Luke Matthews

Co-Founder | Lifestyle Blogger |  Content Marketer | Storyteller 

I teach you how to write with AI (and win LinkedIn)

Building in public on LinkedIn™ is risky for you. 

You aren't a 20-something Instagram model or a 33-year-old drop shipping bro bragging about 6 figures from Bali. 

You have a real business and a real reputation to uphold. 

You want to take advantage of more opportunities through visibility on social media, but you know there are privacy risks that come with that.... 

Most AI models take your data and sell it. 
Most social media platforms take your data and sell it.
Most marketers don't understand this, which can expose your company.

That's where I come in. 

I've been marketing for over 10 years on social media, built over 250k followers across all platforms, and I've ghostwritten for some of the biggest personal brands in the world. 

But beyond that, I value privacy and staying hidden. 

It takes skill to build a personal brand that not only generates revenue for your company but also remains secure and private. 

I help you build on social media and maintain your privacy using secure AI systems and world-class ghostwriting. 

Sound interesting?

Don't message here on LinkedIn.

Email me instead and use subject "𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆"

luke@wizardofoddmarketing.com

--

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Follow me and subscribe to my email list to learn how to use AI tools safely and securely without exposing your data and private life to the world. You can subscribe by clicking any link in my profile as they all go to my newsletter on Substack.

Founder - Lead Wizard & Ghostwriter

Linkedin & Twitter Ghostwriting Services for CEOs, Influencers, and Tech companies. 
Reach your audience with a sprinkle of magic, the power of explosive copywriting, and let the WIZARD OF odd MARKETING help make your biz a LOT  less boring.

I have been banned over 10x on LinkedIn. 

The brutal truth is the system ain’t fair…

In business and in life those willing to cater to the system (and exploit you) end up profiting from it. 

Social media has made this reality worse. 

It’s not about how skilled you are.
It’s about how skilled you can talk. 

(& it’s about who u know aka how good you are at kissing up to leaders and using errr befriending them on your climb to a seat at the table)

I decided this rat race wasn’t for me. 

So I’m playing a different game now. 

Rebuilding in the shadows. 
Learning new skills. 
Making new friends…

Friends that are hackers, rebels and the anonymous geniuses defending digital freedom…

Because look, complaining about broken systems accomplished nothing…

Action wins. 

PS Hi LinkedIn. Who’s still here?

2 posts in a week whoa 🤓

Luke M

I used to spend 8 hours a day engaging on LinkedIn. 

In 2025 I spent less than 30 minutes a day... 

So why change?

Well for starters I shut down a lot of things this year. I ghosted the platform for months, I shut down my old businesses and went into the shadows to consider a rebuild. 

But last year a lot changed on the platform.

Commenting alone is now far less effective for growth.

There are too many AI comments.
There are too many thought leader ads.
There are too many virtual assistants focused on ROI.

The odds of your comment alone being seen, considered and replied to simply went down a lot. 

So here's what I have been doing in Q4:

I comment for 15 minutes a day.
I make sure each comment is interesting.
I follow up the comment with a simple DM. 

(oh and yes I remove all my comments, posts and footprint 30-60 days after with a pretty cool AI tool.... DM if your curious why I do this!) 

No you wont get a ton of reach or follower growth this way!

But you will start conversations....

PS Have you changed your strategy in 2025?

It's easy to get 1000 likes a post (like I used too)

Here's how to be a LinkedIn influencer: 

1. Talk about LinkedIn. 
2. Be good looking and post pictures.
3. Write short, broad content. 
4. Spend all day commenting. 
5. Do this for 90 days. 

OR 

69. Pay a team to do it all for you. 

But here's the truth about this blueprint. 

You missed the window when this was possible for anyone. It's too late now on LinkedIn to do this organically. The market has changed, agencies don't work as well, organic is dying and this actually isn't the best strategy unless you want to pretend the old system still works. 

The better way? 

Cut the dopamine. Pick a niche. Speak to that niche. 
Accept less reach. Accept slower growth. 

But reach a very targetd audience. 

In summary...

You need a real skill and a real niche to focus on.

The generic LinkedIn growth expert is playing an old game to take your hard earned money by fooling you with cheap dopamine. 

