Struggling to write your first post? I gotchu.

Happy Monday!

I’m really excited about today’s edition and want to jump right into giving you free stuff.

But first, I’m going to do something crazy and sponsor my own newsletter. I know, total conflict of interest, but what can I say? I’m the boss.

Zenpost is quietly opening a small beta with a great discount right now.

If you’re a coach, consultant, or solopreneur, but you’ve had mixed success using social to drive pipeline, this is the program for you.

It’s the right blend of “done for you” and “do it myself” that makes brand and content creation efficient and easy for anyone to commit to.

I wrote a whole-ass landing page about it, so if those few sentences piqued your interest, or you want to help us pass the ‘ol business card around, please check us out here.

Now, on to the free stuff.

I’m Dusten, and I co-run a brand and content strategy agency called Zenpost.

This is Cool Story, where I summon my decade+ of content expertise to teach you how to write like LinkedIn’s top voices.

Each week, I tear down a post from one of LinkedIn’s most powerful personal brands, show you how it’s done, and give you a content template you can stick in your swipe file.

Let’s get to it!

This week’s post

Sam Szuchan is a former freelance writer and current founder of the B2B ghostwriting agency Soleo.

He’s got 225k followers on LinkedIn and posts content at least once per day. (His average post pulls in hundreds of comments.)

This post caught my eye:

Let’s take a closer look!

Here’s why it works:

This is a CLASSIC “Don’t do X, do Y” formula.

There are TONS of variations. Seriously, you’re going to start seeing it everywhere now.

“Don’t do X, do Y” always works because:

• A good hook is built in

• It gives you a chance to push against a popular opinion

• Taking a heterodox approach is a tried-and-true method for catching eye and earballs.

But like Sam’s post points out, all that attention is for nothing if it’s not speaking to an audience that will buy stuff from you.

Sam ghostwrites LinkedIn content for B2Bers. Here, he’s educating his ideal customer about what kind of online feedback really matters, differentiating himself from competitors who promise “virality” by undermining the popular assumption that “viral = good.”

(We happen to share that assumption at Zenpost, so we’re a bit biased)

In summation, a great post. Here’s a template you can follow to write one just like it.

Steal the template:

<sup>Do you want [ideal outcome]?

First, stop caring about [X, what seems desirable]

[“see more” line]

Then, start caring about [Y, insight about what is actually desirable]</sup>

^{Every time you [perform a task that is supposed to generate the previously stated ideal outcome], ask yourself:}

• ^{[Insightful question that provides helpful tip 1]}

• ^{[Insightful question that provides helpful tip 2]}

• ^{[Insightful question that provides helpful tip 3]}

^{Because if you [keep caring about X]…}

^{… you will get [X benefit]…}

^{… but not [benefit you actually want, i.e., Y]}

^{Which means you won’t get [ideal outcome] after all.}

^{In summation, stop caring about [X] and start caring about [Y].}

BONUS tip!

Notice the visual Sam uses with this post:

This is a “scroll stopper,” meaning, it is explicitly designed to catch your eye while you’re scrolling LinkedIn like a zombie.

A good scroll stopper either pops because of the visual (like a meme or video thumbnail) or because of something provocative in the text.

If you use a text-based scroll stopper like Sam here, Daniel Murray of The Marketing Millennials recommends treating the text like the headline of your post.

So if you’re writing a blog post, you spend some time on the headline and pull out all of your copywriting chops to make sure it’s something people want to click on, right?

Same philosophy for your text-based scroll-stopper.

I’ve had people ask where to get those tweet-like quote cards. Well, here:

>>> HERE’S A FREE SCROLL-STOPPER TEMPLATE <<<

Make a copy for yourself, edit the colors and the image, and boom, Cool Story just gave you everything you need to replicate Sam’s post and add this post type to your repertoire.

Or, leave my pretty face there, spread smart thought leadership about brand and content, and increase my legend. Bwahahahaha!

Cool Story is FREE, but I do have a BIG ask…

I’m trying to grow the newsletter this year, so if you think others in your networks would benefit from Cool Story, please share it with them.

TWO more QUICK things:

• Let’s make sure we’re connected on LinkedIn, where I share tips for creating better, more authentic content every day. Hit the bell to never miss a post.

• If you’re a coach, consultant, or entrepreneur and you’re interested in investing in your personal brand on LinkedIn, Zenpost can help. When you’re ready, let’s find a time to chat.