Get Leads From Your LinkedIn On Autopilot | Founder @ Hat Tip

If you:

→ Make social content
→ Want to make social content
→ Tried making social content but were unsuccessful

… you’re in the right place.

Truth is, publishing content you’re proud of on a consistent basis is tough.

You get busy. Things come up.

And for most founders, content takes a backseat to whatever fire they’re putting out at their company that day.

That said, its 2025.

Content is king — and the benefits for B2B founders are clear:

→ Drive low-cost brand awareness
→ Generate inbound leads from a new lead source
→ Become a “thought leader” in your space (even though you may hate that word)

And after meeting tons of founders while working in influencer marketing, starting Hat Tip felt like a no-brainer.

You can still benefit from publishing high-quality social content — without worrying about blocking out time to write, being inconsistent, or if you’re making content the “right way”.

Hat Tip handles that for you—while maintaining your voice—through:

→ Bi-weekly content interviews
→ Product and industry-specific thought-starters
→ The will to edit and revise until you’re proud of the content being published

If high-quality, consistent social content sounds like something you’re interested in, DM me or visit the link in my profile to book a call.

Thanks 👋

Christian

📧 christian@hattipagency.com
🐤 Twitter @dibratto

Christian Di Bratto

Client: I've been looking at Gary Vaynerchuk and Ryan Serhant's posts. We should model our content after them. They get thousands of likes.

Me: What are Gary and Ryan selling in those posts?

Client: I mean...motivation? Personal brand building?

Me: Right. You're selling SaaS implementation services. Do you see the disconnect?

Client: But the engagement numbers don't lie.

Me: Do they though? Have you heard of engagement pods?

Client: What's that?

Me: Groups where influencers coordinate to like and comment on each other's posts. Makes the algorithm boost their content. Plus, Gary's been posting daily for over a decade. You've been on LinkedIn for 6 months.

Client: So we can't create engaging content?

Me: You can. But copying motivational posts won't get you there. Your content needs to demonstrate expertise that gets prospects thinking 'this person could solve my problems.'

Client: What should we focus on?

Me: Case studies. Process breakdowns. Industry insights. Content that shows you understand your prospects' specific challenges.

Client: But that won't get thousands of likes.

Me: No. But it'll get you qualified prospects who actually want to buy what you're selling.

My point:  trying to copy big LinkedIn influencers.
(1) Their content serves different goals than yours. They're selling courses and personal brands, not B2B services.

(2) Much of their engagement comes from pods, years of audience building, or a mix of both.

(3) Focus on content that demonstrates expertise to your specific target market instead of chasing vanity metrics.

The end.

Founder @ Hat Tip. Helping startup founders generate pipeline from social.

A founder told me LinkedIn "isn't doing anything" for him. I figured out why in 30 seconds, and gave him a routine to completely turn-around his results.

To be fair to the founder, he was posting relatively consistently (3x/week). The content was good, not great. But still, it wasn't like this is what was holding him back.

...which confused him. He thought he was doing everything right. Then I asked him the following:

(1) How many outbound comments have you left in the last week? Answer: 0.

(2) How many of your ICP have you connected with in the last week? Answer: 1

(3) How many of your ICP have you DM'd this week? Answer: 1

It just isn't enough. You can play the LinkedIn game hoping for 100% inbound, or you can maximize the platform's utility and get way more out of it.

Here's the routine I advised this founder to follow (that you should steal, too, if you're in the same spot):

SETUP:

- Identify 100+ decision-makers you want to get in front of
- Set up custom feed of their content (guide here: https://lnkd.in/eZ2gPmd8)

DAILY:

- Allocate 15 minutes to leave thoughtful comments on their posts (aim for 3-5)

- Connect with 20 of these people per day

- Track who accepts and start DM conversations accordingly (guide here: https://lnkd.in/e3vXpTFP)

More than getting in front of them simply because you DM'd them, LinkedIn will show them your content while they scroll after you've DM'd them. Win-win.

Do this for 30 days. If you still aren't generating any interest, you have bigger problems than LinkedIn.

Founder @ Hat Tip. Founder Brand for startups.

1.5 years after graduating, I'm trying to grow my content agency to $1M ARR. Here's a 2025 recap at Hat Tip:

(1) Grew revenue just under 1.5x.

(2) Profit increased, but minimally (made relatively large team investments).

(3) Worked with 12 more Series A-or-beyond startups.

It was a great year by most measures, but I'd be lying if I said I'm remotely satisfied.

There are a few key areas I want us to be better in (which ultimately starts with me):

a. Recruiting. I haven't spent nearly enough time on it, which has cost me more time than I'd like to admit in the long run.

b. Training / process. At our stage, I'm still too involved in many aspects of client delivery. I never want to leave it completely, but I need to actively manage my way back a bit.

c. CRM management. The first two issues lead into this: I need more time to work on sales, and that time will come from solving the first two issues.

d. Ironically, I think I need to stop and smell the flowers more. I'm proud of what we've accomplished and the clients we work with, but tend to strictly focus on the "negatives" around the business...sort of like I'm doing here. Lol.

Anyway, thank you to friends and clients who made the last year great. I'll see you back here next January for my next list of problems.

My 35-minute, 3-step LinkedIn prospecting routine that's getting me 3-5 pitches per week:

20 Mins:

- Use Sales Nav + LinkedIn's recommended accounts feature on previous ICP accounts to find new ones.

- Engage with their most recent piece of content and add them to your tracker (template below). 

*if they haven't posted / commented recently, I skip right to connecting.

5 Mins:

- Update list with accepted connections from the day prior

- Send voice note follow-up to messages you sent 48h or more ago (I keep it as simple as "I know people get busy, so I just want to make sure you saw this")

15 mins:

- Record personalized 0:45-1:00 videos with your phone, introducing yourself + tying something about them/their company to what you do.

Ex: I saw a post from a VP of Marketing who said they think founders/CEOs should be posting on LinkedIn.

But, their CEO wasn't posting on LinkedIn.

So, I opened my video reading her hook word-for-word, transitioning into a quick intro, and getting into what we do (if you're reading this, let's chat).

My point is, if you do this long enough, you will get responses. It's on you to provide as much value to them as possible.

Template for tracking here: https://lnkd.in/eFFv7k9J

After writing 4,000 posts for 40+ founders in the last 3 years, I've identified 5 high-performing post types every founder should steal:

1. Hypothetical Process - Step-by-step “if I were you” playbooks your ICP will save (and act on). Example: https://lnkd.in/eRB4grEN

2. Strong POV - Timely, divisive takes that spark comments & reach. Example: https://lnkd.in/e4Wuze6X

3. Origin Story - A proven narrative framework that earns support and awareness. Example: https://lnkd.in/eUWwRk_E

4. Case Study - Social first formatting that turns client wins into leads. Example: https://lnkd.in/ePuhB5pT

5. Objection Handling - Pulling objections from sales calls and dismantling them on feed. Example: https://lnkd.in/e3Wu86qs

*examples not all clients, but were in my bookmarks.

AND

I just released a video walking through each, with examples, for you to save and share.

Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/eyFMKe-U

I hand-wrote 35 cards to friends, clients, and prospects that helped make 2025 great for me.

Last year, I heard Jesse Itzler talk about this on My First Million. I decided to do it.

So, I spent $102 on cards (and $50 later on stamps / postage 😂) to do this.

Then, I spent 2 weekend mornings in November writing them all out.

Some reflections:

(1) The process was nice. Rarely, if ever, do we stop and reflect on individual relationships like this. It was nice.

(2) I got tons of thoughtful messages thanking me for them. It seems like they were well-appreciated.

(3) My handwriting was never good to begin with (much to the dismay of my teacher mother). I can confirm after graduating 2 years ago and barely writing at all, it has gotten worse.

--

Anyway, this is going to be standard practice for EOY at Hat Tip moving forward.

If you're on the fence about doing it, I strongly recommend!

50% of the time I tell a founder they should post 5x/week, they look at me like I have 3 eyes.

"Isn't that way too much?"

"I don't want to over-do it"

"Nobody cares about what I have to say"

This is the wrong framing. The right way to think about it:

(1) The compounding effects of your social efforts are measured in posts, not months. That means the less you post, the longer you draw out the time to see the benefits you want.

(2) Why would you intentionally hamper the amount of shots on goal you get per week? 

(3) Look at your competitors. If they're posting daily, you have catching up to do. If they're not, you have an incredible opportunity.

Now, I totally get that going from 0 to 5 posts/week off the bat can be intimidating. Heck, I'm thousands of posts in and STILL feel weird here and there.

So, if I were you and wanted to ramp up posting without feeling overwhelmed or out of place:

- Ramp up to 3x/week
- See how you feel / how it's perceived
- Once comfortable, work to 4/week
- See how you feel / how it's perceived
- After that, move to 5x/week

DM me if you have questions about system / workflow and I'll send you some resources.

My peewee hockey coach mandated each player to shoot 500 pucks/day in the summer. For context, that is RIDICULOUS volume for a kid.

Luckily for me, I was doing it before the mandate. I just loved it (it may or may not have required us to get a new garage door).

Now, I was a terrible skater. Like, really bad. 

But, because I was shooting close to 15,000 pucks/month, I could shoot like it was nobody's business.

It probably kept me on teams I should've been cut from, if I'm being honest.

Now, how the heck does this relate to social content?

Volume.

I wasn't a gifted shooter. My form, to this day, isn't perfect. But putting in a ridiculous amount of reps is what made me good at it.

This works the same way for social content.

Your first 10 posts will suck.
The next 10 will suck, but less.
The 10 after will look half-decent.

But, as long as you keep showing up and put a baseline level of effort into your content, you WILL get better at it.

All the accounts you follow on here who you think have it "figured out" put in the reps.

Now it's your turn.

Factors that determine post performance:

(1) Topic
(2) Hook
(3) Media choice
(4) Overall value the reader derives
(5) Amount of comments it drives.

Factors that do not determine post performance:

(1) Length

Stop worrying about if your post is "too long" or "too short".

Get your message across in a succinct, compelling matter, and move on.

If you're asking "how can we automate this" with anything relating to LinkedIn, you've already lost.

So many people openly brag about building AI agents that find them topics, write content that "actually sounds like them", and engage on their account as if we can't already tell.

Nobody cares for that. 

I can't think of a greater insult to your audience than telling them they're not worth spending time on, but expecting them to buy from you.

After writing 4,000+ posts for over 40 founders, I can confirm this picture sums up ~75% of writing for LinkedIn:

1. Prioritize your hook. 

The first thing the reader sees must give them no choice but to keep reading (if you're reading this, I succeeded).

2. Say more, with less.

No filler words or sentences.

3. Appeal to the reader's brain.

Organize ideas the way the brain likes to. Keep your writing to one idea per sentence.

4. REPS.

The writer didn't include this, but I will. 

Your first post will suck. Good. So will your second, third, fourth, and fifth.

But over time, it will start sucking less. And less. And less.

And eventually, after enough, reps, you'll be good at it!

Save this for the next time you have to write.

If I wanted to guarantee I generated 0 pipeline from social, I would:

(1) Expect results by lunch on the first day of posting.

(2) Write posts with no regard for the hook.

(3) Be terrified of saying anything remotely divisive.

(4) Never repeat a topic or take.

(5) Leave 0 comments on others' posts.

(6) DM nobody.

(7) Only post bottom-of-funnel product updates.

(8) Only post top-of-funnel material.

(9) Use AI to draft posts end-to-end.

(10) Track nothing.

(11) Completely outsource the creation process.

(12) Obsess over posting time and other LinkedIn "hacks".

(13) Join an engagement group.

(14) Write when I want instead of building a system.

(15) Compare myself to huge accounts.

(16) Send 0 connection requests.

(17) Format my posts like LinkedInfluencers.

What did I miss?

