Stef Curcio

Growth Marketing Manager

LinkedIn client acquisition in <​15 mins/day | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

“We don't have time to send DMs and create content”

This is the #1 LinkedIn lead generation problem for founders and teams.

- Some companies we’ve worked with have seen revenue boosts of up to 327% in <90 days -

⭐Some people who trust our services:
- Jasmin Alic (290k+ followers)
- Richard Van Der Blom (220k+ followers)
- Okoye Chinelo (150k+ followers)

… and many others.

Most businesses know they should have a DM strategy in place…

But let’s be real...

most people do not have time for this!

(And everyone hates DMs)

But LinkedIn lead generation comes hard for many for mainly 3 reasons:

1) Don’t know how to start a conversation
2) You are used to annoying pitch slaps
3) Have better things to do

We simply do this for you.

**Scale Acqusition**:

A system of AI agents that generates clients on autopilot

*Including*

✅Content Agent
✅Lead validator Agent
✅DMs Generator Agent
✅Appointment setter Agent

🔒**Safe:**
Avoid annoying account restrictions.

👬**Don’t burn through leads:**
Avoid the pray and spray approach.

⏱️**Timeline from start to results:**
Start to see 20%-50% reply rate in 14-21 days.


📈Case studies:

- Trevor Longino, Founder - Crowd Tamers, GTM agency: +$44k in revenue in 30 days
- Gal Agadi, Founder - Gravity, Content agency: +$90k in sales in 40 days
- Beatrice Vladut, Founder - B Branded, Branding: Doubled sales calls in 30 days
- Justin Fowler-Lindner, Founder - The Rose Garden, Lead generation agency: +12 clients in 90 days


✍️How to start:

Copy and paste the URL below to get and learn how to generate clients in <15 minutes a day:

https://bit.ly/15-min-acqusition

Founder

The FREE community for entrepreneurs that want to master Elegant Lead Generation

Join at: 

stefcurcio.com

Looking at what DMs "worked with me"...

Has been a great source of clarity. 

If I enjoyed a certain DM I received...

I would go and try replicate it.

And internally measured how it felt.

I have sent over 20k DMs now...

And my approach has changed greatly.

I now enjoy a very direct, intentional approach.

Where I give value first...

(for real😁)

And if I feel a connection in the prospect's reply...

I make the ask.

It's that simple for me.

This is what I enjoy and believe in.

And it took me 3+ years to become:

- Intentional
- Confident
- Direct

In the past, I would avoid doing something like this because I felt like a beggar.

But now I can see where that was coming from:

- Insecurity
- Not being clear on my intention
- Not knowing why I was in business

If you do not enjoy outreach...

There might be another way... that works :)

A lead went quiet after our call 6 months ago.

What I did not do: I did not panic.

I didn't send three follow-ups asking:
"Did you see my message?"

I didn't assume they forgot about me.

Instead, I did something different.

( I use 2 tools for this: Extrovert and Kondo: Superhuman for LinkedIn DMs)

I added them to a nurturing track in Extrovert.

Every other month, I comment on their content.

Nothing pushy.

Just genuine observations.

Then, six months later, I started a reactivation sequence.

(You can do it after 60-90 days)

Four thoughtful comments on their posts.

Then a personalized message referencing something real:

A previous conversation, a commonality, a trigger that made sense.

(Extrovert suggests DMs from previous DM conversations)

The message wasn't about my offer.

It was about them.

Simple. Conversational. Human.

AI-generated, edited by me.

Here's what happened.

They replied.

They said things were going well, but timing still wasn't right.

That honest feedback was worth more than a forced follow-up.

Because I didn't push.

I stayed present.

I added value.

I found natural connection points.

And the relationship developed at its own pace.

Most people chase quiet leads.

They send aggressive follow-ups.

They assume silence means disinterest.

But silence usually means timing, interest level, or something that didn't click.

Not that they forgot you.

So here's my philosophy.

Stay consistent.

Add value.

Find natural connection points.

Let the relationship develop.

That's the conversation you want.

Not a forced yes.

Just honest, direct communication.

Build your follow-up system around respect, not pressure.

I periodically go to Kondo...

And I see who the leads are, I tagged as "Meeting scheduled" that did not convert...

And add them to my reactivation sequence.

That is how I like to reactivate dormant leads without pressure.

P.S. How do you resume conversations with dormant leads?

There is a misconception in outreach.

It's that you can convert ANY lead.

A common question I get in Link Up is:

"How do I get this lead on a call?"

(followed by a screenshot of the convo)

And most of the time, my answer is:

"You can't".

❌Typically, it's because they either:

- Lost the lead at some point in the conversation
- The lead was never interested

You cannot get any leads to become interested...

And get them on a call.

✅But you can:

- Get an interested lead on a call
- Activate dormant interest and get the lead on a call

But at some point during the conversation...

The lead has to show some level of interest.

Outreach is not black magic.

You do not pronounce a secret combination of words...

And people magically buy.

It's about talking to the right people to diagnose a level of interest...

And if it's there, you move the conversation forward.

Otherwise, you move on to the next lead.

P.S. I you want to get started with outreach, get my training by clicking here - for free: https://lnkd.in/g75c3ypS

I used to spend 2 hours in Canva.

For every workshop. 

Hunt for the right icons.
I'd fiddle with fonts. 
Adjust spacing.

And usually I would go back t editing at least 1-2 times.

Back to Canva. 
More tweaking. 
More time invested.

Then I discovered tools like Gamma.

However, it always "felt like AI".

The reason why I like the Relevance AI slide builder is that it is simple.

"Like I used to make it in Google Slides."

Now, I upload my workshop outline...

Gave it one simple prompt: "Create a slide presentation."

And it built the entire deck in minutes.

Not hours. 

Minutes.

It's good.

And it feels human.

Clean. Professional. Visually coherent.

And if I have edits to make...

I ask AI to make edits directly on the slide I want to change.

