Why your LinkedIn content isn't working

Happy Thursday!

If you're reading this, hopefully you're wrapping up the week with some wins under your belt. Maybe you've actually thought through your LinkedIn strategy (or finally realized you need one). Either way, you're in the right place.

I need to tell you something that might sting a bit. Your LinkedIn content probably isn't working because of what you're doing wrong with hooks or formats or posting times. Those things matter, but they're not the problem.

The real problem runs deeper than tactics. And until you fix these three foundational issues, no amount of "growth hacks" will save you.

Let's get into it.

You don't enjoy content enough to win at it

Content is hard. Like, actually hard.

When founders come to us at Catalyst thinking they can be completely hands-off while their team "does content," results tank. Every single time. Because great founder-led content requires your energy, your point of view, your willingness to rewrite that hook five times until it actually works.

If you don't enjoy at least some part of the content process, you'll never do the unglamorous work that makes content actually perform. You won't review drafts carefully. You won't record that third take. You won't give your team the kind of direction that leads to something worth reading.

Content isn't a hack you can automate away. It's a craft with dozens of variables — formats, algorithms, messaging, audience understanding, creative execution, distribution. The platforms change constantly. What worked last quarter might not work now. And if you hate the process, you'll never iterate fast enough to keep up.

Here's what actually works:

Start with a medium you naturally enjoy. If you like writing, start with text posts and newsletters. If you prefer talking, record videos or voice notes. If you're best in conversation, record your Zoom calls and have someone turn your best riffs into posts.

Stop forcing yourself into trending formats you hate. Everyone says you need to do carousels or short-form video, but if you despise making them, you won't do it consistently enough to see results.

Commit to a sustainable cadence in one format first. Maybe that's 3-5 posts per week. Maybe it's a weekly deep dive. Pick something you can actually maintain for 90 days without burning out. You can optimize and add formats later.

The founders who win on LinkedIn are the ones who found their format and leaned in hard. They're not suffering through content — they're getting at least a little energy from it.

You don't believe content drives real business outcomes

This is the big one.

When you don't truly believe that your content generates pipeline, shortens sales cycles, and attracts better talent, you'll always deprioritize it. Every "urgent" task will jump the line. Every meeting will feel more important than that 30-minute content block.

The "I don't have time" problem is actually a belief problem. Because when founders are bought in on content as a growth channel, they don't need anyone to convince them to post. They push for more.

At Catalyst, every time Will Leatherman runs a newsletter sprint or posts consistently on LinkedIn for a few weeks, we see direct business impact. More inbound conversations. More waitlist signups. More "I see you everywhere" comments from prospects. The agency's growth is heavily content-driven, and founder visibility drives a huge chunk of deal flow.

This isn't unique to agencies. Founder-led content works as a top-of-funnel and mid-funnel engine for B2B SaaS at every stage. Prospects who've been reading your content close faster. They trust you more. They need less convincing. They refer you to other buyers.

But you have to believe it enough to stick with it past week three.

Here's how to build that belief:

Track simple metrics for 60-90 days. Don't overcomplicate this. Just note when inbound leads mention seeing your LinkedIn content. Track sales calls where prospects reference your posts. Count new applicants who cite your content as a reason they're interested.

Block content time like it's a core revenue activity. Put 2-3 content creation sessions in your calendar every week. Treat them as non-negotiable. If you knew that 5 posts per week would generate 5-10 qualified inbound leads per week, you'd never skip that calendar block.

Give it 90 days before judging results. Content compounds. Your first month of posting might feel like shouting into the void. By month three, you'll start seeing real momentum. But most founders quit at week six and decide "LinkedIn doesn't work for us."

The belief comes from seeing it work. But you have to do the work long enough to see the results. If you're interested in building a systematic approach, we built a 60-day LinkedIn pipeline playbook that walks through exactly how to structure this.

You don't have the right social proof

Social proof is a multiplier on everything else you do.

Founders with massive exits or hypergrowth stories get more leverage per post. The market can see their track record, so every piece of content carries more weight. That's just reality.

But here's what most founders miss: you don't need a unicorn exit to make content work. You need proof that you've solved the problems your ideal customer cares about. Or better yet, proof that you used to be your ideal customer.

The best-case scenario for founder-led content is when your background overlaps heavily with your ICP's world. A former CMO building martech has instant credibility with marketers. A founder who used to run RevOps and now sells RevOps software speaks the language naturally.

Will Leatherman spent years in senior social and content roles before building Catalyst to help other founders with content. That's a clear "I've done this before" signal. When he talks about content strategy, people trust it because they can see the track record.

If you have ICP-related experience, you need to make it obvious:

Tell those stories explicitly. Don't assume people know your background. Write posts that start with "When I was [role your ICP holds], here's what kept me up at night..." Use war stories and before/after narratives from your own career.

Use specific case studies that prove you've solved this problem before. Not just for your company — for yourself in previous roles.

If you don't have strong personal ICP overlap, you need to accept that trust will take longer to build. In this case:

Consistency and volume matter even more. You can't rely on instant credibility, so you need to show up enough times that people start recognizing you as a consistent voice in your space.

Borrow social proof strategically. Feature customer logos, testimonials, and case studies. Highlight team members who have ICP backgrounds. Get advisors or partners with relevant credibility to engage with your content or co-create it.

Consider elevating a senior leader who was your ICP. If your CRO used to be a VP of Sales at companies like the ones you're selling to, they might be a better voice than you for certain types of content. You can build brand authority through multiple executive voices.

Social proof doesn't have to be about you personally having a massive success story. It has to be about you clearly understanding and having solved the problems your audience faces.

The foundation matters more than the tactics

Look, I could write 10 posts about perfect hooks and optimal posting times and carousel templates. That content exists everywhere.

But if you genuinely enjoy at least one form of content and commit to it, if you truly believe founder-led content is a revenue and opportunity engine, and if you make your social proof obvious and relevant to your ICP — LinkedIn becomes dramatically easier.

Hooks and formats and calendars become multipliers after these foundations are in place. Without the foundations, you're just optimizing tactics that don't matter yet.

So before you go looking for the next growth hack, ask yourself:

Am I working in a content format I actually enjoy, or am I forcing myself into what everyone says I "should" do?

Do I actually believe this drives business results, or am I just checking a box?

Is my social proof visible and relevant to the people I'm trying to reach?

Fix these three things first. Then we can talk about tactics.

That's all for this week. If one of these three problems hit especially hard, I'd love to hear which one. Just hit reply and let me know — I read every response.

Now go make something happen this week.

I'll see you next week.

—Will