audience & revenue growth tips for B2B startups and creators

My mission is to build predictable pipelines for B2B startups. I share what I learn along the way. 

Read more if you are ready to build your pipeline 👇

💡 I am super relevant if you are:

→ Indie Hacker
→ Freelancer
→ Early Startup Founder
→ B2B Sales Person
→ Creator (any profession)

✍️ I write about:

→ B2B sales
→ Go to market strategies
→ Signal-based prospecting

Little more about me:

Cryptocurrency Investor. SaaS Enthusiast. Agriculture Business Owner. 

Lived in 3 countries.

I'm a T-shaped growth person who has experience in sales, content marketing, and growth.

Drop me a LinkedIn message if you need any help.

We will keep it simple.

Twitter: @sehaokudan

https://calendly.com/sehaokudan/30min

Seha Okudan

Sales is stressful.
Turkey built an industry around it.

Every job is stressful. 

I get that.

But the stress of a salesperson is different.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲:

- Pressure
- Rejection
- Judgment
- Uncertainty
- Expectations

Still not convinced?

Every deal can die last minute.
Every “maybe” keeps your mind busy.
Every quota resets the clock.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼:

-Detach from outcomes
-Handle rejection calmly

Don't lose your hair.

If this was your reality in 2025, I’ll see you in Istanbul this year.

I'm sure Turkish Airlines can help. 😅 

Jokes aside, what part of sales stresses you the most?

--
Inspiration: Tosin Jan

Building Outbound & RevOps systems for B2B companies

Prospects hate to give bad news.
(And it costs you time)

They don’t reject you.
They delay you.

They hope the problem fades.
They hope you stop following up.

Most sellers miss this.

You chase wrong deals for months.

Hoping to get positive news.

Bad discovery hides the truth.

One "I'm interested." costs you months.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼:
-Get to “no” fast
-Pressure-test intent
-Disqualify with care
-Learn to walk away early

Money is in the follow-up. That's 100%

Not in chasing the wrong deals.

Bad news early saves months.
Good sales feels honest.

Agree or disagree?

Video Credit: @sales_humor /Instagram

BANT is outdated.
Here’s why 

BANT is a sales qualification criteria. 
Budget, authority, need, timing. 

Especially if it is outbound, the budget is rarely allocated for outbound as an example.

Last week, I saw someone in my network say,
 “BANT is the key to winning deals.”

Coming from an Enterprise C level, you'd believe.

Maybe 10–15 years ago, it was a silver bullet.

Today? 
Buying processes are no longer as simple as they used to be.


BANT is problematic because:

1️⃣ 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱

BANT was built for sellers, not for buyers. 
Buyers don’t want to be qualified for you
They want to be understood by you.

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿

Buyers move in and out of priorities fast.
Your job is to show impact and move the solution up in the list.
Not learning if it's the right time.
It is rarely the right time.

3️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆

If there’s real pain, the budget appears.
If there’s no pain, no number will matter.
Show how much their pain is costing them.

4️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱

Usually, there’s no single decision-maker anymore.
Users, champions, legal, finance, etc.

Modern frameworks, such as MEDDPICC, shift the focus from qualification to alignment.

But religiously following a framework is a mistake.

Sales involve psychology and emotions.

Never forget that.

How do you qualify prospects?

Build quality lists.
(Or outbound fails.)

Outbound is harder now.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲:

-Good offer
-Great copy
-Reliable infra
-Warmed up emails

None of this works if three things are wrong.

- Bad timing
- Wrong people
- Old contact data

You waste time.
You hurt deliverability.
You miss opportunities.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀:

1️⃣ Pick intent that matters
2️⃣ Build pre-verified lists
3️⃣ Find real decision makers
4️⃣ Sync natively with your sequencer
5️⃣ Launch without cleaning chaos

I was part of the Prospeo V2 beta program, tested with one of my clients, and we LOVED it. (thanks for inviting me, Matthew!)

