I'm the first person in my family to graduate college. Then I immediately said "no thanks" to the traditional 9-5 and went full-time freelance right after graduation. 

Turns out, skipping the corporate ladder and building a business on LinkedIn was the right call!

(Sorry, mom! 🤣)

Here's what I know: Talking about yourself online can feel gross and performative, especially somewhere like LinkedIn. 

You want to use social media to sell (great idea, btw), but you're deathly afraid of turning into one of those hustle-bro accounts you secretly can't stand.

So your brilliant ideas stay buried in drafts, voice memos, and Notion docs that never see the light of day.

I help founders build an online presence that actually turns into REAL money - without the cringe-worthy self-promotion or selling-out tactics that make you want to delete your account.

Over the past few years, I've ghostwritten for 30+ founders. Some highlights:

→ Wrote a piece for a non-alc industry founder that was published in Global Drinks Intel
→ Brought a social agency founder 75+ webinar signups through LinkedIn content alone
→ Grew a land investor's X account from 0 to 4K in three months
→ Built my own LinkedIn following to 6K+ (140% growth this year) while running a weekly newsletter on sustainable content strategy

Want to work together? Here's how:

→ Ghostwriting - I'll handle your LinkedIn content and newsletters so you can focus on your zone of genius (AKA operating your business)

→ 1-1 Strategy Sessions - Get unstuck on your content strategy, profile positioning, or how to actually monetize your presence

→ Speaking & Workshops - I teach teams and communities how to build authority on LinkedIn without burning out or selling out

💌 Let's talk: hindmansam@gmail.com

Last night, a client I'd worked with for over a year let me know they were ending our work together. 

We'd published 250+ articles together, and it was on good terms.

But I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting a little. 🤣

Despite that, I wasn't SCARED - Which is important!

This isn't my first time losing a client to budget cuts, a new algo, or restructuring.

I've been freelancing long enough to know that no matter how stable a job feels, things can change overnight.

That's why I have a rule: no single client makes up more than 30% of my income.

Ever!

Even when the money's good, and the work is steady. 

Putting all your eggs in one basket as a freelancer is a recipe for panic & subsequent disaster when things go sideways.

Diversifying my client base means that when one door closes, I'm not scrambling to pay rent. 🤷‍♀️

I'm adjusting my schedule and moving forward.

Did losing this client hurt? Okay, yeah, kind of. But did it derail me?

Thankfully, no.

If you're freelancing and one client is keeping your business afloat, it might be time to rethink your strategy~!

Build a foundation that can handle a few cracks!

Sam Hindman

LinkedIn ghostwriter & content strategist | Event facilitator & speaker | Showing you that personal branding doesn’t need to be cringe 🌿

Currently celebrating, because I just finished doing my 2025 taxes! 🙌

Be honest: How many of y’all are still slacking? 👀

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I remember back when this was the biggest marketing decision I had to make all year 😮‍💨

I spoke on a panel dedicated to LinkedIn last night, but here's the truth:

My first LinkedIn posts got two or three reactions. Maximum. 🤣

When you start, you assume everyone successful has always been successful.

I get it!

But here's what I learned the hard way:

If I'd stopped posting after those first attempts, I wouldn't be here today.

I wouldn't be working for myself.

I DEFINITELY wouldn't be writing for these impressive, accomplished founders.

The people you see succeeding now didn't start out succeeding.

And YOU won't start out with your best work.

Tbh, that's the trap that I see people falling into the most: getting stuck in strategy mode, avoiding the actual work. 🫣

Planning might ~feel~ productive, but you're just scratching the itch of thinking you've accomplished something without actually putting in the work.

The DOING is what matters.

The messy first attempts (& alllll the flopped posts) are how you learn.

You can't strategize your way to success (even though it would be awesome if you could.)

You have to start, fail, adjust, and keep swimming! 🐟

[P.S. Panel details will come ASAP! I just need the images!]
[P.P.S. You'll be STUNNED when you see who else was there!]

Hot take: The freelance market isn't as hard to break into as people say 👀 

Chances are, your competition is setting the bar very, very low.

The following are REAL complaints people have said to me about their hiring process in the last few months:

→ "Their (paid) trial assignment was 100% written by AI. Like, they didn't even try to change any of it."

→ "I specifically asked for an expert in [niche topic]. They said they had experience with it, but then turned in factually wrong information!"

→ "Yeah, I got like 300+ applications, but only like forty of them filmed an intro video like I asked."

→ "I put the application form in my post, but people kept sending me emails and DMs anyway!"

→ "I hired them, and then they ghosted me. AFTER they got the job."

... 😵‍💫 

Guys. The question we have to be asking here isn't "how MUCH competition do we have?" but "how competent is our competition?"

