
↳ Expert interviews and discussions

5. Optimise for knowledge panels  
↳ Structure data properly  
↳ Build entity relationships  

Start small, and set weekly goals: 

Week 1: Audit where your industry discussions happen
Week 2: Start contributing valuable insights (no selling)
Week 3: Create comprehensive educational content
Week 4: Build relationships in relevant communities

Increasing your ads budget isn't necessary to get ahead. 

Focus instead on providing genuine value on the right platforms.  

Have you started optimising your content for AI search? 
Leave a comment below. 

To increase LLM citation rates without adding more to your plate, 
Get started with Searchable for free.  

It's an Autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that analyses, fixes, 
And scales your website to drive customers. 

Check it out here and get started with a 14-day free trial: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost this to inform your network on the latest AI updates.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on AI Search in 2026.

I've posted on LinkedIn every day for 3 years. 

You can still grow, but the tactics have changed: 

The LinkedIn algorithm has changed every year.  

2024: Algorithm favoured virality. 
One post could get you 1m views and 5K followers overnight.

2025: The platform shifted. 
Virality dropped, and niche domination took centre stage. 

2026: Growth is harder but more valuable. 
1,000 people who actually buy from you > millions of followers. 

It's still the best platform to grow and monetise an audience. 

But the strategy has completely changed again. 

Here's how to master LinkedIn in 2026:

(See the cheat sheet for the full playbook 👇) 

1. Know Your North Star

This is why you're posting in the first place.
Example: Generate more leads, drive up revenue, free up your time.

2. Know Your ICP

Who are you helping?
Write down their common frustrations and how you solve them.

3. Know Your Content Pillars

Define 5-7 content pillars you can talk about consistently.
This keeps your content focused and builds authority in specific areas.

4. Turn Your Profile Into A Landing Page

Your profile needs to convert visitors into leads. 
Optimise everything from your profile picture to your featured section. 

5. Commenting & Relationship Building

Create a list of 10-20 people in your space.
Engage to create a community of relevant audience members.

6. Understand Your Content Funnel

Take your audience on a journey from Awareness to Conversion. 

7. Content Ideation

→ Use tools like SayWhat to find relevant posts by keywords
→ Create lists of leading creators to model
→ Pull ideas from Instagram, X, Pinterest

8. Content Writing & Design

Pair excellent writing with incredible visuals.

9. Tracking & Testing

Test new ideas, see what performs, and lean into winners.

This is the exact system we teach inside The Creator Accelerator.

Cohort 6 is closing in less than a day !

So, if you're on the fence, this is your sign to take the leap.  
We've helped 600+ founders across 5 cohorts earn millions through content.
 
And there's no reason you can't be next.  
 
If you want 2026 to be the year you finally grow and monetise your audience... 

Grab one of the last spots now 👇
  
https://lnkd.in/eybF9QQG

Applicants will get $2500 of exclusive resources, but you have to act now !  

♻️ Repost to help founders in your network master LinkedIn in 2026.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses through content.

This LinkedIn Coach GPT is trained on 300K+ posts. 

And I'm giving it away for FREE ↓

Consistency and strategy are everything when it comes to LinkedIn. 

After receiving hundreds of messages asking for help in these areas,
I built the 2026 LinkedIn Content Coach. 

The team and I have spent years figuring out what actually works on LinkedIn.

And we put all of that knowledge into this single tool.

It's trained on 300,000+ posts and took 50+ hours to build. 

The GPT is trained to help you with 4 core functions:

✅ Plan your 2026 strategy: 
Get a clear roadmap tailored to your goals and audience

✅ Generate 100+ content ideas: 
Never stare at a blank screen again

✅ Rank your posts: 
Get honest feedback on any draft before you hit publish

✅ Audit your strategy: 
Get specific recommendations to improve reach, engagement, and conversions

It uses proven formats and frameworks that actually perform:

→ Strategy planning based on your business goals
→ Feedback that improves your content before it goes live
→ Post analysis that tells you what's working and what's not
→ Idea generation trained on high-performing content patterns

Only 1% of people post on LinkedIn.

And fewer than that have a real strategy behind what they publish.

There is a huge opportunity here for anyone who starts now.

If you can produce good content with a clear strategy, the benefits are massive.

And this GPT makes it easier than ever.

So stop wasting time guessing what to post next, 
And get a coach that helps you improve your content in seconds.

It has strategy planning, idea generation, post ranking,
And the exact frameworks that drive real business results.

You'll also get an invite to a Free LinkedIn Algorithm Report 2026 Webinar, 
Hosted by myself and the brilliant Will McTighe. 

We analysed 329,504 LinkedIn posts from all of 2025 to see what's really working.  

On the call, you'll learn:

✓ Exactly what changed in the algorithm since Q3 2025
✓ The huge opportunity opening up in certain niches
✓ The four hook patterns that are making people stand out
✓ The two video formats that actually help grow your business
✓ The comments that actually help your reach
✓ 15+ practical tips you can use in your content tomorrow

♻️ Repost this to help your network level up on LinkedIn. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more tools and strategies like this.

UPDATE: Due to the volume of comments I am sharing the GPT here !
https://lnkd.in/eph4f4dQ

2025 saw a massive shift in how we perceive coding. 

