Lauren Gibson's Linkedin Analytics

"Is it just me or have your posts lately 99% flopped?" This is a conversation I've been having not just with one of my newsletter clients, but within the broader LinkedIn creator ecosystem. A scroll through LinkedIn is an emotional rollercoaster🎢 As a business platform, wouldn't we expect there to be less emotions? I've been very active (posting 4-7 days/week) on LinkedIn now for about a year. So rather than complain about this, (I'm not crazy?) I'd like to take this time to ask: Do emotions drive business now? P.S. I think it's emotional or number-driven. Let's test this theory out.

This quote from infamous software engineer & investor Marc at Andreessen Horowitz is one which all tech founders should consider: "𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 will soon be the only moat that matters." Ok let's break this down: Distribution is your 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. The 'moat' is your 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲. So, you can have a great product, but if no one is aware? It falls on deaf ears. I don't think companies like beehiiv succeed because of product awesomeness (sorry Tyler Denk 🐝) What makes beehiiv incredible is: ➤ The team's Morning Brew story ➤ Tyler's newsletter (basically a lead magnet!! 🧲) ➤ Hiring someone content-crazy like Daniel Berk 🐝 ➤ Everyone there posting something that goes viral What is it? A great product, of course. But more than that⎯it's fantastic distribution. I feel ingrained in Beehiiv from Tyler's newsletter alone... And it's part what inspired me to go all in on newsletters⎯because, the team is right, you don't 'own' your followers. The algorithm may 1 day never show me Tyler's posts 🪦 But I'll always get his founder-led newsletters. And that inspires me. In this future Mr. Andreesson predicts, What 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 actually matter? → Your email list. → Your community. → Your relationships. beehiiv is poised well in this future. Are you? -- So... I've been building this ↓ 🧠 👀 I launch founder-led newsletters to: ➤ Educate your ICP, authentically ➤ Become the go-to source for industry expertise ➤ Turn your voice into strategic thought leadership If this sounds interesting, let's chat!

I hated myself. Why couldn't I learn to code? My mind would spin up a thousand different ideas on what to build and how to communicate it, but I hated that this wasn't my strength. And yep, after taking the CliftonStrengths test last year: "Executing" themes are my weaknesses. But times are shifting. I listen to people much smarter than me like Amjad Masad or I read every other post Jay Singh writes, and I realize... I think the kids are alright. Why? Look at the world that's 'coming' (It's here) Lean into your weaknesses. They may be your strengths in the #futureofwork. Happy Saturday all! What's something fun you've got planned? Next weekend, I'm going to Universal Studios🎢

Steve, great to meet you back in December and discuss how the future of work will need more creative minds!

Thought leadership could be the most undervalued asset in B2B right now. Here's the wild part: (According to a survey of F100 CEOs) Average spend is $194,000 Average return is... $2,700,000 That's a 14x ROI But here's where it gets interesting... 93% of executives say thought leadership is MORE important now vs pre-pandemic. Why? "Because it's harder to get noticed in a virtual world." The algorithm is changing so quickly. (Thinking about my post last week that flopped) Most companies are checking boxes instead of pushing boundaries. I've shared here 3 ways you can use AI to build 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 and 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 thought leadership for your newsletter. Comment below if you'd like any of these prompts! Are you running a B2B newsletter?

Everyone's been selling you on LinkedIn personal brands You probably know by now... that's not enough. You ever see those people on LinkedIn with 100,000 followers but only 1,000 views? That sucks. I'll never forget that saying by Tim Ferriss. There's one thing he would never, ever give up. → His email list Your newsletter is more valuable than you think. And here's why:  1. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 (LinkedIn newsletters):
     ➤ Yes, LinkedIn newsletters.
     ➤ Post on social media? Can't search it. 
       2. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀/𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (Email only):
     ➤ No need to rely on the algorithm.
     ➤ Use analytics to exactly know your audience.
       3. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 (𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲) 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆:     ➤ LinkedIn posts focus on emotion + quick lessons.     ➤ Newsletters give curated, industry-level value.       4. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀:
     ➤ Even if your product is the exact same thing
     ➤ Educational newsletters give your ICP tactical proof       5. 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱:
     ➤ Become the go-to (insert industry) editorial     ➤ You're playing the distribution, one-to-many game       6. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀  7. 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 ("seems like a knowledgable CEO")  8. 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗶𝗴𝘀 (to indirectly sell your product)  9. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 10. 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The internet market is shifting. The creator economy knows it best. You can't just have followers. You want emails. How do you get that? Share your (free) value with the select few who have already bought into your vision, through email. (As a former English teacher, I shall say...) Be an educator! So, what are you teaching?

