Luke Matthews

Co-Founder | Lifestyle Blogger |  Content Marketer | Storyteller 

I teach you how to write with AI (and win LinkedIn)

Building in public on LinkedIn™ is risky for you. 

You aren't a 20-something Instagram model or a 33-year-old drop shipping bro bragging about 6 figures from Bali. 

You have a real business and a real reputation to uphold. 

You want to take advantage of more opportunities through visibility on social media, but you know there are privacy risks that come with that.... 

Most AI models take your data and sell it. 
Most social media platforms take your data and sell it.
Most marketers don't understand this, which can expose your company.

That's where I come in. 

I've been marketing for over 10 years on social media, built over 250k followers across all platforms, and I've ghostwritten for some of the biggest personal brands in the world. 

But beyond that, I value privacy and staying hidden. 

It takes skill to build a personal brand that not only generates revenue for your company but also remains secure and private. 

I help you build on social media and maintain your privacy using secure AI systems and world-class ghostwriting. 

Sound interesting?

Don't message here on LinkedIn.

Email me instead and use subject "𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆"

luke@wizardofoddmarketing.com

--

Want to learn how to use AI safely?

Follow me and subscribe to my email list to learn how to use AI tools safely and securely without exposing your data and private life to the world. You can subscribe by clicking any link in my profile as they all go to my newsletter on Substack.

Founder - Lead Wizard & Ghostwriter

Linkedin & Twitter Ghostwriting Services for CEOs, Influencers, and Tech companies. 
Reach your audience with a sprinkle of magic, the power of explosive copywriting, and let the WIZARD OF odd MARKETING help make your biz a LOT  less boring.

I have been banned over 10x on LinkedIn. 

The brutal truth is the system ain’t fair…

In business and in life those willing to cater to the system (and exploit you) end up profiting from it. 

Social media has made this reality worse. 

It’s not about how skilled you are.
It’s about how skilled you can talk. 

(& it’s about who u know aka how good you are at kissing up to leaders and using errr befriending them on your climb to a seat at the table)

I decided this rat race wasn’t for me. 

So I’m playing a different game now. 

Rebuilding in the shadows. 
Learning new skills. 
Making new friends…

Friends that are hackers, rebels and the anonymous geniuses defending digital freedom…

Because look, complaining about broken systems accomplished nothing…

Action wins. 

PS Hi LinkedIn. Who’s still here?

2 posts in a week whoa 🤓

Luke M

I used to spend 8 hours a day engaging on LinkedIn. 

In 2025 I spent less than 30 minutes a day... 

So why change?

Well for starters I shut down a lot of things this year. I ghosted the platform for months, I shut down my old businesses and went into the shadows to consider a rebuild. 

But last year a lot changed on the platform.

Commenting alone is now far less effective for growth.

There are too many AI comments.
There are too many thought leader ads.
There are too many virtual assistants focused on ROI.

The odds of your comment alone being seen, considered and replied to simply went down a lot. 

So here's what I have been doing in Q4:

I comment for 15 minutes a day.
I make sure each comment is interesting.
I follow up the comment with a simple DM. 

(oh and yes I remove all my comments, posts and footprint 30-60 days after with a pretty cool AI tool.... DM if your curious why I do this!) 

No you wont get a ton of reach or follower growth this way!

But you will start conversations....

PS Have you changed your strategy in 2025?

It's easy to get 1000 likes a post (like I used too)

Here's how to be a LinkedIn influencer: 

1. Talk about LinkedIn. 
2. Be good looking and post pictures.
3. Write short, broad content. 
4. Spend all day commenting. 
5. Do this for 90 days. 

OR 

69. Pay a team to do it all for you. 

But here's the truth about this blueprint. 

You missed the window when this was possible for anyone. It's too late now on LinkedIn to do this organically. The market has changed, agencies don't work as well, organic is dying and this actually isn't the best strategy unless you want to pretend the old system still works. 

The better way? 

Cut the dopamine. Pick a niche. Speak to that niche. 
Accept less reach. Accept slower growth. 

But reach a very targetd audience. 

In summary...

You need a real skill and a real niche to focus on.

The generic LinkedIn growth expert is playing an old game to take your hard earned money by fooling you with cheap dopamine. 

You will never become them. 

You don't need a personal brand.