It's 2026 now, and companies are still lagging behind.

I used to think you needed developers to build products.

Then I launched Searchable...
And validated the entire idea with AI in 48 hours.

At that level, I didn't need to know a single line of code. 

But if you're planning to replace real engineering work, 
You'll need to create a proper plan of action. 

AI coding makes it easier than ever to build. 

But you still need to input clear ideas and know how it works. 

There are three levels of AI coding founders should understand:

(See the visual for more details 👇) 

1. Vibe Coding
Level: Non-technical founders

What it is:
Turning rough ideas into working prototypes by describing what you want in plain English and letting AI handle the code.

Business use case:
→ Validating startup ideas fast
→ Building landing pages, MVPs, internal tools
→ Testing demand before hiring engineers

Tools to use:
→ Lovable - Product prototypes and signup flows
→ Bolt - Fast web app generation
→ Replit - Build and deploy without setup
→ Make - Connect tools and workflows

2. AI-Assisted Coding
Level: Technical or semi-technical teams

What it is:
AI working alongside a human developer to speed up writing, debugging, and refactoring code.

Business use case:
→ Building production-ready software faster
→ Improving developer output without growing headcount
→ Reducing bugs and repetitive work

Tools to use:
→ Cursor - AI-first code editor
→ GitHub Copilot - Inline code assistance
→ Continue - Open-source AI coding assistant
→ Google Antigravity - Context aware completions

3. Agentic Coding
Level: Advanced team and operators

What it is:
AI agents that can plan, write, test, and refine entire chunks of software from a single objective.

Business use case:
→ Large feature builds
→ Legacy code refactors
→ Automating repetitive engineering tasks
→ Spinning up internal systems fast

Tools to use:
→ Claude Code - Agent-driven deployment
→ OpenAI Codex - Autonomous coding tasks
→ Devin - Full software agent
→ Gemini CLI - Command-line agent workflows

These tools let you validate first and hire second… 

Yet another way AI allows founders to move faster than ever before. 

If you’re building right now, this is leverage you can’t ignore. 

Are you familiar with AI coding? How are you using it? 
Drop a comment below with your process.  

At Searchable, we're using AI to build an autonomous SEO and AEO growth engine.

It analyses, fixes, and scales websites to drive customers automatically. 

If you're a founder who wants to stay visible when people search with ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI...

This is built for you.

Learn more and get started with a 14-day free trial here: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share this breakdown with founders in your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building smarter.

The last 365 days have seen more changes than the last two decades. 

I predict 2026 will follow suit.

Here are my 2026 predictions for AI, marketing, and business:

1. ChatGPT traffic won’t beat Google on volume. But it will rival it on conversions. People won’t “search” for products. They’ll ask ChatGPT what to buy.

2. Vibe coding will die and demand for expert engineers will rise. AI can speed things up, but it can’t replace thinking. Businesses will realise they still need experts to guide it. Genuinely, if you thought you built slack in a weekend, you do not understand Slack. 

3. AI won’t feel impressive anymore. People will see through it. What matters is how AI augments human workflows. Copycat, vibe-coded apps won’t last.

4. SaaS and agents will blur into one category. Every SaaS will add agentic features. Every agent will need SaaS fundamentals. Those that don’t adapt won’t survive.

5. Analog businesses will surge. In-person events, film cameras, magazines. These become status signals as people crave craftsmanship and real connection.

6. Specialised, vertical AI models will drive innovation. Real innovation will come from vertical models in regulated sectors like healthcare, finance, and public safety.

7. AI-powered education will disrupt traditional learning. Parents who adapt will use AI as a coach to build personalised learning around skills that actually matter.

8. Widened gap between "leaders" and "laggards". AI-mature companies will win through better decisions, better foundational data, and stronger customer experience.

9. The dead internet theory becomes visible in 2026. Bots already dominate traffic. Expect more gated spaces, stronger identity checks, and friction to prove you’re human.

10. Hybrid creator-media models will rise in popularity. Editorial standards, recurring formats, and diversified revenue like memberships, courses, and SaaS.

11. Long-form video will dominate socials in 2026. People are tired of short-form junk. Long-form builds trust and depth at scale.

(Here's hoping.)

12. Platforms like Substack will keep growing. Especially for thinkers who layer written content with audio and video.

13. We’re entering a zero-trust era. Content supply is infinite. Knowing what’s real won’t be obvious. Verification and authentication will matter.

14. The quiet winners will focus on basics. Clean data, good tracking, and deep customer understanding, while others chase shiny AI tools.

15. Multimodality won’t be the priority yet. Investment stays focused on reasoning and coding, the foundations of strong models.

What's one prediction you have for 2026?
Let me know in the comments.

If prediction #1 comes true, and I believe it will, 
Your business needs to be visible in AI search.

That's why we built Searchable.

Learn more and get started for free: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share these insights with your audience.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more business building insights.

My 2026 Predictions by Chris Donnelly

Success as a Founder doesn't come from experience.

It comes from consistent curiosity to learn more.

It's easy as an entrepreneur to fall into a common trap I see often:

Thinking you've got all this sh*t figured out.
Spoiler alert: you have not. Not by a long shot.

