Matt Swain's Linkedin Analytics

Most Founders & CEOs write like influencers. But the best hooks signal authority, capture a moment in time, speak to pain, and call out your target buyer. Here are some examples of 'standard hooks' - transformed by our Hook Framework, which have generated over 25 million targeted impressions for our clients in the last 12 months, leading to inbound conversations and deal flow. Hit save & share with your marketing team!

The last 6 months we’ve been helping clients sell into enterprise: 7-figure decision-makers; complex buying cycles; multiple stakeholders. If you want to generate demand with enterprise, here’s what you need to do differently: Because where 2-10m ARR companies go wrong on LinkedIn - they follow all the generic advice. And don’t build a custom strategy based on their buyer & sales insights (sales cycle; buyers' decision-making process; complexity; budget sign-off process; procurement; etc) $20k deal:  - Authority-building posts (your results, unique frameworks) - Personal story arcs that build trust - Bold opinions that create conversation  - Clear call-to-action posts (“DM me” or “Let’s talk”) - Social proof and transformation testimonials - Behind-the-scenes / “day in the life” content - Conversational posts that show values, energy, and vibe 7-figure deal with 150+person company: - Strategic POV posts tied to industry trends and their business goals - Deep-dive insights that shift perspective or challenge assumptions - Case studies with real outcomes (numbers, ROI, impact) - Content that helps them sell you internally - Thoughtful commentary on category shifts, risks, and future positioning - Reframes around what not acting will cost them Content that mirrors internal conversations ("Here’s how your CFO thinks about this") - Multi-touch nurture: problem framing → insight → solution → proof → vision Enterprise buyers aren’t scrolling for tips or looking for inspiration They need trust, alignment, assurance and internal justification. If you're looking to land bigger deals through LinkedIn - send me a message. I’ll walk you through the strategy we’ve built that gets meetings with C-suites at $100m+ companies.

The average person scrolls social media for 2.5 hours a day. What if you spent just 2 minutes of that hitting record instead? Video content on LinkedIn is booming: LinkedIn sees 1.4X more engagement on video versus other formats. Video creation on LinkedIn is growing at 2x the rate of other original post formats. Total video viewership on LinkedIn is up 36% year-over-year. Video on LinkedIn is becoming far less about fancy scripts & edits - and instead about original insights that resonate and creating a deeper connection with your audience. Our advice to clients right now: After a coffee meeting with a client, a strategy session with your team or a call with a prospect - pick up your phone & hit record and share your realisations & insights. This way, posting videos becomes super easy! Tag me when you post your video - I’d love to see it. #Sponsored #ScrollWithPurpose #ThePlaceToB2B  In partnership with LinkedIn for Marketing.

Want to 3x your LinkedIn company page engagement? Here’s how Fiverr drove a 250% boost. We’re offering select marketing teams a free 60-minute LinkedIn workshop to show you exactly how to level up your presence in 2025. Send me a message and can see if you qualify.

You’re missing out on 10+ SQLs a month, if you’re not mapping out your buyer journey and creating specific content for each part. For example: - How do you convince someone they even need to consider your service?  - That you’re the right person?  - You have unique insights & methodologies? - They’ve seen someone similar to them get results? - There’s something about your story that resonates with them? Each post needs its own intention - that when layered together - creates the complete picture. Because if you can meet your potential buyer at their level of awareness and speak to the conversation already happening in their head - you’ll create content that resonates. I was on a call with a Founder last week who was posting just one type of content. Which would only resonate if you actually knew who they were. But you need to think about the 99% of people who have never heard your name. Busy going about their day. How do you cut through with them? You need a proper strategy that slowly starts to showcase why those people should jump on a call with you. Often, an outside perspective can help refine your messaging so it resonates with someone who doesn’t yet know you - so if you want to jump on a 15 min call to chat it through, send me a message.