You just need to be an expert with a real skill and a specific niche.

PS Who bought cool AI tools for Black Friday?

I now separate work and my personal life.

But not for balance... I do it for privacy.

If you wanna work 16 hours a day and find joy in that then I see no reason at all to say that's unhealthy. 

So this post isn't about encouraging balance.

I mean, I'm the guy who posted 3x a day and spent 8 hours+ a day commenting and connecting on LinkedIn for years who now has a cartoon profile pic, posts 1x a week and barely comments...

I enjoy the unhinged and unbalanced life.

More fun. More purpose. More stories.

And yet I've worked hard to seperate personal and business in 2025.

That's meant shutting down a lot of social media accounts, AI tools, services, clients and ways that I show up on the internet. 

I use Linux for personal stuff.
But Windows for work. 

I use a rebuilt android OS for personal stuff.
And only use an IPhone hardened for work.

I still post on LinkedIn for work. 
But I removed all pics and stories connected to my life.

I could go on and on...

But for me, seperating work and my personal life hasn't been about balance. It's been about privacy and being more intentional with my time, my words and my efforts... 

I believe the internet is no longer a place for authenticity. 

It's simply a place to do commerce. 

So look, do you but if your password is the same for your bank and your LinkedIn account....

Maybe it's time for an audit of yourself eh peasant? 

🧙‍♂️

I only log in to LinkedIn on Windows. 

I use Linux for my personal data and files...

Running more than one operating system on your computer is called multi-booting. 

This summer as I began to purge myself of big tech I realized that I couldn't full exit the system yet... 

Even though I concluded that:

Using Google search is a privacy risk.

Using ChatGPT is a privacy risk.

Using Cloud AI is a risk...

Publishing content connected to your full name, actual face, phone number and home IP address is also a privacy risk…

I also realized I couldn't cut the last 1% of these data stealing big tech tools and programs...

This is where taking back your privacy requires effort.

So I decided to learn how to sandbox my work/private life online environments.

Sandboxing is when you run apps/programs in a secure, isolated framework to restrict those tools access to the rest of your systems files and resources.

Basically I wanted to figure out how to isolate tools like LinkedIn so they don't have access to my other files and life.

This takes some skill, but deleting 100% of everything just wasn't possible for me yet. 

It's a constant game of learning but I think it's worth learning how to shield your personal data and sandbox your work life, personal life and daily life environments from each other.

Otherwise you are at the mercy of data leaks, hackers, corrupt big tech and government policies…

Personally I think it’s worth the effort to learn and seperate tools, systems and resources.

What about u?

PS Yes I know Windows is getting worse... But Mac? EW

Do you share your live location with social media apps? 

I do not. Here's a quick why/why not list... 

✅ Positives to location sharing:

It's convenient (easy to meet up & connect)
It's social proof (events, hotspots, clout)
It gives you steak recommendations. 

✖️ Negatives to location sharing: 

It creates movement patterns for 1000s to study.
It allows your data to be harvested more easily.
It establishes a physical digital footprint.

I have always been careful to not share my live location.

I analyze every photo or post written and consider what kind of footprint I'm leaving behind. 

Am I paranoid? 

Perhaps... But this elder-millennial is gonna keep walking the line between using tech and disappearing into the shadows..

PS Sharing any photos adds to your risk. 

This photo has clues in it. 

Where do you think this photo was taken?

The gatekeepers are losing their grip.

For years, "world-class" meant big budgets, big teams, and exclusive tools. You had to be part of the club.

That era is over.

AI has kicked the door down. A new report from Artlist, based on insights from 6,500 creators, calls this "The third wave of democratization."

What does that mean?

It means anyone with a laptop can now produce studio-quality work. It means a couple of skilled individuals can take on companies in the hundreds. It means the playing field is wide open for anyone willing to learn.

Of course, when anyone can make anything look perfect, the game changes.

It's no longer just about technical skill. It's about taste. Vision. Strategic thinking.

As the report says, direction now matters more than ever. AI handles the production, but only you can choose the ideas that move people. Your choices are what set you apart.

This is why I find AI so appealing. It's not about replacing humans; it's about empowering the ones that choose to accept the new game. It is the great redistributing. An opportunity for anyone willing to learn, not just those with deep pockets.