You've got to sharpen your tools, consistently. 

That's where these books come into play.

I've read every single one, some of them several times.

And I would recommend each one to a specific Founder at a specific time:
(You can see one key lesson from each in the visual below)

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear 🔁

Who?
Founders who set goals but struggle to keep consistent.

Why?
Because progress is found in the everyday habits. 

2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz 🪖

Who?
Founders dealing with pressure and uncertainty. 

Why?
It talks honestly about what to do when there are no 'good' options.

3. The Learn Startup by Eric Ries 📐

Who?
Early-stage founders building something they hope people want.

Why?
It helps you test reality early before money disappears. 

4. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss 🌴

Who?
Founders who feel busy all the time but stuck in the business.

Why?
It forces you to question whether the way you're working makes sense.

5. Deep Work by Cal Newport 🔦

Who?
Founders who are constantly interrupted.

Why?
Because clear thinking is hard to find once your calendar piles up.

6. Start With Why by Simon Sinek ❓

Who?
Founders trying to hire well and rally a team.

Why?
It explains why some companies inspire loyalty and others struggle.

7. Key Person Of Influence by Daniel Priestley 👤

Who?
Founders who want their reputation to open doors.

Why?
It shows how authority compounds when you're known for something specific.

8. Zero to One by Peter Thiel 1️⃣

Who?
Founders building in crowded or competitive markets.

Why?
It challenges you to think about whether you're actually doing anything different.

9. Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne 🌊

Who?
Founders stuck competing on price or features.

Why?
It reframes growth around finding opportunity where others aren't looking.

And so I think every founder would benefit from at least one book here.

They won't give you all the answers you're looking for.
But a bit of guidance and golden nugget along the way can't hurt.

It's especially easy to consume now with audiobooks, etc.

And your self-education should not stop there...

I have a weekly newsletter dedicated to busy founders - Step by Step.

Join 200k+ reading it weekly for genuine business advice from a person genuinely building businesses:

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

And if I'm missing a book from this list, drop a comment below.

I'm always on the lookout for a good new read !

♻️ Repost to help other founders in your network.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more business building tips.

Great to be featured in Forbes talking about LinkedIn.

I’ve been on here for 3 years and reached 1.2m followers...

And I'm always excited to show others how powerful this platform can be. 

Being a LinkedIn creator is a rollercoaster.

There are massive opportunities to earn visibility and generate leads. 

But the algorithm is famously unpredictable. 

And now with the new algorithm, 360 Brew, things are changing once again. 

This isn't "the death of old tactics" as some might claim.
LinkedIn has always been evolving, and we've adapted.

But the principles I touch on in this article will remain true for some time. 

Here's what I told Forbes: 

✅ Your profile signals your authority. 

The algorithm reads your profile to verify your authority. 
Make sure it's as clear as possible. 

✅ Saves are the metric that matters

Bookmarks tell LinkedIn your content is worth coming back to. 
Write posts that would make someone hit that save button. 

✅ Consistency beats timing

As I told Forbes, there has never been a golden hour.  
Make a schedule and be consistent.  

✅ Consider your content formats

Steer away from polls and focus on better-performing formats. 
Shorter, engaging carousels will increase completion rates. 

The nature of how we generate leads on LinkedIn has shifted.

We've gone from gaming the algorithm with hashtags and hiding links, 
To building real authority and creating content worth saving.

2026 can be the year you stop posting more and start earning more.

We've seen 100s of founders do it, and there's no reason you can't be next. 

And now is the perfect time to start ! 

To help with that...

I'm hosting Lead Generation Live on January 15th at 12:30 pm GMT. 

A 4-hour free live event focused on lead generation featuring:

✅ Nathan Barry: Founder of Kit ($50M ARR)
✅ Daniel Priestley: Author of "Key Person of Influence"
✅ Eric Partaker: Built an 8-figure business working 2 days a week
✅ Sara Davies MBE: Founder of Crafter's Companion and a Dragon's Den investor

This isn't a passive webinar where you sit and listen. 

You'll be doing the work in real time, 
And you'll walk away with frameworks you can start using right away. 

So, clear your schedule, find a quiet spot, and we'll see you there:
https://lnkd.in/eqqNdpkP 

And if you want to read the full Forbes article, click here: 
https://lnkd.in/eqztxNzM

♻️ Repost for other founders in your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building your audience and business.

Building a startup is harder than most people can imagine.

15 lessons in the order I learned them:

I've built and sold multiple 8-figure businesses.

Each one taught me something the previous one couldn't.

Here's what nobody tells you:

1. Product comes before everything else

If you build something mediocre and market it well, you'll just burn cash on churn.
If you build something people love, they'll become your product champions.

2. Your network will carry you forward

I haven't built any of my businesses alone.
Every business I've scaled came from relationships built years before I needed them.

3. Founder-led personal brand is distribution

3M+ followers didn't happen to me overnight.
But when we launched Searchable, we had distribution to the exact people who needed it.

4. Speed is a competitive advantage

We hit $75K MRR in 20 days because we moved fast.
Ship, test, learn, iterate. No endless planning cycles.

