LinkedIn Content Strategy for Executive Coaches | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for executive coaches: how a London executive coach reached 294 founders, CEOs and senior leaders in 5 weeks
We read the reactions on 30 posts from a London executive coach. 1,900 people, 294 founders, CEOs and senior 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 London executive coach for founders and CEOs
Followers48,345
Posts~6 a week
Sells
These numbers are from 2 November. Your audience has already moved.
New founders, CEOs and senior leaders turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
One-to-one executive coaching for founders, CEOs and senior leaders who want to get unstuck, make better decisions and lead with confidence
PeriodSep 26 – Nov 2
Ideal client: founders, CEOs, managing directors and senior leaders with years of success behind them who feel stuck, stretched or unsure what comes next.The challenge: The coach posts almost every day and reaches hundreds of people per post, up to 976 reactions. But a post on people-pleasing with 947 reactions brought half the share of buyers of a quieter post about leading consistently. Which posts reach the founders and CEOs who hire a coach?
Key takeaways
1 in 6 readers is a buyer.294 founders, CEOs and senior leaders reacted in 5 weeks: 15.5% of the 1,900 people who reacted. 30.2% are coaches, consultants, trainers and advisors.
Leadership posts bring the most buyers.Posts about leading a team reached 19.5% buyers, stories from the coach’s own management career 18.4%. Posts on pressure and self-doubt reached 15.2%.
39 of them keep coming back.They reacted to 3 posts or more. One of them reacted to 13 of the 30.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The coach posted 30 times between 26 September and 2 November: how to lead a team, stories from 30 years of managing people, feeling stuck at the top, pressure and self-doubt, and a few personal posts.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to the people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. A post on imposter syndrome or people-pleasing reaches thousands, many of them other coaches. Reach can’t tell them apart from a CEO. Who reacted can. We sorted every person who reacted by role.
30posts in 5 weeks
1,900people reacted
294founders, CEOs and senior leaders
39came back 3+ times
Audience by roleThe 1,900 people who reacted, by roleFree
Almost a third of the people who react coach, consult, train or advise for a living. They love the topic and push reach, and they rarely hire an executive coach.
The 294 buyers are founders, CEOs, managing directors, COOs and heads of department. About 22% work in tech, AI and software, and about 10% in finance.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level16.7%
Director, VP5.7%
Manager13%
Independent11.1%
Other53.5%
IndustriesFounders, CEOs and senior leaders onlyNetwarm
Tech, AI & software22.4%
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Core audience39 founders, CEOs and senior leaders engaged 3+ times · 18 engaged 5+ timesNetwarm
39 founders, CEOs and senior leaders keep coming back. One of them reacted to 13 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, CEOs and senior leaders work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach founders, CEOs and senior leaders
Most coaches judge a post by its reactions. A coach who sells to founders and CEOs should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 30 posts by topic, then measured the share of founders, CEOs and senior leaders among the people who reacted.
Your topicsWhat your 30 posts were aboutFree
30posts
Leading a team, how-to7
Stories from 30 years of managing7
Pressure, self-doubt and people-pleasing7
Feeling stuck and redefining success6
Personal posts3
Topics that attract founders, CEOs and senior leadersShare of each topic’s reactions from founders, CEOs and senior leadersNetwarm
Leading a team, how-to19.5%
Stories from 30 years of managing18.4%
Feeling stuck and redefining success15.6%
Pressure, self-doubt and people-pleasing15.2%
Personal posts14.1%
Two topics bring more buyers than the rest. See which.See which topics
Posts about leading a team bring about 1.3x the share of founders, CEOs and senior leaders that posts on pressure and self-doubt do (19.5% vs 15.2%). The gap is wider post by post: the best leadership post reached 27%, the people-pleasing post 13%.
Posts that brought the most founders, CEOs and senior leadersShare of founders, CEOs and senior leaders in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1You know what good leadership looks like. So why is it so hard to do it consistently?27.4%
#2Traditional leadership development is no longer enough.23.5%
#3The fastest way to destroy a company culture? Outsource it to HR.22.9%
#4I used to think: I shouldn’t have to tell you twice.22.1%
#5Being a leader will always be demanding. But KPIs aren't the hard part.22%
For comparison, the post with the most reactions (976, on gossip and favouritism) reached 14% founders, CEOs and senior leaders, and the people-pleasing post (947) reached 13%.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from founders, CEOs and senior leaders
These rules come from what worked on the coach’s own profile, and from the best-performing posts by executive and leadership coaches over the last 3 months.
1
Start from the gap between knowing and doing. Founders and CEOs have read the books. What they recognise is the moment they know what to do and still don’t do it. Name that moment.On this profile: "You know what good leadership looks like" brought 27% founders, CEOs and senior leaders, the highest share of the period.
Tell the management mistake you made. A top performer you protected too long, a boss line you still remember. A mistake from the manager’s chair shows buyers you have sat where they sit.On this profile: the HR and culture post about a top salesperson brought 23%, and the "KPIs aren't the hard part" post 22%. Career stories average 18.4%.