It did what outbound tools should do.

No hacks. No patchwork.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀:
99% contact data accuracy, up to 30% call connect.

That changes outcomes.

If lists are weak, outbound dies.

Check out Prospeo.io V2, you won't regret it.

----
PS: Clay ranks Prospeo as the most accurate data provider. Not a surprise.

Sales is easy.
(is it?)

"If the product is good, it'll sell itself."

Ok, fair enough.

If you're not in sales, it is easy.

- You send a message
- Book a meeting
- Send your pitch deck
- Impress with your product
- Send the quote
- Get the money

Oh, sometimes they even come to you to buy!

If you're on the buyer side, it is even easier to say it is easy.

"They just show the product, send a quote, anyone can do it"

But here is the part they don't see:

- You get rejected every day
- You lose deals to competitors
- Prospects ghost you after 4 calls
- Legal stalls your contract for weeks
- Champions go silent before signing

Competition is bigger than ever.
Everyone is building fast now.
Buyers have more power than ever.

Sales isn’t easy.

It just looks that way when it’s done right.

What part of the job do people underestimate the most?

The biggest sales mistake is simple.
(but still overlooked)

Talking too much about yourself.

Everyone knows this.

Some still forget it.

𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

- Your offer
- Your service
- Your product
- Your new feature
- How great you are

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴:
Does this help me hit my goals?

You learn that by talking less and by asking clear questions.

Sales gets easier when it is about them.

Not you.

Agree or disagree?

Selling a no-product market fit SaaS?
It is not a sales job.

It is a founder job without equity.

In those companies, your role is not just closing.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼:

- Find the real ICP
- Fix weak positioning in live calls
- Turn vague value into clear outcomes
- Surface feedback no one wants to hear

You'll face blockers that kill deals before they start.

Especially if you're working with a founder who loves the product.

They're going to blame you when you can't sell.

They’ll defend features.
They’ll call it a “sales problem.”
They'll call prospects stupid for not getting it.

Sellers can't sell a product nobody needs.

Only the founder can sell to his/her network.

Sellers don’t fail here.

The product does.

Is your problem a “sales problem” or a product problem?

Never pitch the solution first.
-here's why

Problems have many fixes.

An umbrella works.
A roof works too.

Both protect from rain.

But only one fits the buyer’s world.

If you pitch early, you guess.
Guessing kills trust.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴:

-Fear they want gone
-Desire they want fast
-Challenge blocking progress

Then do one more thing.

Show the impact.

What breaks if nothing changes?
What slows down?
What costs them money, time, or status?

When they feel the impact, they pull the solution from you.

Not the other way around.

Sell less.
Diagnose more.

➡️ How do you diagnose before you pitch?

Sales sucks.
(It is true.)

Closing, prospecting, the whole thing sucks, too.

- You’re ghosted after a “great” call
- Quota pressure eats at your sleep
- You’re rejected 13 times before lunch
- People assume you’re pushy before you speak

All true.

The worst part? 

Some people see you as order takers.

Send email → show product → send quote → done

But here’s the thing.

It’s also a life skill.
There’s no way around it.

Start shifting your perspective.

Because it is also awesome:

- It can get very lucrative
- You meet cool people every day
- You get paid to solve real problems
- It’s the fastest path to building a business
- You build grit that most jobs will never teach
- You learn to read people better than a therapist

Most people can’t handle both sides.

But if you can?

Sales will change your life.

Be honest, do you love it or hate it?

Just "do more” is lazy manager advice.
Here's why:

Just do "do more" is a lazy manager advice.

5 difficult scenarios for salespeople:
(Even for the top ones.)

5 difficult scenarios for salespeople

5 worst sales discovery questions:

Outbound is changing.
Before 2019, spray & pray worked.

Send thousands of generic emails → get leads.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:

- Deliverability got stricter
- Prospects got smarter (sales methods)
- Email channels got flooded

Now, in 2025, we can create high-quality emails in bulk.
With AI.