5. Focus on pre-validated markets

We didn't invent AEO. We studied what was already working, took the best parts, and made it 10x better.
You don't have to completely reinvent the wheel to succeed.

6. Give away value for free

High-value free content is the best sales tool you have.
It gains trust at scale, and if done correctly, can convert highly.

7. Build in public before you launch

We started a waitlist in September before we had a product.
By launch, we had 10,000 people ready to use it.

8. Listen to the first 100 users obsessively

We gave beta access to 100 people in exchange for daily feedback.
Product-market fit doesn't happen by accident.

9. Revenue doesn't mean profit

I've watched founders hit £1M revenue and realise they're losing £50K a month.
Unit economics matter more than top-line growth.

10. Being a founder means being a recruiter

You'll spend more time hiring and managing people than building product.
Learn to spot high performers fast and don't waste time on the poor ones.

11. AI is insurmountable leverage

AI should remove friction. The goal is not to replace judgement.
Use it to draft, analyse, and support.

12. Decision fatigue is real

You'll make more decisions in a week than most people make in a month.
Get comfortable with mental exhaustion and find your recharge moments. 

13. Delegation feels like losing control

But if you don't delegate, you become the bottleneck.
Your job is to play the orchestra, not every instrument.

14. Most advice won't apply to you

Everyone has an opinion on what you should do.
Take it with a pinch of salt and trust your data.

15. No one will care as much as you do

You're in the game more deeply than anyone else.
And that's exactly how it should be.

I'm currently deep into the start-up build phase at Searchable.

We're building the best agentic tool available to help businesses win in AI Search.

Learn more and get started for free here: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to share these lessons with other founders in your network.

I lost several clients while building my first business. 

Not because the work was bad. Because I couldn’t prioritise my time.

When everything is “high priority,” your clients sense the lack of focus. 

That was 14 years ago. 

Since then, I’ve built and exited multiple 8-figure businesses.

I still worked incredibly hard to make that happen… 

But only on the things that actually needed my attention. 

And these 7 frameworks were the key to making that happen. 

Use them to shift your focus back to what truly matters for your business: 

(Save the sheet and come back to it as needed 👇) 

1. The Eisenhower Matrix
By Dwight D. Eisenhower

A 2x2 matrix that sorts tasks by urgent vs important. 

Use it for:
When your day is run by messages, requests, and putting out fires.

2. Timeboxing
By James Martin

Give a task a fixed time limit so it can't swallow up your whole week.

Use it for:
Strategy, planning, writing, and decision-making.

3. Impact/Effort Matrix
Popularised by Lean/Agile practices

A 2x2 matrix that ranks tasks by impact vs effort.

Use it for:
Feature requests, growth ideas, and deciding what to build next.

4. Kanban Board
By Taiichi Ohno

A visual workflow that tracks tasks through stages.

Use it for:
Team execution, project delivery, and reducing context switching.

5. The Stop Doing List
By Jim Collins

A framework for prioritisation where you win by removing commitments.

Use it for:
Freeing time, eliminating legacy tasks, and stopping your calendar from owning you.

6. The One Metric That Matters (OMTM)
By Alistair Croll & Ben Yoskovitz

Force everything to answer one question: What matters most right now?

Use it for:
Weekly prioritisation, product focus, and stopping drag.

7. The 80/20 Principle (Pareto Principle)
By Vilfredo Pareto

A principle to help you focus on the few things producing the most results.

Use it for:
Finding your best customers, best channel, best offer, and cutting distractions.

Prioritisation is still the no.1 thing I see founders struggling with. 

If everything is of the highest priority...

Nothing ever gets your full attention. 

For the health of your business, and your own peace of mind, 
Test one of these frameworks this week. 

The more order you bring to building, the more you can look ahead. 

How do you approach prioritisation for your business? 
Leave a comment below with your thoughts. 

If you enjoyed this content, you'll enjoy my newsletter, Step by Step:
https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb

200k+ founders are already receiving frameworks like this every Sunday. 

I also have 30+ free learning resources for you when you sign up.

♻️ Repost to share these frameworks with your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for actionable strategies like this.

After years of trial and error, The Lead Gen Blueprint is here. 

It's generated our team millions and you can steal it for FREE ↓

Comment "BLUEPRINT" and I'll personally send it to you.

You can post every day and still have an empty inbox.
Likes and followers don’t automatically turn into leads.

That’s why my team and I spent months building a proper lead gen machine.

It turns:
Attention → conversations → qualified leads → paying clients.

We’ve used it to generate thousands of leads and millions in revenue.

Then we packaged the whole thing into one playbook.

Inside you’ll find:

✅ Landing page structures converting at 60%+
✅ A 7-day quick-start to get this live fast
✅ Newsletter strategies that turn readers into buyers over time
✅ Nurture sequences that build trust and fill your pipeline automatically
✅ A warm DM system for starting real conversations without sounding salesy
✅ Lead magnets that turn cold followers into engaged subscribers
✅ The 5 post types that bring qualified prospects, not vanity metrics
✅ How to turn your LinkedIn profile into a lead-capturing landing page

The best founders aren’t posting for the sake of it.
They run systems that convert attention into revenue.

This blueprint sets you up for long-term results on LinkedIn
And gives you the frameworks, templates, and playbooks to make it work.

