LinkedIn Content Strategy for Creative Brand Marketing Consultants | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for creative brand marketing consultants: how a UK campaign curator reached 243 brand and agency leaders in 6 weeks
We read the reactions on 16 posts from a UK creative brand and PR consultant who curates the best campaigns. 1,327 people, 243 brand and agency leaders. Here is what brings buyers, what brings peers, and the 5 posts we'd publish next.
Max Sawyer · Netwarm··11 min read
The creator in this case studyA UK creative brand and PR consultant and campaign curator
Followers18,251
Posts~3 a week
These numbers are from 31 October. Your audience has already moved.
New brand and agency leaders turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
SellsCreative and PR consulting for brands and agencies, talks, and a weekly newsletter on creative brand marketing
PeriodSep 23 – Oct 31
Ideal client: heads of marketing, brand and communications at consumer brands, and founders and creative directors of agencies.The challenge: The consultant shares the best campaigns of the week to an audience full of creatives, copywriters and PR people. Reach is not the problem: some posts pass 6,000 reactions. The question is which posts reach the brand and agency leaders who hire a consultant.
Key takeaways
About 1 in 5 readers is a brand or agency leader.243 heads of marketing, brand and comms, creative directors and agency founders reacted in 6 weeks: 18.3% of the people we read.
Topics land the same. Posts don't.Every topic brought 16 to 22% buyers. Single posts ranged from 7.1% (a New York policy story) to 28.9% (Polaroid's line on AI).
The biggest post is not the best for buyers.The Land Rover spec ad reached 6,534 reactions. Small everyday finds, with under 200 reactions, brought a higher share of buyers.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The consultant posts about three times a week: the campaign of the day, spec ads made for big brands, small finds spotted in British towns, and the fight between AI slop and human craft. 16 posts between 23 September and 31 October 2026.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. Creative campaign posts travel far: copywriters, designers, students and PR people share the same feed as the marketing leaders who buy. Reach can't tell them apart. Who reacted can. We read the first 100 reactions on each post and sorted every person by role.
16posts in 6 weeks
1,327people reacted
243brand and agency leaders
19came back 2+ times
Audience by roleThe 1,327 people who reacted, by roleFree
Freelancers, consultants, copywriters, students & other creatives258 · 19.4%
Everyone else826 · 62.2%
Buyers and peers are almost level: 243 brand and agency leaders, 258 freelancers, consultants, copywriters and students. Peers push reach, and they rarely hire a consultant.
Most people who react hold other jobs: account managers, executives, people outside marketing who enjoy a clever ad. They make the big numbers, and they are why reach alone says little about who is buying.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level12.8%
Director, VP16.4%
Manager13%
Independent6.6%
Other51.3%
IndustriesBrand and agency leaders onlyNetwarm
Agencies, PR and communications40.7%
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Core audience2 brand and agency leaders engaged 3+ times · 0 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
19 brand and agency leaders came back to 2 posts or more. One head of marketing reacted to 3.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your brand and agency leaders work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach brand and agency leaders
A curator's best post is easy to spot: the one with the most reactions. For a consultant who sells, the better measure is who reacted.
We tagged each of the 16 posts by topic, then measured the share of brand and agency leaders among the people who reacted.
Your topicsWhat your 16 posts were aboutFree
16posts
Brand campaign picks5
Everyday finds and culture5
AI vs human craft3
Spec ads2
Events1
Topics that attract brand and agency leadersShare of each topic’s reactions from brand and agency leadersNetwarm
AI vs human craft21.7%
Everyday finds and culture18.9%
Brand campaign picks17.5%
Spec ads17.0%
Topics are within 5 points of each other. Single posts range from 7.1% to 28.9%. See which ones led.See which topics
Topics are close: AI vs human craft leads at 21.7% buyers, spec ads trail at 17%. The way a single post opens decides more than its topic.
Posts that brought the most brand and agency leadersShare of brand and agency leaders in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1Polaroid's best diss line on AI28.9%
#2A book swap vending machine in Manchester28.1%
#3London Underground seats as socks27.3%
#4Apple Music's logo, made by sound and captured in camera24.5%
#5Colgate turns toothpaste foam into vampire fangs19%
For comparison, the post on New York's one-click cancel rule reached 2,276 reactions but only 7.1% brand and agency leaders, the lowest share.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from brand and agency leaders
These rules come from what worked on the consultant's own profile, and from the best-performing posts by UK brand strategists and advertising commentators on LinkedIn over the last 3 months.
1
Say what the idea does in the first line. Marketing leaders scroll past “Brilliant.” They stop for a line that explains the trick: two products, one idea. Put the mechanism up top, the credit below.Across the niche: Will Poskett's “sells TWO products with ONE idea” opener earned 1,813 likes and 127 comments.