"Change the title to LinkedIn DM outreach flow."

"Make it more visual."

Done.

No Canva. No design skills. No full-time designer.

Just my brain + the tool.

And suddenly, I had a beautiful presentation ready to deliver.

Click here to test it for free:
https://lnkd.in/gBntkEAy.

Brand partnership • LinkedIn client acquisition in <​15 mins/day | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

How I create slide decks in <10 min

You do not need AI to grow on LinkedIn.

I say this against my "financial" interest.

You can run a very profitable business...

With no AI involved.

And who says the opposite simply:

- Does not know how to grow a biz without AI
- Is trying to get you to buy their products

My business involves AI fairly heavily nowadays.

(I share how to run client acquisition in 15 mins/d here: https://lnkd.in/g75c3ypS)

But I got 47 clients in year one with no AI involved.

(each paying anywhere between €600 to €6k)

Here is where I see AI as the biggest opportunity for LinkedIn:

- Validation of leads
- Getting 24/7 consulting and support
- Saving a bunch of time for various tasks

That you can use when needed.

It's handy to have a bunch of agents and GPTs...

Created by some experts that can help you move forward when you get stuck at 7 pm on a Friday night.

(They do not replace the experts, but can be a good approximation)

Now, my biz proposition is to get client acquisition down to 15 min/d...

But most of my clients do not aim for that.

Although that being possible...

They prefer to automate some tasks...

While running others manually or with the support of AI...

But ultimately, having the ultimate "editing power" themselves.

And that is why in my programs, I accommodate both kinds of customers.

What I ultimately say is this:

If AI sounds like a fun opportunity, dive into it.

If it's not, keep things manual.

Either way, it can work for you as long as it resonates :)

P.S. Unrelated pic of some tonkatsu I had for dinner a couple of nights ago, because why not hehe :)

One thing AI can help ANY creator with:

Expand your network.

It's very simple:

1) Get AI to qualify leads to fit your ICP.
2) Get a list of qualified leads.
3) Send blank connections.

Now, you have 7-12 new connections that fit your ICP.

You can do it with 0 automations on your profile.

P.S. Make the validation process OUTSIDE of your profile, so it's safe.

P.S.S. Yes, I uploaded an unrelated pic of me eating an ice cream at the SPA in Japan, because why not hehe

Yesterday, I stopped using AI to write my DMs.

I didn't personally feel connected to that kind of outreach.

I felt I was trying to pretend to write something I did not.

Make a compliment, I did not really feel...

I felt I was starting a relationship based on a lie.

I felt some discomfort in my body.

Tightness in my solar plexus.

And I had been feeling that for a long time.

I am curious about people, and I love bringing business and people together and seeing them win.

So I let go of resistance and did something different.

And felt pretty good.

And around 60-70% of the people I DMed replied.

I feel that automation and AI are good.

(I still feel positively in using them to validate leads)

But as of today...

I do not feel I can be authentic and intentional if I use them to write my DMs.

But if anyone feels ok with that...

I say: "Go for it".

If you feel you are genuinely interested in people or that you are willing to become so, to build a lead generation system that feels effortless and works...

Then I might very well have something for you :)

P.S. Cherry trees are already blossoming in Okinawa. I love their pink color!

I have doubts that the current AI will ever reach human intelligence.

I have used AI for 2+ years now.

And prompting agents for 9 months.

- I do not see AI getting closer to human intelligence.

Yes, the general quality of output has increased.

And it understands my instructions a little better...

However, to maximize it, you still need:

- Expertise in the subject
- Prompting skills

And that has not changed since I first used it.

Now, I am an AI user and not an expert.

My legitimate question is:

"What if all the AI will replace humans is another story to scare people into buying into it?"

Now, I have a community...

And I use AI to create tools for my clients.

I give them a virtual team of collaborators that...

They would spend $2-5k+ to hire just 2-3 years back.

And that is amazing.

(And real fun to set up for me 😊)

But I still see soft skills and...

Being a decent human being...

Being extremely valuable in business in the foreseeable future.

P.S. Am I crazy?

I strongly dislike DMs.

(Would rather do almost anything else 🤣 )

That is why I focused on building a system that removes me from them.

But let's be honest.

DMs are important.

Both to get results in the short and long term.

And are especially important if you are selling high-ticket products...

($2-5k+)

And do not have strong leverage through your brand.

Or a well-polished offer that sells itself.

You need them to generate trust.

But outreach is a fairly complex game...

That revolves around understanding the needs of the people you are talking with.

And getting started can be tricky.

What to write in the content...

What DM angle to use...

Whom should you DM...

How to position your profile...

Might be easy questions to answer for an expert.

But difficult for a beginner.

P.S. That is why I launched the Positioning and Prospecting Blueprint sessions. Grabs yours here: https://lnkd.in/ggtKqKU6

Most teams fight to hit 10% DM reply.

I consistently average 30-40%+.

Most teams are sending cold DMs to people who've never heard of them.

So the message lands in a sea of noise.

But what if they already knew your name before you hit send?

That changes everything.

Building familiarity. 
I started warming up accounts first. 
Making sure my name was familiar before the ask landed.

The reality: reply rates have dropped across the board.

What worked six months ago rarely moves the needle today.

But one strategy continues to outperform:

Increasing recognition and familiarity before the first message ever lands.

Simple in theory. Difficult to operationalize.

This Thursday, I am going to show the exact playbook live.

This workshop shows the full system behind it.

What we are covering:
The warm-up sequence that turns DMs into conversations
How to build lists of people who actually use LinkedIn
5 messaging frameworks with real examples

Who it is for:

Founders running their own outbound and wanting higher reply rates without sounding sales-driven.

Sales leaders looking for a process their reps will actually use.

Agency owners whose clients’ cold campaigns are underperforming>

SDRs/AEs wanting more replies with less manual effort.

