What’s the secret to LinkedIn growth?

I paid for several popular Linkedin growth courses, so you don’t have to.

In the past 28 days, I've racked up nearly 300,000 views on Linkedin.

Here’s the Youtube walkthrough:

I post once a day, use AI to assist writing, and I do NOT spend time or money making custom carousels and infographics.

Out of curiosity, I paid for a few Linkedin creator courses, wondering if there was some special hack to turbocharge my growth.

But, I noticed all the courses teach the same things!

First, the fundamental things you learn in every single marketing course:

1. Choose a Niche: Stick to topics you're passionate about or know about. Limiting your topics, at least initially, allows for deeper engagement with your audience rather than trying to appeal to everyone.

2. Post Consistently: On Linkedin, post once a day in the morning. As you grow, post more frequently. Consistency is key to building your brand and thought leadership in a crowded space. Also, repost your post in the afternoon, bringing it to the top of the feed again.

3. Engage Frequently: Reply to comments on your posts. Comment generously on others’ posts in your niche. The more you comment, the more your profile is seen by more people. Also, people will be more likely to engage with your future posts if you engage with their posts (human nature). This is why “engagement pods” are still a thing on Linkedin. I don’t like them, but most of the fast growing creators use pods or built their own pod via selling Linkedin courses.

4. Give Lots of Value: On Linkedin especially, easy-to-digest education and valuable tips perform really well. Make it about them, not you. Give your best tips for free.

5. Broad Appeal: Make your hook (first sentence) as broad as possible, so that more people want to keep reading. Think of your post as a funnel, getting more specific further into the post.

All of the above applies to every. single. social. media. platform.

Finally, the “secret hack” taught by all Linkedin growth courses:

👆️$1000 worth of Linkedin courses…

The structure of a post matters more than the niche.

That’s why we call it a “template”.

A viral post template will work across different topics, different niches.

Whether it’s humor, education, or personal stories, you can use the same viral post format as a ready-to-go template to structure your thoughts effectively.

Step 1. Find Viral Posts

Look for posts that have already gone viral. There are two effective ways to do this:

1. Organically: As you scroll through LinkedIn or Twitter, save posts that grab your attention.

2. Search for Popular Posts: Look up posts by prominent creators with lots of engagement, such as Justin Welsh, who is pretty big on Linkedin.

Let’s break it down with one of Justin Welsh's viral posts:

It has a clean structure, making it easy to read and skim — perfect for busy professionals on their phone between meetings and tasks. Notice the scroll-stopping hook, pointing out something you’re probably doing wrong.

He follows it up with a list of clear, actionable solutions presented in clean bullet points.

Finally, he wraps up with a recap of why people often mess up.

Step 2. Use ChatGPT

Next, use ChatGPT to analyze the viral post’s structure and generate a new post based on your topics, ideas, and insights.

Here’s the prompt:

(I almost didn’t want to share this, it’s sooo good!)

# EXAMPLE

<example>
[PASTE VIRAL POST HERE]
</example>

# CONTEXT

Infer the topic from the sources provided.

# WRITING STYLE

Here’s how you always write:

<writing_style>

- Your writing style is spartan and informative.
- Use clear, simple language.
- Employ short, impactful sentences.
- Incorporate bullet points for easy readability.
- Use frequent line breaks to separate ideas.
- Use active voice; avoid passive voice.
- Focus on practical, actionable insights.
- Use specific examples and personal experiences to illustrate points.
- Incorporate data or statistics to support claims when possible.
- Ask thought-provoking questions to encourage reader reflection.
- Use """"""""you"""""""" and """"""""your"""""""" to directly address the reader.
- Avoid metaphors and clichés.
- Avoid generalizations.
- Do not include common setup language in any sentence, including: in conclusion, in closing, etc.
- Do not output warnings or notes—just the output requested.
- Do not use hashtags.
- Do not use semicolons.
- Do not use emojis.
- Do not use asterisks.
- Do not use adjectives and adverbs.
- Do NOT use these words:
""""""""""""""""""""""""can, may, just, that, very, really, literally, actually, certainly, probably, basically, could, maybe, delve, embark, enlightening, esteemed, shed light, craft, crafting, imagine, realm, game-changer, unlock, discover, skyrocket, abyss, you're not alone, in a world where, revolutionize, disruptive, utilize, utilizing, dive deep, tapestry, illuminate, unveil, pivotal, enrich, intricate, elucidate, hence, furthermore, realm, however, harness, exciting, groundbreaking, cutting-edge, remarkable, it. remains to be seen, glimpse into, navigating, landscape, stark, testament, in summary, in conclusion, moreover, boost, bustling, opened up, powerful, inquiries, ever-evolving""""""""""""""""""""""""