Small, real finds beat big viral reposts. A vending machine in Manchester or seat fabric turned into socks brings more buyers per reaction than the posts that go viral. They feel like something a marketer could steal for their own brand.On this profile: the Book Swap and Underground socks posts reached 28.1% and 27.3% buyers on under 200 reactions each.
Take a side on AI and craft. Brand leaders are deciding right now how much AI goes into their work. A clear point of view (“the more AI slop fills our feeds, the more we appreciate human craft”) gives them words for that meeting.On this profile: AI vs human craft had the highest topic share, 21.7%. Across the niche: Andrew Tindall's “Humans are pushing back against AI” post earned 7,565 likes.
Add the lesson a marketing team can use. A campaign alone is entertainment. The same campaign with two or three numbered lessons becomes something a head of marketing forwards to the team.Across the niche: Andrew Tindall's Morrisons post, with three numbered lessons and their numbers, earned 4,284 likes and 118 comments.
Use spec ads for reach, then follow up for buyers. Spec ads show the work and travel furthest. They bring the same buyer share as other posts, so the next post should give the brand and agency leaders they brought a reason to stay.On this profile: the Land Rover spec ad reached 6,534 reactions, the most of any post, at 17% buyers. Across the niche: Helena Langdon's one-line Guinness spec ad earned 1,052 likes.
Keep stories outside marketing for the newsletter. A city policy or a celebrity quote can be big in reach and small in buyers. If it has no brand or campaign angle, it brings the wrong crowd.On this profile: the New York subscription post reached 2,276 reactions and the lowest buyer share, 7.1%.
When brand and agency leaders read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for creative brand marketing consultants
We compared the share of brand and agency leaders by the day and the hour each post was published (UK time). Two-hour slots with at least 3 posts are shown.
Share of brand and agency leaders by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
13.3%
Mon
22.7%
Tue
15.9%
Wed
26.2%
Thu
22.6%
Fri
19.0%
Sat
18.0%
Sun
Best time to post, by hourShare of brand and agency leaders among people who reactedFree
22.0%
6:00
16.3%
8:00
17.1%
12:00
Thursday brought the highest share of brand and agency leaders (26.2%), then Tuesday and Friday (about 23%). Monday was the lowest at 13.3%.
Posts that went out between 6 and 8 a.m. UK time reached 22% buyers, against 16 to 17% later in the morning or at lunch. Keep the early slot for the posts that sell the work, Tuesday to Friday.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target brand and agency leaders
Each post follows the rules above, in the consultant's voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real find or the real ad is what makes it land.
1Ready to postPoint of view
The handmade Christmas ad, explained in one lineRules 1 and 3: the idea in the first line, a clear side on AI and craft. Modelled on the “AI slop” post, the profile's strongest topic.
Hook
This Christmas, the most expensive thing in an ad is proof that a human made it.With audiences icking over AI slop, brands are doubling down on analogue craft. Stop motion. Real snow. Sets built by hand.And to prove the effort, the ad now comes with a second film: the four-minute behind-the-scenes.What's changed:→ The making-of used to be for award juries. Now it's for the audience.
→ “No AI” is turning into a post tag, like “organic” on a label.
→ The craft is part of the story, not just the way to tell it.It's not cheap and it takes days.That's the point.Which Christmas ad has made you watch the behind-the-scenes this year?I write a weekly newsletter about creative brand marketing > link in comments
Visual · Two imagesSide by side: a still from a handmade Christmas ad and a frame from its behind-the-scenes film.Check before postingPick one real 2026 Christmas ad with a published behind-the-scenes film and credit the brand and agency.
Three small British ideas worth stealingRule 2: small, real finds bring the most buyers per reaction. Modelled on the Book Swap and Underground socks posts.
Hook
The best brand ideas I've seen this autumn didn't come from a big budget.1/ A book swap vending machine in Manchester
Drop in a book you've finished, get a token, pick another. No money changes hands and nothing ends up in landfill.2/ London Underground seats, as socks
The moquette fabric from the District, Central and Bakerloo lines, sold at the Transport Museum. Wear the seat on your feet.3/ A high-street cobbler's till data
Signals about cultural change aren't always buried in a 100-page report. Sometimes they're in what people bring in to be fixed.What they share: one simple idea, a product you can touch, and a story people want to pass on.No media plan needed.What's the cleverest small idea you've spotted on a high street this year?I write a weekly newsletter about creative brand marketing > link in comments
Visual · CarouselThree slides, one photo per idea, with a one-line caption each.Check before postingAll three come from your own earlier posts: check the details and credit the people who sent you the tips.