If you can follow clear directions, communicate honestly & regularly, and put effort into your work, you are genuinely already ahead. 🤷‍♀️ 

(This isn't to discredit or belittle those who have had a difficult time landing jobs, by the way! It's to encourage those who are feeling down about the search that, truth is, they have better odds than they might think.)

Self-employment has been the greatest lesson in confidence I've ever received.

Because when you work for yourself, you have to be your own biggest advocate.

Every single day. 

No matter how talented you are, how amazing your services are, or how passionate you feel about your work…

…none of it matters if you can't back yourself. 😬

If you're the type of person who:

→ Refuses to advocate for yourself because it feels "cringe"
→ Constantly thinks about how you could be doing better
→ Ruminates in self-pity after a setback

You are going to have a really hard time being self-employed/building a business.

I know this because I've been there. 

Those negative feelings about yourself, that reluctance to speak up, all compound when you're the only one running the show.

But you don't need to be stuck in those feelings. If you're struggling with this and you are self-employed, let it be your lesson in growth.

Let it push you toward self-love and personal conviction.

Other people will root for you. 

But no one is ever going to root for you as much as you root for yourself.

So, are you going to keep shrinking?

Or are you going to start showing up for yourself?! 👏

The truth is, anyone can do what I do. But that doesn't mean they will. 😬 

See, when I started freelancing, I didn't know diddly-squat about LinkedIn, or marketing more generally, or even wtf a "KPI" was.

I had to learn (the hard way, mostly) the expertise required to use another person's voice authentically.

I had to learn how to navigate sales calls without making either me or my prospective client feel uncomfortable.

I had to learn how to design a system that made client communication and content creation easy and sustainable.

My biggest advantage wasn't really skill, but time. 

I was a freshman in college when I started freelancing on Upwork.

By the time I graduated, I didn't need to get a traditional corporate role because I already had so much first-hand knowledge under my belt.

And those first few clients...? Did NOT pay me as well as my current ones.

[I mean, I did work at a coffee shop part-time until I was a year post-grad. ☕ ]

But not everyone has the patience for that. 

They want to skip, immediately, to making reliable money, having time freedom, and being able to say to people, "I'm my own boss."

Well, I'm here to tell you that's lowkey a pipe dream.

When people tell me they want to do what I do, I tell them I'm not special. I tell them that it's very, very possible.

But I also tell them that it takes work, effort, and time to get there. 

And usually, upon hearing that, their interest dwindles. 🤣

Two weeks ago, I was ON a panel, and this Friday, I'm hosting one! 💖 

Thrilled to finally get the chance to collaborate with Meg Anderson on a project, and especially excited to check out her new studio space.

I intentionally selected these women to be on the panel (Meg, Nadia, Madison, and Amy) because they have all taken very different paths in life while remaining rooted in the same purpose: To make cool sh*t happen.

🤳 One works for a corporate brand while running a content creation business.
📸 One works at a startup while running a photography/storytelling business.
💪 One has totally quit the traditional route and runs her own fitness studio.
🧘‍♀️ One teaches Buti Yoga, has authored a book, and is a public speaker.

They all bring different insights & skillsets to the table.

Which is why our conversation is going to be so incredible. 🤩 

If you're in the Pittsburgh area and are looking to bond with some awesome ladies over following your passions in a sustainable way, you should come!

I'll add the 🔗  to buy tickets in the comments below!

You know what they say: Never be the smartest person in the room.

On Wednesday, sitting beside legends like Nicole Ramirez and Colleen Paulson, I definitely delivered on that! 👏 

I was completely humbled when Jamie Orlando and Piper Martin offered me the opportunity to speak on a panel for the American Marketing Association - AMA Pittsburgh.

The panel, of course, was all about LinkedIn. 

(Because, c'mon, what else could I talk about for 3 hours straight?)

It made me realize something that we all need a reminder of every now and again: 

All of the small, seemingly insignificant actions I've made these past few years haven't gone unnoticed.

Every post, every comment, every nugget of wisdom earned has brought me here.

Let this be a lesson to you all! Showing up & being visible is often the difference between seizing an opportunity and passing it by.

This might sound a little woo-woo, but you should aim to have a ~magnetic~ LinkedIn presence. 🧲

You ever hear someone describe another person as magnetic?!

It's different than JUST being attractive.

To be magnetic is to attract, yes. But it's also to repel. 

And I think that's the part people forget.

Everyone is so worried about being palatable. About never saying anything that could possibly alienate anyone. 

And while it feels safe, it's actually killing your chances of being memorable.

Even if you hold polarizing views, people generally respect someone who has views.

If you're not speaking authentically, if you're so worried about appealing to everyone that you end up appealing to no one… how are you supposed to stand out?

(It’s giving Aaron Burr.)

People are not looking for generalists right now. They want someone who can solve a specific problem for a specific type of person.