As a bonus, if you claim the playbook, you will be invited to Lead Generation Live !

A 5-hour free live event focused on lead generation featuring:

✅ Daniel Priestley: Author of "Key Person of Influence"
✅ Nathan Barry: Founder of Kit 
✅ Sara Davies MBE: Founder of Crafter's Companion and a Dragon's Den investor
✅ Eric Partaker: Built an 8-figure business working 2 days a week

It will be on January 15th from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm GMT. 
It's completely free and online, so you can join from anywhere. 

Comment “BLUEPRINT” and I’ll send the link.

♻️ Repost to help founders turn content into customers.
Follow Chris Donnelly for more on building systems that scale.

2025 was the year I shipped faster than ever before. 

In 2026, you can achieve the same using these 9 rules:

2021: Sold my agency for £25M and thought I'd figured it out.
2025: Built Searchable to $83k MRR in 1 month. 

I got here using these 9 rules. 

Steal them:

1. If you're overthinking..
↳ Ship the MVP and learn from real users.

We started a waitlist, and 10k joined before we had a product. 
Waiting for perfection means losing to someone who shipped today.

2. If you want product-market fit...
↳ Give 100 people beta access and listen obsessively.

We gave 100 people early access to Searchable, and 50 brought their friends. 
PMF is built through iteration.

3. If growth is slow...
↳ Work on your product, it isn't good enough yet.

Marketing can't save a mediocre product. 
If you build something people love, they'll tell others. 

4. If you're burning out...
↳ Focus on work and tasks that lead to compound growth.

Build systems, create content, automate processes. 
Your job is to work on things that get easier over time, not harder.

5. If customers aren't converting...
↳ Deliver value upfront for free.

Our free visibility report converts at 20% to paid customers. 
Give people a reason to trust you before you ask them to pay.

6. If nobody knows you exist...
↳ Build your personal brand before you need it.

I spent years building 1M+ followers. 
When we launched Searchable, attention, trust, and distribution were covered. 

7. If competitors are ahead...
↳ Study what works and make it 10x better.

We didn't invent AEO, we studied existing tools and built something better. 
Innovation means finding what's validated and improving it dramatically.

8. If you're stuck on strategy...
↳ Talk to 10 customers, and the answer will reveal itself.

Your customers will tell you what to build if you listen. 
Stop guessing and start asking.

9. If you think you need more resources... 
You need better leverage.

Better systems and focus > More people or budget. 
Focus on leveraging what you have, not creating more volume. 

Short rules can have a massive impact when you actually execute.

2025 was the year I realised you don't need a perfect plan.
You just need to move fast and fix things as you go.

Every business problem is an execution problem.

We're using these principles to build Searchable, 
The best tool for AI Search analytics and actions.

Check it out here and get started for free: 
https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

What's one hard and fast business rule you're taking into 2026?
Share it in the comments. 

♻️ Repost to help your network start 2026 with clarity.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more on building businesses better.

To kick off the New Year, I've made a 30-Day SEO Plan for 2026.

The most comprehensive one available on LinkedIn:

There's no doubt about it, Google traffic still matters massively.
It dwarfs AI Search traffic 12 to 1.

We understand this at Searchable and still consider it a key visibility factor alongside AEO and GEO.

Therefore, you need a plan to optimise your website for it.

Otherwise, you're ignorantly missing out on thousands of opportunities to attract and land customers.

Use this to kickstart your 2026 with increased traffic and business:
(Please check out the carousel for detailed and implementable guidance)

Days 1-2: Baseline & Visibility Audit
Before you touch anything, get visibility.

Days 3-4: Intent Mapping
Stop guessing keywords and map intent instead.

Days 5-6: Topic Clusters & Page Roles
Decide what each page exists to do.

Days 7-8: Technical Hygiene (The Unsexy Stuff)
Fix this early or nothing works, basically.

Days 9-10: Speed, UX & Mobile Reality
Fast sites always win over slow ones. Always!

Days 11-12: Search Visibility Tracking
What you don't see, you can't fix, after all.

Days 13-14: On-Page Structure For AI
This is where most sites fall down...

Days 15-16: Schema & Entity Signals
Help machines understand you first.

Days 17-19: Content Upgrade Sprint
Don't publish more, fix what exists first.

Days 20-21: Internal Linking That Makes Sense
Links are your page's logic.

Days 22-23: Founder-Led Authority Content
Use this time to create a content strategy and plan.

Days 24-25: Strengthen Trust & Retrieval Signals
This is about helping search engines and AI trust and retrieve your content.

Days 26-27: Consolidate Authority Where It Matters
This is about making your site the obvious source on a topic.

Days 28-29: Fix What's Underperforming
Be ruthless and get rid of anything not working.

Day 30: Lock The System
This will be your new operating system.

There's no need to see SEO as an overwhelming headache.

In just 30 days, you can create a system to appear in traditional and AI search.

Just treat it as one day at a time for compounding growth for your business!

However... if this does seem all too much, I have a solution:

It's a little business called Searchable.

An autonomous SEO & AEO Growth Engineer that will:
Analyse, fix, and scale your website to drive customers. 