Event details:
📅 Thursday, January 22nd
🕓 4pm CET / 10am EST

Register here: https://luma.com/cfnrire5
If you can’t attend live, register and you’ll receive the recording.

I love this about living in the Japanese countryside:

(I had no idea I did before)

- People have time

And an internal space to talk.

People here are simple.

Okinawa, where I live...

Is one of the 5 zones with the most centenarians.

And here is their secret:

Sometimes they join an afternoon/night activity.
They have fun with friends and family.
They go to work.

From what I see and feel, it's all about connection.

And living life as it's supposed to be:

- Simple.

And DMs are the same...

(although people often overcomplicate it)

This is what I see working:


1) Create a connection with the prospect

Giving first helps here.

2) Make your ask

Without attachment. Stating what you do might be enough.

3) Repeat

Believe in your process. Create more connections.


Yes, it's that simple.

P.S. How do you connect with people outside of work? I do through basketball 🏀

I think AI is great.

It is a handy tool.

And the same goes for automation.

In my space...

You could personalize every DM with AI.

I did it for myself and clients...

For probably thousands of DMs at this point.

And the results in terms of DMs "feeling human"...

Can be pretty high quality.

But that does not mean that it's the answer for everyone.

I have a client who has a:

"Get a free micro service, pay for the bigger package"... if you want-kinda-offer.

We automated everything.

It works. He's happy.

I believe he feels good about "giving first" to the business.

(Although I have not confirmed this with him)

And automation for him might be a way to:

- Support more people.
- Connect with more people.

I love hearing stories from professionals...

Connecting them with interesting people/potential clients...

Thinking I make their day a little better with a nice, intentional message.

And as of today, automated DMs do not feel right for me.

But, that might change in the future.

But, I love to have a tool that searches for potential clients/interesting people for me so...

I can focus on intentional connections :)

What I want to say is:

Wherever you are with your business, AI could have a useful place :)

P.S. What has been your favourite use of AI so far?

Justin Rowe

Founder/CMO @ Impactable - B2B LinkedIn Ads Agency | Acquired in 2021 | 2x Acquisitions in 2024 | Making things up as I go

From Restaurant Hustle to LinkedIn Agency Founder → Acquired → Now Scaling the #1 LinkedIn Ads Agency

I went from serving tables to serving over 1,000 clients in 30+ countries - and building an agency that was acquired in an all-cash buyout.

Starting in the restaurant industry, I had a hunger for something more (pun intended). I turned to LinkedIn to document my journey and connect with people. That content led to job offers, investor conversations, and even a deal to co-launch a restaurant franchise.

I saw the power of LinkedIn firsthand and started helping others. That side hustle turned into Linknlearn, a global lead gen agency built entirely through Upwork and LinkedIn outreach. I became the #1 ranked LinkedIn expert on Upwork, launched a $500 website, and scaled the agency internationally.

In 2021, we were acquired. We pivoted to LinkedIn Ads, launched new tech tools, and Impactable was born.

Today, I lead Impactable — a LinkedIn-Centric B2B Marketing Agency and creators of DemandSense, our proprietary LinkedIn Ads platform. We’ve been recognized by LinkedIn, invited to speak at their Indie Agency Summit, and continue working toward deeper partnerships with their team.

💡 What I’m Focused On Now

👉 Helping B2B brands scale with LinkedIn + Google + Programmatic full-funnel campaigns
👉 Working with clients spending $5K–$200K/month in ad budget to scale high-value pipelines
👉 Building smarter offers, audiences, and funnels through our 90-Day Validation Sprints
👉 Empowering internal marketers with DemandSense: ad scheduling, audience testing, and signal tracking for LinkedIn Ads

🧰 Resources (Free & Paid)

🎯 Free Strategy Resources & Templates
→ linktr.ee/justin_rowe

🛠 LinkedIn Ads Toolset (DemandSense)
→ https://impactable.com/dgp-linkedin-ads-tools/


🎥 LinkedIn Ads + B2B Demand Gen on YouTube
→ https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCATGD6P27kWXDVuaAZeZBuQ/videos

📈 LinkedIn Ads Agency (Done-for-You)
→ https://impactable.com/

💬 Want to Collaborate?

→ Send me a DM if you want to:

Test your audience + offer fit on LinkedIn

Migrate from Google to multichannel demand gen

Build a scalable paid strategy with a trusted partner

Chief Executive Officer

Impactable is a Linkedin Ads Agency that specializes in Linkedin Marketing for B2B companies. We were acquired in 2021 by a data-heavy investor and made a strong pivot into Linkedin advertising. Impactable now manages over 150+ B2B brands with Linkedin advertising being our core focus. 

Other capabilities include website visitor identification, automated Linkedin lead generation, and a few saas tools we are working on.

I've now removed 6,100+ connections in the last 4 months and have 3,500+ more to remove (in this round). Here's why 👇 

Short version:
1. Your networks engagement with your content helps determine reach
2. Much of my network was created early on when I had a career in restaurants (FYI I used to be part owner of 4 restaurants 😜 )

3. I'm all about controlling the things I can control and not complaining about the things I can't. 

I used Sales Navigator to slice and dice my 1st connections and realized there are 7000+ connections that are likely not on LinkedIn any more, wouldn't find any value in my content, and who I should likely just disconnect with. 

LinkedIn has been great for me - it's led to:
1. Connecting with investors that led me to becoming restaurant owner
2. Starting a side-hustle that helped pay for the extra costs of our first son (named Lincoln...which he asks if it h as anything to do with LinkedIn)
3. Turning that side-hustle into an agency that was acquired
4. Continuing to power pipeline for an agency pushing toward 10M ARR

So I understand the power of LinkedIn both organically and on the paid side...and my top advice?

