LinkedIn Content Strategy for CPA Firm Growth Advisors | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for CPA firm growth advisors: how a Charlotte business advisor and podcast host reached 46 CEOs and business owners in 4 weeks
We read every reaction on 25 posts from a Charlotte CPA firm partner and business podcast host. 305 people, 46 CEOs and business owners. Here is what brings buyers, what brings peers, and the 5 posts we'd publish next.
Max Sawyer · Netwarm··13 min read
The creator in this case studyA Charlotte CPA firm partner and business podcast host
Followers45,954
Posts~6 a week
SellsBusiness growth advice and accounting for privately held companies and their owners, plus a weekly live show and the Anything but Typical Podcast
PeriodOct 13 – Nov 8
Ideal client: CEOs and owners of privately held companies in the Carolinas who want to save money, make money and stay out of trouble.The challenge: The advisor wrote that time on social media can be time poorly spent instead of wisely invested. With a Tattoo Tuesday, Cold Plunge Musings, podcast stories and gratitude posts every week, which posts are the investment: the ones that reach the CEOs and owners the advisor works with?
Key takeaways
These numbers are from 8 November. Your audience has already moved.
New business owners turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
46 CEOs and business owners.46 of the 305 people who reacted run a company, about 1 in 7. Half the audience (151 people) are coaches, consultants, speakers and advisors.
Personal stories bring 2x more.Personal and Charlotte stories brought 13.3% business owners and 6.2 per post. Tattoo Tuesday posts brought 5.7% and 1.2 per post.
7 keep coming back.7 CEOs and business owners reacted to 3 or more of the 25 posts, and 2 to 5 or more.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The LinkedIn algorithm rewards a busy feed, and the advisor keeps one: about 6 posts a week, from music stories to podcast guests. But reach only pays off if owners are in it.
We read the public reactions on the advisor's 25 posts from 13 October to 8 November 2026 and sorted every person by role.
25posts read
305people reacted
46CEOs and business owners
7came back 3+ times
Audience by roleThe 305 people who reacted, by roleFree
CEOs and business owners46 · 15.1%
Coaches, consultants, speakers and advisors151 · 49.5%
Other professionals108 · 35.4%
Half the people who react are peers: coaches, consultants, speakers, bankers and other advisors who sell to the same owners. They are great for reach and referrals, and they rarely hire a CPA firm.
The 46 owners are spread across trades, construction, property, finance and IT services: the privately held companies the advisor works with.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level34.1%
Director, VP5.2%
Manager5.6%
Independent12.8%
Other42.3%
IndustriesBusiness owners onlyNetwarm
Construction, trades and property19.6%
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See all industries and company sizes in your free scan.
Core audience7 business owners engaged 3+ times · 2 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
7 CEOs and business owners keep coming back. One of them reacted to 9 of the 25 posts.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your business owners work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach business owners
Most advisors judge a post by its reactions. An advisor who sells should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 25 posts by topic, then measured the share of CEOs and business owners among the reactions.
Your topicsWhat your 25 posts were aboutFree
25posts
Personal and Charlotte stories6
Cold Plunge Musings and mindset6
Podcast guest stories5
Tattoo Tuesday music stories4
Event and show invites4
Topics that attract business ownersShare of each topic’s reactions from business ownersNetwarm
Personal and Charlotte stories13.3%
Event and show invites12.9%
Podcast guest stories11.0%
Cold Plunge Musings and mindset8.8%
Tattoo Tuesday music stories5.7%
One topic brings 5x more business owners per post than another. See which.See which topics
Personal and Charlotte stories bring 2.3x the share of business owners of Tattoo Tuesday posts (13.3% vs 5.7%), and about 5x more owners per post (6.2 vs 1.2).
Posts that brought the most business ownersShare of business owners in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1Three things I look for when hiring17.3%
#2Saying yes to a comedy stage15.8%
#3A podcast guest on broken trust15.7%
#4This is what losing looks like15.6%
#5Back in Chagrin Falls after eleven years13.7%
Among posts with at least 19 reactions read. For comparison, the four Tattoo Tuesday posts brought between 4.5% and 8.3% business owners.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from business owners
These rules come from what worked on the advisor's own profile, and from the best-performing posts by business advisors and owner-educators over the last 3 months.
1
Tell the story, then hand owners the lesson. Owners react to a real moment from your week: a board meeting, an awards night, a gym buddy. The lesson lands because the story came first.On this profile: personal and Charlotte stories brought 13.3% business owners, the highest of any topic, and 6.2 per post.
Open on a question every owner asks. “What do you look for when hiring?” is a question owners answer every month. It makes them stop and compare with their own answer.On this profile: the hiring post brought 17.3% business owners, the highest share among posts with 19+ reactions read.
Give them a framework they can use on Monday. A list of levels, tests or questions an owner can run with the team turns a nice post into a saved one.Across the niche: Codie A. Sanchez’s 5 levels of employees drew 398 comments on 1,046 likes.
Name the owner’s late-night worry in the first line. Payroll, a key client leaving, “what if I’m not here?”. Only owners have these worries, so only owners feel seen.Across the niche: Codie A. Sanchez’s midnight payroll post drew 4,399 likes and 436 comments.
Show character under pressure. Owners trust advisors who notice how leaders act when things go wrong. A guest or a friend who told the truth in a hard moment says more than a tip list.On this profile: the podcast guest story on broken trust brought 15.7% business owners, the best podcast post. Across the niche: Ben Kelly’s turnaround story drew 679 likes.
Keep the fun series, but land the business point early. Tattoo Tuesday is a signature. When the business link comes in the first lines, owners stay; when it comes at the end, they scroll.On this profile: the four Tattoo Tuesday posts averaged 5.7% business owners. The Tom Petty post, which ties the band to “overnight successes in the entrepreneurial world” early, brought 8.3%.
When business owners read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for CPA firm growth advisors
We compared the share of CEOs and business owners by the day and the hour (Eastern time) each post was published. Most posts went out at 6 a.m., and the weekend gratitude and mindset posts in the evening.
Share of business owners by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
9.8%
Mon
5.7%
Tue
13.0%
Wed
8.3%
Thu
13.0%
Fri
5.5%
Sat
13.1%
Sun
Best time to post, by hourShare of business owners among people who reactedFree
11.3%
6:00
8.3%
10:00
10.7%
20:00
Friday (13.0%, 5.8 owners per post) and Sunday (13.1%, 6.0 per post) brought the most business owners. Wednesday matched the share (13.0%) with fewer owners per post (3.0).
Tuesday is the Tattoo Tuesday slot and brought the lowest share (5.7%): the topic, more than the day, explains it. Put the personal stories on Friday at 6 a.m. and Sunday evening, and keep the music series lighter.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target business owners
Each post follows the rules above, in the advisor's voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real story is what makes it land.
1Ready to postPersonal story + lesson
A 111-year-old mill and the business you already haveRule 1: tell the story, then hand owners the lesson. Modelled on “This is what losing looks like…”, 14 CEOs and business owners, the most of any post.
Hook
Every morning I walk into a building that was finished 111 years ago.The Savona Mill has seen a lot. Looms, layoffs, empty years, and now a bunch of accountants and advisors drinking too much coffee on the second floor. (Guilty.)When we moved our offices here, I expected the shiny new stuff to impress people.It doesn't.What people touch is the old brick. The beams. The scars in the floor where machines sat for decades.Nobody tore those out. The team built around them.That's when it hit me. Most business owners I meet think growth means starting over: new systems, new people, new everything.But the best companies I've worked with did what this mill did.👉 They kept what was strong.
👉 They fixed what was broken.
👉 They gave the old bones a new purpose.Your business probably doesn't need a wrecking ball. It needs someone to walk through it and ask, "What here is still holding the roof up?"That's an anything but typical way to look at growth, and it's usually the cheaper one.What would you keep if you rebuilt your business tomorrow?Agree?#anythingbuttypical #ripplemakerz #charlottenc
Visual · Single imageA photo of you next to an original brick wall or beam inside the Savona Mill offices, natural light, no logo.Check before postingCheck the building facts (111 years, what the mill used to make) and swap in a detail only you would know about the move.
Batteries installed: 3 questions I ask before I hire anyoneRule 2 and Rule 3: open on a question every owner asks, then give a framework they can use. Modelled on the hiring post (17.3% business owners) and Codie A. Sanchez’s 5 levels.
Hook
How do you know if someone comes with batteries installed?A few weeks ago I shared the three things I look for when hiring or partnering with anyone:1) Humility
2) Competency
3) Batteries installedA lot of you asked the obvious follow-up: "Great, Gary. But how do you spot #3 in a one-hour interview?"Fair question. Here are the 3 I ask.👉 "Tell me about something you fixed that nobody asked you to fix."
People with batteries have a story ready. People without them look at the ceiling.👉 "What did you do last time you were stuck and your boss wasn't around?"
I'm listening for action, not permission.👉 "What are you excited about right now, outside of work?"
Energy doesn't turn on at 9 and off at 5. If they light up here, they'll light up on Monday.Competency you can check with references. Humility shows up over lunch.Batteries? You have to ask.Because it's EXHAUSTING trying to wind people up to get stuff done. (Ask any business owner.)What's the one question you always ask in an interview?#anythingbuttypical #hiring #leadership
Visual · Single imageA simple graphic: three big batteries labelled Humility, Competency, Batteries installed, the third one glowing.Check before postingUse the interview questions you really ask. Swap any of the three for yours if they differ.
The question owners ask at 11 p.m.Rule 4: name the owner’s late-night worry in the first line. Modelled on Codie A. Sanchez’s “midnight quiet only owners will understand” (4,399 likes).
Hook
There's a question most business owners only ask themselves after 11 p.m."What happens to this company if I'm not here?"Not retired. Not sold. Just… not here. Sick for a month. Stuck overseas. Done.As a night owl, I know that hour well. And I've sat across the table from enough owners to know the answer usually scares them.Because the company runs on things an org chart can't show:👉 The banker who only calls them.
👉 The pricing logic that lives in their head.
👉 The three clients who stay because of a 20-year friendship.None of that is written down. All of it walks out the door with them.You don't need a 90-page succession plan to start. You need one honest list:What do I do that nobody else knows how to do?Write it down this week. Then pick one item and teach it to someone.That's not planning your exit. That's protecting everyone who counts on you.What's on your list?Agree?#anythingbuttypical #business #leadership
Visual · Single imageA dark front-porch photo with a single lamp on, or a plain black card with the question in white type.Check before postingKeep the examples to things you’ve really seen with owners, without naming any client.
The $200,000 employee checklistRule 3: give owners something they can use on their team. The checklist is the lead magnet, built from the weekly live show on employee classification.
Hook
Your $80,000 employee can turn into a $200,000 problem.And you may have created it yourself.Calling someone a contractor because it seemed simpler. Assuming salary means no overtime. Trusting a noncompete that might not hold up.Good intentions don't count for much when the Department of Labor, a former employee's attorney or a buyer's due diligence team comes knocking. (Cold plunging won't solve this one! 🥶)We spent a whole episode of our weekly show on it. So I turned it into a one-page checklist:👉 Exempt vs. non-exempt: the 3 tests
👉 Contractor vs. employee: the questions regulators ask
👉 Noncompetes: what to check before you count on one
👉 The 5 documents a buyer will ask for firstIt takes 15 minutes to run through, and it might keep you out of hot water.Comment CHECKLIST and I'll send it to you.Stay out of trouble, my friends.#anythingbuttypical #business #hr
Visual · DocumentPage 1 of the checklist as a PDF carousel cover: “The $200,000 Employee Checklist”, four checkbox lines, your colours.Check before postingHave the checklist reviewed by your colleagues before you send it, and put it behind your Netwarm Reveal link to see which owners download it.
Fleetwood Mack: the band that kept workingRule 6: keep the series, land the business lesson in the first lines. Modelled on the Tom Petty Tattoo Tuesday, the best of the four for owners.
Hook
Some of the best work ever made came from partners who could barely stand each other.Hooray! It's Tattoo Tuesday! "Fleetwood Mack"When Fleetwood Mac recorded "Rumours" in 1976, the band was falling apart. Two couples in the band were breaking up. Nobody was getting along.They made the album anyway. It came out in 1977 and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.I see the same thing in business partnerships. Partners disagree. Founders and their #2 butt heads. Families argue at the board table.The ones that last don't avoid the fight. They agree on what they're building and keep showing up."Go Your Own Way" is a great song. It's a terrible exit strategy.As for this tattoo… somebody at the shop clearly needed "Rumours" to slow down. "Fleetwood Mack" will be on that shoulder forever.Lesson learned? "Don't Stop" checking the spelling.Agree?Have a tattastic Tuesday!#anythingbuttypical
Visual · Single imageYour usual AI-made tattoo image: a shoulder tattoo reading “Fleetwood Mack”, same style as the Tom Petty post.Check before postingKeep it on a Tuesday so the series name stays true. Check the album facts before posting, and make the tattoo image with your usual AI tool.
Free forever: unlimited scheduling through LinkedIn’s official API, with images, video and PDF carousels.
06
LinkedIn lead generation: lead magnets that work to target business owners
Reactions show interest. A download shows intent. The fastest way to find out which owners are serious is to give them something useful and see who takes it.
Among advisors and consultants who write for owners, these formats get the most requests:
Format 1The checklistOne page an owner can run through in 15 minutes, named for the people it serves.
Format 2The free live workshopA seat at a free session on one owner problem, sold with a real number from your own business.
Format 3The one-page playbookEverything an owner needs for one job, on a single page, for a one-word comment.
Format 4The client walkthroughHow one client turned a company around, step by step, without naming them.
Our pick for you: “The $200,000 Employee Checklist”Built from the weekly live show the advisor co-hosts on employee classification: exempt vs. non-exempt, contractor vs. employee, noncompetes and what a buyer asks for first. Offer it on post 4: the owners who download it are the ones to talk to first.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 owners to the profile. It doesn't say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible, and an owner reading every post in October may have hired another firm by spring.
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 business owners · not contacted yetNetwarm
2 business owners 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 Pat, you've reacted to a few of my Friday stories. Is hiring on your list this quarter, or is it more about keeping the team you have?Hi Chris, I saw you liked the post on what happens if the owner isn't there. Have you started that list?
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
Personal stories with a business lesson, questions owners ask themselves (hiring, succession) and frameworks they can use. Here personal and Charlotte stories brought 13.3% business owners, music stories 5.7%.
For this advisor, Friday (13.0%) and Sunday (13.1%) brought the most business owners per post, about 6 each. Tuesday, the Tattoo Tuesday slot, came last on share.
This advisor posts about 6 times a week, and 7 owners came back 3 times or more in 4 weeks. Frequency keeps readers warm; the topic decides whether they are owners.
Look at who reacts, not how many. Group reactions by role, measure the share of your ideal clients per post and per topic, and watch who comes back 3 or more times.
Yes, if the tool only reads public reactions and never asks for your LinkedIn password. Netwarm works without a LinkedIn login and never posts or sends messages for you.
How we made this playbook
Period: 13 October to 8 November 2026, 25 posts. Shared show announcements and event promos written by others were left out.
We read the first 100 reactions of each post: 704 reactions from 305 people. Comments were not counted.
Roles come from public headlines and are approximate. Business owners = founders, owners, CEOs, presidents and C-level people of companies, without coaches, consultants, speakers and advisors.
Niche rules and lead magnets come from the best-performing posts of business advisors and owner-educators over the last 90 days.