You will never become them. 

You don't need a personal brand.

You just need to be an expert with a real skill and a specific niche.

PS Who bought cool AI tools for Black Friday?

I now separate work and my personal life.

But not for balance... I do it for privacy.

If you wanna work 16 hours a day and find joy in that then I see no reason at all to say that's unhealthy. 

So this post isn't about encouraging balance.

I mean, I'm the guy who posted 3x a day and spent 8 hours+ a day commenting and connecting on LinkedIn for years who now has a cartoon profile pic, posts 1x a week and barely comments...

I enjoy the unhinged and unbalanced life.

More fun. More purpose. More stories.

And yet I've worked hard to seperate personal and business in 2025.

That's meant shutting down a lot of social media accounts, AI tools, services, clients and ways that I show up on the internet. 

I use Linux for personal stuff.
But Windows for work. 

I use a rebuilt android OS for personal stuff.
And only use an IPhone hardened for work.

I still post on LinkedIn for work. 
But I removed all pics and stories connected to my life.

I could go on and on...

But for me, seperating work and my personal life hasn't been about balance. It's been about privacy and being more intentional with my time, my words and my efforts... 

I believe the internet is no longer a place for authenticity. 

It's simply a place to do commerce. 

So look, do you but if your password is the same for your bank and your LinkedIn account....

Maybe it's time for an audit of yourself eh peasant? 

🧙‍♂️

I only log in to LinkedIn on Windows. 

I use Linux for my personal data and files...

Running more than one operating system on your computer is called multi-booting. 

This summer as I began to purge myself of big tech I realized that I couldn't full exit the system yet... 

Even though I concluded that:

Using Google search is a privacy risk.

Using ChatGPT is a privacy risk.

Using Cloud AI is a risk...

Publishing content connected to your full name, actual face, phone number and home IP address is also a privacy risk…

I also realized I couldn't cut the last 1% of these data stealing big tech tools and programs...

This is where taking back your privacy requires effort.

So I decided to learn how to sandbox my work/private life online environments.

Sandboxing is when you run apps/programs in a secure, isolated framework to restrict those tools access to the rest of your systems files and resources.

Basically I wanted to figure out how to isolate tools like LinkedIn so they don't have access to my other files and life.

This takes some skill, but deleting 100% of everything just wasn't possible for me yet. 

It's a constant game of learning but I think it's worth learning how to shield your personal data and sandbox your work life, personal life and daily life environments from each other.

Otherwise you are at the mercy of data leaks, hackers, corrupt big tech and government policies…

Personally I think it’s worth the effort to learn and seperate tools, systems and resources.

What about u?

PS Yes I know Windows is getting worse... But Mac? EW

Do you share your live location with social media apps? 

I do not. Here's a quick why/why not list... 

✅ Positives to location sharing:

It's convenient (easy to meet up & connect)
It's social proof (events, hotspots, clout)
It gives you steak recommendations. 

✖️ Negatives to location sharing: 

It creates movement patterns for 1000s to study.
It allows your data to be harvested more easily.
It establishes a physical digital footprint.

I have always been careful to not share my live location.

I analyze every photo or post written and consider what kind of footprint I'm leaving behind. 

Am I paranoid? 

Perhaps... But this elder-millennial is gonna keep walking the line between using tech and disappearing into the shadows..

PS Sharing any photos adds to your risk. 

This photo has clues in it. 

Where do you think this photo was taken?

The gatekeepers are losing their grip.

For years, "world-class" meant big budgets, big teams, and exclusive tools. You had to be part of the club.

That era is over.

AI has kicked the door down. A new report from Artlist, based on insights from 6,500 creators, calls this "The third wave of democratization."

What does that mean?

It means anyone with a laptop can now produce studio-quality work. It means a couple of skilled individuals can take on companies in the hundreds. It means the playing field is wide open for anyone willing to learn.

Of course, when anyone can make anything look perfect, the game changes.

It's no longer just about technical skill. It's about taste. Vision. Strategic thinking.

As the report says, direction now matters more than ever. AI handles the production, but only you can choose the ideas that move people. Your choices are what set you apart.

