Ryan Musselman

Founder @ Coaches who Close

I create funny AI ads for B2B businesses and business owners without requiring you to be on camera, write scripts, think of content ideas, or build your personal brand.If you're serious about being funny (lol), book with me here and let's see if I can help: https://calendly.com/ryanmus/funnyads

Founder | Coaches who Close

Equipping coaches to close, scale, and enterprise with new clients, content engines, and constant lead flow.

I'm seeing 2 styles of LinkedIn content, and:

(one of them is becoming cringe) 😬

1) Authority Content
2) Narrator Content

Authority Examples 😬

“Stop giving value. Start creating gravity.”
“Here’s the ONLY way to grow on LinkedIn in 2026.”
“If you’re not doing this, you’re losing trust fast.”

Narrator Examples 

“Is online coaching dying?”
"Posts that hit lately feel less polished."
"LinkedIn might be going through its copycat era."

You'll spot Authority Content when it makes you feel:

1) Managed
2) Called-out
3) Prepped-to-buy

You'll spot Narrator Content when you FEEL:

1) Seen
2) Included 
3) Intelligent 

Narrator content challenges you to draw your own conclusions from the post. 

You become more insightful in this process, which causes you to value the creator's presentation of the information, ultimately leading to more trust with the person who posted.

Not saying you shouldn't do authority content. 

But I'm theorizing you can get the intended value of both styles by using narrator content more.

Here's the easiest way I've found to narrate:

Start (some) of your posts with:

"I'm seeing...
"I've noticed...
"These 5 emerging...
"The [thing] that's [getting result]...

Here's a full example hook to illustrate:

"The LinkedIn strategy that's getting clients for small accounts."

PS) Are you observing something similar?

Someone needs to hear this today ⬇️

We've wasted years of our life:

1) Responding to arguments
2) Defending our position
3) Explaining ourselves

Only to realize we never needed to:

1) Respond to arguments
2) Defend our position
3) Explain ourselves 

Build whatever career you want.

I'm seeing 3 big changes with organic content:

1) The Death of Posting M-F

(especially with LinkedIn content)

I used to post 7x per week, then went down to 5x. Then switched in and out of 3x to 7x posts per week. But now when I try to batch create, it appears my content hits less. I also no longer enjoy that strategy because it rushes my mind and ideas don't get to bloom. 

When I post less, but dig deep, it's just better all around. This is much more than a "quality over quantity" argument. I think it's a true behavior change in the creator and the reader. 

The bombardment of content from everyone, everywhere, all at once, is making us consume different and in ways we don't fully understand yet. But I think we're all feeling the heavy shift without being able to explain it. 

2) Long-form, Slow Growth, and Micro-audiences

Long, slow and micro is my new goal and I never thought I'd write a sentence like that. My view on content changed and thinking this way lets the "content pressure" melt off my soul. I don't only see "small" as the new "fast," I see it as the new "purpose."

(this may not be true of everyone)

This isn't another "1,000 true fans" argument. It's more about the internal dialogue that becomes the content people can relate to. The post you're reading now is an example of it.

I'm also not trying to build a mega-business. I'm into the idea of building a lifestyle business that requires very little maintenance, to the degree that it's not only lucrative financially but it's liberating with time. 

This enables the option to return to the corporate world (I've been missing the people, teams, goals, challenges). Plus, I'd have additional income that has a better ROI than a basic side hustle and enables me to explore time allocation to a role of my interest (I'm seeing many roles that I actually want - what is happening to me?!). 

3) Small Promises, Small Wins, Small Effort

Last week I asked myself: "Why does everything need to be a big promise and high-ticket cost? What if there were small promises that cater to a different part of the market?" 

Then I listened to a podcast about someone I’d never heard of who built a $10M business in 5 years using funny ads. Prior to hearing that episode, I was thinking similarly, so to me, that's less of a coincidence and more of a flashing sign. 

I've also gone into the deep end of studying ads and ad-based conversion funnels. My mind has completely shifted into "figure out ads." It's simply too high-leverage to ignore. 

I will master that process with good copywriting. The right set of ads, for the right mini-course, with the right kind of small promise, small win, and small effort...there's something special about that. I'm going to figure it out.

PS) What are you seeing with online content?

If you write for their benefit, you'll sell a transformation.

If you write for your benefit, you won't sell much.

Written for your benefit: 

“Sign-up for my weekly content newsletter.” 

Written for their benefit: 

“Become a content mastermind in 90 days.”

I like the idea of dedicating 1 post per week to:

→ a listicle of lessons from posting on LinkedIn that week.

(it challenges you to pause + reflect)
(it's human-driven to the core)
(great for relatability)

So, 5 lessons from creating content this week:

1. I officially feel “back”

I stopped posting for 3 months but recently started again. Believing my content would be THE catalyst for building a coaching business on LinkedIn is why I made the jump from corporate America in 2023. Glad I took the risk. And glad to be back.