1. Build your network strategically - send 15 connection requests a day and be picky what requests you accept
2. Be clear about your target audience, their pain points, and produce valuable content they'd regularly save and share
3. Spend 5x more time engaging and commenting vs posting
4. Use sales navigator to see ICP profile viewers and send them connection requests
5. Turn your top organic posts into evergreen retargeting ads with thought leadership ads

That's it for today : )

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Founder/CEO @ Impactable | B2B LinkedIn Ads Partners | Paid Ads + Demand Gen + B2B Audience Experts

Short Post - LinkedIn Ads Experiment - Manual Bidding vs Impression Bidding for Video Retargeting. 

Early into this but sharing - I recently looked through our own LinkedIn ads campaigns and thought we just were not getting the results we used to from our retargeting layer. 

Main things I look at:
1. Penetration + frequency - are we reaching the whole audience and at a frequency that will move the needle to action?

2. What assets are working/not working and do we need something fresh in rotation

3. What's our CPC/CPM and are we getting decent price for distribution here. 

I'm starting to look at CPM way more than I ever used to because the more I lean into custom lists and really believe in my targeting...the main thing I care about is just distribution at an affordable rate. 

I don't really want/need LinkedIn to try to figure out which pocket of my target list to show/not show my ads to...in fact I'd rather it turn it's brain off and deliver my ads to the target I've set. 

Manual bidding has been and I believe still today is the gold standard...the gold standard Impactable has set (we are still the largest LinkedIn ads agency with the deepest partnership with actual LinkedIn company)...but even our standards need challenged because things change. 

So I notices while we are getting an ok CPC on these ( for video that is) the CPM  looked wild...$300+ CPM for a warm audience...didn't make a ton of sense other than LinkedIn was just being too selective with my list and just showing it to the highest value (in their mind) targets vs just distributing my assets to this list. 

So I switched to bidding by impresssion and then set a lower CPM threshold.

And like magic..2x impressions, 2x clicks, half the CPM. 

So just like manual bidding on CPC...starting to walk down bid for CPM and see where this goes but it's crazy to me the difference. 

I think though for this to be something you can steal/use you have to have a healthy budget of at least $75/day because just like with manual CPC bidding you can't have a daily budget less than your bid and with CPM bidding it might not make sense to be bidding $10-$50/day in most cases because typical CPM might be $50-$150 so daily budget should match as well. 

Well, that's it for today - just sharing what we are learning and how things are shifting.

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Shocking study - only 1 in 50 apps that were “vibe coded” by LinkedIn creators 3 months ago are still being used in any way shape or form today.

And this includes the 38,000 people that commented “vibe” to get access to said vibe coded apps. 

None of those people are actually using any of these apps.

But it felt cool in the moment yea? 

I’ve learned over the years that there is a pretty massive difference between what LinkedIn creators say they are doing… and what actual reality is.

These fantasy funnels that look amazing but have never actually been used/tested.

Ai army of 50 agents that replaced a non existing 500k team… even though the poster is a solo founder who’s never even led a team of 10 yet.

Vibe coded apps that saved the poster “hundreds of hours” when really it cost them a hundred hours to make and saved them 30 min on a task they then only used the app for 3 times….

Reality is that it’s still a brutal proving grounds in the market and these “hacks” won’t save you.

Sorry to break it to you but here is the “hack”

1. Know what makes you actually different / unique - own it 

2. Know your targeting - and map out what pockets of that you have to r biggest advantage 

3. Leverage paid search and LinkedIn as a core motion to create and capture demand - google for in market traffic and LinkedIn to qualify and convert that traffic and layer intentional account targeting and insights 

4 organic + paid is where it’s at. LinkedIn organic amplified by thought leadership paid side is soooo powerful 

Don’t sleep on the demand gen motion - it’s a powerful inbound motion 

5. Use AI to amplify and save time from your current activities before trying to do anything crazy or super new 

6. Its not your job or of any benefit to you or anyone else to go around flagging posts written by ai - I’m more worried about all the posts written by morons

Stay tuned for more hot garbage tips

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Founder & CEO @ Impactable | B2B LinkedIn Ads Partners | Paid Ads + Demand Gen + AI + Audiences

Marketing leaders should have HILLS THEY DIE ON. 

If you don't have strong POV's worth fighting for...you're an order taker not a marketing leader which is ok, but let's just be real. 

I know this might sound tough but as an agency owner and someone who's worked with hundreds of marketing leaders and have seen soooooooooo many marketing leaders fired....certain patterns emerge. 

1. Companies that play it safe with marketing are wildly less efficient than they could be. It's strange in marketing but being "safe" is often the most dangerous thing you could do. 

If you're a marketing leader who's faking it till you make it and your goal is to mimic what bigger players are doing..you've already lost and your org and your career will suffer. 

If you as a marketer don't like to have strong opinions or make constant strategic bets...that's fine - settle into a mid-level support role and support someone with a strong POV. 

Most ogs can't win by playing the same game massive orgs do...they have to create space and advantages where they kind find it and take some risks/bets on messaging, positioning, channels, audiences. 

Making bets and then tracking data to prove/pivot is what great marketers tend to do. 

2. Who's responsible for the results?

If you're an order taker, and can't/won't override leaderships opinion on marketing paths...then just make it very clear (and in writing preferably) that you are not responsible for marketing results..just project management. 

Problem is no org would ever accept this...the marketing leader owns results...which means if you order take and go down the wrong path..you get fired...as you should honestly.

I say this from personal experience from being fired (as an agency) dozens of times when we made the mistake of letting clients dictate strategy and then being fired for the poor result. 

As we should have been fired...clients should go to an agency either for pure execution and clear ordertaking (staff aug model) or they should come for a strong POV and guidance...and then actually take that advice or wrestle with it together so we can test/bet/learn together. 

That's how great marketing seems to get done. 

Pressure builds, leaders either shrink in the shadows or step forward with their bold bet....they take the chance to seize glory....and own the responsibility to own failure...to learn from it, and make the next move. 

The good ones fail fast and are constantly learning/growing/testing. 