The little guy has a chance. The rebel. The creator with a dream. The expert with a real skill.....

I think that's pretty cool.

PS if you want to read more about the state of AI check out the AI Trend Report 2026 from Artlist (who sponsored this post).

https://lnkd.in/gf7e8aXE

Brand partnership • Scale your business privately with AI.

How to pay $0 with 9 private AI tools.

(I replaced my tech stack with these brands)

This summer I quit using most AI tools that required overpriced monthly subscriptions/credits and stored my data in their clouds. 

So I had to replace 99% of my tools. 

From $500 to less than $25 a month.

Here's my list:

Notion >Crypt(.)ee for note taking and ideas.
Airtable > AppFlowy for content management.
G-Suite > Proton for secure email and file hosting.
ChatGPT > Okara for private open source AI. 
Loom > Cap so I can record my screen with video.
Perplexity > DeepSeek with Ollama for research.
Canva > Penpot for self hosting creative assets.
Manus > Venice for AI research purposes.
Slack > Signal cz I don't need all the fluff.

So yeah this list is a lot longer.

But I know your attention span is short.

I'm still getting used to some of these new tools.

(and I paid for Proton Premium too btw)

The truth is, it's inconvenient. 
I was used to my tool stack. 

Learning new software and setups is a challenge.

But avoiding subscriptions the best I can and maintaining max control of my data is my decision maker.

PS Yes I left out the self-hosting tools and process...

(I gotta make you follow for more somehow right?)

Helping visionary founders & execs be radically original on LinkedIn using The Creative Catalyst Method | Building $1M+ pipeline strategies | Founder @ Kennedy Creative

Most executives treat LinkedIn like a resume.

I treat it like a revenue engine.

I work with enterprise B2B executives and founders in the 7–9 figure range to turn authority into measurable growth.

Through The Creative Catalyst Method — a system built on content + outbound — my clients transform visibility into deal flow, building 7+ figure pipelines in as little as 6 months.

And the results speak for themselves:
	
• 30+ MQLs generated in less than 60 days
• Clients getting 3+ leads every week with content + outbound
• A 5-figure deal closed by an agency in under 60 days
• $100K pipeline built in less than 90 days for a SaaS company

What makes this possible isn’t just content.

It’s the combination of strategic positioning, executive voice, and consistent outbound touchpoints that makes your brand unforgettable — and turns authority into revenue.

If you’re an executive ready to move from authority → pipeline → growth, let’s talk.

👉 Book a call or connect with me here on LinkedIn.

Doug Kennedy

10 things I’m thankful for…

1. My wife, who holds everything together
2. My kids, who remind me what joy looks like
3. My clients who trust me
4. The opportunity to build something from nothing
5. The ability to provide for my family
6. Early mornings with coffee and quiet
7. The people who sharpen me and push me forward
8. The hard seasons that taught me more than the easy ones
9. The friendships that feel like family
10. The grace of God over my life, which is more than I deserve

Happy Thanksgiving! 

What are you thankful for?

Helping B2B executives turn authority into revenue on LinkedIn | Building 6+ figure pipeline strategies with content + outbound using The Creative Catalyst Method | Founder @ Kennedy Creative

No alternative text description for this image

I used to think I was a good writer.

I didn’t have the training.

I just enjoyed writing, so in my head…that meant I was good at it.

Then I joined this tiny chat group with a few guys who wrote online. 

Nothing fancy. Just a handful of people trying to get better and calling each other out.

And the rule was simple:

→ Drop your draft
→ Take the feedback
→ No hurt feelings

The first time they went through one of my posts, I felt it.

I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought.

I realized I had a few habits that were holding me back:

→ I wrote sentences that sounded great in my head but didn’t land
→ I rambled when I wasn’t sure what my point was
→ I relied on passion instead of clarity
→ I used extra words to make weak ideas feel stronger
→ I had a “voice,” but no real structure behind it

That group changed everything for me.

They gave me something I didn’t have before: a standard.

And once you see that higher bar, you can’t unsee it.

- You start noticing what makes writing sharp.
- You start tightening your ideas.
- You stop hiding behind fluff.

Here’s the part that stuck with me:

Most people aren’t bad writers.

They’ve just never had their writing pushed.

You don’t get better by writing alone in your corner. You get better when you let people tell you the truth about your work.