2. We're all going to post & grow in 2026

I stopped believing in LinkedIn for awhile. Like when they got rid of pinned comments, created LinkedIn Games, and hurt our reach. But then I stopped pouting and got back to work (already seeing growth from text-only posts again). We'll all grow if we slow down, get 1% better with every post, and write well for our audience, we'll grow.

3. I've been craving a return to LinkedIn Lives

I used to do this in 2023 - every week. My buds Luke and Jasmin would send me a video segment and my LinkedIn Live felt like a live podcast/show. I shouldn't have stopped, so I'm rebuilding it. And I've always wanted a podcast, so, 2-birds-1-stone. 

5. I enjoy teaching content strategy + offers again

For awhile, I deeply explored changing how I help people. Then I returned to text posts and started trusting my creativity again. Then had a client earn a literal $200K month from his offer launch, another earn $40K, another hit his first ever $30K, another do $14K, followed by a $16K, then another got $5K. So I snapped out of my funk and once again, got back to work.

PS) All methods for offer sales work if you focus.
(get better and don't quit 🙂)

One of these sounds like work.

The other sounds like relief.

1) Feature (what it is):
“Weekly templates + prompts”

2) Outcome (what it does):
“Never stare at a blank post again”

PS) You need both. But lead with outcomes.

Well, looks like human-written LinkedIn posts (with text only) still work. 

Btw, I recommend going to my profile and reading that middle post. It's about a content style called "Narration Content."

Separates you from the robots. 

All 3 of my top posts, that were text only, used that style.

PS) There's nothing wrong with using images. These findings are from testing.

Ryan R. Sullivan

Podcast Strategy for Finance, Law & Coaching 🎙️ The Podcast Pipeline | DJ → Rapper → Marketer

You’re an advisor, not a full-time marketer.

Referrals are great…but they’re inconsistent. 

In the meantime, a financial "coach" on TikTok is getting millions of views pushing dangerous advice. 

But you don't have a content problem. 

You have a system problem:

→ Random posts
→ The occasional YouTube video
→ Compliance saying "we'll get back to you."

Let's change that. 

We'll build a repeatable, compliance-friendly, team-run content system with a simple cadence:

One 90-minute recording session per month → 3–4 segments + 15–30 clips

Then we turn that into a weekly rhythm across LinkedIn, email, YouTube, and your podcast.

We helped a client generate 150+ life insurance clients with one podcast.
Built 100+ podcast strategies for finance, CPA's, banks, and law firms. 

If you want a credible, relationship-driven growth system your team can sustain:

📅 Book a Discovery call: https://calendly.com/podcastprinciples/discover

I'll see you there! 

-Ryan R. Sullivan

Founder

We help people launch top-1% podcasts with 0 paid promotion using a proven launch strategy tailored specifically to turn audience members into podcast fans.

Here are what some of our podcasters are saying: 

Mikhail Myzgin, VP of Marketing at Slice 

"Ryan is an excellent resource for anything about podcasting. His advice was spot-on, and his expertise helped us solve a problem we didn't know how to go about."

Calum Johnson, Marketing Manager at Public

"I reached out to Ryan because I wanted to start my own podcast & get some pointers from someone who had experience & expertise launching podcasts. The consultation call with Ryan was 100% worth it, Ryan has started a lot of podcasts & gave me great advice that would be difficult to find anywhere else."

Malik Handoush, Strategic Business Develop Coach

"As someone searching for guidance & direction on beginning a podcast, I decided to reach out to Podcast Principles for a consultation. Ryan surpasses any expectations you may have as he brilliantly identifies and assesses where you are and what you're trying to accomplish. His true superpower is in his listening skills where he will help you simplify and reach a point of clarity."

Ready to humanize your business or brand? 30 mins of free advice is cool too :) 

Let's talk - https://calendly.com/podcastprinciples/discover

We got 12 inches of snow, then lost power and internet. 
My hot girlfriend, now freezing, turns to me.
And says,

"At least we can do our self-care." 

So apparently, these golden eye things are helping?

Thank god the power came back on. I was dreading what day 3 of no-power-self-care was going to look like. 

Back to work! 

PS: Did you get any snow?

Podcast-Style Content for Advisors & RIAs | 15m views, 500k+ Downloads and 1000+ Inbound Leads for Clients | Referrals are not a strategy. Stop waiting and start attracting.

My financial advisor said,
"Starbucks is keeping you poor."
So he made me switch to black coffee.

It's disgusting, sure.

But hey, at least now I can take that $2239 a year I saved and invest that into my Roth IRA. 

By the time I'm 65, that $2239 per year will get me at least another $357,569 to offset the cost of assisted living when I'm 75! 

He said it's all about optimizing for when you're really old and can't enjoy life. 

#financialadvising  

PS: Dave Ramsey is my financial advisor.

Bill Fanter brought us in to create videos.

12 months later: 

• 300,000+ views
• 5,000 subscribers
• 100 short-form videos

These are great metrics, but they don't tell the full story. 