And yes, it still works for now.
(If your deal size is small + TAM is huge.)

You can also have the best cold email infrastructure.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻:
It is getting easier to create mass email campaigns,

So history will repeat itself.

-Buyers will get “immune”
-ESP rules will tighten (even more strict)

Even good emails will start to see fewer replies.

For me, sending mass messages isn’t sales. It is a form of marketing. And it’s starting to look a lot like paid ads, only through inboxes.

I think email service providers will regulate and monetize it pretty soon.

LinkedIn avoids spam as much as possible with InMail ads, Sales Navigator credits, message limits, and verifications.

What are your thoughts?

How are you future-proofing your outbound?

-
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲:

Signal-based, hyper-relevant, multichannel approach. 

8-13 step sequences - 40-50 business days.
(cold call, LinkedIn, email)

And leveraging referrals, my network, and multithreading when/if needed.

Sales skill is a life skill.
(not just for more revenue)

Sales is not just a revenue skill.

It can help you:

- Negotiate better pay
- Build trust with people
- Sell ideas to your team
- Get buy-in from your boss
- Handle rejection with grace
- Build better personal relationships

Most importantly:
It helps you communicate with intent.

You can be a teacher, designer, engineer, or founder.

You’ll always move faster if you know how to sell.

Investing.
Copywriting.
Communication.

All life skills.

What life skill paid off most for you?

“Do you have a budget?”
(don’t ask this)

Yes, budget matters.
Every sales framework says so.

But asking it directly is lazy and self-serving.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝟮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀:

1️⃣ Outbound:

No one has a budget for something they just heard about. They didn’t plan for you. They didn’t ask for you.

So the answer is probably “no”, even if the pain is real.

2️⃣ Inbound:

Asking about budget too early kills momentum. You turn discovery into a price check.

𝗠𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲:
If there is a big pain, a budget can be found.

---

Asking “Do you have a budget?” is really asking:

“Do you have money for me?”

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱:

“Why hasn’t it worked?”
“Who is affected by this?”
“What have you tried so far?”
“What happens if this stays unsolved?”
“What does success change for the business?”

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸:

“What priority would this have if it worked?”
“How do you usually fund problems like this?”
“Who would need to be involved to move forward?"

When the pain is clear, the budget becomes a logistics problem.

Budget is usually the outcome of good discovery.

How do you uncover budget without asking for it?

Objections are opportunities.
Many feel bad after an objection

I was like this back in 2018.

Telling myself:
"Not going to happen again."

I was terribly wrong.

You should feel good about objections.
They help you close.

𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻:

-Real interest
-Serious buyer
-Active thinking
-Risk awareness

Gives you a chance to discover more.

And SOLVE.
(or disqualify fast)

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲:

Asks nothing
Shows no concern
Says "great product
Says yes to everything

I learned this two months later. A prospect said they would buy. - “100% sure.”

Then they vanished.

Waste of time...

Handle objections well.

This gives you a chance to solve. Or disqualify fast.

Focus on better-fit clients.

Agree or disagree?

Ideas are worthless.
(until someone pays for it)

Building products is easy now.

Every day, we see a new SaaS project.

“Let’s build first. We’ll sell later.”
“People loved the idea.”

That is how you burn resources.

Selling is the only real validation.

7+ years in B2B sales.
One failed micro-SaaS.

Almost nobody told me that my product/idea is bad.

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴:

1️⃣ Sounds like a great idea, we'll consider it when you build the product.
2️⃣ We'll subscribe when it is ready!
3️⃣ We'll try it once it is live!

None of this is validation.
None of it is good news.

Because people hate to give bad news.

𝗠𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Make people take their credit cards out in advance.

Is it easy? Absolutely not.

This is why you can ask people to make small commitments first.
(Waitlist, for example)

Yes – people can buy later too, but that’s a big risk.

