LinkedIn Content Strategy for B2B Content Agencies | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for B2B content agencies: how a Minnesota agency CEO reached 82 founders and B2B marketing leaders in 5 weeks
We read the reactions on 30 posts from a Minnesota B2B content agency CEO. 306 people, 82 founders and B2B marketing leaders. Here is what brings buyers, what brings peers, and the 5 posts we’d publish next.
Max Sawyer · Netwarm··12 min read
The creator in this case studyA Minnesota B2B content agency co-founder and CEO
Followers11,824
Posts~6 a week
These numbers are from 2 November. Your audience has already moved.
New founders and B2B marketing leaders turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
SellsExecutive social, company social and always-on B2B content, plus a newsletter (The Standard) and a free virtual event series (CommaCon)
PeriodSep 30 – Nov 2
Ideal client: founders, CEOs, CMOs and heads of marketing and communications at B2B companies who want their executives posting on LinkedIn.The challenge: The agency CEO wrote to LinkedIn itself: why are you no longer surfacing my content to my followers? Most posts get 5 to 40 reactions, and many come from the agency’s own team. Which posts reach the founders and marketing leaders who hire a content agency?
Key takeaways
More than 1 in 4 readers is a buyer.82 founders and B2B marketing leaders reacted in 5 weeks: 26.8% of the 306 people who reacted. 37.6% are the agency’s own team, ghostwriters, writers and content people.
Founder stories bring almost 2x the share of marketing takes.Founder and agency-building stories reached 22.6% buyers, marketing strategy takes 12.8%. CommaCon announcements reached 16.1%.
14 of them came back.They reacted to 2 posts or more. One of them reacted to 7 of the 30.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The agency CEO posted 30 times between 30 September and 2 November: CommaCon announcements and speakers, executive social and thought leadership, marketing takes from The Standard, founder and agency-building stories, and the team offsite.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to the people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. When the first reactions come from the team and from other writers, the post travels among writers. Reach can’t tell them apart from a CMO. Who reacted can. We sorted every person who reacted by role.
30posts in 5 weeks
306people reacted
82founders and B2B marketing leaders
14came back 2+ times
Audience by roleThe 306 people who reacted, by roleFree
Founders, CEOs, CMOs, VPs & heads of marketing and comms82 · 26.8%
The agency team, ghostwriters, writers & content people115 · 37.6%
Everyone else109 · 35.6%
More than a third of the people who react are the agency’s own team, ghostwriters, writers, creators and freelancers. They give every post its first push, and they rarely buy.
The 82 buyers are founders, CEOs, CMOs, VPs of marketing and heads of communications. About 39% work in marketing, brand, growth or communications, and about a third in SaaS, AI and tech.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level30.7%
Director, VP8.5%
Manager9.2%
Independent6.5%
Other45.1%
IndustriesFounders and B2B marketing leaders onlyNetwarm
Marketing, brand & communications39%
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Core audience3 founders and B2B marketing leaders engaged 3+ times · 2 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
14 founders and B2B marketing leaders came back to 2 posts or more. One of them reacted to 7 of the 30 posts.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your founders and B2B marketing leaders work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach founders and B2B marketing leaders
Most agencies judge a post by its reactions. An agency that sells to founders and CMOs should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 30 posts by topic, then measured the share of founders and B2B marketing leaders among the people who reacted.
Your topicsWhat your 30 posts were aboutFree
30posts
CommaCon announcements9
Founder and agency-building stories6
Executive social and thought leadership6
Marketing strategy takes5
Team and culture4
Topics that attract founders and B2B marketing leadersShare of each topic’s reactions from founders and B2B marketing leadersNetwarm
Founder and agency-building stories22.6%
Team and culture16.2%
CommaCon announcements16.1%
Executive social and thought leadership14.7%
Marketing strategy takes12.8%
One topic brings almost 2x the share of buyers of another. See which.See which topics
Founder and agency-building stories bring 1.8x the share of founders and B2B marketing leaders that marketing strategy takes do (22.6% vs 12.8%), and 6 buyers per post against 2.
Posts that brought the most founders and B2B marketing leadersShare of founders and B2B marketing leaders in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1I scolded Alex Lieberman for purchasing the annual Slack subscription.35.1%
#2Most executive "thought leadership" is neither. SARRY!33.3%
#3Dearest LinkedIn, Why are you no longer routinely surfacing my content31%
#4Founders, not sure you’re working on the right things?28.6%
#5We hosted a live comedy event and I agreed to be roasted.22.7%
For comparison, the post on executives posting on LinkedIn (47 reactions) reached 11% founders and B2B marketing leaders, and the CommaCon schedule posts reached none. Most posts had fewer than 40 reactions, so single-post shares are indicative.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from founders and B2B marketing leaders
These rules come from what worked on the agency CEO’s own profile, and from the best-performing posts by B2B content agency founders and executive ghostwriters over the last 3 months.
1
Tell the founder money story. The $150 Slack plan, staying in the black, bootstrapping after VC. Founders react to the numbers behind the business, told with a laugh.On this profile: the Slack subscription post brought 35% founders and B2B marketing leaders, and 26 buyers, the most of any post.