And if your content is so deliberately inoffensive that you attract people who are completely wrong for you… Who really wins there?

Being yourself on LinkedIn is not just about authenticity for its own sake. It's a genuinely smarter business strategy.

Someone asked me last night how I never run out of content ideas.

You want to know the truth? 👀 

First of all, I totally DO run out. All of the time.

The real trick is how I make it SEEM like I'm an ever-flowing well of ideas:

→ When in doubt, walk it out

90% of any new, insightful, fun content ideas come from long walks with a coffee in hand. 

Sometimes, it's a silent walk. Other times, Otter.ai in hand, I'm blabbering on and on to myself about my week, my stressors, and what's exciting me.

→ REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!

If you think that people remember everything you've ever posted, I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this: You're a big egotistical.

People's attention spans are not that sharp. Plus, your audience is always growing! Don't be afraid to repost something that did well 6 months ago.

→ Start big, then shift to small

When I'm consistent with my newsletter (rare), those weeks are the easiest content-wise. I usually cover a broad topic, and each section of my newsletter can be reformatted into its own post.  

Start with something BIG: A YouTube video, a newsletter, or a blog, then trim.

And, most of all, remember this:

We've reached a point where there's really nothing new online. Everyone has already had most insights/ideas/tips/tricks/etc. 

If you want to stand out, focus on the WHY AND HOW, not the what.

HOW did you discover tip/trick/insight?
WHY was it so effective for you?

That matters more (and is far more effective) than trying desperately to say something that no one has ever thought of.

Do you actually know your neighbor's names?

We talk a lot on here about community. What it means to build one, nurture it, and (often, let's not lie) make money from it.

But what about your REAL community?

If you live in an apartment building, do you know the other people on your floor? If you live in a house, are you familiar with the other people on your block?

I'd venture to guess that your answer is no. 

(Though hey, maybe you'll shock me!)

To be honest, as someone who calls herself a community-builder, I haven't done the best job of this myself. 

My old apartment had a building-wide group chat, and I only knew about it because my neighbor took the time to introduce herself to me.

Since I've moved, I haven't introduced myself to my new neighbors.

This week, I challenge you to take a step back from your online communities and take a small step toward the community that exists all around you.

Knock on a neighbor's door. Introduce yourself. Give them your phone number.

We're going through tough times here in the States. This is the first step toward real connection, and by extension, real protection.

sorry guys: i was gonna post something intellectually groundbreaking today, but Ziggy said no! 😟

happy friday! xx

Well yes, I suppose you could say I’m an Incredibly Organized Person ™

AI cannot come up with a story that only you have lived.

No matter how much you feed it. No matter how detailed your prompts.

I mean, sure: It can clean up your sentences and make something that sounds technically fine.

But it cannot give you the thing that actually makes people stop scrolling: a cringe truth, a weird habit, a lesson you learned the hard way.

That gap is where my job lives, and it's why I'm never worried about AI.

Fun fact about me: I majored in journalism. The thing that pulled me toward it wasn't writing, but the interviewing. I've always loved people.

And, perhaps more importantly, I've always had an ability to sit across from someone who thinks their life is ordinary and coax out the thing that makes it anything but.

I do the same thing now for my ghostwriting clients.

My bi-weekly calls are lowkey interrogations. 😅

→ WOW, how did you come up with that? 
→ Yeah, you did [thing], but why?
→ Where and how did you learn that advice/tip/habit?
→ What did someone say to you this week that pissed you off? 

When I do that, I'm looking for that nugget!

That half-formed thought in the back of your head that nobody else on LinkedIn has posted, because nobody else is you.

People who do really well on this platform aren't just better writers.

(Though bad writers typically don't do too hot 🤣 )

They have something specific to say. And usually, they needed someone to ask the right questions before they figured out what it was.

Your job is to talk. Mine is to know what's worth posting about.

So thrilled for this event tomorrow! 👏

American Marketing Association - AMA Pittsburgh

View company: American Marketing Association - AMA Pittsburgh

Tomorrow is your chance to stop scrolling and start standing out. LinkedIn isn’t just a profile, it’s your brand, your voice, and your next opportunity.

Hear directly from top LinkedIn leaders who are making it happen right now. 

Swipe through to meet our speakers & moderators:
 🔶  Nicole Ramirez
 🔶 Sam Hindman
 🔶 Colleen Paulson
 🔶 Jamie Orlando
 🔶 Piper Martin

You’ll walk away with actionable strategies, insider tips, and a clear roadmap to grow your influence, expand your reach, and open doors to new opportunities.

The event will be held at the National Aviary, an inspiring space to learn, connect, and level up your LinkedIn game. This event is proudly sponsored by the National Aviary and the National Institute for Social Media.

🎟️ Tickets are still available, grab yours now!
Link is in the comments.

Tomorrow, make your LinkedIn work for you 👏

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