Give one tool for managing different people. Leaders want something they can use on Monday: a matrix, a set of questions, a way to read one person. One tool, explained through real people.On this profile: the post on managing people differently had 875 reactions and 20% buyers. Across the niche: Eric Partaker’s Skill/Will post got 2,310 likes and 364 comments.
Quote the client’s exact words. One sentence a founder said in a session, anonymised, then what happened next. The quote does the work: buyers hear themselves in it.Across the niche: Adam Jay’s "I'm firing her" story got 1,332 likes and 181 comments.
Tie the inner game to a leadership decision. Pressure, imposter syndrome and people-pleasing bring reach, and many coaches. Bring founders in by showing what the feeling costs in a decision: the hire, the conversation, the delay.On this profile: pressure and self-doubt posts reached 15.2% buyers, and the people-pleasing post 13% on 947 reactions. Across the niche: Andrea Petrone’s father’s-note story got 338 likes and 262 comments.
Show both sides of the feedback. The coach has been the manager and the employee. Posts that tell what a boss said, and what it did to the person hearing it, reach the leaders who now give that feedback.On this profile: the post on what former bosses said brought 22% buyers. Across the niche: Alvin Huang’s two-people-same-feedback post got 713 likes.
When founders, CEOs and senior leaders read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for executive coaches
We compared the share of founders, CEOs and senior leaders by the day each post was published (London time). Every post went out between 8 and 10 in the morning, so there is no hour to compare: the morning slot works and is worth keeping.
Share of founders, CEOs and senior leaders by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
17.1%
Mon
18.7%
Tue
20.0%
Wed
16.9%
Thu
14.8%
Fri
15.6%
Sat
17.2%
Sun
Wednesday brought the highest share (20.0%, on 2 posts), then Tuesday (18.7%). Friday was lowest (14.8%), then Saturday (15.6%). The gaps are small: the topic matters more than the day.
Put the leadership and management posts on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Keep Friday and Saturday for personal posts and the inner-game topics.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target founders, CEOs and senior leaders
Each post follows the rules above, in the coach’s voice. Swap in your own details before posting: the real story is what makes it land.
1Ready to postLeadership practice
You already know how to give feedbackRule 1: start from the gap between knowing and doing. Modelled on "You know what good leadership looks like" (27% buyers).
Hook
You already know how to give difficult feedback. So why do you keep putting it off?Most of the founders and CEOs I work with could teach a workshop on it.Be specific.
Talk about behaviour, not personality.
Do it early.
Listen.And still, the conversation sits on the list for weeks.Not because they don't know how.Because there is always a good reason to wait.The quarter is nearly over.
They're under a lot of pressure at home.
They're brilliant at the rest of the job.
Maybe it will sort itself out.It rarely does.What usually happens is the problem gets bigger, the team notices, and the conversation becomes much harder than it would have been in week one.I've done this myself. More than once.What helped me wasn't another framework.It was asking myself one honest question: what am I protecting by waiting?Sometimes it's the other person.
More often, it's me.Which conversation have you been putting off?
Visual · Text onlyNo visual. If you want one, a simple card with the question: what am I protecting by waiting?Check before postingUse your own example of a conversation you delayed, and keep the client details general.
The promotion I gave too earlyRule 2: tell the management mistake you made. Modelled on the HR and culture post (23% buyers).
Hook
I once promoted someone because I didn't want to lose them. It was the wrong reason.She was the best in the team at the job she was doing.Clients loved her. Her numbers were always strong. And she'd made it clear she wanted more.So when a management role came up, I gave it to her.I told myself it was a reward.Really, I was afraid she would leave.Within three months, she was struggling.She was still doing her old job, because that was where she felt confident. The team wasn't getting the support they needed. And she was working longer hours than ever.She hadn't changed.The job had.And I hadn't prepared her for it, because I'd been looking at what she was good at, not what the new role would ask of her.We sorted it out in the end, with a lot of honest conversations and proper support.But I learned something I still share with the leaders I coach:A promotion isn't a thank you.It's a new job.And the person deserves to know what that job really is before they say yes.
Visual · Text onlyNo visual, or a photo of you from your general manager years if you have one.Check before postingThis is a plausible story: replace it with a real promotion decision from your own career, and change any detail that could identify the person.
Your most reliable person might be your most boredRule 3: give one tool for managing different people. Modelled on Eric Partaker’s Skill/Will post (2,310 likes) and the post on managing people differently (20% buyers).
Hook
Your most reliable person might be your most bored.They never miss a deadline.
They never need chasing.
They never ask for much.Which is exactly why they get so little of your time.It's natural. As leaders, our attention goes where the problems are. The new starter who needs support. The underperformer. The team member who keeps coming back for reassurance.The dependable ones get left alone, because they're fine.Until they're not.I've seen it many times, as a manager and now in coaching. The person everyone relied on hands in their notice, and the leader says: "I had no idea."Three questions I suggest asking your most reliable people, at least twice a year:1. What part of your job do you enjoy most right now?