That’s when the real growth happens.

If you want that same push for your content and your brand, send me a DM and I’ll send you the one-pager for my Growth Partner Catalyst Program.

Weak founder positioning is like casting the wrong actor in the lead role.

It doesn’t matter how talented they are,
the entire story stops making sense.

And audiences feel it instantly:

• The Rock showing up in Pride & Prejudice
• Jim Carrey headlining a slow political drama
• Morgan Freeman as the slapstick sidekick
• Nicolas Cage cast as the calm, stable marriage counselor

They’re all brilliant.

But they’re brilliant in the wrong role, so the performance never lands (although it would be hilarious). 

That’s exactly what happens when someone lands on your LinkedIn profile and can’t tell what you do.

- You might write great content.
- You might be highly skilled.
- You might even be consistent.

But if the role you’ve positioned yourself for doesn’t match the value you deliver:

→ People can’t place you
→ They can’t understand your value
→ They don’t see why they should trust you

Strong positioning makes someone think:
“This is the exact person I’ve been looking for.”

Weak positioning makes them scratch their heads, like The Rock stepping into a Jane Austen adaptation.

Now here are 7 fixes that instantly sharpen weak positioning:
	
1. Define the one problem you solve better than anyone else.
2. State the exact person you exist to help.
3. Make your value proposition a single sentence, not a paragraph.
4. Highlight one core outcome your audience deeply wants.
5. Remove every word on your profile that creates doubt or vagueness.
6. Make your content reinforce the same message over and over.
7. Show proof that confirms your positioning, not contradicts it.

Fix the role, and the whole brand finally clicks.

• Your content lands.
• Your authority becomes clear.
• Your pipeline warms up.

If you want help sharpening your positioning and building content that actually drives demand, Creator Catalyst opens a few new spots this month.

Founder @ Kennedy Creative | Helping B2B leaders dominate their category on LinkedIn and convert influence into revenue

“Good news….your personal brand is gonna make it.

But you need to strengthen your message a bit.”

- Dr. Doug 

Most leaders don’t catch clarity erosion early because they’re so close to their own expertise.

Everything sounds great until you realize…”oh my audience isn’t interested in what I have to say.”

Here’s the checkup I give when I’m assessing a CEO’s messaging clarity:

1. The Identity Check

Can you explain who you are professionally in one clean sentence?

If it takes a paragraph, your authority is scattered.

2. The Expertise Line

What are the 1–2 things you want to be known for?

Executives who pick two lanes build influence.

Executives who pick ten build confusion.

3. The Stakes Analysis

Why does your work matter?

Leaders lose attention because they talk about tasks, not impact.

Stakes = what changes because of you.

4. The Repeatability Test

Could your ideal buyer repeat your message after reading two posts?

If not, it isn’t sharp enough.

Repeatability is the real KPI of positioning.

5. The Resonance Review

Are you speaking to the right people or the loudest people?

Executives who write for “everyone” get engagement.

Executives who write for someone get opportunities.

Your message is the foundation.

When it’s clear, everything else (trust, visibility, inbound) becomes inevitable.

If you want me to run this same checkup on your profile and content, DM me “AUDIT.” I’ll tell you exactly where your message needs to be strengthened.

The other day, I shared the last 10 years of my life with someone I had just met.

•  My relationship with God.
•  How I met my wife.
•  Why I moved to Delaware County, PA.
•  How I started writing on LinkedIn and X.

It’s a crazy story and I didn’t expect him to be all that interested. 

But to my surprise, he was locked in, listening to every word.

That moment reminded me:

→ Someone out there needs your story. People are drawn to real, authentic journeys.

→ Gratitude shifts everything. Telling my story reminded me of how good God has been.

I’m stepping into 2025 with excitement and gratitude, ready to build relationships that matter.

Your story matters too. 

Who’s someone you could share it with this week?

The smartest executives I know struggle the most with content.

- Not because they lack ideas.
- Not because they can’t write.

But because they’re carrying too much clarity in their heads and trying to release it all at once.

This is the real reason content feels heavy for leaders.

In conversation, you think in systems.

Online, that instinct works against you.

Executives freeze when they try to explain everything instead of isolating one idea.

I see it every week.

A founder tells me, “I don’t know where to start.”

