AMA with Rosie Campbell on LinkedIn Strategy and Executive Ghostwriting

Rosie Campbell is a freelance content strategist and LinkedIn ghostwriter who helps executives and brands build their presence on LinkedIn. In this AMA, Rosie shared her insights on LinkedIn strategy, ghostwriting for executives, SME interviews, and building a freelance business with the Superpath Pro community.

How to Approach LinkedIn

Q: What are you doing more (and less of) on LinkedIn as you head into 2026?

A: More: I'm doing more workshops on employee-generated content (EGC) and LinkedIn training for in-house teams. EGC isn’t just cost-effective — I’ve been surprised at just how good it is. 

Less: Probably less stuff on the corporate handle. LinkedIn is really a personal branding game. The ROI just isn't there for brand pages anymore unless you're paying to boost posts, or have a particularly strong brand voice. 

Q: We've got 11.3k followers on our brand's LinkedIn, but my post today got 5 likes—4 of them internal. It's deflating. How would you recommend I ramp up traction and engagement?

A: That sucks. I'm wondering if it might be because you're posting from the corporate profile? In my experience, the brand profile gets dramatically less traction than a personal profile. Would it be an option to post from a person instead?

Q: What's the biggest difference you see between execs who get value from LinkedIn versus those who don't, no matter how often they post?

A: Execs who never get anywhere are usually just talking about what they want to talk about, not what their reader is interested in. They're treating the platform as a broadcast channel, when it's really a massive remote networking event.

Q: If you were helping a company with a bare bones LinkedIn presence build their brand this year, what would you focus on?

A: I would:

1. Get super clear on your one channel goal, the one concept you want to be known for, and the one reader you're writing for (as in a real person—maybe a favorite, ideal-fit client).
2. Define your shared value statements—for example, core beliefs and drums you're willing to bang repeatedly as a brand.
3. Pick one key account to be the voice of the company. This might be the founder, or it might be the person who has most in common with the audience (e.g. the CTO if you're selling to developers). Choose someone who's into the idea. If possible, offer LinkedIn training so they can do their own content as much as possible. If not realistic, then use a ghostwriting model. Set up a regular cadence of calls—in an ideal world videos, but otherwise just a recorded chat. Or failing that, set up a place where they can brain dump.
4. Run an opt-in bootcamp for employees who want to start posting on LinkedIn. Do it as a workshop and then a 30 day sprint to build the habit (like the Superpath one!)

On bootcamp content: I start with mindset and habit building. Then I go through picking a goal, topics, and a target reader, then get into how to write a good post that gets engagement. I'll also throw in a long list of self-prompts that I've found effective.

Content Strategy That Works

Q: What are your top 3 formats that work on LinkedIn?

A: My top 3 formats:

1. Customer story plus how-to (e.g. customer had problem X, we did [specific actions that are useful as a takeaway], now customer has result Y)
2. "Lesson learned" type stories: I used to struggle with [problem your ICP also has], then I learned Y, now I don't struggle anymore
3. Behind-the-scenes content—for example, in my own case, sharing stuff I get to see as a freelancer working with high-performing content teams.

On customer stories: If I'm being specific or naming names then I 100% ask permission! If I'm just describing a general issue, then I don't see the need. Basically, if the person wouldn't recognize themselves in the post I think we're okay.

Q: Given the saturated media environment, repetition of your core narrative has never been more important. How do you think about finding creative and new ways to say the same thing?

A: Start by choosing a topic that you feel strongly about, and then build out your values statements around it. What do you believe that other people don't? I've found that’s a source of endless ideas around a central topic. You don't have to be too narrow— the point is to be associated with a core concept, but that doesn't mean you only have one idea about that concept. 

Q: I struggle with coming up with content ideas for my personal brand. Any advice?

A: This is interesting because it used to be a real challenge for me, but now I find it to be the easy bit. I would say that sometimes, the issue isn't that we're struggling to come up with ideas as much as that we're second-guessing and undervaluing the ideas we have. 