You might waste your time, energy, and resources.

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿:
Money is proof. Everything else is just talk.

If the money is not in your account, there is no deal.

If you don't have any sales before building;
Don’t build it.

How do you get real commitments from prospects?

What is one thing AI will never be able to do? 
(In sales)

Grow Your Career 1% Daily - I’ll Show You How | Follow for Tips on Learning, Professional Development, and Productivity | Professor | MBA + JD

Is this the part where I talk about brand voice, distribution, and storytelling across the funnel? Or say we “help companies scale content that converts”?

𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.

But what we really do is write content your team doesn’t have to worry about, so you can stay focused on strategy, not sentence structure.

𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻. 👋

And my path here hasn’t exactly followed a playbook:
Banking → Law School → Teaching → L&D → Content

(Yeah… it’s been a ride.)

Today, I run a B2B content agency with my wife. We keep it lean and personal — just the two of us, plus our kids and a couple barky mini schnauzers. 

At Damn Smart Marketing, we give marketers writing they can trust and results they can stand behind.

✓ Content that sounds like you (not a template, not bland AI)
✓ Full support from idea to publication
✓ A partner who gets content
✓ Zero fluff, zero hand-holding
✓ More time to focus on what matters

In other words: you get to 🚀 while we handle the ✍️.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿? 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸:

1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗿-𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.
Blogs, LinkedIn posts, newsletters, case studies. If it’s got words, we’ll write it. You get to run the show without sweating every sentence.

2️⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
We’ve built an AI-assisted workflow that makes posting easy, effective, and actually worth reading.

If you're curious, DM me. 

No cold, hard pitch, I promise. Just a real convo about where you’re headed and whether some damn smart content can help.

Stephen 😀

Stephen Mostrom

How my wife and I work together without losing our minds (or our marriage)...

9 years ago, Donna and I started Damn Smart Marketing.
4 years ago, we niched down to B2B content writing. 
24 months ago, I joined full-time. 

It's been a wild ride. 
Full of ups and downs. 

And, when we share our story with others, the same question comes up every time.

"How do you work with your partner 24/7 without killing each other?"

Here's our formula: 

1 - Love your differences (really!)
2 - Create a clear division of duties
3 - Remove pressure whenever possible
4 - Talk about everything
5 - Leave your ego at the door

Interested in learning more about how we make it work?

👉 https://lnkd.in/gtPzBpME

Writer for B2B Tech & Finance ✍️ | Running a content agency with my wife (and yes, still married) | Human words, AI workflows | JD & MBA

I've got one resolution for '26. 
KEEP. IT. REAL. 

Real talk
- Words I’d say out loud, not empty-calorie buzzwords
- Taking a stance, not performative "thought leadership"
- Posting for people, not the algorithm

Real content
- Heart-first drafts, not perfect-first outputs
- A voice with fingerprints, not generic AI fluff
- Photos that feel lived-in, not perfectly staged

Real-ationships
- Showing up first, not keeping score
- Chats that run long, not calendar Tetris
- Conversations with pauses, not pitches

LinkedIn.
The business world.
The internet.
Honestly, the whole globe.

It’s getting more synthetic by the second.

Time to swim against the current. 

Real only. 
No exceptions. 

You in?

LinkedIn friends: Can you help me get the word out?

I’ve got *a lot* of thoughts on writing, creativity, AI (and where to avoid it), and B2B marketing. 

(Also the last season of Stranger Things… but that’s a separate thread)

I’m looking to connect with smart folks who care about these topics and want to have no-fluff conversations around them.

If you know anyone I should meet, I’d appreciate a tag or a DM:

- Podcast hosts
- Conference organizers
- Speaking opportunities
- Or adjacent worlds I should be paying attention to

And if you just want to talk about The Upside Down or how Steve + Dustin are an elite duo, I’m here for that too!