Bill was already making videos, and that's the problem. 

Instead of sitting down to record a podcast or turning his phone camera on, we do one 90-minute recording per month.

No more editing.  
No more fancy cameras.
No more marketers or salespeople. 

Bill is one of the most successful options traders. He left a 25+ year career in banking to trade. Turning him into a "creator" is not the best use of his time when he runs a master class of 200 students. 

He's extremely candid about his wins and losses. 

And teaches his community how to do the same. 

He shouldn't be a video editor, and neither should you. 

#podcasting 

PS: Will you record video content this year?

Yesterday I went back to high school to teach kids about careers in media. It made me more emotional than I expected. 

I haven't spent a lot of time processing how I got here. I've been running so fast that I haven't reflected for myself: 

"How did I get here?"
"Did I think I was going into media?"
"What job did I think I would have in 2026?"

I remember thinking about the 2020's in 2016. 

How one day I would be 25 years old.

What would I be doing? 

Yesterday I went back home. Got to spend an hour with incredible students who are already creating content for themselves and their fellow classmates.  I saw my old teachers, stopped at my old job to see my boss and back home at my dads house to sit on the porch. 

Back by 3 PM, then off to a networking event at 6. I almost couldn't go because I was reflecting so much. 

It's weird because I know how I got here. 

But I don't know every reason 𝘸𝘩𝘺 I got here.

There can't be just one. 

My grandfather prayed for me every single day. My other grandfather made sure I was making money no matter what. My dad instilled a work ethic that can't be trained. 

It's working. We have clients. I work with my best friend. I live with the love of my life. We dreamed for years of even getting to this point. And man, does it feel good to be doing this. 

This life is crazy. And as my girlfriend often says, 

"Just stop, take it in, and look what you've built."

Thanks for reading, but this post was for me. 

I'm starting to think a lot of them are. 

#appreciation  

PS: What makes you stop and look back? Spending an hour with students did it for me.

When I was 14, my grandpa asked me a question that would change my entire life. 

"Are you making money?"

Luckily, I was. 

Just got my first job at a gas station. 

My dad was happy I was working.
My mom was scared of the customers. 
My soccer coach got real, "I'll let you do both for now..."

My grandpa, Jim, learned the stock market in his 70's. He was tired of replacing tile floors for landlords on the weekend, so he became one.  

Financial advisors, like many of us, don't understand that the impact of the work isn't reflected in the numbers. 

Knowing I would get that question every time I saw grandpa Jim forced me to want to make money. He became my advisor by asking one question every time I saw him. 

That question was more impactful than any other money lesson until I read Rich Dad Poor Dad when I was 19. 

But that's a story for another day. 

#advisors

PS: Who impacted your money habits as a kid?

There are 2 types of founders.
Which one are you? 

🗣️ The Top-of-the-Funnel Founder 

These founders love to advertise. 

They can rake in thousands of likes and comments but struggle to move prospects through the funnel. They often hit a wall when trying to connect marketing with sales.

💰 The Bottom-of-the-Funnel Founder

These founders love closing deals. 

They’re great at converting leads but struggle with attracting the right prospects in the first place. They often miss the mark in reaching people who will eventually face the problem they solve.

👇

Here’s the deal:

Do founders really fall into just 2 categories? 

Of course not.

The goal of this exercise is to help you think in binary terms. This makes it easier to say, "yeah, I might need help with [x] piece of my funnel." We can't fix your marketing if we can't fix you. 

Self-awareness > tips and tricks 

#MarketingStrategy 

PS: Which type of founder are you? Sales, or marketing?

Financial advisors are making LinkedIn way harder than it has to be, and that’s why other people are taking your clients faster than you can say, "401k."

https://lnkd.in/eNQSeK5X

Not because they’re smarter.
Not because they’re “better at content.”

Because they have a system.

Most advisors are doing random acts of content:

* a post for other advisors (the client repellent)
* a market update (prospects don't care)
* a broker-dealer graphic that puts us to sleep 😴

Then they wonder why nothing converts.

In this episode, I break down the 6-step system I’d use if I wanted to get clients (and yeah, it works for CPAs + law too).

Here’s what you’ll get:

✅ The first change I’d make to your targeting 
✅ How to turn your profile into a “pre-sell” page
✅ The minimum weekly posting cadence
✅ What to do daily so you’re not relying on hope
✅ The exact path from DM → call → client 

9 minutes to add as many clients as you want.

Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eNQSeK5X

Or don't and keep "networking."

#financialadvisors 

PS: If you’re still waiting for people to DM you first… you’ll either love or hate this episode.

Open video: LinkedIn for Advisors: How We Turn Posts Into Clients (Simple + Easy) on youtu.be

LinkedIn for Advisors: How We Turn Posts Into Clients (Simple + Easy)

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The Battle

Ryan Musselman

Ryan R. Sullivan

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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);}Ryan Musselman's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRyan Musselman's LinkedIn Performance