Last week I spent 60 minutes breaking down a $30mil/year agency CEO’s LinkedIn strategy. They were stuck. On the surface, they had a great brand - good engagement, loyal community and consistent posts. Yet it wasn’t connecting with potential buyers. “We’re getting engagement,” they said, “but it’s not translating into pipeline.” So we reversed their sales process by analysing their last 10 sales calls: What would “a win” look like for their prospects in the next 90 days? The exact words/phrases their prospects were using?  What misconceptions did they have before the call? The 3 most common pain points that came up? Their No.1 Business Objective right now?  The reason the prospect took the call?  Objections faced? From there, we rebuilt their: Positioning; Profile; Content Strategy. Most CEO’s don’t have a reach problem. They aren’t reaching the right people with the right message. That’s why for all clients at Triangle, we track all the engagement from key ICP fits. And identify which content sparked the most positive DMs and inbound connection requests. We use this data to guide what we double down on. It’s what Supergrow can help with: (#ad) - Create targeted engagement lists (like CMOs at 1,000+ person companies) - Engage consistently with high-fit profiles through smart, personalised comments You can then turn that data into warm outreach to start conversations & make sure you’re creating reliably high-converting content. Because, content should move you toward commercial outcomes. If it’s not - it’s time for a rethink.

5 months ago: “Maybe LinkedIn is the missing channel” Today: $350k inbound leads. 91 MQLs. 300k targeted views. We started working with a London-based Founding Director who wanted to drive demand for their enterprise SaaS platform. They were doing several million in revenue. But had no proper demand-gen system in place to generate consistent new conversations. Occasional outreach.  Random inconsistent content.  No strategy or system in place. They knew there was potential on LinkedIn. But didn’t have the time, strategy or in-house capacity to leverage it. We stepped in and built them a content & outbound system on LinkedIn with just 3 hours of their time each month. With a strategy that showcased their offer in compelling ways - through customer-led storytelling, original creative visuals & clear positioning & messaging. Now they’ve turned LinkedIn into a proper channel. Predictable pipeline. New conversations weekly. Growing their brand. P.S. Results like this don’t come overnight. But when you do put the right system in place, LinkedIn turns into a consistent, powerful demand-gen strategy. -- Want to see what the content & messaging looked like? Drop me a DM.

This blurry picture of some stepping stones best explains what great B2B content & branding is all about. Imagine you're looking to the other side - which is the outcome you want - new clients; funding; leads for the top of your funnel. The stepping stones are the series of touch-points you need to create that ensures that end outcome happens. Your content should slowly move you closer. With each post; you are one stepping stone closer to reaching the bank on the other side. This means you need strategic & targeted content that positions you as the expert, showcases your credibility & builds trust at scale. You need content across the whole buyer journey. What people often miss - the wrong content pushes you into the water either side. A buyer who might have been interested sees your AI generic content and now believes you don't have the insights needed. You haven't posted anything about yourself, so you lose out on any genuine connection. Your profile doesn't call out their pain & persona so they don't think you can help them. Lost opportunities. The right content moves you closer to your goals. The wrong content? Costs you your goals.

LinkedIn just released its 2025 B2B Marketing Benchmark report. Here’s a summary with the key points:  P.S - I really wanted to share a summary but my team was busy with client content, so I used Gamma (#ad). I uploaded the full pdf report and it created this in 1 minute. I’ve not edited it at all. Pretty wild! You can check it out for yourself here: https://lnkd.in/eJEvWZFc)

3 tools we’ve been using the last few months as a LinkedIn demand gen agency. The truth is - if you’re not deeply investing in your tech you’re falling behind. We’re trialling tools, experimenting, seeing where AI fits into our workflows. To link deep custom brand strategy and original, unique, thoughtful content while ensuring clients get scale through our offer. Gamma - Swap backgrounds, re-style visuals, and animate them with a click. - Go from idea to awesome decks in minutes. Valley - Identify website visitors and initiate LinkedIn outreach. - Research agents that craft personalised messages. Listero - LinkedIn search to export-ready lead list in seconds. - Verification is all built in. What tools are you experimenting with at the moment? Here’ a link so you can check out Gamma for yourself (#ad): https://lnkd.in/e-AHvbZY