Make the point in the first line. A short, blunt opening that takes a side. Buyers decide in one line whether a post is for them.On this profile: "Most executive thought leadership is neither" brought 33%. Across the niche: Justin M. Nassiri’s study of 6,035 executive posts found every top post opened with a statement under 15 words.
Say what your buyers think about LinkedIn. Marketing leaders fight the same platform every day. A post that says it out loud, with humor, is one they react to.On this profile: the "Dearest LinkedIn" letter brought 31% founders and B2B marketing leaders.
Show the agency from the inside. A sales call, a roast, a client who asked for free samples. Behind-the-scenes stories show buyers what working with the agency feels like.On this profile: the comedy roast post brought 23%. Across the niche: Mahima Jalan’s "300 free posts" story got 125 likes and 46 comments.
Name the client’s problem, then give the blueprint. The busy exec, the draft that scored 4/10, the CMO with no budget. Start with the buyer’s problem, then show the steps.Across the niche: Matt Barker’s agency founder blueprint got 119 likes and 67 comments.
Announce events with an opinion, not a schedule. An event post that takes a side reaches buyers; a list of dates reaches the team. Lead with the argument, then the speaker.On this profile: CommaCon posts with a point of view reached up to 33% buyers, the schedule posts none. Across the niche: Tommy Clark’s exec voices post got 86 likes.
When founders and B2B marketing leaders read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for B2B content agencies
We compared the share of founders and B2B marketing leaders by the day and the hour each post was published (Central time). Hours are shown for 2-hour slots with 3 posts or more.
Share of founders and B2B marketing leaders by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
14.3%
Mon
12.0%
Tue
12.5%
Wed
23.6%
Thu
16.9%
Fri
Best time to post, by hourShare of founders and B2B marketing leaders among people who reactedFree
11.6%
8:00
26.3%
10:00
14.5%
14:00
Thursday brought the highest share (23.6%), then Friday (16.9%). Tuesday was lowest (12.0%), then Wednesday (12.5%).
Posts published between 10 and noon brought 26.3% buyers, more than twice the 8:00 posts (11.6%). Put the founder stories on Thursday at 10.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target founders and B2B marketing leaders
Each post follows the rules above, in the agency CEO’s voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real story is what makes it land.
1Ready to postFounder story
$0 to mid-7 figures, one channelRule 1: tell the founder money story. Modelled on the Slack subscription post (35% buyers).
Hook
We grew storyarb from $0 to mid-7 figures in under 2 years. With one growth channel.Executive social.No ads. No outbound team. No VC money.Just two co-founders posting on LinkedIn, and then a whole team of us doing it.Here's what nobody tells you about that:1. It's slow, then it's not.
The first months felt like shouting into a very polite void. Then the DMs started.2. The posts that sell aren't the ones that go viral.
Our best-performing posts for new clients usually had a fraction of the likes of our funniest ones.3. Your team is your distribution.
Every person at the 'arb has a network. When they post, buyers we'd never reach see us.4. Bootstrapping makes you honest.
When there's no money to burn, you only keep doing what works. (Yes, I still check the Slack bill.)The whole thing is kind of the point of what we sell. We just had to prove it on ourselves first.Founders: what's the one channel you'd bet the business on?
Visual · PhotoA photo of the two co-founders, ideally from the early days.Check before postingCheck the revenue wording you're comfortable sharing, and replace point 2 with a real example if you have one.
Your CEO doesn’t need a ghostwriterRule 2: make the point in the first line. Modelled on "Most executive thought leadership is neither" (33% buyers) and Justin M. Nassiri’s executive post study.
Hook
Your CEO doesn't need a ghostwriter. They need an opinion.I say this as someone who runs a company full of excellent writers. SARRY team!But here's what we see over and over:A marketer is told to "get the CEO posting."
They hire a writer.
The writer asks the CEO what they think about the market.
The CEO says "I'll get back to you."Three weeks later, the posts are… fine. Polished. Safe. Nobody remembers them.The writing was never the problem.The missing piece is a point of view: how your CEO sees the market, what they disagree with, what they'd bet on.So before we write a single post for an exec, we ask three questions:1. What do you believe about your industry that most people don't?
2. What do your customers keep getting wrong?
3. What would you say if nobody from legal was in the room?The answers are the content. The writing is just how it gets out.Marketers: which of the three is hardest to get out of your CEO?
Things CEOs say before their first postRule 3: say what your buyers think about LinkedIn. Modelled on the "Dearest LinkedIn" letter (31% buyers).
Hook
Things CEOs say before their first LinkedIn post (a field guide):"I don't want to be one of THOSE people on LinkedIn.""Can we just repost the company page?""I'm not really a writer.""What if a competitor reads it?" (They will. That's kind of the point.)"Let's run it by legal. And comms. And my wife.""I'll post when we have something big to announce."And my personal favorite:"I tried it once and it didn't work." (Once. In 2021. A press release.)If you're the marketer who has heard all seven this quarter, I see you. 🫡None of these are bad instincts. They're just fear dressed up as strategy.The fix is almost never a better post. It's a smaller first step: one opinion, one story, one post a week, written in their own words.Which one have you heard the most?