And honestly...if you're in a place where you can't be bold/creative or take risks without support or feeling like you'll be fired...start looking for another role

Just another fun marketing rant from my view looking in. 

I have a ton of respect for marketing leaders on the battlefield in 2026...it can be brutal, and fun, and exhausting, and rewarding.

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Here's how to PROVE LINKEDIN ADS ROI to Leadership
5 ways Marketing Leaders can prove LinkedIn Ads is working 👇 

First, the reason a post like this is even needed is that LinkedIn probably the hardest channel to show value to leadership and often thought of as "a hard nut to crack". 

Here's why:
1. Last click attribution will never give LinkedIn enough credit because all the demand that LinkedIn creates is often finally captured by google organic or paid search when they are ready to buy and LinkedIn won't get credit

Meaning - Someone could come in through paid search click, then see 27 ads on LinkedIn over 90 days and interact 15 times and then search for your company by name when it's time to convert...and google will take the credit. 

2. Hubspot and most CRM's are viewed by leadership as "source or truth" but are terrible attribution tools and mostly credit last touch or direct UTM paths only. 

Meaning...in the example above they originally entered your website via google UTM and then interacted natively with LInkedin ads and then came back to the website via google organic...so LinkedIn won't get credit in most org models. 

Example 2 - Say the LinkedIn ads work really really well and they convert directly..sort of. Typically they'd click on the company logo on the ad, check out your company page, then click "visit website" from there entering into your website in what looks like direct traffic (going to company page remove the Linkedin ads utm so it now just looks like direct traffic no paid ads utms)

3. LinkedIn is where you build trust and accelerate deals...not capture intent. 

This is a big distinction - It's a fundamental flaw to try to compare SEO and paid search by the same metrics right?

Google ads is transactional
SEO is long-term momentum building play

LinkedIn is more like SEO - it's not some transactional channel  capturing demand that already exists..it's the channel that helps create, accelerate, and channel demand...and that can't be tracked the same way as google. 

So how do we actually defend it instead of just rolling over and killing the channel we know is likely working. 

A. CAPI + Conversion Tracking - fight like hell for channel attribution. 
-Setup up conversions for key page views, form submissions, and call bookings. You can't rely on CRM or traditional tools to track LinkedIn ads influence

-CAPI (LinkedIn's conversion API) is a great way to funnel offline events back to LinkedIn 

B. LinkedIn native company hub - big upgrade last year from LinkedIn- you can now see the exact accounts exposed to and engaging with your ads. 

See actual accounts in your funnel, gaining influence, and penetration/heatmap of your ABM upload. 

But tell me...how do you prove LinkedIn ads ROI???

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Marketing Leaders and Founders are getting SCAMED by AI SEO tools/agencies right now - Here's my short educational PSA

1. First of all - 9 out of 10 LLM tools are just monitoring tools. Take a look as you're evaluating them.  Most will have some cool looking chart that shows how many impressions and clicks to your website you're getting from LLM. 

A. Note - your basic free Google analytics will show you this for free. (no joke, it's just there for free)

B. Almost all of these tools are just showing you the numbers...there is basically nothing there for you to actually improve the numbers...and again you can see that for free in your basic web tools you already have. 

2. 7 out of 10 AI SEO experts are posting on my feed saying that they have a list of things that seem to work but the rankings change weekly , it's not stable enough to actually predict, and the sites being pulled from is shifting dramatically from month to month. 

A. This means most seem to just have best guesses - mostly best of lists, comparisons, and publishing accross more channels like reddit, LinkedIn, website, youtube etc.  (so you know..the basics of content distribution)

B. Moving away from traditional blogs and pivoting to using articles to answer real humans questions and in a real human way vs keyword chunking for the robots...ok so big pivot here is stop writing for robots....any one who was still doing this last year was likely headed to the graveyard anyway and AI should'nt have been the catalyst for this change. 

3. Another cool shift I'm seeing is that 3 out of 5 AI SEO experts on my feed are also now just saying AEO is basically not a thing and that it's just SEO, Brand, and Distribution... really just creating more questions than answers. 

4. Traffic trade off - Another fun fact just to keep in mind. 100% of companies who had strong organic traffic and SEO now have traffic from LLMs. 

SEO traffic dropped by 40%
LLM Impressions appeared

These are not two separate things you realize right?

LLM traffic isn't exactly a net new touchpoint that didn't exist before...the same article you published a year ago lost organic impressions and gained LLM impressions - the same user is searching for the same thing and finding your content in a different way in many cases. 

That's a big distinction. 


Here's my advice

1. AEO is real but it's new and evolving and I'd be very skeptical of any tools/experts you are thinking about hiring - most don't actually have it figured out and will actually tell you that when you ask how they can prove action to result. 

2. Don't worry about LLM traffic if you don't have basic SEO foundations and content distribution in place. 

If you think you should skip SEO and go straight for LLM visibility...just no...that's not how this is going to work. 

The #1 best way to show up for LLM is still just having foundational SEO and content distribution (and content written for humans).

How to PROVE LINKEDIN ADS ROI to Leadership - Part 2.
(See yesterdays post for part 1)

Short version of yesterday's post. 

A. Last click attribution will never give LinkedIn enough credit 
B. Hubspot and most CRM's are viewed by leadership as "source or truth" but are terrible attribution tools 
C. LinkedIn is where you build trust and accelerate deals...not capture intent. It's a middle and bottom of funnel hero and signals command center

Now to the good stuff...how can you prove value of LinkedIn ads to leadership? Where to look??

1. Channel attribution - fight like HELL to get conversion tracking and CAPI (conversion API to upload offline conversions )
-Key page views - leading indicators
-Form fills on site
-Call booking (use CAPI)

Frustration of course is you won't be able to match back to the actual person...but knowing/seeing the channel influence can help

2. LinkedIn Company Hub - Props to LinkedIn for rolling out this great update in 2025 - you can now see the EXACT ACCOUNTS exposed to and engaging with your LinkedIn ads. 