Twenty minutes later, they’ve articulated:

• a sharp point of view on their industry
• a clear belief about leadership
• multiple real decisions their peers would recognize instantly

The issue was never writing. It was compression.

Strong executive content doesn’t come from sounding impressive.

It comes from choosing one thought and letting it stand on its own.

Here’s a simple way to break content paralysis:

1. Start with the conclusion. What do you actually believe?
	
2. Add one real moment. A decision you made. A trade-off you accepted. A mistake you learned from.
	
3. Stop. Do not explain it to death.

Don’t over-qualify. Don’t perform for the internet.

If someone slightly misunderstands you, that’s survivable.

If no one reads what you write, that’s the real risk.

The best executive content reads the way you already think and speak when you’re not trying to perform.

If you’re a founder or executive who knows you have depth but struggles to turn it into clear, consistent authority online, that’s exactly what I help with.

I help you clarify your thinking and translate it into content that actually lands.

If this hit, DM me “CLARITY” and let’s talk.

I posted something yesterday and my first thought was: This is horrible.

Not because the idea was bad…but because it didn’t sound like me at all.

Here’s what my post was missing (and why it matters):
	
1. Personality

My post had zero flavor. No beard jokes. No Star Wars references. Nothing that sounded like Doug.

And here’s the truth: personality is what makes writing memorable. It’s the quirks, tone, and edges that make a post feel alive.

When you strip that out, your content becomes generic, technically correct, and emotionally empty.
	
2. Deeper insight

I shared a point, but none of the meaning behind it. It was shallow, like a headline without an article.

Great content doesn’t stop at “what.” It digs into the “why,” the “how,” and the lived experience behind the idea.

Insight is the difference between a post people skim… and a post people save.
	
3. A unique angle

My post could’ve been written by anyone. 

No twist. 
No tension. 
No reason to stop scrolling.

Your angle (your worldview, your story, your interpretation) is the differentiator.

It’s what turns common ideas into uncommon content.

4. A strong hook

My hook didn’t hook ME… so it wasn’t going to hook anyone.

The first line is the gatekeeper. It creates curiosity, contrast, or a moment that forces someone to keep reading.

If the hook is weak, the rest of the post never stood a chance.

These 4 ingredients are what take a post from “fine” to “worth reading.”

Miss one and the post suffers.

Miss all 4 and…well, you get yesterday.

(I deleted the post so don’t even try to go back and read it lol) 

It happens.

• Sometimes we drift from our own voice.
• Sometimes we write fast instead of honest.
• Sometimes we forget what makes us us.

The fix is simple:

Re-center.
Reconnect.
And write from who you actually are.

That’s where the best content lives.

Have you ever lost your voice in your content?

Someone hit me with the classic:

“But you’re only working 10 hours…and that’s your price?”

Spoiler: That line has never closed a deal in the history of business.

Let’s get something straight.

Content creation isn’t:
	
• Typing ideas into AI
• Posting whatever comes to mind
• Logging warm leads

Here’s what you’re actually paying for:
	
• Pulling ideas out of your brain you didn’t even know were there
• Turning them into a strategic content plan that matches your goals
• Writing, editing, and refining until it sounds like you
• Building branded assets that match your voice and visual identity
• Spending daily time inside your account building relationships that turn into revenue

I didn’t even cover positioning and profile optimization….

But yes, even if it only took 10 hours…
	
• You’re paying for expertise, not effort
• You’re paying for outcomes, not hours
• You’re paying for someone who has done this hundreds of times and knows how to get you results

Nobody asks a lawyer why 10 hours is “so expensive.”

Nobody asks a surgeon why the operation is billed the way it is.

Because deep down, everyone knows the truth:

You’re not paying for the minutes. You’re paying for mastery.

If you understand that, we’ll work well together.

If you don’t, you’re not our client.

“You’re capable of so much more than this.”

A mentor said that to me over coffee.

I remember smiling and nodding… while thinking, “Are you kidding me? I’m doing everything I can.”

At the time, my calendar felt full.

Kids. 
Work. 
Activities. 

Every day felt like a sprint.

But the truth hit later.

I wasn’t at capacity. I had slowly let off the gas.

I wasn’t lazy. But I was comfortable. 

There’s a difference between being busy
and actually expanding your capacity.

