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LinkedIn is broken for founders.
Not technically. But the content game has completely flipped.
What worked 2 years ago doesn't work anymore. And most founders haven't noticed.
Here's what's happening.
1. The flip
Two years ago, this got engagement:
→ Perfect headshots
→ "5 lessons learned" posts
→ Motivational quotes over stock photos
→ Polished company updates
Today, this gets ignored. Completely.
Instead, this content is exploding:
→ Raw selfies with messy backgrounds
→ "Here's how I failed" posts
→ Behind-the-scenes struggles
→ Unfiltered business reality
The algorithm rewarded polish. Now it rewards authenticity.
2. The numbers
LinkedIn's data shows:
Posts starting with "I failed" get 5x more comments than "5 tips" posts
Raw video content outperforms studio content 3:1
"Behind the scenes" posts get 4x more shares than product announcements
Founders showing vulnerability get 2x more inbound leads
3. What caused this
Three forces flipped the game:
AI explosion: ChatGPT made perfect content too easy. Now everyone sounds identical. Authentic voices cut through the noise.
Content saturation: There are 58 million "thought leaders" on LinkedIn. Perfect posts blend together. Messy posts stand out.
Trust recession: People are tired of fake-it-till-you-make-it culture. They want real humans, not personal brand robots.
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4. Who's winning
The founders getting massive reach aren't the polished ones:
They post from coffee shops, not corner offices
They share rejected pitch decks, not just success stories
They admit "I don't know" instead of pretending expertise
They show spreadsheets, not just celebrations
Raw beats refined. Every single time.
5. My thoughts
Perfect founder content died because perfect founders don't exist.
The market figured this out faster than most founders did.
The shift isn't just about engagement. Authentic founders are closing more deals, charging higher prices, and building stronger businesses.
Your mess is your competitive advantage. The founders using it will dominate the next decade.
I share my mess every day about kids sending up my blood pressure. 🤣😂😂😂
Talk tomorrow,
Stephen
P.S. Most founders are still stuck in the "perfect content" playbook while the game has completely changed. If you want help adapting to the new rules, reply "SHIFT."
Show exactly how you guide them through the middle.