I’ve reviewed 3500+ LinkedIn posts in 2025 so far that have generated over 25 million impressions. Here’s the Hook Framework I give our team that you can copy so you get people to actually read your content:  1. Work out the post type first Every post should be clearly framed as either a story post or an insight-driven post. Not both. Story posts should include: -Visual detail -Transformation -Emotional stakes -First-person voice Insight posts should: -Start with real-world context or credibility and call out their ICP (e.g. “Last week, I spoke with a founder scaling a 10-person AI company…”) -Include actionable IP or insider knowledge (make it feel exclusive) -Highlight why someone should care or listen (what is in it for the reader?) 2. The hook must earn attention Use transformation + numbers + emotion (e.g a client’s hook: “We just hit 7-figures. But two years ago, I had $0 and was scammed by my first client.”) Avoid generic or vague phrases — specificity signals credibility Pack the hook full - don’t space it out - tighten for impact Lead with the line that answers: Why should I keep reading this? 3. Show don’t tell Work out what you want to be associated with and make sure the hook signals this. Reference industries and disciplines to anchor your expertise with hard numbers or named examples (e.g. “Through influencer marketing, we scaled Gamma from 3M to 50M users in under 12 months — here’s the 5-step method that got us there.”) 4. Reframe generic phrases Instead of “I often get asked…”, say: “Here’s the question I get asked most on 1:1 $1000/hour strategy calls with (target persona)...” This makes the post feel more like privileged insight than common advice - and shows you are a real person growing a real business. 5. Speak directly to your audience Call out the target reader (ICP) explicitly (e.g. “Here’s why AI tech brands should listen”) Tailor examples to their world and challenges. Tapping into their desires/goals (getting to 100m ARR) and their pain/problems - show you understand that specific persona. 6. Packaging matters Consider wrapping key ideas into a clearly labelled methodology / IP / frameworks (e.g. “Here are the 5 Authority-Building™ steps we used to scale…”) and showing what is in it for the reader. Makes it feel more savable and shareable. 7. Use names that have existing attention Use people’s names — and give them context (why they matter) Leverage their existing attention - but make it clear & obvious why someone should pay attention to them. Eg if referencing Stan Store, explain why they matter using numbers Example of client hook: “Stan Store is on track for $100M ARR. Here’s how they’re using influencer marketing differently.” Remember, hooks matter.  But only if what follows is genuinely great, relevant, unique content. (Save this & send it to your marketing team!)

Harsh truth: if you’re struggling to get enquiries on LinkedIn - posting 4 posts a month isn't enough. I spoke to the Founder of a 50-person agency who was posting 4 times a month. Decent traction. A legitimate expert. But she was saying “I need more sales.” My response: “You just need way way way more volume of activities - 3 posts a week minimum; utilising all your monthly outbound connection requests; having an SDR in your DMs setting appointments. And a system that can get this output that isn’t reliant on you.” If you’re - posting a couple times and hoping - LinkedIn won't serve you. BUT, if you invest in LinkedIn, over the medium term, it becomes a legitimate compounding growth channel. Where you can generate your dream inbound prospects, alongside predictable outbound that books in net new 5 to 20 SQLs monthly. This is what we’re doing for clients right now. Interested to see how it works? Drop me a message.

We started working with an 8-figure-revenue client who was struggling to create an enterprise strategy on LinkedIn. They brought us onboard as Content & Outbound partner. We diagnosed everything they’re doing and where there is a gap and a big opportunity: (1) No “enterprise feel” - The brand presence didn’t signal scale, professionalism, or trust. It lacked the polish and clarity that enterprise buyers expect. (2) Too complex - The messaging was overly technical and internal-facing — not written for a cold buyer who has never heard of them. (3) Unclear value proposition - Nowhere did they clearly articulate the transformation they offer — the tangible outcomes that matter to decision-makers. (4) No consistent visual aesthetic - Each post looked different. No brand cohesion. No identity. Nothing memorable. (5) Scattered content strategy - There was no central thesis. No through-line. No build-up of credibility or unique perspective or insight. (6) No story = no buy-in - Without a personal angle or founder narrative, there was no emotional hook. Nothing that made a buyer care or choose our client over competitors. (7) In-house marketing team running LinkedIn - It felt like generic company marketing — not personal, human, or worth following. The biggest opportunities were being missed. (8) Overuse of AI tools - Too much ChatGPT. Not enough original insight. It felt templated, bland, and lacked the IP or proprietary thinking that sets a winning company apart. (9) No real understanding of how people buy through LinkedIn - you have to have a strategy that move buyers through a process gf getting to know you through content. (10) No outbound connections - you need content but also activation and conversation-starting so you leverage your brand, content into ROI through DMs. No connections were getting sent. No SQLs. We rebuilt their strategy from the ground up: - Enterprise-grade brand presence - Strategic & insight-based content - Clear messaging relevent for cold buyers - Multi-threaded content funnel - DM/connection-led activation In the first week they said: “I just want to commend you guys. You turned that around so fast… having worked on the agency side before, you guys are really doing a great job for us.” Their content is finally attracting their target decision-makers. And they have a content & outbound system in place to make the most of LinkedIn, that runs without their team. Interested to see how we can do the same for you?

