The Content Engine
What to post on LinkedIn
How to set your profile up so visitors follow, the five post types that pull buyers, where to source content ideas, and the reach you should expect at your follower size.
Set the profile up to convert
Every post you write sends people to one place: your profile. Six elements decide whether a visitor follows, books a call, visits your website, or leaves.
Fix these six before you post a thing.
Profile photo
Its job: This is what people associate you with on every post, comment, and search result. A stranger decides if your picture is worth trusting before they read a word.
Most people: A dim selfie, background noise, or a headshot cropped so the face is tiny.
Do this: One clear face, shoulders and up, filling most of the frame. Good light, neutral or branded background, a slight smiling expression.
Banner
Its job: This is the billboard behind your name. Two seconds to say who you help and what they walk away with.
Most people: Random photo of their favorite skyline, a poorly cropped company banner, or no banner at all.
Do this: A 5 to 8 word value prop. One dominant color, plenty of space, readable on mobile. Keep the bottom-left clear of your profile photo.
Headline
Its job: It follows you around the platform: every post, every comment, every search hit. Your buyer needs to immediately associate you with it.
Most people: "CEO at [Company]." "Helping teams do more with less." Doesn't clearly state your value proposition.
Do this: Name your ICP and the outcome you create, in their words. Add one or two terms they actually search. A formula that works: [outcome] for [specific ICP] | [company]. You can also add proof and a lead magnet offer if you have one, like I did.
Featured section
Its job: Prime real estate on your profile. Where a warm visitor either converts or drifts off.
Most people: A funding announcement, an award no buyer has read, or an outdated post from eight months ago.
Do this: Feature one piece of proof or a free offer, plus your main call to action: book a call or sign up for a demo.
About section
Its job: Your main pitch. Write it like you would write a post.
Most people: "I'm passionate about people and technology." A bio about you, when it should be about the reader's problem. Or worse: a corporate-style resume.
Do this: Open on a sharp, specific line about their problem. Then move through: problem, why you built this, what it does in their terms, proof, one clear CTA. Add proof wherever possible. Aim for 1,500 to 2,000 characters.
Custom CTA button
Its job: A clickable button right under your headline that sends visitors straight to your site, booking page, or lead magnet. The only place besides Featured where you get to call to action.
The catch: It needs LinkedIn Premium (about $60/mo). Plenty of people pay for Premium and never switch it on.
Do this: Turn it on, point it at your booking link or opt-in page, and label it for the action ("Visit my website", "Book a call").
The 5 post types
Five jobs, five shapes. Rotate them so your feed teaches, argues, captures, connects, and proves, without running out of content ideas.
Every post runs on the same spine: hook → re-hook → body → close. The hook is three lines max and has to earn the click before LinkedIn cuts to "…more." Vary the length; most posts land between 1,500 and 2,000 characters. Use our Free Content OS to learn more about the anatomy of a post.
Actionable value
What it does. Teaches one useful thing they can apply today. Usually a list.
Structure. A numbered or slash-numbered list (1. or 1/) of steps, stats, tips, or lessons. Or go deep on a single tactic. Each point earns its line.
Hook. A numbered promise. "7 things…", "The 5-step…". Name the payoff, hold back the how.
Thought leadership
What it does. One idea, taken deep. Your read on where your industry is heading.
Structure. Make a claim, then build the case for it. Trend, contrarian take, or prediction. One argument, carried all the way through.
Hook. A contrarian claim or a reframe. State the belief that makes the right people stop in their tracks or disagree.
Lead magnets
What it does. Turns readers into named, reachable leads. The one post type with a hard CTA.
Structure. Strong controversial hook → the problem with how people do it now → what that is costing them → how you solve it → what is inside → CTA (how to get it).
Hook. Tease the asset and exactly who it is for.
Personal story
What it does. A snapshot from your life or career that carries a point. Builds connection like nothing else.
Structure. A continuous narrative, almost never a list. Setup, turn, what it taught you. One lesson, tied back to your reader.
Hook. Drop them mid-scene, or open on the moment things changed. Make them need the next line.
Testimonials
What it does. Proof, told as a story. A client's before and after, with one clear takeaway.
Structure. A long story with ONE main point. The situation, what changed, the result. Let the outcome carry it and weave the metric in.
Hook. A status snapshot. Open on the result, or the moment it clicked for them.
Book a free strategy call
Where the ideas come from
Staring at a blank page kills more LinkedIn brands than the algorithm ever will. You don't need to be more creative. You need a system that helps you get your best ideas out there. Two sources do the heavy lifting.
Repurpose what already exists
You've already said smart things. Podcast clips, newsletters, sales calls, voice notes, old posts that worked. Anything written or recorded in your own voice is raw material. Pull the one idea out of each and rebuild it as a post. It's the fastest way to never start from zero.
Content interviews
Get interviewed about your work. A focused 45 to 60 minute session pulls out your stories, your numbers, your contrarian takes, and the frameworks you use without thinking. One interview gives you two to four weeks of content to draw from. It's the highest-leverage hour you can spend on your feed, and it's exactly what the system below automates.
What good looks like
How far should a post actually travel? It depends on your follower count. These are the median ranges from the latest ShieldIndex report, across 50,000 LinkedIn posts in March 2026.
Find your row. If your posts sit below Typical, the fix is almost always the hook or the profile, not the algorithm.
| Followers | Typical (p50) | Strong (p75) | Top (p90) | Breakout (p99) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 1K | 165 | 433 | 1,118 | 13,513 |
| 1K – 5K | 470 | 1,209 | 3,071 | 26,269 |
| 5K – 10K | 757 | 1,896 | 4,949 | 41,736 |
| 10K – 25K | 1,177 | 3,025 | 8,344 | 60,563 |
| 25K – 50K | 2,186 | 6,141 | 18,065 | 116,146 |
| 50K – 100K | 4,471 | 12,375 | 35,894 | 198,403 |
| 100K+ | 11,375 | 34,354 | 105,322 | 345,460 |
Impressions per post. Tiers: Typical = median (p50). Strong = top 25% (p75). Top = top 10% (p90). Breakout = top 1% (p99). One quirk worth knowing: a viral post from a sub-1K account (13,513) out-reaches a typical post from a 50–100K account (4,471). Source: TheShieldIndex.com, 50,000 posts, March 2026.
Want the full system to execute yourself?
The Publicative OS is the open-source system we've built for founders who have the time and want to do their own content. All you need is a Claude Pro or Max subscription.
Clone the repo. Paste the command below, on any machine.
Open it in Claude Code. It reads the system on its own.
Prompt Claude. "Let's start my Publicative OS system."
git clone https://github.com/publicative/publicative-os-public
Want this built for you instead of by you?
If you'd rather skip the learning curve, we run the whole 5C system for you: content, comments, conversion, the lot. Pick a time below and we'll map it out.