Go in there and filter by uploaded list or by campaign and sort by highest impression/clicks to give leadership a heat map of the accounts LinkedIn is influencing and touching..if these look like great accounts and they are moving through stages from unaware to aware to engaged...that's a great thing to show. 

3. CRM Sync to see LinkedIn ads influence on pipeline deals - there are a few tools on the market for this. My favorite is DemandSense - basically taps into the LinkedIn API and looks up ad exposure to any deals in your pipeline so you can see (image below what that looks like). 

This is great for closed won deals and current pipeline. 

This ads a great data point for leadership to connect ad efforts to tangible deals. 

Bonus if you can then prove/show that the deals with higher Linkedin influence close faster, are better quality deals, and have bigger deal sizes/value (which tends to be the case). 

4. Self-Attribution - feels old school now but it's foundational - for every call booking/demo ASK THEM HOW THEY FOUND YOU. 

Make it a required ask and leave it open ended (not multiple choice). 

It's crazy to me how many times the CRM will say web, search, google...but prospect says it was LinkedIn. 

That's something no leader can ignore. 

5. Other metrics to track on a macro level

The above are data points but a few things tend to consistently happen when running a good LinkedIn ads program in your ecosystem and a smart marketer can track this and prove on a marketing mix level of what's improving. 

When LinkedIn ads are running correctly
A. Deal velocity tends to improve 
B. Show up rates to calls improves 
C. Close rates improve
D. Deal sizes increase 
E. Cost per qualified or quality lead/demo

What did I miss??

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

If you can't reply to all your own post comments and spend 30 min/day engaging in your home feed.....POSTING MORE WON'T DO ANYTHING. 

One thing you really don't hear enough from the LinkedIn influencers is that posting isn't actually how they get followers and engagers. 

Posting is like 20% of the equation....

So why is that what the influencers focus on the most when they talk about growing on LinkedIn...

Because it's easier to sell...you. 

Said another way....if they were honest with you...you wouldn't give them your money to "build a personal brand". 

So what's the truth?

And this is just my humble/human/flawed/100%correct/jk/ opinion

Here's the secret LinkedIn formula. 

1. 60% engagement 
2. 10% posting quality
3. 10% posting consistency
4. 10% sending targeted connection requests
5. 10% sending targeted dms

The vast majority of what actually helps you become visible, create an engaged following, and drive actual eyeballs to your posts...engaging with others like this is a networking event. 

Rules to live by
A. 90% of those who send you connection requests are trying to sell you...be selective with who you accept. 

Either build your own network (send requests) or get built into everyone else's network (accept requests)

B. Send 10-15 targeted connection requests per day to strategically build your network. 

Start with warm ICP fit profile visitors + company page followers (use Sales Nav to see this)

C. Spend 30 min a day if you can engaging in your home feed and removing anyone who's posts will never give you value (and takes away valuable time you could be spending engaging with those who might have value). 

This does a few things..leans into the human nature of quid pro quo (this for that), and it also tells the algo that those engaging with eachother might want to see the next post published so it increases the number of people your posts show up at top of feed. 

D. Send intro messages to new ICP fit connections - nothing crazy..just introduce yourself and how you could help if/when they have a need. After that just go back to adding value with posts + engagement

E. Use organic to test and then use LinkedIn thought leader ads to amplify and guarantee distribution of your best content to your best warm prospects (website visitors, company page visitors, current pipeline etc)

Just a little hot garbage tip (stole this from minecraft movie...I have a 6 year old) for Linkedin today - nothing special. 

P.S. Stop worrying about if you should even post and if anyone cares..and about all the bigger influencers on here so why bother.....truth is if you have 1k connections and they are actually targeted (you sent the invites)....90% of them have less than 500 connections and their feeds are DEAD...to them..YOU ARE THE MOST VISIBLE EXPERT

Your feed is not their feed

You're not competing against the influencers in your feed.
Your connections don't even know who they are...

IT's IN YOU HEAD. 

Create your own targeted ponds ; )

What happens if you SHUT LINKEDIN ADS OFF TODAY? 
Here's exactly what would happen for most... 👇 

I know a lot of marketing leaders who end up having to defend their LinkedIn ads budget or leadership forces them to shut it down..and they don't quite know how to fight that battle. 

And I get it - LinkedIn Ads is one of the harder channels to prove ROI/Influence to leadership. 

So part of what I think is healthy to understand is what happens when you shut it off...since they don't think it's doing anything or maybe not enough...

Here's what really happens. 

• Immediate (1–2 weeks): committee reach drops. Fewer titles in target accounts see your messaging, so sales gets fewer “warm” conversations and more cold, noisy inbound.

-Small drop in conversions/demos and in quality but that won't be fully visible for weeks more.

• Delayed (4–12 weeks): Google and other high-intent channels convert less efficiently. Demo conversion rates and win rates fall as buyers lack prior exposure and trust.

Cost per conversion start to creep up on Google and ROAS starts to slip. 
You'll also notice in google analytics that your returning visitors numbers starts to drop. You're still attracting new visitors..just not getting the right ones to return as much. 

• Hidden (weeks → months): sales blames search or creative, not the missing upstream influence. Deal size, velocity and pipeline quality degrade subtly and are misattributed.

Why?

 LinkedIn is the upstream qualifier and committee builder: it turns anonymous clicks into identified, fit accounts and builds coverage across decision makers. 

So how can you position/prove this to leadership if needed?

Where to look to prove the effect (and what leadership will actually accept) These are great things to track anyways..sometimes just knowing the direction these are going on a macro level helps us know if we are headed in a good/bad direction. 

• Decision-maker reach in your TAL: % of target accounts where a decision maker was reached.
• TAL penetration: % of target accounts with 3+ impressions or engagements.
• Branded search lift: volume or share of branded queries while LinkedIn is live.
• Qualified conversations / meetings booked that map to engaged accounts.
• Pipeline created or influenced for warmed accounts.