Thanks in advance. 🙏

I assume every LinkedIn post will flop (yes, even after 1M+ impressions). So, I run mine through this 10-point checklist before hitting publish.👇

The result?

10k+ followers
Viral client posts
Countless connections

Here's the checklist: 

1. Did I start with the good stuff?
Weak hook, no go. I’ll tweak it 100x to get it right.

2. Does this post sound like me? (Or like AI?)
Beep boop. No thanks, I’ll stick to Stephen writing. 

3. Did I make it easy to read?
No one’s reading bland blocks of text during their coffee break.

4. Did I paint the picture?
Feelings, stakes, pain. That makes a story real. 

5. Will I remember this tomorrow?
If it’s forgettable to me, it’s forgettable to them.

6. Am I talking to one person, or broadcasting to everyone?
Generic tone = generic results. I write to one reader and one reader only.

7. Did I edit out the filler?
Adverbs, clichés, throat-clearing intros. I cut them with a chainsaw.

8. Did I anchor it in lived experience?
Real stories beat abstract advice every day (twice on Sundays).

9. What’s the one thing I want someone to remember?
If my post has 6 points, it has no point.

10. Did I enjoy writing it?
If it felt like a chore, it’ll probably read like one too.

Your go-to?

Who in their right mind adds 25 pounds to their morning walk?

Umm....

Last year, I started wearing a weighted vest. Unless it's 110° or more, most mornings you'll find me with three dogs walking a mile loop around Chandler. 

Shoulders strained. 
Core (hopefully) engaged. 
CCR probably on repeat. 

It's the funny bit about exercise...

To get stronger, you have to intentionally do hard things. Lift heavy stuff, run when nothing's chasing you, or strap extra weight to your body. 

The reward?
Growth. 

Problem is, when I look at the mental side of work, all I see are shortcuts. AI wasn't the first, but boy is it the loudest. 

"Write 100 LinkedIn posts in 30 seconds!"
"Turn one idea into a week of content!"
"Hit publish without ever breaking a sweat!"

There’s absolutely a time and place for speed, efficiency, and productivity.

But if everything gets easier…
When do we actually get stronger?

This isn't theoretical. 

Darja Djordjevic (Columbia Univ) on AI: 
“Here is a machine that is always available, endlessly enthusiastic, and seemingly competent in every domain. That creates a powerful feedback loop. You skip the discomfort of starting from scratch and get rewarded in seconds.”

Great for the short-term. 
Hazardous for the long. 

That's why I'm personally putting on weighted vests at work, too. 

Writing the first draft from scratch.
Sitting with the mess before cleaning it up.
Thinking before prompting.

Do I use AI? Of course.
But it’s the spotter, not the lifter.

Because the discomfort *is* the workout.

Maybe I'm not in my right mind. 
Maybe that's okay... as long as I'm growing. 🤷

Last year, I ghostwrote on LinkedIn for a dozen execs. 12M+ impressions, 20k+ followers. Here are 4 post types that delivered (and why): 

1. Scar stories

Easily our top-performer. 

What were the bottom-rung moments in a career (fumbles, toxic peers, etc)? And, most importantly, what did you learn from them?

One six-figure impression post from last year started with, “When I left the boardroom, I thought I was fired.” 

These posts counter the perfect upward path so often embedded in thought leadership content. 

They take courage to post. 
And that’s why they work. 

2. Non-obvious + niche trends

Market trend posts work when you’ve got a one-of-one view. 
And genuine thought leaders do. 

The key is making sure the trends don’t sound like an economics report. 

They need to cut deep for your target audience. 
Show you’re in the trenches. 

Not “5 [industry] trends,” but “5 patterns showing up across every [industry] conversation I’m in.”

3. Have you seen?

This is the small-scale side of the trends conversation. 
Commenting on news happening right now, this minute. 

- Major shakeup in your industry
- Big, bold stance by leadership
- Real-time data that informs decisions

In one move, you bring your readership into the fold (“have you seen?”), then lay out your angle (“here’s how I see it”). 