</writing_style>

# PLANNING

Your goal is to write a viral social media post based on the provided sources.

1. Analyze the provided sources thoroughly.
2. Study the <example> post carefully. You will be asked to replicate their:
    - Overall structure.
    - Tone and voice.
    - Formatting (including line breaks and spacing).
    - Length (aim for a similarly detailed post).
    - Absence of emojis.
    - Use of special characters (if any).
    - Emotional resonance.

# OUTPUT
Follow the GUIDELINES below to write the post. Use your analysis from step 1 and step 2. Use the provided sources as the foundation for your post, expanding on it significantly while maintaining the style and structure of the examples provided from step 2. You MUST use information from the provided sources. Make sure you adhere to your <writing_style>.

Here are the guidelines:
<guidelines>
</guidelines>
Take a deep breath and take it step-by-step!

# INPUT
Use the following information sources:
- [DETAIL 1]
- [DETAIL 2]
- [DETAIL 3]

Here’s how to use the prompt:

1. Example: Paste the viral post in <example> so ChatGPT can analyze it.

2. Writing Style: The prompt is preloaded with writing guidelines for persuasive copywriting, but feel free to edit <writing_style> to your preferences.

3. Planning: Tell ChatGPT its task is to write a viral post using the provided template and structure.

4. Output: Instruct ChatGPT to take your topics/ideas and write a Linkedin post, using the sample viral post as a structural template. If you have any additional instructions or preferences, add them in <guidelines>.

5. Input: add your topics/ideas for the post.

For instance, I used this prompt to create a post about using ChatGPT effectively.

Here’s ChatGPT’s output on the first run:

Pretty impressive!

It follows the template of Justin Welsh’s viral post, but populated with my topic!

At this point, I recommend spending time, adding your unique insights, perspective, and point of view to make the post truly stand out.

Step 3. Use Blotato

If you want to streamline this process, tools like Blotato allow you to instantly compile information from various sources — YouTube videos, Tiktok videos, articles, blogs, podcasts, audio recordings, PDFs — and populate a proven viral template.

For example:

• remix Gary Vee youtube video —> Justin Welsh’s proven viral template

• remix 3 trending news articles —> another creator’s proven viral template

• remix 1 podcast, 1 blog, 1 arxiv PDF —> another creator’s proven viral template

The process is simple:

1. Add information sources (e.g. Gary Vee’s Youtube videos)

2. Paste a viral template into prompt (right side)

3. Click “Generate”

4. Edit post

Easily clone the post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to grow on multiple platforms simultaneously.

And, schedule and publish everything directly within Blotato.

No more juggling multiple tools!

(the main reason I built it)

In Closing

Whether you’re new to content creation or looking to scale up, remember:

I just summarized $1000 worth of Linkedin courses for you!!

The key takeaway 👇️ 

Find proven viral posts, use them as structural templates, then use ChatGPT or Blotato to populate the templates with your topics.

Incorporate your unique perspectives, experiences, and insights into each post — this is essential to differentiate your thought leadership brand from others.

Use AI to streamline ~75% of the process, so you can focus on adding value!

Need More Help?

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you 👇️ 

1. If you want to learn more about growing on social media by creating an undeniable thought leadership brand, check out Blotato to simplify content creation, at scale.

2. ChatGPT for Beginners: Free course to learn the fundamentals of ChatGPT, starting from ground zero - what is it, how do you install it, etc.

3. AI Automations & Chatbots: Free videos to learn how to build AI chatbots and automations to scale your business and streamline manual work.