How James Had 200,000 LinkedIn Followers (then Crashed & Burned) 🔥
📌🚀 Join 3100+ Subscribers over on Escape the Cubicle Substack
I've written a recent post on Substack around How to Grow on LinkedIn & the LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel 2.0. I share how I went from getting views and $0 to posting LESS content and making MORE revenue.
If you'd like to dive into more about this Growth Engine System & the Flywheel, check out my recent post on Substack below 👇
"Everything's gone. Five years of work... just gone."
That's the text I got from James last month. A successful creator who'd built a 200,000-follower LinkedIn audience. His content regularly went viral. Brands were paying him thousands for sponsored posts.
Then LinkedIn's algorithm changed.
His posts went from reaching hundreds of thousands to barely hitting triple digits. His income dropped by 50%+ in a single month. Five years of building his business, erased by one platform update.
"I should have listened to you about the Substack newsletter thing," he texted.
See, three months earlier, I'd warned James about building his entire business on borrowed land. I'd been there myself – "LinkedIn famous" but one algorithm change away from disaster.
Just last year, I was that person:
- 100k+ views on posts
- Thousands of likes
- Zero predictable income
- No real business behind the vanity metrics
Then I discovered something that changed everything.
Instead of just posting content and praying for reach, I built a simple two-part system:
- Use LinkedIn for visibility and reach
- Funnel that attention into my own newsletter (Substack)
- The results transformed my entire business
Results?
- First 30 days: 300 new email subscribers from LinkedIn
- 90 days: Built to 2,000+ subscribers
- 6 months: Consistent $5K to $10K months from multiple revenue streams
Now: A recession-proof business that doesn't depend on any single platform
Want to start protecting (and monetizing) your audience today? Here's a quick win that's working incredibly well right now.
Recommended by LinkedIn
The "Value Stack" Method:
End every next LinkedIn post with this simple CTA…
"Enjoyed this insight? ↓
Get the framework behind it in my newsletter ↓
Plus receive daily [topic] strategies ↓
Join 2,000+ subscribers: [LINK]"
(Bonus points if you offer some type of freebie for joining your newsletter.)
This CTA is what’s helped me add hundreds of new subscribers every month. Once I also started offering a freebie (it was a free resume template), my subscribers 3X.
The best part? This works even if you're starting from zero. The key is building your own platform now, before you need it.
The LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel 2.0
Next week, I'm opening the doors to my comprehensive LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel Masterclass. I'll show you exactly how to build a system that turns casual followers into loyal subscribers (and paying customers).
But if you need help right now, you can check out my recent post on Substack about the LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel 2.0. I share high-level insights about how the flywheel works and how you can start using it to amp up your subscriber growth:
Otherwise, stayed tuned next week when I’ll open doors to the Flywheel class.
I can’t wait to share more about this with you. No gatekeeping here; this Flywheel has totally changed my business and I’m giving away all the “secrets.”
Questions…
PS – Have you ever considered using LinkedIn to help fuel your Substack growth? Whether “yes” or “no” I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment below and let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn. It’ll help me create my class next week tailored to you.
CMO | Driving Sustainable Growth by Balancing Immediate Performance with Long-Term Brand Strategy / A Basset Hound Father
2moWes Pearce inspiring
Thank you for always dropping the wisdom Wes Pearce
Former bank executive with 35 years of experience | Options trading expert who has taught 825+ students | Join my Masterclass to learn the strategy I used to create a 6-figure income stream
2moWes Pearce 🔥
Get Comfy in Sales I Understand the Buyer Better & Create a Sales Ecosystem Thru Brain Science I Sales Coach I HarvardX Verified Neuroscience Researcher I Ex-Microsoft I Founder I Keynote Speaker I Captain ⛵ Dog Mom 🐶
2moThis actually looks like a pretty good read… I will have to pin it for later
Seed Raise: Tokenizing premium spring water & helping 1.4 billion people in need of clean drinking water 💧 Quenching thirst, boosting profits 💧 30M+ Impressions/Year | RWA | DeFi | DAO
2moThanks for sharing your thoughts on this