Timely and opinionated. 

4. I used to think X, now I think Y

Growth is interesting. 

People love to map the trajectory a leader’s taken. They want to see the nitty-gritty thoughts that shape million-dollar (billion-dollar?) leadership. 

One post that caught fire last year…
 
It broke down the people side of a data-heavy business. “I used to think the numbers mattered most, now I think it’s those small hallway conversations.”

Growth. And how it happens. 
Your readers can easily take notes. 




What do these posts have in common?

- Specific to YOU, not just anyone
- Getting real with your struggles and journey
- Putting the “thought” in thought leadership

That’s what separates the leaders people sync with…
From content that gets scrolled past and forgotten.

This might be my favorite January reading stack ever ↓

📚 How fear shaped history, politics, society, and more 
📚 One man's journey to consume the entire encyclopedia britannica
📚 The economist behind "Capital" takes on current events
📚 AI's impact on human writing (hint: it's not good)
📚 A globetrotting journey via classic works of fiction

What are you reading?
(Recommendations, please! I'm building my list for next month)

I'm tired of reading LinkedIn posts stuffed with fluff. 

Too many words. Too little payoff. A waste of everyone's time...

The result:
Writer – Annoyed that their message isn't resonating. 😡 
Reader – Annoyed that their attention isn't respected. 😤 

Who's this working for?
Answer: no one.

Time to get back to an old writing rule I swear by, "Every word not working for you... is working against you." 

Time to ditch words that add nothing. 

↓↓↓
These are the 4 worst offenders I see every single day: 

1. Buzzword Bingo
“Leverage”
“Synergy”
“Thought leadership”
“Game-changing”

2. The Warm-Up Lap
“I’ve been thinking a lot lately…”
“I wanted to share a quick thought…”
“This might resonate with some of you…”
“Just some reflections…”

3. Captain Generic
“Bet on yourself.”
“Show up.”
“Do the work.”
"Success isn't linear."

4. Say It Again, But Louder
“In other words…”
“Put simply…”
“Let me explain…”
“To clarify…”

Instead of fluff, do this...

Get to the point. 
Respect your reader. 
Mic drop and move on. 

Yeah?

Buffer crunched 2M+ data points to answer the question: How often should you post on LinkedIn to maximize reach? ↓

2-5 times per week. 

Doesn’t have to be every day. 
Doesn’t have to destroy your calendar. 

But moving from “whenever I have time” or once a month to this range yields serious results. 

+1,182 more impressions per post
0.23 percentage point lift in engagement rate

Buffer calls it “flipping a switch.”

That’s why, when we work with busy execs and founders at Damn Smart Marketing, we use a simple 3 / 30 approach: 

3 → publish three posts per week (minus holidays)
30 → one 30-minute weekly brainstorm to generate raw ideas

(Huge shoutout to Devin Reed, who runs this process to perfection. His breakdown is worth a look: https://lnkd.in/gcghEk5R)

That’s it. 

The difference between fading into the background and showing up in the feed of the people you want to reach. 

Questions?
Drop them below or DM me.

It's official: most folks DO NOT want to read AI. 

I've suspected as much. Seen loads of spiky posts about it on LinkedIn. But this is 4,484 people casting their vote, and you can see...

Only 16% keep reading, no problem. 
Whoa. 🤯 

My thoughts: 

1 - This topic is emotional quicksand. 4k+ people voting on a LinkedIn poll... that crazy, and a signal that people REALLY care. 

This isn't a shoulder shrug.  
It's a raging fire we need to pay attention to. 

2 - How do you know something was written by AI? Short answer: you don't. Instead, we're all judging in seconds. 

Is it flat, lifeless? Could anyone have written it? 
Does it have an em dash or too many rule of threes?

There's no rulebook. 
Just people making assumptions. 