Most of this can be found either in native LinkedIn company hub and dashboard and in a tool like DemandSense that syncs with CRM's like hubspot to show LinkedIn influence on pipeline. 

And all of this is actually only true if you are using LinkedIn retargeting frameworks properly to actually qualify and convert your Search and Website traffic to actually make it an ROI enhancer like it's supposed to be. 

Hopefully this helps someone confidently talk about the value of LinkedIn Ads.

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Linkedin ads shut off

I could almost GUARANTEE ROI of adding LinkedIn Ads if these are true....
And I'll explain why...and exactly how I'd build it. 

Not to toot my own horn but I believe our agency (Impactable) is responsible for introducing more B2B orgs to LinkedIn ads than any other agency in the world. 

Bold claim I know but I think it's true. 

So much so that LinkedIn even noticed and...

A. We've been invited to attend and speak at multiple LinkedIn Agency Summit's in their New York Office
B. Gotten access to more than $200,000+ in LinkedIn ad credits from our partnership
C. Set to be the first LinkedIn CAPI (conversion API) certified agency in the world. 
D. Participated in LinkedIn's customer advisory board
E. On track to be the first every agency to become agency + ad tech partners of LinkedIn (via our tech arm in DemandSense which is easily the #1 LinkedIn ads optimization tool on the market)

I say all this because introducing B2B advertisers to LinkedIn is something we've gotten damn good at...and part of that is knowing who should NOT be running LinkedIn ads and who should be. 

So here's the simple list and short why

1. Strong Paid Search - 10k+/mo in paid search spend
-This is a strong indicator that you've got high-intent and in-market traffic that you could be doing more to convert

2. Strong organic and/or SEO foundation 
- another warm audience pocket and fuel for LinkedIn middle of funnel plays and intel

3. Website that actually converts some 
- signal that paid traffic won't be a complete waste of money

4. LinkedIn Company Page has 5k+ followers
-Another warm audience pocket to work with
-Signal that your audience is active and reachable on LinkedIn

5. Strong sales motion with SDR/BDR support
-These are bigger deals with longer sales cycles...many orgs find it hard to realize the ROI of LInkedIn leads that require some actual manual effort to convert and stay in front of

Those are the top 5 traits I'd look for...if you have 3+ of these...I'd pretty much guarantee you can get a positive ROI from deploying LinkedIn ads (if done right). 

And honestly...no additional spend. 

Slide 20% of your Google budget to LinkedIn and watch the following happen. 

-Google CPA improve by 15%
-Number of conversion on Google +15%
-Quality of conversion +10%
-Time to close -10%
-Show up rate of leads to demo call +20%
-Close rate of active pipeline +15%
-CAC -10%

Read the full newsletter where I also then show what the 6-month rollout looks like and give away the 20+ deck for the 6-month build...steal it, run it, thank me latter 

Honestly - if you're a marketer looking to introduce LinkedIn to your org and you want a badass launch plan that leadership will buy into...

Shoot me a DM and my team can help build it out for free and help you make the case with your actual numbers.

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

Most B2B companies should not start with LinkedIn Ads. Yes..I'm aware I run one of the largest LinkedIn Ads agencies out there but also why I'm able t

Open article: When LinkedIn Ads Is a No-Brainer (And When ROI Is Almost Guaranteed) by Justin Rowe • 7 min read

When LinkedIn Ads Is a No-Brainer (And When ROI Is Almost Guaranteed)

In B2B Marketing...Humans are still very much influencing big deals (shocker right?)

That was a big takeaway from my conversation with Gabe Larsen, CRO of Signals.

When everything starts to look the same, especially in the age of AI, buyers stop comparing features. They start asking people they trust.

Gabe shared that more and more buying decisions are happening before a demo ever takes place. 

People are leaning on their network, not review sites or feature checklists.

That’s why trust has to be built upstream.

Through real conversations, visible leadership, and showing up consistently where your buyers already spend time. 

The demo just confirms what they already believe.

#B2BMarketing #TrustBasedSelling #ThoughtLeadership #PersonalBrand #Impactable

New Marketing Leaders - Here's Exactly When and How to add LinkedIn Ads to your ecosystem - Time to get that Promotion (or maybe just not get fired)

First thing's First - Who should be running LinkedIn ads or when can you add it and it be pretty low risk/high chance of success? (because no marketing leader wants to strike out with their ideas). 

Quick “LinkedIn Ads Perfect Fit” checklist:
1+ years in market (trust + PMF more likely present)
5,000+ monthly website visitors (warm audience 🔥 )
SEO or organic driving inbound conversions (at least some consistently)
$10k+/mo in paid search or similar paid channels (in-market trafffic to work with)
5,000+ LinkedIn company page visitors (audience active and reachable on LInkedIn)
Conversions happen on the site and you have a sales team + CRM
Willing to run a 90 day test with a minimum test budget

IF some or most of these exist...LinkedIn ads is likely one of the highest impact moves you can make to see quick wins, improved funnel metrics and usually higher ROI for same spend by simply moving weaker pockets of google spend over to LinkedIn. 

In this weeks newsletter I go over the exact criteria that I call the perfect storm that make LinkedIn ads super low risk and then exactly how I'd approach introducing LinkedIn ads and the logic that helps explain it to leadership. 

Take a read and ask any questions!

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T

I've noticed a very specific pattern where companies fit a certain criteria that I'm kind of calling "the perfect fit for LinkedIn ads" and when this 

Open article: A Marketing Leader's Field Guide to Launching a Profitable LinkedIn Ads Motion by Justin Rowe • 10 min read

A Marketing Leader's Field Guide to Launching a Profitable LinkedIn Ads Motion

Some of the best B2B marketers didn’t start in marketing at all.

That was clear in my conversation with Oleg Kovalev, CMO of Aspect Health.

Oleg started his career in B2B sales, not marketing. 