If this is an issue for you too, then I recommend looking at the last three posts you liked. They're probably not super incredible ideas—just kind of helpful, or kind of funny, or kind of interesting. That's the real bar, rather than coming up with an endless stream of amazing posts.

If the issue really is ideas, then maybe look at how you're prompting yourself. I find "what do I know now that I didn't know 2 weeks ago/2 years ago/10 years ago" to be a solid source of content.

If the issue is creativity in general, it might just be a question of “refilling the well” a bit. I get a lot of ideas from listening to podcasts that have nothing to do with content, for instance.

You may also find it helpful to pin down who you're talking to. I find it much easier to come up with ideas for a single, real person than for a "persona."

Q: How do you find the right balance between posting content aimed at freelancers versus potential leads?

A: It's about priorities. Are you looking to grow your network and get more referrals, or is sales your top priority for LinkedIn? That should help figure out the right mix.

I'd also add:

• There's a lot of overlap. Freelancers and my clients are interested in content strategies I've seen working, what works in content, what works on LinkedIn, etc.
• I get a lot of referrals from freelancers, which is a lovely side benefit of creating content for them.
• I also just really like writing for freelancers so it's something I can't resist. Sometimes you just have to create the content you want to, rather than what you feel like you “should.” 

Creating Content Sustainably

Q: Do you have any systems or processes for consistently ideating, writing, and publishing?

A: Honestly, I have more ideas than I know what to do with! I think a big part of that is that I think of it as a conversation with a real person (like I have an actual reader in mind) that I enjoy talking to. I have a running Google Doc with a bunch of ugly bullet point notes but that's it. 

Part of it is practice, and just getting confident that my ideas are good enough to share. I noticed a switch flipped when I was a few months into regular posting and suddenly I was just overflowing with content.

Some other things that can help:

1. Making a list of self-prompts that really work for you.
2. Writing a series (either explicitly or just knowing that you're writing a series of posts on a big juicy topic).
3. Having a framework (like “on Mondays I post a writing tip, on Wednesdays I post about strategy,” etc.)

Q: What would you say about posting cadence, and do you use a framework to avoid burnout?

A: I'd say, post as often as you think you can sustain over time. If that's once a week, it's better than burning yourself out! To be honest, the depressing answer is that a daily post is the most effective cadence—but only if a) you can create a good enough post each time and b) that still leaves you some time to respond to comments and follow up with DMs.

In terms of burnout, I read somewhere that burnout isn't necessarily about effort, but more about how much pressure you're heaping on yourself. So I'd say that fighting back against any perfectionism is probably a good idea.

Q: Do you ever batch-create content?

A: Absolutely! When I’m ghostwriting, I usually get a bunch of posts from any one conversation with a client—between 4 and 20, depending on the client and the conversation. And I also write a lot of my own content as a big brain dump when I'm feeling "LinkedIn-y" and use the LinkedIn scheduler to schedule it out.

Q: My struggle is speeding up post creation. I have lots of ideas, but creating thoughtful, useful posts takes 3–6 hours. Is there a way to speed this up?

A: I also write long posts which I hope are useful, but they take between 20 minutes and 1 hour max. For my own personal content, I simply couldn't afford more time than that.

I'm curious about where the time is going. Is it that you're writing relatively quickly but then polishing? If so, it might be worth simply setting a timer and limiting yourself to a specific amount of time. Posts don't necessarily get better with more polish—in fact, they often get less personal and less effective.

Is it that you're second-guessing yourself and trying to make the post super impressive? If so, it might help to set a more realistic bar. Have a look at the last 3 posts you liked. That's the real bar—not an impossible idea.

Is it that you're writing about topics you're not super familiar with, and so you're needing to do a bunch of upfront research? If so, it may be more effective to focus on topics that are part of your day-to-day and lean into your own experience.

It sounds like you have high standards, which I salute! I really wish there was more content like that. It occurs to me that perhaps you could do the same amount of work but get more mileage by creating a single very strong piece, and then unpacking it over a series of simpler, quicker follow-up posts.

Q: How do I balance being an in-house person in higher education while also building my freelance stuff on the side? Is it too ambitious to do both?

A: The tricky part is that LinkedIn doesn't love mixed messaging. If half your posts are about your day job and half are pitching freelance services, your audience gets confused and the algorithm doesn't know who to show your content to.

I'd start by figuring out which is the main priority for you on LinkedIn for the next 3-6 months. If it's building your freelance business, lean into that. If it's growing your reputation in higher ed (which could lead to better in-house opportunities), focus there.

Executive Ghostwriting

Q: For those ghostwriting for CEOs, what's your process for getting a constant stream of ideas out of them? Specifically really good "build in public" stuff.

A: Yeah, this is a tough one. I'm assuming you're asking about extracting good content, rather than getting them to make the time? If so, then I might try:

1. Positioning it as a conversation with a specific prospect, rather than with you. For example, “What would you tell John Smith if he asked about this?” For some reason this can open up more ideas.
2. Keeping it pretty recent—for example, what are you working on at the moment? What's hard about it? Why that and not this other thing?
3. Giving them something to riff off or push against—for example, “I saw [competitor] talking about X, why aren't we doing that?” Or "What are your thoughts on [controversial take]?”
4. Leaning into "What do you know now that you didn't know 2 weeks ago/months ago/years ago"—this can be a good source of candid build-in-public stories that can play well.

Q: When an SME talks a lot but is very abstract in their speaking, any methods to extract and distill their knowledge?

A: I usually ask them to walk me through an example. Real examples force them out of abstraction and into storytelling mode, which is way easier to pull usable content from. Or I repeat back what I think I've understood and ask them to correct me.  

Q: How do you ensure executives don't all sound the same when ghostwriting, especially when everyone's using AI?

A: This is often a tone issue. I recommend using a direct and conversational tone. Aim for “how they’d make this point when chatting at a networking event”, versus “how they’d present this point to the board.” If you’re direct to the point of bluntness, it tends to stand out.

If you’re using AI, give it some samples of very direct, chatty, conversational posts before you let it write anything. Also prompt it to vary paragraph length. AI tends to use a very similar structure for every post, typically with short, pseudo-punchy one-line paragraphs. It can definitely leave all the execs sounding identical.

Q: What's a kind of post you'll almost never recommend an executive publish, even if it performs well?

A: I don't really like those scolding posts ("You're doing everything WRONG and here's why and what you should do instead.") Because, while I think people can respond to it, I just don't think it's a great look. I prefer to frame things as "here's a valid reason why you might be doing things that way, and I get it, but if you're looking for this result, then X would get you there faster."

Algorithm Myths & What Actually Matters

Q: I keep seeing posts about how to game the algorithm (e.g., post comments on other profiles before you post on your own). What does your workflow look like?

A: I am very much not a follower of algo advice so I may be the wrong person to ask. Actually, I think the whole "gaming" approach I see some influencers recommending can be counterproductive.

The only thing that I've ever seen working long-term is to build relationships by consistently offering valuable content.

I do think it makes sense to connect with your ICP, and to engage with their content—but not from a gaming point of view, more because you want to get to know them.

Regarding posting on other people's posts before your own: I have seen so many conflicting opinions that I suspect it's hard to disambiguate all the variables. For example, did my post bomb because I posted it before I commented, or because it's a Tuesday, or because I flubbed the hook? The list is so endless and testing would be so impossible that it's not worth going too deep on it!

The only algo hacking type stuff I do bear in mind is:

1. I try to post my content when my target audience is awake, because the algo does care about what happens with your post in the first 10 minutes.
2. I try to respond to comments pretty promptly (but again, that's more about being polite than anything else.) And
3. I have noticed that if I edit my post after I post it, it does impact my reach.