If you want increased visibility on your business,
Try out a 14-day free trial here: https://lnkd.in/epgXyFmi

♻️ Repost to help your network optimise their SEO.
And follow Chris Donnelly for more SEO tips and tricks.

30 Day SEO Plan by Chris Donnelly

ANNOUNCING: AI Search Summit 2026 (Live + Free)

I’m genuinely excited about this one.

On Jan 22, I’m hosting “AI Search Summit 2026: The Big Event” with Searchable.

And it’s easily the biggest event we’ve done so far.

I swear this isn’t another “AI is coming” talk.

It’s a 3-hour live event focused on one main topic:

How brands actually win visibility inside AI answers in 2026.

If you’re still optimising only for rankings and traffic, I’ll be blunt:

That playbook is already outdated.

I see it every week:

- Great brands not showing up in ChatGPT
- Strong SEO sites invisible in Gemini
- Content that ranks, but does not actually get cited

That’s exactly why we’re doing this.

I’ve brought together some of the best minds and businesses building in AI search to share what’s genuinely working as of today.

The lineup (so far):

✅ Myself 

✅ Dan Slagen - SVP, Marketing Zapier

✅ Ethan Smith - CEO, Graphite

Together, we’re breaking down:

- How AI engines decide who gets recommended
- How to analyse, prioritise, and act on the sources AI cites for you and your competitors
- What content formats trigger citations
- Why traditional SEO signals ≠ AI visibility
- What to fix to stay visible in 2026

Everyone attending gets:

- The AI Search Visibility Report 2026
- Frameworks, templates & playbooks
- Live giveaways + prizes worth $50,000+
- Real brand examples across ChatGPT, Gemini & Perplexity

I’ll also be sharing:

- What we’ve learned from tracking thousands of AI prompts
- Where most teams are still wasting time
- The exact visibility gaps brands don’t see yet

📅 January 22, 2026

⏰ Live online (global-friendly) starting 4pm (for 3 hours)

🎟️ Completely free

We’re capping attendance, and spots are already filling.

👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eJ43WJJu

Let's kick off the year strong folks !

I grew to 1M+ followers in just 2 years. 

These are the 7 types of posts I relied upon:

You cannot post personal stories every day and expect to grow. 
(This isn't Instagram 😂)

Each post you share must serve a purpose...

And growing on LinkedIn means diversifying your content strategically. 

I've used 7 post types consistently to: 

- Grow Searchable to $83K MRR in a month
- Sell out The Creator Accelerator to 600+ founders across 5 cohorts
- Build LeverBrands into the world's most exclusive personal branding agency 

Use them to grow your audience and your business:  

(Check out the visual for more details 👇) 

1️⃣ Awareness Posts
Get attention using pre-validated ideas.

Goal: Reach new people and spark initial interest.
Tip: Keep it simple and opinion-led. 

2️⃣ Personal Story Posts
Build a deeper connection with your audience.

Goal: Build trust and emotional connection.
Tip: Tell the story the way you would explain it to a friend

3️⃣ Education Posts
Educate your ICP on your expertise.

Goal: Help your audience while reinforcing credibility.
Tip: Teach one useful idea someone can apply the same day.

4️⃣ Conversion Posts
Show how your methodology has delivered results.

Goal: Turns followers into leads or buyers.
Tip: Walk through the problem, the decision, and the results.

5️⃣ How We Do It Posts
Educate your audience on your methodology/IP.

Goal: Differentiate your approach and show how you think.
Tip: Explain the thinking behind each step so they understand why it works.

6️⃣ Building In Public Posts
Give honest updates on progress and lessons as you build.

Goal: Create transparency and long-term trust.
Tip: Share the most recent big decision you made and what changed.

7️⃣ Lead Magnet Posts
Offer something genuinely valuable in exchange for an email.

Goal: Turn attention into owned audience and qualified leads.
Tip: Solve one specific problem clearly so the value is obvious.

Converting on LinkedIn is entirely doable, but it's nuanced.  

That's why we've had 5 sold-out cohorts of The Creator Accelerator.

Because we teach a lead gen system that is proven to work.  

It is the foundation of distribution for all my businesses, 
And has literally helped our founders earn millions in revenue. 

Cohort 6 starts in just 2 days (January 19th), 
So there's not much time to decide. 

I can't tell you what to do...

But I wouldn't have hesitated to sign up if this had existed 2 years ago. 

If you're serious about growing, reserve before it's too late: 
https://lnkd.in/eybF9QQG

You'll get $2,500 in exclusive resources for signing up now.  

Which type of post do you normally lean on? Which type would you want to try? 
Leave a comment below. 

♻️ Repost to share this content strategy with your network. 
And follow Chris Donnelly for more personal branding insights.

2,000+ people are already registered for AI Search Summit 2026.

(Save your spot before we hit capacity!)

On January 22, we're giving away the AI search strategies that cost our clients $250K+ to learn.

For free. For 3 hours.
Then never again.

This isn't another "AI is coming" talk.

It’s a practical breakdown of how AI search actually works in 2026, and what leading brands are doing to stay visible.

You’ll hear directly from teams working on this every day, including brands like Zapier, and the agency behind Notion, Webflow, Robinhood, and more.