Connections ✣ tip. Use it wisely :)

I don't follow Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon, on Instagram. Yet he popped up on my 'feed'. And he raises an interesting point about social media: (We're all feeling it, whether you're a creator or biz) The concept of "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄" is dying as platforms shift to "𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂" distribution. We're living on rented space. 53% of (2k surveyed) creators say it's harder to reach followers than 5 years ago. LinkedIn is a bit newer. But as I mentioned a few days ago, the algo has shifted. My impressions have been messy. Sometimes 200, sometimes 2,000. On the other hand, I've been running my newsletter for 7+ months now. 62% open rates 8% click-through Newsletters? Direct connection. No algorithms. No hoping your content reaches your audience. Wait, but... newsletters are "old news". But in a time of chaos, old news means stability. We just need to meet old news in a new way. And I have this prediction, from the creator economy: Newsletters will be treated like social media content. Starting a conversation, a connection. So is old news, good news? -- P.s. I love Jack's SXSW talk last year –will link below to give it a listen to understand the rise of this concept.

I've been writing my newsletter Connections ✣ for 24 weeks straight. (Ok, I skipped a week... but not for VIP subscribers) Those 24 weeks? It gave me: 1. Appearances on 5 podcasts 2. Something to research (and to teach) 3. A more realistic dream on thought leadership 4. A recognizable brand! I was proud of myself. Until I started to hear feedback in networking calls: "But what do you actually 𝘥𝘰?" I 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 to be in my hyper-altruistic era. But the painful lesson is... Building a brand is great, but clarity on your value is key. (re: I don't have infinite money lol) I'm not upset. My brand has been built to you reading this today! I won't give you a lesson. No "here's 3 questions I WISH I would've asked myself!" Because the truth is: You only know what's true when you go through it. The value you provide? It's not answered in 1 minute. Your value is built up over time. It's okay to experiment. It's okay to build in public. It's okay to pivot. But don't wait to provide value until your brand is "perfect." Start with what you know you can deliver right now. Even if it's just little reflections like these posts. Good brands take time. -- In this, I've recognized the power of newsletter brands. What are some of your favorite newsletters?

When I reached 4k in September, I never celebrated. Who cares about a number? Well, this isn't an ego thing. But I'm going to take this as an accomplishment. Unlike last year, I've set real goals in 2025. This milestone shows I'm on track! I'm excited to announce I'm closer to my goals! And with that, I'm also preparing posts on newsletter tips and tricks based on what I've been building so far with several clients. So if you're new or old here, get ready for more newsletter posts. My highest-performing posts are mostly reflections so I'll continue to keep it real on here too :) P.S. look at this mini-me character  💖👀

People ask me: why work pro bono? A year ago I was contracted 20 hours/week for a client for 5 months, you know what happened? I got paid 1 invoice. That's it. Last year, I realized... I didn't need an income. I had room to experiment. For those who know me well, I've saved quite a bit over the years. tldr: I saved (a lot) and invested well in crypto. In fact this it what I wanted - A 'mini' retirement. I got it. During this time, I experimented a lot. I started doing things I love. I returned to my LinkedIn roots. I started a newsletter/events brand Connections ✣ People called me a thought leader, I got on podcasts! But you know what? Work without pay is... a lot of work. So my strategy is different. I'm not building out of the goodness of my heart (that'll come later) I'm building to match value with value. Going "Pro Bono"? Not just something I learned in $100M Leads I go pro bono because I want to work like I'm already getting paid my worth. That means doing what I enjoy. Does anyone have experimence going pro bono? -- P.s. That company still owes 3 more invoices :/ Lesson learned: stop working after 1 missed payment.

Last week, I was up at 2am every night, only to wake up at 6am each morning to check my notifications. Why? I was launching 2 B2B newsletters. They generated: ➤ 67 & 110 new subscribers (from 0) ➤ A record # of LinkedIn post views for one (wrote it) ➤ $5,000 saved vs. agency costs ➤ 2 companies with fresh sales pipelines Here's what worked: 1. Founders became the face of the brand 2. Each post educated, teased the launch 3. Comments solidified them as thought leaders 4. Posting as both the company 1 day, founder 1 day 5. Reshares from inside the team 6. CTA on the website 7. Subscribe link in email signatures The best part? These leads came to them. No cold outreach needed. As I look back on my sales career, I think about: Marketing shouldn't just 'support' sales. It can BE your sales engine. P.s. I am still recovering from this 2-week-long cold but hey-- the first week of a newsletter launch matters more than the next 2 months combined. Here for the wins!