This is why I find AI so appealing. It's not about replacing humans; it's about empowering the ones that choose to accept the new game. It is the great redistributing. An opportunity for anyone willing to learn, not just those with deep pockets.

The little guy has a chance. The rebel. The creator with a dream. The expert with a real skill.....

I think that's pretty cool.

PS if you want to read more about the state of AI check out the AI Trend Report 2026 from Artlist (who sponsored this post).

https://lnkd.in/gf7e8aXE

Brand partnership • Scale your business privately with AI.

How to pay $0 with 9 private AI tools.

(I replaced my tech stack with these brands)

This summer I quit using most AI tools that required overpriced monthly subscriptions/credits and stored my data in their clouds. 

So I had to replace 99% of my tools. 

From $500 to less than $25 a month.

Here's my list:

Notion >Crypt(.)ee for note taking and ideas.
Airtable > AppFlowy for content management.
G-Suite > Proton for secure email and file hosting.
ChatGPT > Okara for private open source AI. 
Loom > Cap so I can record my screen with video.
Perplexity > DeepSeek with Ollama for research.
Canva > Penpot for self hosting creative assets.
Manus > Venice for AI research purposes.
Slack > Signal cz I don't need all the fluff.

So yeah this list is a lot longer.

But I know your attention span is short.

I'm still getting used to some of these new tools.

(and I paid for Proton Premium too btw)

The truth is, it's inconvenient. 
I was used to my tool stack. 

Learning new software and setups is a challenge.

But avoiding subscriptions the best I can and maintaining max control of my data is my decision maker.

PS Yes I left out the self-hosting tools and process...

(I gotta make you follow for more somehow right?)

Stef Curcio

Growth Marketing Manager

LinkedIn client acquisition in <​15 mins/day | Trusted by the top 1% of LinkedIn’s Creators

“We don't have time to send DMs and create content”

This is the #1 LinkedIn lead generation problem for founders and teams.

- Some companies we’ve worked with have seen revenue boosts of up to 327% in <90 days -

⭐Some people who trust our services:
- Jasmin Alic (290k+ followers)
- Richard Van Der Blom (220k+ followers)
- Okoye Chinelo (150k+ followers)

… and many others.

Most businesses know they should have a DM strategy in place…

But let’s be real...

most people do not have time for this!

(And everyone hates DMs)

But LinkedIn lead generation comes hard for many for mainly 3 reasons:

1) Don’t know how to start a conversation
2) You are used to annoying pitch slaps
3) Have better things to do

We simply do this for you.

**Scale LinkedIn**:

A system of AI agents that generates clients on autopilot

**Including**

✅Content Agent
✅Lead validator Agent
✅DMs Generator Agent
✅Appointment setter Agent

🔒**Safe:**
Avoid being restricted by LinkedIn.

👬**Don’t burn through leads:**
Avoid the pray and spray approach.

⏱️**Timeline from start to results:**
Start to see 20%-50% reply rate in 14 days.


📈Case studies:

- Trevor Longino, Founder - Crowd Tamers, GTM agency: +$44k in revenue in 30 days
- Gal Agadi, Founder - Gravity, Content agency: +$90k in sales in 40 days
- Beatrice Vladut, Founder - B Branded, Branding: Doubled sales calls in 30 days
- Justin Fowler-Lindner, Founder - The Rose Garden, Lead generation agency: +12 clients in 90 days


✍️How to start:

Copy and paste the URL below to get your personalized LinkedIn outreach campaign - For free:

https://www.scalelkdn.com/campaign-builder

Founder

The FREE community for entrepreneurs that want to master Elegant Lead Generation

Join at: 

stefcurcio.com

LinkedIn just made it clear:

They want you to pay to show your content.

The BOOST button is now front and center.

Organic reach is dying.

And frankly, I've been watching this coming for three years.

Views have been periodically decreasing since I joined the platform.

But here's what never changed.

DMs.

LinkedIn never restricted them in the past 3 years.

At least not for Premium users.

For three years, while the algorithm shifted...

While reach tanked...

While posts became a paid game...

DMs stayed the same.

Three referrals landed in my inboxes this week.

And a collaboration offer from my favorite tool.

I didn't ask for any of it.

I sat back and thought about why.

The answer wasn't what most people think.

It wasn't the posts.

These opportunities came from my "relationships".

And the place to build relationships on LinkedIn is your Inbox.

They are born in direct conversations with real people.

Are you betting your pipeline on posts?

Or are you building it through DMs?

Because one just became an expensive paid game.

The other is still virtually free.

And that's where the real opportunities live.

2.5 years in Japan taught me this about business:

So I saw a neighbor's house. 

Thought it might be for sale.

Since I want to invest in real estate here...

My first instinct was to knock on the door and ask.

But my wife stopped me.

"No," she said. "First, we invite him for tea."

I didn't get it at first.

We had a simple question.

Why waste time on tea?

I agree in the end.

Here's what I learned:

In the West, we lead with business.

We ask the question. 
We make the pitch. 
We close the deal.

In Japan, they lead with the "person".

They build the relationship first.

You establish a baseline of trust...

Then the business follows naturally.

Most people get this backwards with outreach too...

They think relationship-building is a tactic.

A warm-up before the real ask.

But it's not.

It's the foundation.

Without it...

You're just another stranger with an agenda.

With it...

You become someone worth saying yes to.

If you're in sales, outreach, or client acquisition...

This changes everything.

Stop leading with what you want.

Start leading with who you are.

Invite them for "tea" first.

The business will follow.

Just built a system for a 9-figure company.

How they'll generate clients in 2026 with LinkedIn:

(and it's exactly the same for a 1-person business)

Since they have different products and markets...

We picked up some relevant people within the company...

Operating in key geographical areas.

Then I built this system

1)  Content agent.

Not random posts. Strategic content that positions you as the obvious choice in your space. 

We'll be posting multiple times a week, and they do not have time to do so.

This agent creates high-quality content in <5min (including editing).

2) Then we created target lists.
We change them every quarter based on the focus.
No spray and pray.
Just precision.

3) We built a validation agent.

Because reaching out to the wrong person wastes everyone's time.

So we validate every single target before we touch them.

We make sure we're talking to the right decision-maker in the right company at the right time.

4) We warm up the accounts.

We only use this if reply rates drop below 25%.

Most people don't need it.

But when they do, we warm up target accounts before reaching out.

5) DM generator agent.

This is where the magic happens.

Laser-focused. Hyper-personalized. Every message sounds like it came from a human who actually knows them.

Not templated. Not robotic. Real.

We built something for one thing: 

Landing enterprise clients who actually have a need we can satisfy.

Everything else is unnecessary.

P.S. A system for a 1 person business has no real difference. This is still the best way to generate leads in 2025 :)

Gian had roughly 1.5k connections.

No real presence on LinkedIn.

Just some posts here and there. 

Social shares mostly.

But he has a growing company...

And a product he believes in.

He reached out because he believed he could leverage LinkedIn to fast-forward his growth.

He's getting 83% reply from DMs.

How we achieved this:

- Not a "post more" strategy.
- Not a profile tweak. 
- A real system.

We mapped his ideal buyer. 

Positioned him as the obvious choice. 

Then installed the messaging that actually converts.

- Step 1: 

We rewrote his profile to speak directly to the pain his clients feel.

Not generic. Specific.

- Step 2: 

We built an automated AI system for his outreach to be personalized, warm, and conversational.

No spam. No "let's hop on a call" nonsense.

- Step 3: 

We added a content agent that reinforces trust while the system works.

So when he reaches out, they already know him.

Then we let it run.

176 connection requests sent.

70 accepted.

41 replies.

83.7% reply rate.

And here's the part that matters: 

Multiple leads offering their personal contacts in the DMs.

This isn't luck.

This is what happens when you stop guessing and start building.

Most people think LinkedIn is about posting more or having a bigger audience.

It's not.

It's about having a system that works while you sleep.

One that finds the right people. 

Speaks their language. 

Builds trust before you ever ask for anything.

That's the difference between a LinkedIn profile and a LinkedIn asset.

All in under 15 minutes a day.

P.S. Do you send DMs daily?

taplio

The Battle

Luke Matthews

Stef Curcio

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreLuke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Luke Matthews

Stef Curcio

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);}Luke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStef Curcio's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreLuke Matthews's LinkedIn Performance