Within a few years, he moved from sales rep to leading retail sales, helping grow revenue nearly fivefold. 

Eventually, sales and marketing merged into one department under his leadership.

That’s where he fell in love with marketing.

What stood out to me is how much that sales foundation shaped his perspective. 

When you’ve carried a quota, led teams, and driven revenue firsthand, marketing stops being abstract. It becomes deeply connected to outcomes.

Seventeen years later, that blended background still shows up in how he approaches his role today.

#B2BMarketing #MarketingLeadership #SalesAndMarketing #CareerJourney #Impactable

Most orgs think "they have plenty of strategy" - Spoiler alert...they don't
A comment I made to a post saying Orgs just need faster execution from agencies. 

The original post - super smart man who's built multiple businesses and makes the point that orgs are giving this feedback. 

-Agencies move to slow and just want to focus on "stratetegy"
-The orgs believe they have "plenty of strategy" and just need faster execution
-The orgs complain that agencies are taking 3 months to make beautiful strategy and playbooks before doing actual meaningful work
-The orgs say they just need faster execution..just do the work!

Now I 100% believe this is the feedback he's getting from orgs...but let me share my perspective form the agency side. 

1. When most orgs say they "just need execution" and they "have plenty of strategy"...9 times out of 10 what the reality is more like this. 

-They are desperate for leads and are seeing a decline due to lack of great positioning or PMF or clear idea of audience/offer and they need to show leadership some "results"

So the "action" they are looking for is for the agency to throw up some lead gen ads and put the coins in the ol slot machine and get the leads out so they can save their job

But I'm looking at this like...if I do that..and shovel hot garbage leads to save your job...you're still getting fired in 6 months when sales eventually uncovers the hot mess and lack of quality/intent leads your pushing their way. 

2. I'll admin most agencies arn't really that helpful on the strategic front either. They make beautiful decks to mask lack of actual creative thoughts or business accumen. 

They think if you make the reports pretty enough it will kick sand in your eyes and distract you from the truth...that's not how an agency should operate. 

3. I'll also admit that many agencies also are super slow to get their hands in and actually start the work. 

They are often more concerned with looking good and mitigating risk and stretching out the engagement that quick starts and quick action just isn't their priority (and many arn't actually built for it either)


My advice when working with an agency?

Understand who really owns strategy and what it is. 
1. Are you actually clear about how you're unique in the market?
2. Are you actually clear about who you are targeting and why and what their real pain points are and how you uniquely solve?

3. Are you clear about the size of those audiences, what warm and 1st party data exists, and how much budget is needed to accomplish your goals for that audience?
4. Are you clear about what channels to deploy that budget and how to structure it to accomplish those goals?
5. Are you clear on how we'd measure and track progress against those goals?

90% of orgs either arn't super clear on this or have assumptions that need challenged..which means you need a strategic partner...not just execution. 

But also...agencies...get your freaking lives together...giving us a bad name lol

Actual Hot Take.....99% of "Hot Takes" are just garbage click bait with no real POV or anyone who really disagrees with you. 

Take this for example...my hot take here is clearly something you agree with and not controversial at all and yet you feel like you just want to slam the like/share button and scream "this dude get's it!"

And now that I've called it out..you're not sure if you should like this post or ignore it to "put me in my place" ...which is also something that happens here on LinkedIn. 

You see, everyone wants to support you until you actually start being successful and then they think you're overrated and nothing special....

Until you cross that line where the success is undeniable and you clearly have growing support without them...then they finally join back in as it clearly benefits them to be connected to your success and their "dis" clearly isn't negativly impacting you...

That's a crazy thought...creators on here might withhold support to "punish" those they are jealous of but give that up only when they realize they don't actually hold that sort of power. 

My advice?

Content creators on here arn't your demographic...F*k them

Do you and focus on delivering value to your ICP, develop real relationships with other founders in complimentary spaces...and don't get lost in the politics of LinkedIn (or actual politics for that matter...you won't catch me speaking on politics). 

I've been on here long enough to know the game and how to win in the long run - stick with me if you want to learn : )

AI isn’t just another tool. 
It’s becoming a coworker.

That was one of the most interesting takeaways from my conversation with Gabe Larsen, CRO of Signals.

Instead of thinking about AI as something that handles one-off tasks, Gabe is focused on what he calls cloud employees. 

Autonomous, job-based AI that works across channels and owns real responsibilities.

Think less “𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵” and more “𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦.”

In the future, a SaaS company might not be 200 people.
It might be 200 people working alongside 200 cloud employees.

That shift challenges the idea that growth has to mean more headcount.

We’re moving from tool-first thinking to organization-first thinking.

The way companies scale is changing and the ones who adapt early will have an unfair advantage.

Website LinkedIn Ads Agency: https://lnkd.in/guEafPKk
B2B Strategies and Guides: https://lnkd.in/gB-WQ82f
Impactable YouTube Channel: https://lnkd.in/emYVDn_T


#ArtificialIntelligence #AIInBusiness #FutureOfWork #B2BSaaS #Impactable

AI agents are getting easier to build. 
That doesn’t mean they’re getting more valuable.

Anyone can spin up an AI agent trained on generic best practices from the internet. 

But if it’s trained on the same surface-level inputs as everyone else, there’s no real advantage.

In my conversation with Gabe Larsen, we talked about what actually makes an agent valuable. 

It’s not the task. 
It’s the point of view behind it.

I don’t want an AI that just knows “𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴.”

I want one trained on our playbooks, our experiments, our mistakes, and the Impactable philosophy.

That’s the difference between an agent that answers questions and one that becomes a trusted expert.

AI may let everyone paint, but companies will always pay for real artists.

#ArtificialIntelligence #AIStrategy #MarketingLeadership #PointOfView #Impactable

taplio

The Battle

Stef Curcio

Justin Rowe

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreStef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJustin Rowe's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Stef Curcio

Justin Rowe

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Stef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJustin Rowe's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreStef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance