LinkedIn Content Strategy for Women’s Leadership Coaches | Netwarm
LinkedIn playbook · Case study
LinkedIn content strategy for women’s leadership coaches: how a Melbourne executive coach and author reached 198 senior leaders with 7 posts
We read the reactions on 7 posts from a Melbourne executive coach, speaker and author for senior women. 574 people, 198 senior 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 Melbourne executive coach, speaker and author for senior women
Followers37,271
Posts~2 a week
SellsExecutive coaching, mentoring and keynotes for senior women in leadership, and books on visibility and power
These numbers are from 21 October. Your audience has already moved.
New senior leaders turn Hot every week and others go quiet. Run your free scan to see today’s version, with the names.
Ideal client: senior women (directors, general managers, executives and board members) facing a career transition or a bigger leadership role, and the organisations that sponsor them.The challenge: The coach wrote Beyond Visibility for women who are trusted to deliver but don’t get a say in the decisions: “more visibility can bring more scrutiny without more authority.” Most posts share a video on gender bias with a short take; a few are about the coach’s own work. The Matlock video post drew 1,317 reactions. Which posts reach the senior leaders who hire a coach?
Key takeaways
1 in 3 readers is a senior leader.198 directors, executives, general managers, C-level and board members reacted in 4 weeks: 34.5% of the 574 people who reacted. 22% are coaches, consultants, speakers, mentors and students.
Posts about the coach’s own work bring the most buyers.The three book launch posts reached 42% senior leaders, against 30% to 32% for the shared videos on gender bias.
The biggest post brought the lowest share.The Matlock video post drew 1,317 reactions, the most by far, and the lowest share of senior leaders: 24%.
01
Who actually reads you, and what the LinkedIn algorithm changed
The coach posted 7 times between 21 September and 21 October: four shared videos on age bias, the pay gap and women in power, and three posts launching the book Beyond Visibility.
The LinkedIn algorithm shows a post to the people who reacted to the last ones, then to people like them. A funny or outraging video travels far, and a lot of that reach goes to people who will never hire a coach. Reach can’t tell them apart from a general manager planning her next move. Who reacted can. We sorted every person who reacted by role.
7posts in 4 weeks
574people reacted
198senior leaders
25came back 2+ times
Audience by roleThe 574 people who reacted, by roleFree
Directors, executives, GMs, C-level and board members198 · 34.5%
Coaches, consultants, speakers, mentors and students125 · 21.8%
Everyone else251 · 43.7%
22% of the people who react are coaches, consultants, speakers, mentors and students. Many share the cause, push reach and rarely hire a coach.
The 198 buyers are directors, executive directors, general managers, CFOs, CEOs, non-executive directors and transformation leaders. About a quarter work in finance, banking, governance and professional services.
SeniorityAll people who reactedFree
Founder, owner, C-level19.2%
Director, VP10.3%
Manager11.1%
Independent11.7%
Other47.7%
IndustriesSenior leaders onlyNetwarm
Finance, banking & professional services24.7%
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See all industries and company sizes in your free scan.
25 senior leaders reacted to 2 of the 7 posts. With more posts, the regulars show up.See your regulars
Engager company sizeEveryone who reacted, by company sizeNetwarm
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See which company sizes your senior leaders work at.See company sizes
02
What to post on LinkedIn to reach senior leaders
Most coaches judge a post by its reactions. A coach who sells to senior women should judge it by who reacted.
We tagged each of the 7 posts by topic, then measured the share of senior leaders among the people who reacted, and how many each post brought.
Your topicsWhat your 7 posts were aboutFree
7posts
Book launch3
Age and gender bias2
Women and power2
Topics that attract senior leadersShare of each topic’s reactions from senior leadersNetwarm
Book launch42.0%
Women and power31.8%
Age and gender bias30.2%
One kind of post brings 1.4x more senior leaders per reaction than the other. See which.See which topics
Posts about the coach’s own book reach 42% senior leaders. The shared videos on gender bias and women in power reach 30% to 32%, even when they draw far more reactions.
Posts that brought the most senior leadersShare of senior leaders in each post’s reactions1 of 5 open
#1Whoops! I accidentally slipped and published another book45.3%
#2We did it! Beyond Visibility has reached #1 in three Amazon categories41.9%
#3AAAANNNDDDD we’re LIVE!! Beyond Visibility is finally here40%
#4What if women led every government in the world for two years?38.4%
#5We’ve all had a laugh at girl maths36%
For comparison, the Matlock video post had 1,317 reactions, more than twice any other post, and reached 24% senior leaders, the lowest share of the period.
6 rules for LinkedIn engagement from senior leaders
These rules come from what worked on the coach’s own profile, and from the best-performing posts by women’s leadership coaches, authors and advocates on LinkedIn over the last 3 months.
1
Post your own thinking, not only other people’s videos. A shared clip gets reach. An idea from your own book or your own coaching room tells a senior leader what working with you is like.On this profile: the three book launch posts reached 42% senior leaders; the four shared videos reached 30% to 32%.
Make the system visible with three numbers. Three hard stats, then what to do about them on Monday. Senior women recognise the numbers, and the action turns anger into a plan.Across the niche: a leadership communication author’s post with three stats from her book drew 347 likes and 88 comments.
Tell one client’s moment, with the number in it. The title, the gap, the sentence they said to her, and what she did next. A senior leader reads it and sees her own next negotiation.Across the niche: an executive career coach’s story of a client offered a VP title $44K below market drew 1,321 likes and 74 comments.
List the contradictions women are handed. “Be the boss. But don’t be bossy.” A list of double binds is funny, true and easy to share, and every line invites a comment.Across the niche: a leadership development coach’s list of the 10 greatest hits of advice women get drew 160 likes and 74 comments.
Answer the week’s news with the research. When a public comment dismisses a known pattern, quote it, then walk through the evidence in three steps. Senior leaders follow the debate and want the facts.Across the niche: a leadership coach’s reply to a dismissive comment on the glass cliff, built on 20 years of research, drew 313 likes and 44 comments.
Put the reader in the promotion decision. Two candidates, one role, and a question: who is readier? The reader has to think like the people who decide, and the comments fill up with answers.Across the niche: an executive coach’s post on two senior directors up for one VP role drew 133 likes and 100 comments.
When senior leaders read: the best time to post on LinkedIn for women’s leadership coaches
We compared the share of senior leaders by the day each post was published (Melbourne time). With 7 posts, each day had 1 or 2, so read the gaps as a direction, not a law.
Share of senior leaders by posting dayAmong the people who reacted to each postFree
31.3%
Tue
25.3%
Wed
38.0%
Thu
45.3%
Fri
41.9%
Sat
Friday (45.3%) and Saturday (41.9%) brought the highest shares, but each had a single book post. Thursday, with 2 posts, reached 38% and 38 senior leaders per post, the most of any day. Wednesday was lowest (25.3%).
Six of the 7 posts went out around 8 a.m. Melbourne time, so we left the hour chart out.
Put the posts about your own work on Thursday and Friday mornings, and keep the shared videos for Tuesday or the weekend.
05
5 posts ready to publish to target 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 postBook idea
More visibility, more scrutinyRule 1: post your own thinking. Modelled on the Beyond Visibility launch post, the one that brought the most senior leaders.
Hook
You can’t brand yourself out of a systemic problem. 😱A senior woman I mentor heard the same advice in three performance reviews: “Be more visible.”So she was.She spoke up in every meeting. Posted on LinkedIn. Volunteered for the big project.And then the scrutiny arrived.Her decisions were questioned. Her tone was “noted”. Her calendar filled with work that made others look good.What she didn’t get?A seat at the table where the decisions were made.This is the gap I wrote Beyond Visibility about.Visibility matters. But the rules changed and no-one told us.Visibility gets you seen.
Influence gets you heard.
Power gets you a say.They’re three different skills, and most of us were only ever coached on the first one.So here’s a question to sit with this week:Who decides what happens to your work when you’re not in the room?If you can name them, start there. 💪🏻Your thoughts?
Visual · Single imageThe Beyond Visibility cover next to three stacked words: Seen · Heard · A say.Check before postingThe mentee story is written in the right shape: use a real (anonymised) client moment. Check the three-step line matches how the book frames visibility, influence and power.
Draw your power mapRule 1 and the lead magnet: one exercise from the book, then the worksheet on request. Modelled on the “Whoops! another book” post, the highest buyer share of the period (45%), and the workshop offers that work across the niche.
Hook
Grab a pen. This takes 10 minutes and it might change your next career move. ✍🏻Your org chart shows who reports to whom.It doesn’t show who decides.So draw the other map. The one I take senior women through in Beyond Visibility:1. Write down the decision you want: a role, a budget, a seat on the executive team.2. Name the three people who actually make that call. Not the ones with the title. The ones whose opinion moves it.3. For each one, write what they need to see from you. In their words, not yours.4. Mark who already backs you, who doesn’t know you, and who isn’t convinced.5. Pick one conversation to have this month.Most women I work with get stuck at step 2.They know who they report to. They’ve never asked who decides.That’s not a confidence problem. It’s an information problem. And it’s fixable. 💪🏻I’ve turned the map into a one-page worksheet.Comment MAP and I’ll send it to you.
Visual · Single imageA hand-drawn power map: a circle in the middle (you), three circles around it with arrows, and the line “Who actually decides?”Check before postingMake the worksheet before posting and share it through a Reveal link to see which senior leaders open it. Check the five steps match the book’s own exercise.
The “stretch role” with no titleRule 3: one client’s moment with the number in it. Modelled on an executive career coach’s $44K-below-market post (1,321 likes, 74 comments).
Hook
Eighteen months doing the GM job. Without the GM title. Or the GM salary. 😱That’s where one of my clients was when we started working together.Her manager had moved on. The role was “under review”. She kept it running.Budgets signed off. Team kept together. Two restructures delivered.“It’s a great development opportunity,” they told her.For 18 months.Here’s what she’d been doing: waiting to be noticed.Here’s what we changed:→ She wrote down every result from those 18 months, in numbers.
→ She found out who would actually decide on the permanent role.
→ She asked for a meeting, not a review, and put the role and the salary on the table.Three months later she had the title. And the pay that goes with it.A stretch role without a title isn’t development. It’s a discount.If you’re doing the bigger job right now, don’t wait to be tapped on the shoulder.Ask.Your thoughts?
Visual · Single imageA business card with “Acting GM” crossed out and “GM” written in pen.Check before postingThis client story is a placeholder in the right shape: use a real, anonymised client, with her permission. Keep the numbers only if they’re hers.
The visibility advice women getRule 4: list the contradictions. Modelled on a leadership development coach’s 10 greatest hits of advice women get (74 comments).
Hook
The visibility advice women get. Totally clear. Not confusing at all. 🤣1. Be visible. But not too visible.2. Build your personal brand. But don’t self-promote.3. Speak up in meetings. But don’t dominate.4. Take the stretch role. But don’t ask about the title.5. Be confident. But not arrogant.6. Ask for feedback. But don’t take it personally when it’s about your “tone”.7. Network with the decision makers. But don’t look political.8. Lean in. But watch your back.It’s not that women are getting the advice wrong.It’s that the advice was never written for us.Visibility matters. But the rules changed and no-one told us. You need to understand and navigate power too.Which one would you add? 👇🏻
Visual · CarouselOne contradiction per slide, the first half in bold and the “But…” half in a different colour, ending on the line “The advice was never written for us.”Check before postingSwap any line for one your clients actually hear. Keep it to 8 so it reads in one scroll.
Two GMs, one executive roleRule 6: put the reader in the promotion decision. Modelled on an executive coach’s two-senior-directors post (100 comments).
Hook
Two general managers are up for one executive role. Who gets it?GM 1 has beaten her targets three years running. Her team loves her. She’s heads-down, and she lets her work speak for itself.GM 2 has hit most of his targets. He has coffee with two members of the executive team every month. They know what he thinks about the business.The panel meets.One name gets described as “a safe pair of hands”.The other gets described as “ready”.You already know which is which. 😱This isn’t about GM 2 doing anything wrong. He understood something GM 1 was never told:Results get you shortlisted. Relationships get you chosen.If you’re GM 1 right now, here’s where to start:→ Name the three people who will be in that room.
→ Make sure each of them knows one thing you think about the business, not just what you delivered.
→ Ask one of them, directly, what “ready” looks like.You don’t have to stop delivering. You have to stop waiting.Who would you pick, and why? 👇🏻
Visual · Single imageTwo simple profile cards side by side, “GM 1” and “GM 2”, with their facts, and the question “Who gets the role?”Check before postingThis is a composite scenario: say so if a reader asks, or base it on a real (anonymised) case you’ve seen.
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 senior leaders
Reactions show interest. A download shows intent. A general manager who asks for a power map worksheet is telling you her next move is on her mind now.
For women in leadership and their coaches, these formats get the most requests:
Format 1The free live workshopA short session with a worksheet, offered behind a comment keyword, with the replay sent to everyone who signs up.
Format 2The curated expert guideOne small move from each of several experts, gathered into a free guide and teased before launch.
Format 3The book chapter, sent on requestA newsletter or chapter that explains one idea from the book, with the link for those who want more.
Our pick for you: “Our pick for you: the power map worksheet”The coach already teaches senior women to understand and navigate power in Beyond Visibility. Turn one exercise into a one-page worksheet: the decision you want, the three people who make it, what each needs to see. Offer it on the “Draw your power map” post (comment MAP) and share it through a free Reveal link to see which senior leaders open 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 senior leaders to the profile. It doesn’t say when to reach out. Most never comment, so they stay invisible, and a director who read every post on visibility and power may hire another coach before anyone writes to her.
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. With 7 posts in 4 weeks, nobody has reached it yet: 25 senior leaders are at 2.
Hot right now0 senior leaders · not contacted yetNetwarm
0 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 Sarah, you reacted to the posts on Beyond Visibility. Is a bigger role on your mind this year?Hi Michelle, I saw you liked the power map post. Have you worked out who decides on your next move?
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 her own book reached 42% senior leaders, against 30% to 32% for shared videos on gender bias. Post your own thinking, make the system visible with numbers, tell one client’s moment, and put readers in the promotion decision.
For this coach, Thursday reached 38% senior leaders over 2 posts, and Friday and Saturday reached 45% and 42% with one book post each. Wednesday was lowest (25%). Almost every post went out around 8 a.m. Melbourne time.
This coach posted 7 times in 4 weeks. 25 senior leaders reacted to 2 posts, but none to 3 or more: at under 2 posts a week, readers rarely get the chance to come back. Two or three posts a week builds the regulars.
Look at who reacts, not how many. The Matlock video had 1,317 reactions and 24% senior leaders; the book newsletter post had 64 and 45%. 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 7 posts published between 21 September and 21 October 2026, up to the first 100 people per post, and sorted the 574 people by role. Reposts, deleted or duplicate posts and posts written by other people were left out. Comments were not counted, so engagement figures are a floor.
Niche rules come from top posts by women’s leadership coaches, authors and advocates over the last 3 months. Role groups are approximate; a Netwarm scan matches people to your own ideal client.