As writers, marketers, and content folks...
We have to know this. Understand it. Adapt to it. 

3 - Content is about making bets. Bets that something you create will resonate and lead to a conversation, trust-building, etc. 

Idk about you...

But I don't want to bet on 16% odds. The chance folks MIGHT ignore the AI of it all and keep reading anyway... even if ChatGPT can generate 1M words in 3 seconds.

The smarter bet? 
Write for people. Write what resonates. 

And at least according to this (pretty big) poll, that isn't AI. 



Ok, enough of my ramblings...
What do you think? 

P.S. Shoutout to Mel Barfield for doing the work.

This LinkedIn post should have been a snoozefest. ↓

Instead, it's one of the best examples of writing voice I've ever seen. 


We've all seen the new furry friend angle.
Usually it's “I got a pup! 🐶” and 5 likes.

But not Lauren. 

Check it…

1 - She pulls you right into the storyworld

“middle of the workday” → busy CEO
“puppy with bad eyes” → awwww
“definitely don’t need another dog” → tension
“skin of our gahdayum teeth” → relatability
“ohmygaaaahhhh” → human emotion
“drive four hours” → commitment

And then there’s her backstory:
“lost… one year ago this week”
😭😭😭

2 - She uses (gasp) humor

Pile of laundry?
Mitch McConnell? 

I won’t explain the funny here cause that ruins it. 
But c’mon. This is standup level. 

3 - She sounds so human

Running around at 1 million miles per hour. 
Making heartfelt decisions. 
Talking pup names with her husband. 
Reflecting on the past and looking to the future. 

All in 115 words. 



I’ve never met Lauren. 
Never seen her content on LinkedIn before. 
But you can bet I smashed that “like” button fast. 

And last I checked, 1000+ others had too. 

Wow. Great writing. 
Who knew?

“Have AI write the first draft, then edit.” 

I know smart folks who write this way. It works for them. Real talk, though, it's not how I do my best writing.

Here's why: 

1 - The 1000-pound anchor. 

Once words are on the screen, they’re hard to ignore. You start reacting to what’s there instead of imagining what could be.

That usually means less human judgment. Less original thinking.

You either have to edit hard and fast and often. 
Or you quietly settle.

2 - It’s painfully predictable.

AI leans on the same phrases, rhythms, and structures. Even when you tell it to mix things up.

So I’m left with two bad options:
- Everything I write starts to sound the same
- I spend time hacking and rearranging instead of thinking

Both feel like fighting the work instead of doing it.

3 - I want my creative muscles strong.

I plan to write tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that.

When I'm on a client call, I want ideas flowing straight from my brain (not from a prompt I used last week). 

That only happens with reps.

Staring down the blank page like it's a roaring dragon spitting flames. And coming out the other side untouched. 

---

My process instead: 

- I write the first draft, messy and human. 
- I get feedback from trusted peers and my co-founder. 
- I use AI for grammar, polish, and the occasional word swap.

That balance works for me. 
It protects originality without sacrificing speed or quality.

Curious how others do it.

AI-written first drafts?
Or human-first?

When execs and founders ask me how to win on LinkedIn, I give the same advice every time: Hook your reader. Here are 5 hook-writing tips👇

1. Know the fundamentals

Your hook = what shows before “see more.”
You’ve got about 200 characters to earn the click.
Make it count.

2. Use specific, emotionally charged words

Generic is boring. Stats are boring. I’ve seen enough posts start with a bland sentence + stat to fill a stadium.

Don’t aim for the head. Aim for the heart.

And use the words that speak to them...

Think:
– Burnout, not low engagement
– Ghosted, not no response
– Nightmare spreadsheet, not manual process

3. Inject your POV

There’s way too much “you should” on here. Try “I did” instead.

Personal stories beat generic advice every day of the week.

Simple formula:
Do interesting things. Talk about them.

4. Signal value early

If you’re sharing 5 tips, say that up front. Please don’t make people guess what they’re getting.