The sheep mascot and the Streisand EffectRule 4: a campaign plus the lessons a marketing team can use. Modelled on Will Poskett's Hiscox post.
Hook
The fastest way to make a mascot famous is to try to make it disappear.Last month a bank's new sheep mascot went viral for all the wrong reasons.It's a shining example of the Streisand Effect: attempts to hide something make it travel further. Named after Barbra Streisand, who sued to suppress an aerial photo of her Malibu home. It had six downloads before. Hundreds of thousands the month after.3 lessons for any brand team launching a character:1. Test it on someone who doesn't love it
The people who designed it can't see the joke the internet will see.2. Decide your reply before launch day
If it goes wrong, the first response is the one that gets screenshotted.3. Never delete
Pulling it down tells everyone the joke landed. Laughing along usually ends it faster.Would you have kept the sheep?I write a weekly newsletter about creative brand marketing > link in comments
Visual · Single imageThe mascot itself, with credit to the source of the clip.Check before postingName the bank and check what happened to the mascot since your first post before you publish.
Made a spec ad for the TubeRule 5: spec ads bring the biggest reach. Modelled on Helena Langdon's one-line Guinness spec ad and the Land Rover post.
Hook
Made a spec ad for the London Underground.Mind the gap. Not the socks.The moquette sock range is real, sold at the Transport Museum. The ad is mine.I write a weekly newsletter about creative brand marketing > link in comments
Visual · Single imageA Tube platform poster in the classic roundel style: a pair of moquette socks standing on the yellow line, the line “Mind the gap. Not the socks.”Check before postingMake the ad first. Keep it clear it's a spec ad and not a real campaign.
The Handmade Christmas Ad FileThe lead magnet below, offered in a post. Modelled on Olly Hudson's collection of 100+ Black Friday ads.
Hook
I've kept every handmade Christmas ad of 2026 in one file.Stop motion, real sets, practical effects, felt and paper.For each one:→ The brand and the agency
→ What was made by hand, and how long it took
→ The behind-the-scenes film, if there is one
→ Why it works, in one lineIt started as research for my piece on the year of the handmade Christmas ad. It turned into the list I wish I'd had when planning a Christmas campaign.If you want it, comment CRAFT and I'll send it over.
Visual · Single imageA grid of 9 stills from handmade Christmas ads, each labelled with the brand.Check before postingBuild the file before posting. Put your Netwarm Reveal link in the reply so you can see which brand and agency leaders open it.
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 brand and agency leaders
Reactions show interest. A download shows intent. The fastest way to find which brand and agency leaders are serious is to give them something useful and see who takes it.
In advertising and creative marketing, these formats get the most requests:
Format 1The seasonal collectionEvery ad from one season or event, each with what it does and why it works.
Format 2The swipe fileReal ads sorted by the job they do, so a team can pick one for their next brief.
Format 3The archivePast pieces, in one place, as a reading list.
Our pick for you: “The Handmade Christmas Ad File”Built from the piece the consultant already wrote on the year of the handmade Christmas ad: every 2026 Christmas ad made by hand, with the brand, agency, the making-of film and one line on why it works. Offer it in post 5, the week brand teams start judging the season.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 brand and agency leaders to the profile. It doesn't say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible, and a head of marketing reading every post in October may have picked another consultant by January.
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 now0 brand and agency leaders · not contacted yetNetwarm
0 brand and agency 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 Sam, you reacted to a few of my posts on handmade ads. Is your team going analogue for Christmas this year?Hi Alex, I saw you liked the Streisand Effect post. Are you launching a character next year?
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
Campaigns with the lesson a marketing team can use, small real finds, and a clear point of view on AI and craft. Here, those brought 22 to 29% brand and agency leaders, against 7% for a story with no brand angle.
For this consultant, Thursday brought the highest share of brand and agency leaders (26.2%), then Tuesday and Friday (about 23%). Monday was the lowest (13.3%). Posts at 6 to 8 a.m. UK time did best.
About three times a week worked here: 16 posts in 6 weeks reached 243 brand and agency leaders. Give the posts that sell the work the Tuesday to Friday early slot.
Look at who reacts, not how many. Group reactions by role, measure the share of your ideal clients 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 first 100 public reactions on each of 16 posts published between 23 September and 31 October 2026, and sorted the 1,327 people by role. Two reposts were left out. Comments were not counted, and on the larger posts only the first 100 reactions were read, so these figures are a floor.
Niche rules come from top posts by UK and US brand strategists and advertising commentators over the last 3 months. Role groups are approximate; a Netwarm scan matches people to your own ideal client.