Speakers:
→ Myself (Founder, Searchable)
→ Dan Slagen (SVP Marketing, Zapier)
→ Ethan Smith (CEO, Graphite)

You’ll also be able to ask questions live during multiple Q&As!

If you attend live, you’ll get:
✅ Selected 1:1 strategy sessions
✅ Premium AI visibility audits
✅ Practical AI search templates
✅ Spots in the AI Search Accelerator program
✅ The exclusive 2026 AI Search Visibility Report

When: Jan 22 · 3PM GMT
Where: Live online
Cost: Free (limited capacity)

2,000+ people have already signed up. 
We’ll close registration once we hit capacity.

Save your spot → https://lnkd.in/eJ43WJJu

See you there!

Deciding to hang up my football boots at 18 and chase entrepreneurship changed the entire trajectory of my life.

Here’s what happened next:

2018: Quit professional football after representing Scotland at youth level. No plan. Just a feeling that there was something bigger out there.

2019: Joined university and stumbled into entrepreneurship at Bright Red Triangle. Learned my first lessons in sales, content, and surviving off side hustles — video editing, PT, selling double glazing… whatever paid the rent.

2020: Founded a health-tech startup with BRT’s support. We won 2 international awards. We also learned the hard way what “too early” and “too ambitious” really mean. Paused the project.

2021: Joined another mental health tech startup. We nearly closed our seed round but missed it. Another painful lesson, but it sharpened my understanding of GTM and investor psychology.

2022: Landed my first pure sales role at OnceHub under the mentorship of Adam Parnell — the guy who shaped how I lead teams today.

2022: Moved up the sales value chain into Shine Interview. Got my first official leadership responsibilities. Fell in love with outbound and GTM.

2023: Quit to launch my own fractional marketing consultancy. Hit $5K MRR but couldn’t break through. Failed forward.

2024: Started Traction — a tiny outbound agency with a big obsession for client results. We hit 95.2% success rate, kept clients for 6+ months, and passed $20K MRR. Most stable thing I’d ever built.

2025: Moved to Australia alone. No network. No safety net. Hit the $25K MRR ceiling… and then Instantly.ai entered the picture.

I joined as the lead of Instantly’s first-ever done-for-you outbound programme — Instantly VIP — and helped turn it into one of the fastest-growing GTM services in the world.

If you’re not yet at the stage where you’re scaling a full outbound engine then maybe my team at Instantly can help.

🔗 Website: https://instantly.ai/vip

🔗 VIP Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7384166190551572480/

🔗 Speaking / Podcast Appearances: email aaron@instantly.ai

Aaron. Reid

Outbound is simple.

Find a super scalable way to give your prospects something worth $500+ for less than 5 mins of your time.

Give them even more value in the meeting.

Drown them in social proof.

Give them a money-model which makes it super easy for them to buy your thing.

Repeat 🔁 

Once stop selling and start serving, you will convert like never before.

(with Instantly.ai ofcourse 😉)

Leader of the Instantly VIP Team, GTM Voice [20k+ Opportunities Created], Former Agency Owner, 2x Founder & Ex-Pro Footballer.

Cold email isn’t just for pipeline. It’s the fastest way to obtain high-quality product behavioural feedback.

If you’re an early-stage founder building your first product, you run into the same wall everyone does:

➡️ Do people even want this?
➡️ What features matter?
➡️ What should I build next?

Most people try to answer these questions with focus groups, surveys, or a tiny user base of 50–100 accounts.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

What people say they want almost never matches what they do.
Behaviour > opinions.

Nobody told Apple they wanted a smartwatch.

Yet 280M people went out and bought one.

So here’s a better approach:

1️⃣ If you’ve got even 50-100 mailboxes, you can hit 1k-2k prospects across your entire TAM in a day.

2️⃣ Split-test 10 different offers.
Let thousands of people show you what they care about by how they respond.

3️⃣ Suddenly you see:
Who raises their hand
What angles resonate
What features pull people in
What markets are ice-cold
Which ICP actually has urgency

And tools like Instantly.ai’s new CoPilot basically do the heavy lifting:
Write the angles
Send the test variants
Read the behaviours
Give you a breakdown of “what the market truly wants”

🎖️ All in 7 days, not 7 months.

When you think of cold email as market intelligence, not just outbound…You realize you’re holding a shortcut founders would’ve killed for 10 years ago.

Stop guessing what people want.
Email them.
They’ll tell you with their actions.

I’ve overseen 1,000+ outbound campaigns. Some crushed it. Others… flopped.
But there’s one pattern that shows up every single time, whether the campaign succeeded or failed.

👉 It’s the offer.

Recently, in collaboration with Instantly.ai, I hosted a weekly 'Outbound Clinic', where I broke down live outbound issues and rebuilt them on the spot.

The recurring takeaway?

Offer + Relevant Messaging + Deliverability = Outbound Success.
That’s it.

Not a “hyper-personalized” prospecting list.
Not a 27-step omni-channel sequence.
Not a fancy prompt.

Just:
 ✅ A fantastic offer
 ✅ High quality Mailboxes
 ✅ Messaging engineered to make the offer relevant

If you're struggling with outbound, start here. Strip it down. Simplify.
The rest is just noise.

p.s.
the Outbound Clinic will be back soon!