Q: How should we be thinking about LinkedIn success and measuring it these days, especially for a niche audience? What's your advice for figuring out LinkedIn's influence on sales?

A: For attribution metrics, I haven't really seen a better answer than mentions on sales calls and self-reported attributions. Other than sales-specific metrics, depending on your goals, you might look at engagement rates (e.g. of all the people who saw your post, what percentage actually interacted with it?), saves/shares, or just impressions/engagements/followers as leading indicators.

Q: I noticed you changed your headline a couple times in Q4. Would you say it affected the kind of leads you got?

A: I'm astonished that you noticed! I'll be honest, I was mucking about—and it had almost zero impact except that a couple of people liked the more arrogant tagline.

Building a Freelance Business on LinkedIn

Q: Being a freelancer in a large creative services market has its challenges. How have you risen above the noise to grow your network? Has your LinkedIn strategy helped drive clients?

A: Honestly, a big part of it is simply that I've been doing it consistently for a long time.  I know that's not a very useful answer when you're just starting out, but there's no real shortcut for showing up regularly and building trust over time.

I guess I’d add that I’ve always tried to compete on usefulness. Hot takes and gags are all very well, but they’re not very me. I try to give people something they could actually use today. 

Has my LinkedIn strategy helped drive clients and opportunities? Yes absolutely! At least 30% of the clients I worked with last year came directly from LinkedIn (as in, DMed me to say "I like your content, let's work together.") And a significant but hard-to-estimate proportion came via LinkedIn, but indirectly. For instance, some referrals came from other freelancers or in-house people who only know what I do because I talk about it on LinkedIn.

Q: How did you turn LinkedIn from a place you posted into a place that actually paid you?

A: “Stuck at it for a long time,” is probably the honest answer here! Also, I think it helped that I wasn't trying to make it pay at first. I was trying to help people and make myself useful. That was a) more motivating, so I kept going, and b) probably more effective (people can usually tell where you're coming from.)

Q: If you lost your entire freelance business tomorrow, what would you do on LinkedIn in the first 7 days to rebuild it?

A: This one needs a trigger warning! If I'm honest, I wouldn't start with LinkedIn—I'd start with direct outreach (which is where I started the first time around.) But to give a less annoying answer to the question—I'd start by reviewing my profile, make sure it's super narrow and niched to a very specific audience and offer, and then lean into posts that have a direct sales goal (usually customer stories or "selling the problem"). And I'd also be doing a lot of commenting and DMing.

Q: I'm getting good results for myself on LinkedIn. How do I package that as a ghostwriting service for founders or as a LinkedIn employee advocacy consultant?

A: I'd probably start by offering those services to existing writing clients, using your own results to pitch. Otherwise, start talking about your own LinkedIn strategy and giving away tips to make sure that people know you offer ghostwriting. And maybe tweak your profile to make it obvious too.

Q: What advice would you give yourself back when you first started posting? Also, what opportunities came from LinkedIn that wouldn't be possible otherwise?

A: Advice to my past self: Stop researching how to post and start posting! It's one of those things you can only really learn by doing.

Opportunities from LinkedIn: 

A bunch of sales, for sure—but also a lot of sales conversations that went much better because the person already knew who I was, so they came in pre-qualified. 

Plus, obviously, as a ghostwriter, it's easier to get the gig if you can point to good results on your own profile. 

I’ve had a fair few podcast invites because of my content, which have been good for my brand and also resulted in sales. 

It’s also been a helpful way to shape my offers. I started getting inbound requests for LinkedIn writing training and ghostwriting before I'd even officially started offering those services. The demand created the offer, not the other way around. I wouldn't have added those to my business if LinkedIn hadn't shown me people wanted them.

I understand the scepticism many people have around LinkedIn. It’s a lot of work and the returns can take a while to come. But, in my particular case at least, it's been genuinely good for my business.

Photo by Nathana Rebouças on Unsplash