Clarity builds trust... fast.

5. Benefits, benefits, benefits

Assumption is a dangerous game on LinkedIn. The audience is too wide, too diverse.

So spell it out:
- Why should someone care? (benefit)
- What’s it going to help them do? (benefit)
- What’s the end result? (benefit)

If the value’s not obvious, they’ll scroll. Every time.


---
Your turn: What's your go-to tip for writing a standout hook?

No, I don’t let AI write my sentences. But that doesn’t mean it’s over on the bench. Here are 5 non-obvious ways I use AI every week to write better content: 

1. Trend sniffing

Reddit is a signal generator. TechCrunch too.
And sites like WSJ keep me calibrated.

So, I built a bot that watches for keywords tied to my content pillars. It surfaces the interesting stuff. 

Saves me hours going down internet rabbit holes. 

2. Built-in guardrails

The other day, Katelyn Bourgoin 🧠 shared her Authority Science framework: problem, POV, promise, and proof. 

I liked it so much, I fed the framework into a bot. 

Now AI checks my drafts before they ship. If I start wandering into side quests or explaining things nobody asked for, it flags it.

3. Transcript cleanup

Call transcripts are chaos.
Filler. Tangents. Half-finished thoughts.

But I use them every week to ghostwrite for CEOs, build out white papers, and craft blog posts that pop. 

So I let AI trim the noise.

Important distinction: AI doesn’t decide what’s important and what’s not. That’s my job, dammit. It just hands me a clean script I can move through fast.

Bonus: This works shockingly well for podcast interviews too. 

4. Pressure-testing with my ICP

Before my content goes live, I want to know: 

Does this hit like a ton of bricks…
or a goose-down pillow?

To answer in real-time, I load AI up with details about my ideal reader and roleplay the reaction.

Paired with a good SME review on the backend, this keeps the writing pain-point sharp and promise-forward.

5. Actively avoiding the middle

AI knows what everyone else is saying. 

Perfect.
Because I want to avoid that.

So one of my favorite prompts is simple:
“What are the most common angles on [topic]?”

From there, I do the opposite. Take a stance. Call out tired advice.

It’s a magnet pulling me away from safe, familiar, forgettable content. Away from the sea of sameness. 


——
Got an AI play that helps you write?
I’d love to hear it. ↓

I love love love movies. But "CGI slop" is ruining them. Every new Marvel, Jurassic, or Fast flick looks like a blender full of pixels and lens flares. And we’re making the same mistake with AI-first content.

Case in point:
Jurassic Park (1993): 60 CGI shots, 100+ practical effects.
Jurassic World (2015): 2,000+ CGI shots.

One still makes me hold my breath. The other makes me reach for my phone.

Why? Because you feel the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.
I get goosebumps every single time.

These days, my LinkedIn feed is overflowing with AI-first content.
Technically fine. But it feels hollow.
So it doesn’t land.

But get this…

One of our ghostwriting clients took the opposite route.
No visuals. No AI polish. Just a human-written, text-only post anchored in a painful moment from her career.

The result?
700k+ impressions.
Inbound leads.
Conversations with decision-makers who felt like they knew her.

Not because it was flashy.
Because it was real.

And that formula is working in Hollywood too.

The Boy and the Heron won Best Animated Feature with hand-drawn frames.
Godzilla Minus One won Best VFX on a $15M budget (up against a Mission Impossible movie with a $291M budget).

While the big studios keep chasing pixels, these outliers zagged and won.

It’s a simple truth:

Doing what everyone else is doing has never worked in content.
That’s not changing anytime soon.

Donna Mostrom calls our LLM “Cathy.”

Because we use ChatGPT.

Chatty Cathy.
Well played. 🫡

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The Battle

Seha Okudan

Stephen Mostrom

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The Battle

Seha Okudan

Stephen Mostrom

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Seha Okudan's LinkedIn Performance

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