Are you trying to get a VP’s attention through content? You need to change the way they think. Because the moments we remember most… are the ones that shift our beliefs. That’s the level of impact you need to cut through with senior decision-makers. And how we book our clients' calls with Nvidia, Shell, Sony etc. Not education or a tip; but a new lens to view the world with. This needs 2 things: (1) An “Aha Moment” - insight or unexpected truth that breaks old thinking. (2) A “Curiosity Gap” - a tension that makes them want to know more & reach out. Do this enough times in your content, you’ll have VPs of 500+ person companies chasing you.

“We’ve been posting, but nothing’s really come from it.” - I hear this all the time. The harsh truth is that you’re posting the wrong content. Last Monday, I posted. A completely cold prospect booked a discovery call in my diary for the next day. 3 days after that, contracts signed on a 5-figure deal. They kick-off with Triangle today. From seeing our content to starting to work together - 8 days. To get results like this, it’s less about “just posting.” And instead approaching LinkedIn with a proper targeted strategy that doesn’t rely on guesswork. You need content that calls out your buyer & their pain, shifts prospects beliefs towards your approach, and then positions you as the obvious choice. Because your ideal prospect is scrolling LinkedIn with challenges they want to solve - you just need the right content, right messaging and right profile - to take them from a scroller to an inbound conversation & deal. -- Interested to hear what content drives inbounds? Happy to walk you through our approaches - drop me a message.

3 years ago, I wrote my first post on LinkedIn. It got 4 likes and 100 impressions. Fast forward to now, and that same journey was recognised in Marketing Week. Wild, because not long ago, I was working in finance & had never posted anything. I had no plan but knew there was a creative spark buried within, and that LinkedIn had potential. That sharing ideas online might just open new doors. So I started posting. Built my agency Triangle in public. Showed up even when no one was watching. And slowly, things changed & people started noticing. There were no shortcuts. No magic formulas. Just consistency, and a willingness to share what I was learning along the way. So if you're just starting out... keep going!! The more you share, the more opportunities you create.

We have a client who runs a 20-person agency that does (1) cold email and (2) our service of content & warm outbound on LinkedIn. Our client always tells us: “The leads we get through LinkedIn are consistently more engaged. They come in already understanding what we do, with a strong sense of our vibe and expertise. There’s no need to build trust from scratch - so we’re able to move into real business conversations much faster.” Because right now you have 2 options: Option 1: 5 SDRs with zero brand presence - where buyers come through cold. Mass scale using automation because you need such high volumes to get sufficient responses. But the leads don’t know who you are or what you really do. It feels salesy and they’re probs not the best leads. Option 2: You build a content & outbound approach on LinkedIn through your CEO/Founder. They’ve seen your posts, been intrigued by your profile, they know your name, your face, your results… and they’re now invested. They’ve come through warm, not cold. They’re more qualified, more likely to buy & more likely to be an aligned fit. That’s the power of turning LinkedIn into a channel - you build long-term brand awareness; you generate inbound deal flow; and you can generate 5-20 SQLs each month through targeted outbound where leads are aligned, qualified and invested. Because outbound still works. But when it’s powered by content and credibility, it works better.