Visual · Single imageA simple card with the seven quotes, in storyarb colours.Check before postingSwap in the lines your team really hears on client calls.
How we get a busy exec’s first post out of their headRule 5: name the client’s problem, then give the blueprint. Modelled on Matt Barker’s agency founder blueprint (119 likes, 67 comments).
Hook
Most execs don't have a writing problem. They have a calendar problem.And every marketer I talk to has the same question: how do I get content out of someone who has zero free time?Here's how we do it at storyarb:1. One 20-minute call, not a questionnaire.
Nobody fills in the questionnaire. Everybody talks.2. We ask for stories, not topics.
"What happened this week that annoyed you?" gets better posts than "what do you want to be known for?"3. We record everything.
The best line is usually something they said while explaining something else.4. We write it in their words.
If they'd never say "leverage," neither does the post.5. One review, then it ships.
The more rounds of edits, the safer and duller it gets.6. We show them who reacted.
Nothing gets an exec to post again faster than seeing a customer liked it.That's it. No magic. Just a system that respects their calendar.What's the hardest part of this for your team?
Visual · CarouselOne step per slide, with a short quote from a real call on each.Check before postingMake sure the 6 steps match your real process, and adjust the call length if it differs.
The House Party reportLead magnet built from the Thought Leadership Report the agency already wrote. Modelled on Matthew C Brown’s executive swipe file (429 comments) and Andrei Lucian’s checklist.
Hook
Your company's LinkedIn presence still comes down to 1 person. Usually the CEO.Who is also, you know, running the company.Meanwhile, the people who know your customers best are sitting right there in Slack. With opinions. Lots of opinions.So we wrote a report about what happens when you pass the mic.We call it The House Party, because everyone you need for a great thought leadership program already works at your company.What's inside:→ How to pick the first voices beyond the CEO
→ What each person should be known for, so they don't all post the same thing
→ A posting rhythm people will actually keep
→ How to show the program is working, beyond impressionsIt's free. No webinar attached (this time).Comment HOUSE PARTY and I'll send it to you.
Visual · Document previewThe report cover and the table of contents, blurred below the first section.Check before postingCheck the table of contents matches the real report, and share it through a Reveal link to see which founders and marketing leaders download it.
Our pick for you: “The House Party report”Built from the Thought Leadership Report the agency CEO’s team already wrote: how to take a company’s LinkedIn presence beyond the CEO. Offer it in post 5 with a Reveal link, to see which founders and marketing leaders download it.With a Reveal link, every person who downloads it is shown by name, with their role and how warm they are. Your first Reveal link is free.Create your free Reveal link
07
From reactions to clients
Content brings founders and CMOs to the profile. It doesn’t say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible behind the team and the writers who react first.
On LinkedIn, the right moment to start a conversation is when someone keeps coming back. We call that Hot: 5 or more points over 90 days, where a reaction counts 1, a repost 2, a download or a reply 4.
Hot right now2 founders and B2B marketing leaders · not contacted yetNetwarm
2 founders and B2B marketing leaders are Hot. See who to message first.See who’s Hot
First messageAn opener for each Hot person, based on the posts they readNetwarm
Hi Sarah, you’ve been following the CommaCon posts. Is getting your CEO posting on the list for next year?Hi David, I saw you reacted to the post on executive thought leadership. How many voices post for your company today?
A first line for each of them, ready to send.See the openers
Netwarm sends nothing for you. It tells you who and when, and you write the message. It also works inside Claude and ChatGPT: ask “Who’s Hot today?” and get the list.
08
FAQ
For this agency CEO, founder and agency-building stories reached 22.6% founders and B2B marketing leaders, against 12.8% for marketing strategy takes. Tell the founder money story, make the point in the first line, and show the agency from the inside.
For this agency CEO, Thursday brought the highest share of founders and B2B marketing leaders (23.6%), then Friday (16.9%). Tuesday was lowest (12.0%). Posts published between 10 and noon Central time did best (26.3%).
This agency CEO posts about 6 times a week, and 14 founders and B2B marketing leaders came back 2 times or more in 5 weeks. Posting often keeps the agency visible; founder stories are the posts that bring buyers.
Look at who reacts, not how many. A post on executives posting had 47 reactions and 11% buyers; the Slack subscription story had 77 and 35%. Group reactions by role, measure the share per post, and follow the people who keep coming back. A free Netwarm scan does this for you.
Yes. Netwarm only reads public reactions to your own posts. It never logs in as you, never asks for your password, and never messages anyone for you.
How we made this playbook
We read the public reactions on 30 posts published between 30 September and 2 November 2026, up to the first 100 people per post, and sorted the 306 people by role. The agency’s own team was counted with peers, not buyers. Comments were not counted, so engagement figures are a floor. Most posts had fewer than 40 reactions, so single-post shares are indicative.
Niche rules come from top posts by B2B content agency founders and executive ghostwriters over the last 3 months. Role groups are approximate; a Netwarm scan matches people to your own ideal client.
