LinkedIn Content Strategy That Doesn't Feel Desperate

## The Cringe Problem You know the posts. The humble brags. The "I'm so grateful" updates that are really just announcements. The carousel posts with obvious advice stretched across 10 slides. You don't want to be that person. But you also need clients. Good news: you can build a presence on LinkedIn without making yourself cringe every time you hit post. ## Why Most Fractional Executive Content Fails Three common traps: **1. The Resume Post** "Excited to announce I'm now available for fractional CFO work! With 20 years of experience..." No one cares about your availability. They care about their problems. **2. The Vague Thought Leadership** "Great leaders listen more than they speak. Here are 5 ways to be a better listener..." This could be written by anyone. There's no you in it. **3. The Humble Brag** "Overwhelmed by the response to my last post! Just hit 10,000 followers..." Celebrating your own success doesn't help your audience. ## The Alternative: Be Useful and Specific The best content does one of two things: 1. **Teaches something specific** that your ideal client can use immediately 2. **Shares an experience** that your ideal client can learn from Notice what's missing: talking about yourself. The content is about them. You're just the vehicle. ## Finding Your Content Angle You need a niche within your niche. "Fractional CFO" is too broad. "Fractional CFO for B2B SaaS companies between Series A and B" is better. Ask yourself: - What type of company do I work best with? - What specific problems do I solve that others don't? - What do I know that founders wish they knew? Your content angle emerges from the intersection. ## The Content Framework Here's a simple framework for posts that work: **Hook (1-2 lines):** Grab attention with a specific, relatable problem. "Most Series A founders wait too long to hire their first finance person." **Context (2-3 lines):** Explain why this matters. "By the time they realise they need help, they're drowning in messy books, investor questions, and no runway visibility." **Insight (3-5 lines):** Share what you know that they don't. "The trigger isn't revenue. It's complexity. When you have more than 20 active customers, multiple revenue streams, or are planning a raise—you need someone." **Proof (optional, 1-2 lines):** Brief example from your experience. "I've seen this pattern at 6 of my 8 fractional clients. The ones who hired early raised faster." **Call to action (1 line):** Invite engagement. "What's your trigger for knowing it's time to bring in finance help?" ## Content Types That Work ### 1. The Breakdown Post Take something complex and make it simple. "Here's how I structure a 90-day plan when I start with a new client: Week 1-2: Audit (what exists, what's broken) Week 3-4: Foundation (fix the critical stuff) Month 2: Systems (build what's missing) Month 3: Handover prep (document everything) The goal isn't to become indispensable. It's to build something that works without me." ### 2. The Mistake Post Share something you got wrong. Vulnerability builds trust. "Biggest mistake in my first year of fractional work: saying yes to every client. I ended up with 5 clients, working 60 hours a week, and doing worse work for all of them. Now I cap at 3. Better work, better outcomes, better life." ### 3. The Observation Post Share a pattern you've noticed. "After working with 12 B2B SaaS companies, I've noticed a pattern: The companies that grow fastest have one thing in common—they track 3 metrics obsessively, not 30. Clarity beats comprehensiveness." ### 4. The How-To Post Teach something practical. "How I run a financial review with my fractional clients (15 minutes, every week): 1. Cash position (number, not chart) 2. Burn rate vs. last month 3. One thing that surprised us this week 4. One decision we need to make That's it. Everything else is detail." ### 5. The Contrarian Post Challenge conventional wisdom (only if you genuinely believe it). "Unpopular opinion: startups don't need CFOs. They need someone who can do the CFO job part-time until they're ready for full-time. Hiring a £200k CFO when you're at £2M ARR is how you end up laying them off in 18 months." ## The Posting Schedule Quality over quantity. One good post per week beats five mediocre ones. **A sustainable rhythm:** - Monday or Tuesday: One original post - Throughout the week: 3-5 thoughtful comments on others' posts - Friday (optional): A lighter post or a question to your network ## What to Avoid **Engagement bait:** "Comment GROWTH if you want my free template!" **Manufactured vulnerability:** "I was rejected 47 times before I landed my first client" (when that's not actually true) **Obvious repurposing:** Posting the same content across every platform with no adaptation **Political or controversial takes:** Unless directly relevant to your work, avoid **Hashtag stuffing:** #Fractional #CFO #Finance #Leadership #Startup #Growth #SaaS #B2B #Entrepreneur #Success (Three relevant hashtags maximum) ## Measuring Success Vanity metrics (likes, followers) matter less than: - Profile views from your target audience - DMs and connection requests from potential clients - Conversations that start with "I saw your post about..." - Actual pipeline and revenue Track these over 90 days. Adjust what you post based on what generates conversations, not what gets likes. ## The Long Game LinkedIn content is a long game. Most of your posts won't go viral. Most weeks, you'll wonder if it's worth the effort. But 12 months of consistent, useful content creates an asset. When someone searches for a fractional [your role], your name comes up. When a founder asks their network for recommendations, someone remembers your posts. That's the goal. Not fame. Familiarity.