8 years ago:  I joined KPMG on their Sponsored Degree Programme, becoming their youngest employee at 18. Working on FTSE-listed clients, living the corporate ‘dream’ I was told to pursue. But I soon realised I had a creative spark within me that was being suppressed - that became too strong to keep ignoring. 5 years ago:  I started writing. No plan but just casually sharing reflections, thoughts, and learnings online through my blog & newsletter. 4 years ago:  One of my early posts caught the attention of Steven Bartlett. He invited me to join his personal team, and for six months, I got a behind-the-scenes look at how influence is really built & scaled. It was intense, but an inspiring look into where sharing your story & ideas can take you. 3 years ago:  I took on a role advising a $40M creator-tech startup, leading global creator campaigns and building go-to-market strategies for tech companies. 2 years ago:  My own content started to take off, with 16 million annual views on LinkedIn, invitations to speak on stages, joining the LinkedIn Creator Programme, and the release of my debut book. I saw firsthand the power of showing up consistently and sharing your story. Last year:  I launched Triangle - a Thought Leadership agency for CEOs and Founders. We now work with 3 billion-dollar clients, have been featured in Marketing Week and shared what we’re building on international stages. Our mission is to help leaders do what I did: turn their ideas into influence. Since launching, we’ve helped our clients raise over $100M, land deals with companies like Sony, Nvidia, and Virgin — not through paid ads or cold outreach, but by sharing their voice. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. The one thing that is clear: sharing my ideas & story through content & video has completely changed my life. Now it’s time for you to share your story through video. Tag me when you post your video - I’d love to see it. #Sponsored #ScrollWithPurpose #ThePlaceToB2B In partnership with LinkedIn for Marketing.

What you see & what you don’t see on LinkedIn - here’s everything that happened in May behind the scenes: Highs: - Took my parents to Jordan for an action-packed week - mud-scrub & floating in the Dead Sea; exploring Petra; trekking & night in the desert at Wadi Rum. An awesome trip. - Meetings at LinkedIn HQ chatting about the future & place of video on the platform - and how you can incentivise creators to make original & unique videos. - On that note, the NYSE-listed client we work with asked us to take over their video channels - we’d built a great relationship, shown how good we are at content, and it led into opening up more work. - 3 new clients started with Triangle this month, from an influencer marketing agency targeting AI & tech companies, to a gaming solution partnered with Microsoft. - In April, I hired for a Business Development position - they’re now really finding their feet in the role and it’s really helping our turbo our scaling efforts (and they’re still only 6 weeks in!) - A client hit 400,000 targeted views gaining visibility across the tech industry - some really interesting new business conversations for them were generated off the back of this too. - I was featured in Marketing Week sharing insights on the B2B Influencer space - including Adobe’s winning strategy blend in-person experiences with creator-led content. Lows: - Spent 5 calls with a prospect; we had buy-in from multiple stakeholders with lots of positive signals throughout. Follow-ups done and proposal signed off. Then - a no. Always frustrating. - The usual ghosting - people you’ve built a genuine connection with who said “this is exactly what we need.” Then disappear without a word haha. Learning not to take it personally, but when you care about the work, it’s hard not to feel it.   - My own LinkedIn presence took a back seat. I have been heads down in onboarding new clients & strategy docs. There are some content pieces I want to sit down & write sharing all our learnings on what’s working with clients. - There was a period where I worked pretty much solidly for 11 days straight. Lots of long days to get the work done. But hoping to get back to some more creative space in June. - Exploring new tech - exciting but at the same time multiple demo calls a week, trial accounts, onboarding, switching between platforms, learning new systems, all of which take a lot of mental energy! When you're building, you get as many highs & lows. But they're all part of the process. I always remind myself it's what makes the journey meaningful. It’s the rollercoaster ride that makes building your own thing special.

“I don’t want to invest in my brand.” You’re saying: I don’t want to invest in inbound  I don’t want leads excited to work with us  I don’t want to invest in nurturing my audience  I don’t want the best talent to come work with us  I don’t want to increase my message response rate  I don’t want to increase awareness for my SDR team Brand isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s a foundational part of a successful business. The data backs it up: 62% of B2B buyers consume 3–5 pieces of content before contacting a salesperson (Demand Gen Report). 200% growth for companies that actively post on LinkedIn compared to those that don't. 61 million senior-level influencers in LinkedIn’s users, with nearly two-thirds in decision-making positions. (Cognism) 74% of B2B buyers conduct more than half of their research online before making an offline purchase (Forrester). 77% of B2B purchasers won’t speak to a salesperson until they've done their own research. 93.7% of marketers agreed or strongly agreed that trust was the most important factor in building a successful B2B brand (LinkedIn). 7000+ people are using Taplio (#sponsored) to build their brand. Check it out https://lnkd.in/gB26A4fG