If your New Year's resolution was to post more on social but you don't know what to post about, here are 20 post ideas:

1. What are outdated strategies your ICP is trying to use to achieve their dream result?

2. Share your company’s origin story in detail.

3. What’s one trend in your industry you don’t like and why?

4. List five to 10 pro tips your ICP can use to get the desired result.

5. Share an early failure you had with your company. How did you overcome it?

6. What is an industry prediction your peers disagree with you on?

7. What’s your favorite interview question to ask a candidate, and why?

8. Share a case study of a successful client.

9. What are the top 5–10 traits of an [ICP job title]?

10. Pick the most common FAQ you get from prospects and answer it.

11. Share a growth strategy you didn’t think would work but did.

12. What’s your company’s tech stack? Tag the companies.

13. Highlight a specific feature or part of your service and why it helps your ICP.

14. Comment on relevant news in your industry. Make sure to add value here.

15. Share an unconventional behind-the-scenes story of how you grew your company.

16. What’s your favorite founder framework that helped you grow your business?

17. List every stat your ICP should track and why.

18. What is the ROI of using your product or service? Illustrate it.

19. What’s one recruiting take or opinion people will disagree with you on?

20. Share a hot take around your industry / space.

Get 400 more + an 82-page guide on generating pipeline from social here: https://lnkd.in/eFFv7k9J

We generated 83 high-intent lead magnet opt-ins for a client, many of which from massive logos, using something I see nowhere on LinkedIn.

*I say "high-intent", as submissions were only counted after prospects went through 15+ questions (in which they let us know exactly what they were struggling with in relation to our client's product.

This is NOT your typical "I got 4,000 leads from this lead magnet" post.

We got 83 qualified* people who put their hand up and voluntarily filled out 17 questions worth of information about their pain points in relation to the client's product.

Here's what we did:

1. Brainstormed an idea for an interactive lead magnet their ICP could fill out and receive something at the end of.

2. Came up with 17 questions prospects could answer that would help get to their desired outcome (we did this by combining source knowledge + directly asking the client for his expertise).

3. Used Tally to make an interactive lead magnet with name + email + qualification questions on Page 1, and toggled partial submissions. 

4. Ran it as a comment-to-get giveaway on the founder's LinkedIn.

5. Followed-up with commenters who didn't fill out the lead magnet for ~1 week after the fact.

NOTE: This is without* putting spend behind this post or enrolling prospects into a nurture sequence.

If you want us to run this exact same playbook for you, DM me.

1. Origin story
2. Tech stack
3. Industry myth-bust 1
4. BTS story 1
5. Case study 1
6. Industry commentary 1
7. Hiring take 
8. Fundraising story
9. Objection handle 1
10. Favorite interview question to ask
11. FAQ answer 1.
12. Product update
13. Team member shoutout 
14. Early mistake 1
15. Industry commentary 2
16. Framework for ICP 1
17. Core values explanation
18. Industry meme / shitpost 1
19. Top 3 traits of [user job title]
20. Good vs bad [function] process
21. 80/20 of doing [function] right
22. Industry prediction for 2030
23. Industry trend you think is underrated
24. Biggest interview red flag.
25. FAQ answer 2.
26. Industry myth-bust 2
27. Right way vs. wrong way [function]
28. "If I were [job title], I would..."
29. Underrated metrics to track for [ICP]
30. Objection handle 2
31. Unconventional things you do internally.
32. First 5 customers story
33. Team member shoutout 2
34. AI take / opinion
35. Existing [function] audit process
36. Best city to build in opinion
37. Fundraising lessons learned
38. Early mistake 2
39. Last 30 days recap
40. Specific feature highlight
41. Underrated candidate trait
42. Personal interest/hobby post
43. Industry meme / shitpost 2
44. Early mistake 2
45. [Big company] strategy breakdown
46. Customer churn lesson
47. Company momentum (use metrics)
48. How you build culture
49. Scariest moment story
50. Case study 2
51. Industry trend you think is overrated
52. Unpopular industry opinion
53. Remote vs in-person opinion
54. Unconventional pro tip for ICP
55. How you make roadmap decisions
56. BTS story 2
57. Biggest interview green flag
58. Industry open role roundup
59. Step-by-step process guide
60. ICP common mistake highlight

Founders: I don't want to hear that you "don't know what to post about."

These are enough posts ideas to last you a full quarter.

Save them.

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Christian Di Bratto

Nick Taylor

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taplio

The Battle

Christian Di Bratto

Nick Taylor

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Christian Di Bratto's LinkedIn Performance

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