Outbound Clinic

AI has millions of applications.

Yet 99% of people still think it’s just a little friendly chatbot called ChatGPT.

Recently, I got a DEXA body fat scan. They offered a paid consultation to explain the results.

Instead, I plugged the data into a GPT connected to ResearchGate, asked it to explain everything like I was 10 years old and it was better than any consult I’ve ever paid for.

Based on the input/output

I used AI to:
✅ Build a custom workout plan from a video of my gym

✅ Run a Harris-Benedict calculation for exact recomposition calories

✅ Adjust training and nutrition in real time

I’m now moving toward the best shape of my life, this was such a basic use case.

Most people are still playing with like a toy but few are leveraging it to make their next million.

Now imagine what AI can do for prospecting and closing inside Instantly.ai 😉

2025 was the year of enforcement.

For a long time there was noise around “best practices” in cold email. This year, inbox providers and lead data providers stopped talking and started enforcing.

A lot of outbound motions were built on:
➡️ backdoor lead scrapers
➡️ shared or shortcut email infrastructure

Much "cheaper" yes but almost all of that got closed.

The result:
🛑 It’s harder to land in inboxes
🛑 Data is more expensive to source properly
🛑 Fewer databases are scrapeable
🛑 The learning curve went up big-time

This is bad news if you relied on shortcuts, it’s good news if you’re willing to do things properly.

The play now is simple:

✅ Invest in infrastructure, not exploits
✅ Use real data providers, not scrapers
✅ Send emails people actually want to reply to

If you’re going to run cold email in 2026, do it with intent.
Build outbound real systems.
Invest in real infrastructure.
Build great offers.

And hey...Instantly.ai makes every inch of this possible from a click of a button, just saying 😉

How I’d turn a $0/mo B2B SaaS into a $10M scale-up within 6 months using cold email:

➡️ Cold Email Setup (using Instantly.ai)
Map my Total Addressable Market (TAM)
Auto-setup 300 mailboxes and 100-150 domains
Deploy an AI reply agent so meetings are booked on auto-pilot

➡️ Campaigns, testing and offers
Create 5-6 irresistible offers and test them
Double down on the best performing offer
Use develop a money-model which removes perceived sign-up risk

➡️ Optimise the buyer lifecycle
Maximise positive reply to sign-up conversions
Maximise free sign-up to paid conversations
Re-engage the full market every quarter
Iterate on my product so users stick around for longer

After 5-years in the B2B sales market, scaling companies is actually a super simple exercise when you look at it this way.

1. Go after a starving market in need of a solution who have money to spend (doesn't need to be your passion)

2. Lead with the best offer possible which delivers value as quick as possible.

3. Stack your offer with an overwhelming amount of social proof

4. Design a pricing model which makes it super easy for users to buy your thing

5. Engage your entire market every quarter with your offer

6. Maximise conversions of each stage of your B2B funnel

Voila.

Credits: Alex Hormozi $100M Offers Book

🚨 Calling all Founders, Sales and Marketing teams 🚨 .

Cold Email is NOT dead⚡ .

Automated Outreach for high-intent contacts is a primary channel we use to improve our Paid ads performance💥.

Instantly.ai analysed over +4 billion cold emails sent through it's platform and broke down exactly what top teams are doing differently to outperform the average 📈 .

Find out how top Instantly users achieve 2-4x higher reply rates than the industry average in the Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026 - so you can achieve the same results 🚀 .

Access Instantly’s FREE Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026👇.

These 2 things while aggressively shift the needle on your cold email efforts in 2026. 

Over the last year, I’ve overseen outbound systems for 300+ companies across every continent.

I can guarantee you that outbound success really hinges on just two fundamentals.

First: the offer.
Your offer is simply the proposition you lead with in your outbound email.

The strongest offers aren’t demos or sales calls. They’re free, high-value propositions which are closely adjacent to your core business offering.

Done properly, the offer:
Solves a real problem the prospect already feels
Delivers value before any trust is required
Naturally leads toward a conversation and a conversion event

Second: deliverability.
Deliverability is fundamentally the amount of outbound emails that land in the inbox vs spam folder.
It isn’t driven by cheap mailbox exploits (most of them have been patched)
It’s driven by long-term infrastructure decisions (spend money here)

If you focus obsessively on great offers and reliable deliverability, you will make a lot of money in 2026.

One of the things I love about my job Instantly.ai is our weekly leads report. 

Here is a sneak peak of some of the highlights 😉

Cold email deliverability entered extreme mode this year, I genuinely think it's a great thing for some but a terrible update for others. 

You can have the best offer, copy, targeting and social proof but if your emails don’t land in the inbox, all that work is gone to waste.

The competition in inboxes is going down year on year. 
Which means we should invest more in deliverability year on year.

That’s why Instantly.ai just dropped Gen 2 DFY Accounts, a serious upgrade to outbound infrastructure.

✅ Higher inbox rates
✅ 1.5h setup
✅ Diversified infrastructure
✅ Isolated domains, US IPs
✅ API-based mailbox setup (tons of use-cases there)
✅ Auto-reconnection

Psstt...apparently there are free DFY domains (for the first year) until Jan 25, 23:59 EST. 😉

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