2. What would you like to be doing in a year's time?
3. What could I do differently to support you?The answers are often a surprise.And the conversation itself tells them something important: I see you.Who on your team hasn't had that conversation in a while?
Visual · Single imageA card with the three questions, in your brand colours.Check before postingMake sure the three questions are ones you really use. Add a short example from your own team if you can.
"I just need them to step up"Rule 4: quote the client’s exact words. Modelled on Adam Jay’s founder story (1,332 likes, 181 comments).
Hook
"I just need my leadership team to step up."A founder said this to me in our first session.He'd built the business from nothing. He had a strong team around him. And he was exhausted, because everything still came back to him.So I asked him to walk me through his last week.He'd reviewed a marketing plan his head of marketing had already approved.
Rewritten a client proposal the night before it went out.
Joined a hiring interview for a role two levels below him.None of it was wrong. All of it made sense in the moment.But every time he stepped in, his team learned the same thing: he'll check it anyway.So they stopped making the final call.He wanted them to step up.
They were waiting for him to step back.We started with one area where he would not review the work. Just one.It felt uncomfortable for him. And for them, at first.A few months later, his leadership team was making decisions he'd never have trusted them with before.Not because they changed.Because he made room for them to.
Visual · Text onlyNo visual.Check before postingUse a real client situation with their permission, or a composite, and change any detail that could identify them.
The strengths questionLead magnet built from the first-session strengths question (18% buyers), offered as a one-page audit. Modelled on Eric Partaker’s EQ cheat sheet (2,687 likes) and Meera Remani’s self-assessment.
Hook
In every first session, I ask leaders what they're naturally good at. Most stop at three.They can tell me what they want to improve straight away.Delegation.
Confidence.
Communication.
Leading a bigger team.But strengths? Three come quickly. Five with a bit of thought. Six is unusual.These are talented, successful people. They just haven't been asked.And it matters, because under pressure we don't rise to our goals. We fall back on what we know works. If you don't know your strengths clearly, you can't use them on purpose.So I wrote down the questions I use in that first conversation:1. What do people come to you for, even when it's not your job?
2. What feels easy to you that others find hard?
3. When were you at your best in the last year?
4. Which strength do you overuse when you're tired?
5. Which strength have you stopped using?Question 4 is usually the one that changes the conversation.I've put all five on one page, with space to write. Comment STRENGTHS and I'll send it to you.
Visual · Document previewA one-page preview of the strengths audit, blurred below question 2.Check before postingHave the one-page audit ready before posting. Share it through a Reveal link to see which founders and CEOs download 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 founders, CEOs and senior leaders
Reactions show interest. A download shows intent. A CEO who asks for a self-assessment is thinking about their own leadership right now.
Around executive and leadership coaches, these formats get the most requests:
Format 1The one-page cheat sheetOne topic, one page, offered in the P.S. of a post that tells a client story first.
Format 2The self-assessmentA short assessment leaders take alone, which shows them where their gaps are. The result is the start of a coaching conversation.
Format 3The coach’s own toolsThe templates and worksheets used with paying clients, given away. The tools show the method; the coaching stays the product.
Our pick for you: “The strengths audit”Built from the question the coach already asks in every first session: five questions on one page that help a founder or CEO name their strengths, and the one they overuse when tired. Offer it in post 5 with a Reveal link, to see which 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 CEOs to the profile. It doesn’t say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible, among hundreds of coaches who react to the same posts.
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 now18 founders, CEOs and senior leaders · not contacted yetNetwarm
18 founders, CEOs and senior 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 James, you’ve been following the posts on leading a team closely. What’s the hardest people decision on your desk right now?Hi Sarah, I saw you reacted to the post on knowing and doing. Which part of leading feels hardest to do consistently at the moment?
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 coach, posts about leading a team reached 19.5% founders, CEOs and senior leaders, and stories from a management career 18.4%, against 15.2% for posts on pressure and self-doubt. Start from the gap between knowing and doing, tell your own management mistakes, and tie the inner game to a real decision.
For this coach, Wednesday brought the highest share of founders, CEOs and senior leaders (20.0%), then Tuesday (18.7%). Friday was lowest (14.8%). All posts went out in the morning, London time.
This coach posts about 6 times a week, and 39 founders, CEOs and senior leaders came back 3 times or more in 5 weeks. Regular posting keeps buyers coming back; the topic decides how many of them react.
Look at who reacts, not how many. A post with 947 reactions brought 13% buyers; one with 192 brought 27%. 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 26 September and 2 November 2026, up to the first 100 people per post, and sorted the 1,900 people by role. Comments were not counted, so engagement figures are a floor.
Niche rules come from top posts by executive and leadership coaches over the last 3 months. Role groups are approximate; a Netwarm scan matches people to your own ideal client.