Capacity is about increasing what you can hold without breaking.

• More responsibility.
• More pressure.
• More emotional bandwidth.
• More leadership.

Especially when you have kids.

Building capacity looks like:

• Doing the hard thing even when you’re tired
• Raising your standards again after lowering them quietly
• Saying no to distractions that feel productive but lead nowhere
• Training yourself to carry more without resenting it

Most people don’t fail because they can’t do more.

They fail because they stop training for more.

Your capacity isn’t fixed. It’s built season by season.

And sometimes the most loving thing a mentor can do is look at you and say,

“You’re playing smaller than you think.”

That sentence still sits with me in the best way.

A founder messaged me 3 years after our first conversation.

3 years.

No outreach.
No follow-ups.
No funnel.
No nurturing sequence.

Nothing…

But the moment they needed help building a digital presence…they remembered me.

That’s the long tail of brand visibility and most founders underestimate it.

They think content is about this week’s likes or this month’s leads.

But authority compounds on a different clock. 

A slower one. 
A quieter one. 
A more powerful one.

Here’s what really happens when you show up consistently:

→ People file you into a mental category: “the person who does X really well.”
→ When a problem surfaces, they scan that category first.
→ Your name pops up, because you’ve been there, week after week, post after post.
→ And when the moment is right…they circle back.

That’s the true ROI of authority content.

• It builds invisible pipelines.
• It creates future demand.
• It plants seeds you won’t see sprout for months or even years.

Founders who quit after 90 days never experience this.

The ones who stick with it become the people you call when it matters.

If you want your brand to generate opportunities long after you’ve hit publish, you need four things:
	
1. A clear positioning that sticks.
2. A story people remember.
3. Authority content that shows how you think, not just what you do.
4. Consistency, especially when it feels like no one is watching.

Someone is watching.

And they’re going to message you when the timing aligns with their need, not your posting schedule.

This is why I help founders build digital authority that pays interest for years, not weeks.

If you want to build a brand people remember when they need you most, send me a DM and I’ll show you what that looks like.

It didn’t click right away…

If I’m honest, it took closer to 6–8 months before anything meaningful happened.

In the beginning, it felt like I was talking into the void:

→ Posting late at night after work
→ Getting a handful of likes
→ Wondering if anyone was actually reading
→ Fighting the quiet urge to stop because “maybe this isn’t working”

But I showed up anyway…not because of motivation, but because I understood one thing:

Brands are built on repetition, not reactions.

And then the shift started…slowly, then suddenly:

→ Someone messaged, “I’ve been following your content for months.”
→ Someone else booked a call because “your posts changed how I think about this.”
→ People recognized my name before I even introduced myself.
→ Prospects showed up warm, already trusting me without a single sales pitch.

That’s when it clicked:

Personal branding works, but it works on compound interest, not instant gratification.

• Every post is a deposit.
• Every story is a seed.
• Every insight is one more brick in a relationship you don’t even know you’re building.

Most people quit right before it compounds. 

Right before the trust, the visibility, and the opportunities start stacking!

If you stick with it for 90 days with:

→ a clear message
→ a repeatable content rhythm
→ and consistency that outlasts the noise

…everything changes.

If you’re serious about building that kind of momentum, you don’t need more hacks….

you need a plan, accountability, and a system that removes the guesswork.

If you want a structured 90-day plan and someone in your corner each week, my Growth Partner program is built for that. DM me “GROWTH.”

Your self-image is costing you influence.

The market reads a completely different story than you do.

After reviewing 100+ executive profiles, one pattern keeps showing up:

There’s a massive invisible positioning gap between the leader you believe yourself to be and the leader your audience actually sees.

And you can see that gap clearly in how CEOs rise or fade.

→ Satya Nadella rewrote Microsoft by rewriting his story first. He stopped signaling “enterprise operator” and started signaling “human-centered innovator.” The market didn’t believe Microsoft changed until it believed he changed.

→ Lisa Su repositioned herself before she repositioned AMD. She shifted from “technical executor” to “industry shaper” and the market adjusted its valuation of her and the company.

→ Howard Schultz didn’t build a coffee company. He positioned himself as the creator of “the third place.” Starbucks became a category because he defined one.

The same principle applies to your personal brand.

Your reputation isn’t built by your achievements.

It’s built by how people interpret your achievements.

Here’s how you close the gap:

→ Category Ownership: Pick the lane you want to dominate, not the one your résumé defaults to. Your brand dies the moment you compete in the wrong category.

→ Signal Architecture: Your profile, headline, About section, wins, and media must reinforce the same identity. No mixed signals. No vague leadership jargon. Every element should make the market say, “Oh, I get what this person is.”

→ Narrative Consistency: Your content must teach people how to see you: your philosophy, your worldview, your differentiator, and your operating system. Consistency is what turns perception into belief.

→ Proof of Transformation: Executives talk about responsibilities. Category leaders show before → after. Case studies, wins, frameworks, strategic decisions, outcomes. Proof is the engine that makes positioning undeniable.

→ Presence Over Perfection: If you disappear, the market forgets your category. Visibility is the only way perception compounds.

When you execute these five layers, the gap closes.

- Your brand tightens.
- Your reputation sharpens.
- Opportunities begin moving toward you instead of past you.

If you want help clarifying your category, sharpening your executive narrative, and building a content engine that drives inbound demand, that’s the work I do every day.

Send me a message and I’ll walk you through the process.

Every day someone logs on to complain that the LinkedIn algorithm is “out to get them.”

Maybe it is.

But deleting LinkedIn and throwing your laptop out the window won’t fix it.

Here are 5 things to do instead:
	
1. Become a better writer

If I want people to read my posts, I probably need to write posts worth reading.

Shocking revelation, I know.

- Cleaner ideas. 
- Sharper hooks. 
- Less filler. 
- More clarity.

(And no, the beard alone does not make the content wise. I checked.)

2. Focus on quality conversations in the DMs

The algorithm doesn’t build relationships.

Actual humans do.

Most opportunities show up in your inbox long before they show up in your notifications.

3. Build up your social proof

Trust > reach.

Case studies, testimonials, screenshots, client wins, this is the stuff that turns “nice post” into “can we talk?”

People buy evidence, not your cool vibes.

4. Create digital products

Content grows attention.

Products grow leverage.

If you want your brand to work while you sleep, you need assets that live beyond your daily posts. Preferably ones that don’t require Jedi-level editing skills.

5. Go omnichannel (X and Instagram)

Putting all your hope in one platform is the marketing version of trusting the Death Star.

Looks impressive…until it explodes.

Spread your message. 
Diversify your reach. 
Protect your momentum.

The algorithm will keep changing.

Your commitment to getting better shouldn’t.

If you want help building a content system that actually scales in 2026, the Creator Catalyst program is open.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

A CRE leader didn’t say it directly, but I could tell he wasn’t convinced LinkedIn could work for him. 

But he heard it worked for other people and wanted to take the risk.

A fair place to start.

He didn’t want engagement. He wanted pipeline.

So we focused on the fundamentals:

→ Tightened his positioning
→ Clarified his message
→ Built content around the real problems his CRE buyers face
→ Paired it with a targeted DM strategy designed to start real conversations

By the end of our first week together: 

8 leads.

Here’s why this worked:

1. He got specific.

We stopped writing broad “real estate” content and shifted to content that spoke directly to decision-makers:
	
• buyer frustrations
• deal blockers
• investor mistakes 
• CRE challenges he sees every day

When your content speaks to the right people, the right people respond.

2. He wrote from real experience.

No generic market updates.

No surface-level industry takes.

We used:
	
• deals he’s worked
• objections he hears
• patterns he sees weekly
• insights only a practitioner would know

This builds trust faster than anything else.

3. His message and his outreach worked together.

Most people post and pray. We built a system.

His content attracted attention.

His DMs converted it.
	
• DM people who engaged with posts
• DM people who viewed his profile
• Open conversations with his ICP
• Outreach that matched his positioning

Content creates interest. DMs create opportunities.

He came in a tad bit skeptical.

He became a believer by the end of Week 1.

If you want your profile, content, and DM strategy reviewed and a plan to turn visibility into booked calls, book a call or DM me “AUDIT.”

taplio

The Battle

Luke Matthews

Doug Kennedy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreLuke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDoug Kennedy's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Luke Matthews

Doug Kennedy

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);}Luke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDoug Kennedy's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreLuke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance