Alicia Teltz

If you’re new on LinkedIn, I need to talk to you.


The first few posts will suck.
The first few months will suck.
You won’t get many comments.
You won’t get much engagement.
Clients will not “magically” appear.
You will need to spend TIME on here.
You’ll write posts that aren’t “perfect”.
You’ll most likely have a slow period too!
You’ll most likely want to quit way too soon.
You’ll 100% want to add random connections.
That feeling of being “seen” will be super scary.
But experiencing being seen will be rewarding.
My message to everyone reading this today:
Embrace the “slow” and “scary” beginning.
Embrace the high & low platform periods.
Ditch the fast, templated hacks for now.
Accept the fact that this is a “journey”.
Show up daily the next 6–12 months.
I promise you, there’s zero chance.
That things don’t work out for ya.
It has to… It will… I promise you.

Your friendly LinkedIn coach,

Jasmin ❤️

____

2 years ago, I was one of the 79 people who reposted Jasmin Alić’s post.

I was still a LinkedIn employee back then.

Amongst the 99% of LinkedIn employees who don’t post content themselves, despite being employed by the very same platform.

I was highly capable and skilled.
But completely invisible and unrecognised for my work.

Making myself visible just felt too scary.
Too cringe.

Jasmin’s post not only compelled me to share it with my network but also motivated me to finally start my own LinkedIn journey.

His words encouraged me to embrace the messiness and have FAITH that it WILL work out.

Today, I am living proof that Jasmin's words were true.

This picture was taken last week when I treated myself to a stay at The Savoy in London, after generating $120k with my first-ever LinkedIn cohort.

Thank you, Jasmin, for changing my life.

You probably had no idea.

I hope that by resharing his words today, we might be able to change another person’s life.

You've got this!

🙏🏻🧡

Ex-LinkedIn employee sharing underrated LinkedIn features | Part #2
→ Download your profile as a PDF

❓ Why does this matter?

It was originally designed for recruiters to share candidate CVs and for users to export their own profile as a CV in PDF format.

𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵.

❓ How?

The LinkedIn algorithm analyses your profile positioning (skills, experience, job titles) and checks if it aligns with your content.

❓ Why?

LinkedIn sees itself as a global news broadcaster and wants users to share their opinions/start discussions around things happening in the world.

In an effort to stay the world’s most trusted social media platform, it needs to ensure you are actually qualified to talk about a certain subject.

So if your profile says “web designer” but you talk about the stock market, the algorithm gets confused. And confused algorithms don’t hand out impressions.

❓ So how can this CV feature help our reach?

𝗪𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗙 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗽.

❓ How?

1️⃣ Step: The Analysis

Download your LinkedIn profile into a PDF by clicking the three dots at the top of your profile.

Then upload the PDF into AI and use this prompt:

“𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 5 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵.”

✅ If the results match your content = You’re golden.
❌ If they don’t = Your content won’t be traveling far.

2️⃣ Step: The Fix

Fill in these blanks by yourself (without AI!!).

“𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 [𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺], 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 [𝘸𝘩𝘰] 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 [𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵] 𝘣𝘺 [𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥], 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 [𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵].”

It doesn’t matter if it’s long or messy.
Just get it out of your head.

Then go back to AI and use this prompt:

"𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸. 
𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦:
→ 3𝘹 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘊𝘛𝘈
→ 3𝘹 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴
→ 𝘙𝘦𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
→ 5𝘹 𝘛𝘰𝘱 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥
→ 𝘙𝘦𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
[𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵]"

Spend 30 minutes updating your profile accordingly.

And et voilà, now your profile actually supports your content.

Wild times.

💬 Which underrated LinkedIn feature do you want me to overanalyse next?

If you’re new on LinkedIn, I need to talk to you.


The first few posts will suck.
The first few months will suck.
You won’t get many comments.
You won’t get much engagement.
Clients will not “magically” appear.
You will need to spend TIME on here.
You’ll write posts that aren’t “perfect”.
You’ll most likely have a slow period too!
You’ll most likely want to quit way too soon.
You’ll 100% want to add random connections.
That feeling of being “seen” will be super scary.
But experiencing being seen will be rewarding.
My message to everyone reading this today:
Embrace the “slow” and “scary” beginning.
Embrace the high & low platform periods.
Ditch the fast, templated hacks for now.
Accept the fact that this is a “journey”.
Show up daily the next 6–12 months.
I promise you, there’s zero chance.
That things don’t work out for ya.
It has to… It will… I promise you.

Your friendly LinkedIn coach,

Jasmin ❤️

____

One year ago, I was one of the 81 people who reposted Jasmin Alić’s post.

I was still a LinkedIn employee.

Amongst the 99% of LinkedIn employees who don’t post content themselves despite being employed by the very same platform.

Jasmin’s post not only compelled me to share it with my network but also motivated me to start my own LinkedIn journey finally.

Seeing his words encouraged me.
Embracing the messiness and having faith that it will work out.

Today, I can confidently say that it did work out.
I am living proof that his words were true.

Thank you, Jasmin, for changing my life.
You probably had no idea.

And I hope by resharing his words today, we might be able to change another person’s life. 🙏🏻❤️

____

Yes, the first image is 100% AI-generated.
No, I did not look this put together over Christmas.

I used it to stop you scrolling.
Because this message deserves a fighting chance.

Now go and follow Jasmin Alić.
The man's a legend.

Major cheat code in life:

Rest.
Rest.
Rest.

You’re not wasting time.
You’re not giving up.

You’re recharging.
Pausing in order to keep going.

Have a wonderful Sunday, my LinkedIn friends.

💙

Not so friendly reminder:

If they hate seeing you succeed…

Then they don’t deserve your energy.

Let them be.
Let them go.

Your energy belongs to people who celebrate you.

🧡

Happy Monday.

Go and be unapologetically brilliant this week.

You've got this!!!

I’ve made my first $1,000 on Substack!! 🤩

To anyone who subscribed since I switched on my paid tier last week:

You are absolute LEGENDS!!!

Next exclusive article drops on Sunday. 👇🏻

https://lnkd.in/gTKGnUuQ

10 LinkedIn Hooks that always work 👇🏻


1️⃣ “Stop doing [...]”
→ Contrarian and demands attention

2️⃣ “The truth about [...]”
→ Promises insider knowledge

3️⃣ “Here's the secret I learnt the hard way” 
→ Vulnerability + exclusivity

4️⃣ “The number one mistake new [...] make”
→ Specific, actionable, fear of missing out

5️⃣ “The biggest mistake I made when it comes to [...]”
→ Personal story + Lesson = Gold

6️⃣ “I can't believe I just (learned/noticed) [...]”
→ Genuine surprise is contagious

7️⃣ “This is your sign to [...]”
→ Permission-giving, emotionally resonant

8️⃣ “POV: you [...]”
→ Immersive, relatable, great for storytelling

9️⃣ “Your [...] isn't (ugly, lame, etc.), you just need [...]”
→ Reframe + solution = Share/Save-worthy

1️⃣0️⃣ “If you have ever struggled with [...], do [...]”
→ Targets the pain point directly, promises relief


🎁 Bonus for actually reading the text alongside this video 🎁


1️⃣1️⃣ “As a [credibility], [followed by your chosen hook]”
→ Instant credibility

1️⃣2️⃣ Add numbers (ideally $$$)
→ Pattern interrupt, tangible


And yes, some of these hooks feel quite lame.

Why's that?

Because we have seen them a lot.

Why's that?

BECAUSE THEY WORK!!!

Why's that?


1️⃣ Emotional triggers 
→ Fear, curiosity, relief, validation

2️⃣ Specificity 
→ No vague promises, clear simple language

3️⃣ Pattern interrupts 
→ Stop scrolling moments

4️⃣ Story potential 
→ Personal experience brings your post to life

5️⃣ Under 12 words
→ Roughly when users need to click “see more”


Remember:

Your hook makes or breaks your post.

If people don’t click “see more”, you’ve already lost.

Sad but true.

💔


P.S. I use Stanley to help me write ALL of my hooks.

I'm mentioning Stanley because I genuinely use the tool and bully all my creator friends into using it, too.

This post isn’t sponsored, but (to honour transparency and capitalism) if you stay after the free trial, I do get a little commission. Happy days! 😀

You can test it yourself with a 7-day free trial here: https://lnkd.in/gNqsQe6B

I’m 36. No kids. No corporate job. No permanent home.
My life looks NOTHING like it’s “supposed” to!!!

Last year:
I quit my fancy corporate job at LinkedIn.

This year:
My business made enough money to retire my boyfriend so we can bugger off around the world together.

🇳🇴 Norway 🇳🇴
🇹🇭 Thailand 🇹🇭
🇯🇵 Japan 🇯🇵
🇮🇹 Italy 🇮🇹
🇺🇸 Next stop: USA 🇺🇸

Our lives look NOTHING like the ones we were told we were "supposed" to build:

Get the good job
↓
Climb the ladder
↓
Buy the house
↓
Have the kids
↓
Then… if your knees still work at 67 and there's enough pension left for more than a Tesco meal deal…
↓
FINALLY enjoy yourself.

NAAAHHHH!! 💀💀💀

I lived my version of the picket-fence life for some years.

On paper, it looked aaa-maa-zingg.
But in reality, I felt suffocated by a life I’d never envisioned for myself.

F*CK THE SCRIPT!!!

→ So I walked away from a 15+ year corporate career
→ I said byesies to a $250k salary to do my own gig.
→ And spent a fair amount of time wondering whether I’d massively f*cked up everything.

But I kept going and going and bloody gooooing.

And when my business made enough money, I asked Alex:

Babe… I reckon it’s time you handed in your notice.
Wanna become my handsome man of leisure???

Didn’t take long for him to say yes... 👀👀👀

But!! ☝🏻

Alex had his own societal script to rip up.

Man earns more. Man provides. Man definitely does NOT become his girlfriend’s handsome man of leisure.

But he didn’t let his ego get in the way.

He’s ridiculously proud and keeps encouraging me to FULLY step into my power.

The greenest flag of all green flags!! 💚

And I think that’s what real masculinity is actually about:

To be secure enough to watch the person you love succeed and feel nothing but joy. 🙏🏻🥹

Anyhow...
Enough lovey-dovey stuff.

Your dream life might look COMPLETELY different.

And that's fine!!

This post isn’t about rejecting the traditional life.

Follow the script if you love the script.
Or rip the thing to shreds and start again.
Scribble all over it and/or delete entire chapters.

Whatever tickles your fancy.

Just make sure YOU wrote it!!

🙏🏻🧡

Can anyone relate??

The most meaningful work of my life has just come to an end.
Can someone please hold me? 🧡

Last week, my first-ever LinkedIn cohort “The Hype Challenge” officially wrapped up.

This post is to celebrate all the wonderful 100+ humans who trusted me to guide them and believe in them whenever they temporarily forgot how brilliant they are.

I always wanted to create a space where people felt safe enough to dream bigger, to back themselves loudly, and to tell their inner critic to f**** off.

You lot brought that space to life and embraced the heck out of it!!
I couldn't be more proud of you all. 🥹

Thank you!!

You helped me achieve something beyond my wildest dreams.

🧡

Tagging some of the legends from the screenshot:

Christopher Donoyan, Ryan Soper-Powell, Adriana Macontre, Hayley Wahlbeck, Katie Schiebler, PhD, Heather MacDonald A., Monika Mitka, Dr. Kinga Mnich, Casey Benedict, Flavio D., Kirsten Visman, Melanie L., Ashleigh Shatford, Souad Menif, DDS, Ugne Fink, Leonard Rego, Karen Sigalas, Claire Hague, Maria Reid, Kelly Cunningham, Ayesha Bhimji - Operator, Iuliana Adina Apostol, Stephanie Lewin, JD, Mike Sobiegraj

🧡

Can someone please give me that hug now?
Alex where are you..? 👀

1996: A little girl learnt how to write.
2026: That girl has her own column at Inc. Magazine

I've LOVED writing ever since someone put a pencil in my hand and taught me how to.

But theeeen...

I got distracted by boys, silly teenage drama, a corporate job, and other adult nonsense.

💙 Last year, I finally worked up the nerve to write on LinkedIn and found my way back to something I’d forgotten I loved.

🧡 This year, I gave my writing more room and became a Global Substack Bestseller.

🖤 Today, I get to announce that I’ve been invited to become a columnist for Inc. Magazine!! 🥹

Inc. is one of the world’s best-known business publications, telling entrepreneurs’ stories since 1979 and reaching 40 MILLION+ (!!) readers every month.

Little Alicia had NO IDEA where those first few words would eventually take her.

And grown-up Alicia is RIDICULOUSLY excited to publish her first column!!
(and still very much at the “MUM, LOOK WHAT I DID!!” stage of her life... )

__

If there’s something you loved before life got in the way:

Please make room for it again!!
Consider this your little nudge.

It doesn’t have to prove anything or pay the bills.

Just see how it feels.

Making you happy is all that matters!!

🙏🏻

#newjob

Major cheat code in life:

Believing in your dreams is a gift.

Don’t let anyone steal it from you just because they think it’s impossible for them!!

🧡

___

For me, right now, I'm believing in generating $100k+ with my cohort launch.

Some days I believe it's possible.
Other days, my brain laughs in my face. 💀

I only left my corporate job a year ago and $100k is an absurd amount of money to me.

→ But every person who joins...
→ Every encouraging comment...
→ Every tiiiny bit of momentum...

→ Makes it feel a little more real!!!!

So here's today's progress:

⏰ Cohort Launch: 3rd August
👉🏻 Time left: 22 Days

👯 Sign-up target: 111 Participants
👉🏻 People already joined: 23 (88 left to go)

🤑 Revenue goal: $100,000
👉🏻 Money already banked: $21,548 ($78,452 left to go)

Let's see whether this becomes a six-figure launch or the most well-documented flop of my career.

Either way, you'll get to watch it happen in real time. 😀

❓ Curious what this is about?
👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gaGm4kfC

And that’s all that matters 💅🏻

I'm ex-LinkedIn. Here’s what you need to know about LinkedIn’s new Split Feed to get your reach back up. 👇🏻

Firstly, nobody knows *exactly* how the LinkedIn algorithm works.

I used my “ex-LinkedIn” credibility to get your attention.
I'm sorry. But I hope it worked.
Because this post matters if you want to get your reach back up.

Anyone claiming to know the algo either works for LinkedIn's engineering team, is married/related to them, or outright lying.

But I know enough from the inside to tell you what's noise and what I believe is actually happening.


💡 So what IS happening?

→ LinkedIn is rolling out one of its biggest feed changes ever.
→ First users can now choose between two separate feeds:

1️⃣ “For You”
→ Posts LinkedIn believes you will find relevant, including content from people outside your network.

2️⃣ “Network”
→ Posts from people and pages you already follow or are connected with.


💡 Why was LinkedIn forced to make this change?

→ LinkedIn is a ~$20B software company.
→ Microsoft owns it. Shareholders expect revenue growth.

→ With easy access to AI, LinkedIn got flooded with content.
→ Forcing the platform to focus on whether a post is relevant to the user.

→ The new split feed promises a better, more personalised scrolling experience.
→ This leads to more user sign-ups, frequent logins, and longer dwell time.

→ Giving LinkedIn more opportunities to sell its products and supporting shareholders' revenue goals.


💡 What does this mean for you if you use LinkedIn for your business?

→ The “For You” tab is set as the default.
→ Most users won’t make a conscious decision which feed to scroll and will stick with whichever one appears first.

→ You can now more easily reach an audience you haven't been able to get in front of before.


💡 How does LinkedIn decide what content appears in a user’s “For You” tab?

→ It looks at who you are, what you post, and what you engage with.
→ Then groups you with people “similar” to you.

→ After you hit "post", the algo determines whether you’re qualified to talk about this subject.
→ During a test phase, it analyses the engagement your post receives:

→ Quality conversations in the comments
→ "Saves" and "Sends"
→ Whether the engaging users match the audience suggested by your profile/in your content


💡 What do you need to do to get your content into the "For You" tab?

→ Optimise your profile with the right keywords and skills.
→ Create high-quality content that speaks directly to your ideal audience.
→ Engage intentionally with the right personas.


🚨 Note: My explanations in this post are MASSIVELY oversimplified.

That’s why I’m running a free webinar, co-hosted by John Brewton and Wessal Khader, on the 29th Sep at 6pm BST, diving into:

✅ How to get your content in front of the right people
✅ How to use customer insights to identify what your audience wants
✅ How to turn those insights into an offer people are ready to buy

Sign up here: https://luma.com/the-7eq3

I’m so f*cking tired of this idea that you have to work hard to make money.

I don’t believe it.

Life is short.
Offensively short. ☠️

You should live your life FULLY.
Now and every single day thereafter.

Don't ever postpone joy, freedom, travel, rest, creativity (or our nervous system) for “one day”.

Instead of people saying:
💬 “Enjoy your holiday, you deserve it.”

They should say:
💬 “What the f*ck you're on holiday AGAIN?!”

Somewhere between chairlifts and pretending I enjoy the cold, I realised that it is absolutely possible to build a *wildly* successful business AND enjoy life at the same time.

Very Tim Ferriss 4-Hour-Work-Week-Style.

Now back from skiing (with both knees intact), I'm going to share transparently how I'm redesigning my business to maximise its success without working myself into the ground.

Follow along to learn:

→ How I change my strategy towards passive income.
→ Which systems and flows I implement to scale.
→ Who I'm going to hire for growth.

If you want more than just reading my LinkedIn posts, join my The Hype Department 📣 community for expert strategies on how to set up a successful passive-income driven digital business, alongside tactical LinkedIn advice coming from someone who has worked on the inside.

Next *exclusive* session coming up TOMORROW with Harrison McIntyre-Miller on how to create a Newsletter that converts. 💸

Join here: https://lnkd.in/g4aJGGhr

Don't be that person on their deathbed thinking you wasted the most precious time of your life. 💔

WHAT THE FRICKETY-FRACK IS HAPPENING WITH LINKEDIN???

Eeeeexcellent question!!

I'm ex-LinkedIn.
And I’ve appointed myself its unofficial commentator.

Some people leave a job and get a hobby.
Hah!

Introducing…

𝗪𝗧𝗙 𝗜𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻?!

A new monthly breakdown of:

→ What the heck is happening on the platform
→ Whether you should actually care
→ What (if anything) you need to do about it
→ And what fresh chaos is unfolding across the creator world

Keeping up with every “LINKEDIN IS DEAD” announcement is a full-time job.

You've already got one of those.
So I’m gonna do it for you. 🫡

Every last day of the month, I'll create a summary of what’s happening and tell you what I think you should pay attention to.

In this very first edition:

➡️ LinkedIn’s war on AI slop and what it means if you use AI to write

➡️ Collaborative Posts. Who should you team up with and when is it spam

➡️ Meta's $18 BILLION (!!) settlement and why LinkedIn creators should care.

➡️ External links. In the post? In the comments? Where the hell should you put them???

➡️ One woman’s spectacular promotion from “Hamlet Idiot” to “City Idiot”.

Read it and then go forth pretending you did the research yourself.
You're welcome.

From invisible to invited by Google... 👀 
And it all happened because I got over the CRINGE.

If you never came across my profile before, quick recap:

I used to work at LinkedIn. THE LinkedIn.

I helped multi-bn-dollar companies build their presence on the platform.

And yet I never posted myself.
What a complete hypocrite. 🙃

→ It obviously wasn't because I didn't know how.
(I worked at LinkedIn)

→ It obviously wasn't because I didn't have time. 
(It’s not shady having a LinkedIn tab open when you work at LinkedIn).

→ It was because posting felt CRINGE.
(So, so f*cking cringe)

Until…. I stumbled across this:

Polish psychologist Robert Zajonc ran an experiment back in the 60s called ‘The Exposure Effect’.

He found that familiar faces (aka faces we’ve consciously or subconsciously seen multiple times before) were rated as:

→ More competent
→ More trustworthy
→ More likeable

Even when their accomplishments/skills/credentials/etc were IDENTICAL.

Meaning (in modern business terms):

✅ Repeatedly visible people become industry leaders.
❌ Quiet experts get overlooked.

Now see this:

LinkedIn has 1.3 billion users.
Only 1% post more than once a week.

That's your opportunity sitting right there.
One of the easiest platforms to stand out in no time (ish).

So in February last year, I said F****CK it.

I publicly announced I’m gonna hit 10k followers in 90 days.
(I hit that goal one day before the deadline, phew!)

And so many doors opened that I ended up:

→ Leaving my job at LinkedIn to start my own business.
→ Getting global speaking invitations.
→ Landing seriously cool brand partnership deals.
→ Working with the world’s largest organisations. (Hi Google 👋🏻)

Whether you like it or not:

→ 99% of the time, people choose ‘visible + good’ over ‘invisible + excellent’. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Don't be invisible.
You bloody deserve them opportunities.

Just like I deserve that Google logo on my banner. 🤓💅🏻

__
Btw, I wrote a whole article about how I got over the cringe: https://lnkd.in/gz_hjgrX

As an ex-LinkedIn employee, I thought I'd start a little series on "LinkedIn features I'm shocked people don't use". Here's Part #1 👇🏻

There's a feature that sells for you while you sleep, and only a few creators are using it.

➡️ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 ⬅️

Mine is currently set to:

"𝘏𝘪𝘺𝘢𝘢!! 👋🏻

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 💀
𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯.
𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘍𝘙𝘌𝘌 2-𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥/𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦/𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴:
𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘪𝘷.𝘤𝘰𝘮/

𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯,
𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢"

Honestly, one of the easiest little LinkedIn growth hacks.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

1️⃣ Promotes your lead magnet in a non-salesy way
→ This should be something genuinely valuable and FREE, not slapping people with your paid offer.

2️⃣ Gives you breathing room 
→ You don't have to respond to every message the second it arrives. You are allowed to blink.

3️⃣ It subtly makes you look in demand
→ Lines like "my inbox is a little busy" or "my calendar is packed" subconsciously show that you're worth waiting for.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗽:

→ Go to your messages
→ Click the three dots
→ Set your time frame and message

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲:

→ Only available with Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter licenses
→ 300 character limit, so be concise
→ Only sent to people you're connected with

Tell me in the comments if you already knew about this feature and if so, what was THE BEST away message you’ve come across?

🔔 Follow Alicia for more LinkedIn insider tips and features you didn't know existed.

Today's episode: "Alicia's Week From Hell"
Wouldn't recommend.
2/10.


I'm usually all sunshine and "YOU CAN DO IT!!" vibes.

Because your dreams are valid and I want you to chase after them.
Unapologetically!!!

But if you've ever scrolled LinkedIn thinking everyone else has their sh*t together...

Babedy-Babe-Babes.
No.

Allow me to introduce you to…

🎪 ALL THE SH*T THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK 🎪


1️⃣ Got told my $100k goal is giving people the ick.

Everyone's different.
Publicly sharing $$ might not be your cuppa tea.

But I'm nosey af.

I love seeing creators build their business in public.
It's the Netflix-documentary-kinda content I could binge for hoooours.

So that's exactly what I'm creating.


2️⃣ Got accused of running an AI bot in my DMs.

I told them it was actually MEEE.
They listed all the reasons why I'm definitely still a bot.
Had to send a voice note to prove I'm human.

PS #1: Don't ever use AI bots in your DMs!!
It’ll get you banned so, so fast.


3️⃣ A big creator dedicated a whole newsletter to my flaws.

They conveniently left out a few important bits of context.
Cheers.

PS #2: They also asked me to join their engagement pod.
Twice.
Still no.


4️⃣ Everything I’ve achieved is only because my headline says Ex-LinkedIn.

Of course.
Silly me.

I didn’t realise those two words automatically came with 55k followers and a quarter-of-a-million business.

Someone should probably tell the other tens of thousands of LinkedIn alumni.

PSA #3: We all have something unique to offer.
Figure out what yours is.
And then milk the absolute life out of it!!


5️⃣ Been told my emails are too aggressive.

Yeah.
That’s probably the fairest feedback of the week.

I’m new to email newsletters and still finding my groove. 
Noted.


🎬 That's Alicia's Week From Hell wrapped.

Thanks for watching.


And remember:

It's easy to scroll LinkedIn and assume everyone has their life figured out.

Trust me.
They don’t.

We’re all just choosing what to post.

The whole game is full of ups and downs.

You're doing better than you think.

Keep going!!

🧡

I GOT THE OFFICIAL SUBSTACK BESTSELLER BADGE!!!!!! 🧡🤯
(you must be so sick of me talking about this, but I can't help it. I am just so, so proud of myself. 🥹)

You know there is a saying: "Where attention goes, energy flows."

I like to think of it as: "Where attention goes, MONEY flows". 🤑

And I've been putting A TON of attention into my Substack recently:

January:

Attention: Low
Free Subscribers: 0
Paid Subscribers: 0
Gross annual revenue: $0

March:

Attention: Low
Free Subscribers: 800
Paid Subscribers: 0
Gross annual revenue: $0

May:

Attention: Medium
Free Subscribers: 1,700
Paid Subscribers: 1
Gross annual revenue: $334

June:

Attention: High
Free Subscribers: 2,887
Paid Subscribers: 30
Gross annual revenue: $6,615

July:

Attention: SKY HIGH!
Free Subscribers: 3,627
Paid Subscribers: 107
Gross annual revenue: $27,949 🤑

Ohhhh that feeling when the hard work finally pays off. 🥹

⚠️ I'm gearing up to launch my first ever cohort and I'm including a dedicated module on how to start & monetise your Substack.

‼️ If you want to be the first to know when the launch goes live (and secure a 50% discount), write down your email address here: https://lnkd.in/gcBEQ22d

I’m an ex-LinkedIn employee. Let’s bust some myths as to why your impressions dropped.

Firstly, nobody knows *exactly* how the LinkedIn algorithm works.
Yes, that includes me.

Anyone claiming to know either works on LinkedIn's engineering team, is married to or related to them, or is outright lying.

Even when I was still working at LinkedIn, I couldn’t find out how my own content was distributed.

That's how much emphasis they put on protecting fairness and stopping anyone from gaming the system.

But I know enough from the inside to tell you what’s myth, what’s noise, and what’s actually happening.

👽 Myth 1: LinkedIn lowered your reach to sell Boosts.
→ Plausible, but unlikely. 
→ Killing trust = killing the platform.

👽 Myth 2: LinkedIn is silencing women.
→ LinkedIn's LLM is biased, yes. Same with any AI model. 
→ But there is zero commercial incentive for LinkedIn to suppress women’s reach.

👽 Myth 3: There’s simply more content due to AI.
→ True, but not the reason to cause a platform-wide reach dip overnight.
→ LinkedIn did, however, announce tackling generic AI-produced content.

👽 Myth 4: You’re posting at the wrong time
→ Early engagement isn’t a key algorithm signal anymore, but it still matters.
→ The best time to post depends on when your specific audience is online.

👽 Myth 5: Your SSI Score is low. 
→ SSI doesn’t control distribution.
→ It’s a spam-prevention score.

👽 Myth 6: You are shadow-banned
→ Probably not. It’s often an easy excuse.
→ If in doubt, raise a ticket with LinkedIn Support.

👽 Myth 7: You included an external link
→ LinkedIn confirmed that external links don’t harm your reach. 
→ Your post was likely too salesy and didn’t deliver enough value.

📣 What has ACTUALLY changed?

→ LinkedIn shifted how it analyses and distributes content with its new LLM.
→ Your feed has moved from network-based to persona-based.
→ It now behaves more like a “For You” page.

📣 How does it all work?

→ The system looks at who you are, what you post, and who/what you engage with.
→ Then it groups you with people “similar” to you.
→ Your content gets shown to them, not just your network.

📣 What does this mean for you?

Your impressions dropped because your audience changed without you realising it.

✅ Pros: 
You connect with more people like you, and your feed becomes an echo chamber.

❌ Cons: 
You stop seeing and being seen by your ideal customers or the network you spent years building relationships with.

📣 What to do about it?

1️⃣ Make sure your profile reflects your ICP and matches your content.
2️⃣ Engage/connect with people in the “persona bubble” you want to be in.
3️⃣ Be crystal clear WHO you speak to and WHAT your insight is about.

I did a full 2h deep dive into ➡️ EVERYTHING ⬅️ you need to know about the new algorithm and how to get your reach back up.

Watch it for free here: https://lnkd.in/g4HY-Rk6

I quit my $250k job at LinkedIn for freedom.
What I actually built was a prison.

In my head, entrepreneurship sounded perfect:

→ I’d own my wins.
→ I’d choose where my energy went.
→ I’d work when I wanted, where I wanted, for as long as I wanted.

But in reality:

→ Every day, I’m stuck to my laptop. 
→ Back-to-back calls. Emails. Deliveries. 
→ Weekends don’t exist anymore.
→ Sometimes, I don’t leave the flat for days.

The result: I cry (a lot).

→ I’m a terrible girlfriend.
→ I don’t see my friends and family.
→ I’ve lost weight. Headaches. No energy.
→ I live in a way that isn’t how humans are meant to live.

And before anyone says it…

I KNOW.
I do this to myself.

My ambition has always been my biggest strength.
But now it is my biggest enemy.

The very thing that got me into these high-paid corporate roles, I’m now quietly resenting.

But you can’t just “switch off” your ambition.
You keep going and keep telling yourself:

→ “It’ll calm down once revenue hits X.”
→ “Once I have a team, it’ll be easier.”

Absolute lies.

→ I now make more money than I ever have. 
→ I have a team of 9. Some part-time. Some project-based.

And the pressure only multiplied.

→ More expenses: software AND salaries.
→ More meetings: external AND internal.
→ More energy: for clients AND the team.

It's a new kind of anxiety I never experienced before:

1️⃣ When a month isn’t as strong as the last, suddenly it’s not just your own mortgage on the line.

2️⃣ If software can’t get paid, business operations collapse.

3️⃣ If you don't keep the energy high, clients lose trust, and the team gets disheartened.

A person can only endure so much pressure until their body and mind shut down.

Therefore, I had some very hard conversations with myself recently.

I’ve never been someone who plays the victim.
If I don’t like the reality, I change it.

So I’m making some scary, uncomfortable, very deliberate changes for 2026.

This time, freedom won’t just be the story I tell.
It’ll be the system I build.

And I’ll bring you along that journey. 
Because you deserve to see what it truly means to run a business.

If you're an entrepreneur and this resonates, know that you're not alone.

More to follow soon.

Until then, enjoy your Sunday. ❤️

NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU!!


You’re about to post...

But end up hesitating...

And that hesitation turns into somewhat of an existential crisis...

Palms sweaty.
Knees weak.
Arms heavy.
Mum’s spaghetti. 🍝*

All just because *someone* popped into your head.

There they are.
Rent-free in your brain.

→ That girl from school everyone fancied?
→ A colleague who might roll their eyes?
→ Your boss who still doesn’t get it?
→ Your ex (obviously)?
→ Your mum?

They are the ones keeping you away from your success.

And they’re not even thinking about you.

They’re too busy worrying about what YOU think of THEM.
They're struggling with their own insecurities.**

Nah.
Not you.
Not today.

Go on.
Post the thing.
You've got permission.

It’s YOUR life.
Not theirs.

OWN IT! 💥

__

*Millennials, you're welcome.
Big Eminem fan here.

** My boyfriend likes this picture.
I hate it.
But to live by example, I'm hitting "post" nevertheless.
Just like you'll do today.
You've got this! 💪🏻

I went to Scotland for ONE WEEK and LinkedIn grew a second feed??
Could you lot not keep an eye on it while I was gone???

September’s edition of "WTF Is Happening on LinkedIn?!" is out now.

This month, I’m digging into:

→ The “For You” and “Network” feed test and what it means for your reach

→ Why your old colleagues might soon be asked to verify that you actually worked with them

→ New ways to find potential clients with LinkedIn Premium

→ Why LinkedIn is rethinking its AI writing tool

→ The UK creator economy’s rather massive £2.8 BILLION contribution

→ A bloody brilliant video from Cat Goetze

→ Whether there’s actually a best day or time to post

Plus a little glimpse of my September in Scotland.
Nessie remains unavailable for comment.

Click below to read the full edition. 👇🏻🧡

Posting this video because an ex-LinkedIn colleague reached out to me yesterday.

They were telling me how proud they are to have been following my journey and seeing my growth ever since I made the decision to build my personal brand.

Looking back, I can't believe HOW much my life has changed.

HOW many opportunities have been coming my way since I got out of my comfort zone and embraced the cringe.

It is SCARY to start posting, especially on LinkedIn where our networks are made up of colleagues, bosses and clients.

But facing that fear will unlock possibilities in your life you CANNOT imagine.

In that video, I'm holding a workshop at Google (!!!).

How the f*ck would Google have able to book me if they didn't knew I existed?!

I hope this video is giving you encouragement to finally make yourself seen.
To finally be recognised and awarded for the brilliant work you're doing.

You deserve it!

❤️✨

Be the human your dog thinks you are 🙏🏻🐶

I posted the same video 2 days apart. 
The first one got 300 impressions. 
The second one got 20,000 impressions.

Ohhh LinkedIn. You messy little app. Watcha doing??

Last Friday, I posted a video about "10 LinkedIn hooks that always work”.

Normally, my average impressions after 2 days: 10,000
This post's impressions after 2 days: 300 (now at 1,137)

That's a 97% decline vs my average. 💀

Never in my LinkedIn posting career have I had a post stuck at 300 impressions.

Naturally, I messaged our beloved friends at LinkedIn support.

Their response:

"𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴."

→ Nothing got flagged.
→ No platform-wide issues.
→ Apparently, it just didn't resonate with my audience.

Nah. I'm not having it.
I knew it was a good post and that my audience would find it valuable.

So I posted it again.

Second post's impressions after two days: 20,000 (now at 25,516)

That's a 100% increase vs my average. 💥

→ 1,066 Engagements
→ 11 Reposts
→ 420 Saves

(Told you I knew it was a good post 🙄)

But WHYYY didn't it get pushed the first time???

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝟭: LinkedIn did indeed make changes to the algo

Lots of people have had a weird reach lately. It always happens when LinkedIn is tweaking things.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝟮: It did get flagged as being naughty

In the text of my first post, I used the letter “X” as a placeholder a total of 12 times.

Which could have made LinkedIn think I was:

a) Posting p0rn
b) Aggressively promoting one of their key competitors

Now, I could go down a rabbit hole and argue with LinkedIn support to get to the bottom of this...

But we'll probably never know what actually happened. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not every bad post means:

→ Your content is bad
→ The algorithm hates you
→ Your audience is bored of you
→ Your career is over and you should work on a farm in Wales

Sometimes the app is just acting like a little weirdo.

Post again.
Drink water.
Touch grass.
Enjoy the sun.
Hug your loved ones.

Tomorrow is another day on the internet.

🌷

Anyone else experiencing some funny LinkedIn behaviour recently?

___

P.S. To the people who noticed the hook placement changed in the second video:

Firstly, I both fear and respect the level of attention you pay to my content.

Secondly, turns out that when you place the text too high, LinkedIn's interface will block it.

We live and learn.

1 follower is your start.
100 followers is validation.
1,000 followers is momentum.
10,000 followers is a side hustle.
50,000 followers is a full-time business.
250,000 followers is your long-lasting legacy.

Keep at it 🫡✈️✌🏻

⁉️ Are my LinkedIn impressions low because I’m posting too often ⁉️

As an ex-LinkedIn employee, I used to say that there’s no such thing as being punished for posting too much or too little.

Up until LinkedIn made its most recent algorithm change, as further confirmed by TheShieldIndex's data.

→ It proves that your impressions will drop by 65% if you publish content more than 4+ times a week vs. just once every two weeks.

⁉️ ”𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹?”

Not necessarily.
Take 3 people with 10K followers each:

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗔 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 3𝘅 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵
Average reach per post: 16%
Total monthly reach: ~4,800

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗕 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 10𝘅 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵
Average reach per post: 10%
Total monthly reach: ~10,000

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗖 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 20𝘅 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵
Average reach per post: 5.55%
Total monthly reach: ~11,100 🚨

Yes, more posts can increase your total reach.
But doubling your output only adds 1,100 impressions.
→ A lot more effort for barely more payoff.

⁉️ “𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀’ 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗵.”

If you’re posting constantly, there’s a good chance quality starts slipping.

But that doesn’t explain the sudden 40% drop for Person C in February. 
→ Unless high-frequency creators all decided to publish sh*t content last month.

⁉️ “𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻?”

LinkedIn’s new LLM (launched in 2025) has recently been further optimised to:
1. Prioritise persona-relevancy
2. Reduce low-quality content

I spoke about 1. before (see below).

For 2., *my theory* is that LI’s new LLM gives every post sort of a spam-score based on two things:

1️⃣ Content Quality
→ AI signals, promotional intent, harmful content.

2️⃣ Engagement Quality
→ Likely in the first 90 mins or so.
→ AI or Pod engagement, promotional spam, low comment discussion-threads.

If both scores are low, *I assume* LinkedIn throttles your post.

→ Creators who treat LinkedIn like a systemised content machine could be hit the hardest, explaining the sudden drop in their impressions.

⁉️ “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲?”

If your content is GOOD, it will drive genuine engagement, and therefore, posting frequency doesn't matter.
Your posts will still perform.

But if you’re forcing low-quality posts just to stay consistent, I advise posting less frequently and using your freed-up time to:

1. Improve your content.
2. Engage genuinely with others (commenting, connecting, DM’ing).

⚠️ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

I’m running a free 90-minute Masterclass on how to build a content strategy that works with this new algorithm.

⏰ Tomorrow, Tuesday 31st March | 1pm UK time
📍 LinkedInLive | Sign up here: https://luma.com/fpaa1oym

Drop your questions in the comments, and I will address them during my session.

You should be RIDICULOUSLY OPTIMISTIC about this life.


For 2026, you should pick goals that SCARE THE LIFE out of you.

💥 Aim BIGGER than feels polite.
💥 BIGGER than feels logical.
💥 BIGGER than you can currently explain.

Same as you, I’ve come across people telling me to lower my expectations.
To be “realistic”.
To avoid disappointment.

But that advice is usually given by people protecting their own choices.

They will be the ones lying on their deathbed, regretting they spent their one, wild life pre-rejecting themselves.

Do you really want to look back and realise you listened to advice that kept you small?

Imagine you aim outrageously high… and fail.
You'd land in EXACTLY the same place you’d be if you’d played it safe.

Not worse off.
But BRAVER. 💪🏻

Chasing big dreams doesn’t just change outcomes.
It changes WHO YOU become.

And that’s the whole point.

You’ve under-aimed before.
This is me helping you correct course.

Be RECKLESSLY optimistic.

Because one day you might look back and realise you weren’t delusional.
You were RIGHT.

👉🏻 What would you do in 2026 if you weren’t trying to be sensible?
👉🏻 Say it out loud so you're finally calling it into reality.

___

💻 If 2026 is the year you actually let the world see how brilliant you are…

I’m running a free 90-minute Masterclass tomorrow where I’ll walk you through your LinkedIn Game Plan for 2026.

If you’re going to be seen anyway, you might as well do it properly 🤓.

4,116 people already signed up. 
Secure your spot here: https://luma.com/ffazz21q

___

This post went out at 11:11am.
IYKYK ✨

🚨 LATEST LINKEDIN BENCHMARK DATA 🚨


My friend Islam Midov, founder of 2PR.io, pulled some of the latest LinkedIn data for me ahead of tomorrow's Algorithm Deep Dive Masterclass. (TSYM! 🙏🏻)

And please bear with me while I'm going to be a bit of a knobhead for a second...

Because everyone is complaining about their LinkedIn impressions dying a slow death.

But I'm actually nicely outperforming all them numbers AND I've grown faster over the last 90 days than the same time before!! 🤓

I know how arrogant that sounds, but I'm willing to sacrifice my dignity for two reasons:

1️⃣ As I'm yapping about my LinkedIn cohort every five minutes, I felt the need to give you the actual proof that my LinkedIn methods woooork.

2️⃣ And if I can pull insane numbers... SO CAN YOU!!!

I'd like to think I'm special...
But I'm really not. 🥲

You just gotta learn how to craft GREAT content and understand how the LinkedIn algorithm works these days.

And that's obviously exactly what I'm teaching during tomorrow's LinkedIn Live!! 😀😀

Therefore, please tell me how your own numbers compare and ask me your biggest LinkedIn algorithm questions!!

I'm gonna make sure I address these live.
I hope I’ll see you there!! 🤩

📆 Tomorrow | 23rd July
⏰ 6pm BST
📍 https://luma.com/the-bg91
💸 FREE to join

I'm SOOO FED UP (!!) with people saying everyone is suddenly getting ADHD, autism or any other neurodivergence.

We're not suddenly becoming neurodivergent.
Our brains ALWAYS had a different neurological profile:

🧠 Different dopamine regulation
🧠 Different GABA and glutamate balances
🧠 Different connectivity to the prefrontal cortex
🧠 Different brain development rates and sequences

We're just finally getting answers.
About 20-30 years later than we should have.

It’s kind of our own fault because we learned to get INSANELY good at coping.

And now that more of us are recognising that we're neurodivergent, people call it a "trend".

Left-handedness shot up when parents finally stopped forcing kids to write with their right hand.

Left-handedness didn’t trend.
Oppression just chilled out. 😂

Same with neurodivergency.
But some people think it’s only real if it looks a *very* specific way.

Someone once had the audacity to ask me:
“But you don’t seem autistic??!!”

YEAH NO SHIT!!

Because you didn’t see:

→ the script running in my head with every casual conversation.
→ the mental coma after pretending to be normal for too long.
→ the exhaustion of analysing every word after it’s been said.

→ the relief when plans get cancelled (even if I was excited).
→ the constant scanning of the room for noise and light.
→ the need to rehearse simple conversations in advance.

→ the effort it takes to make eye contact feel natural.
→ the anxiety of not knowing what’s expected of me.
→ the exhale when I can finally stop performing.

I do all of these things just to get through a "normal” day.
No surprise I constantly feel fucking burnt out. 😅

I finally got diagnosed with AuDHD (autism + ADHD) two years ago.

→ 34 years wondering why everything felt harder than it did for others.
→ 34 years believing something was wrong with me.
→ 34 years of contant struggle finally make sense.

Now I get to build the rest of my life around how my brain ACTUALLY works.

___

If reading this resonates with you:

Ignore what people are saying.
You don't owe anyone a version of yourself that makes more sense to them.

They're still catching up and learning about it all.
Give them time.

You already spent your whole life trying to fit in.

Now is your moment to hone in on your differences, show up fully as yourself and lean into what makes you EXCEPTIONAL. ✨

Why THE F*CK did I spend $2k for two nights at a fancy hotel!!!???
What is WRONG with me??

I was speaking at Amazon this week and literally just needed a place to sleep.

So I booked one of the fanciest hotels in London and happily slapped it onto my credit card.

Naughty Alicia.
You are very, very, VERY (!!) irresponsible.

Well.... I'd like to call it:

✨ MONEY MANIFESTATION ✨

(Ohhhh dear, I’m bringing the woo-woo to LinkedIn. Sooorrryyy)

Whenever I'm chasing a financial goal that f*cking scares me, I make an utterly ridiculous purchase.

💸 When I left LinkedIn, I put a $2k Apple iMac on my credit card.
🤑 Two months later, I had my first $20k month.

💸 When I launched my paid Substack, I bought a $3k Burberry coat.
🤑 One month later, I crossed $30k in gross annual revenue.

💸 This week, I spent $2k on a stay at the W Hotels.
🤑 Later this month, I hit $100,000 with my launch.
(at least that’s what I’m manifesting)

Every single time, my logical brain (and my accountant) scream:

"GIRLLLL WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU DOING???"

But it also says :
(my brain. certainly not my accountant)

"This is the life you're working towards. STOP WAITING until you've 'earned' it. Allow yourself to experience it NOW!"

👉🏻 Call it woo-woo manifestation.
👉🏻 Call it weird psychology.
👉🏻 Call it (very) expensive self-blackmail.

(bc having that much money sitting on your credit card creates a VERY compelling incentive to get your a*se into gear)

Whatever it is...

✨ It gets you moving.
✨ You behave and show up differently.
✨ You pitch bigger and sell more confidently.
✨ You become the person who belongs in those rooms.

And that's the whole point!!!

(please don’t go and max out your credit card. I'm just a very irresponsible idiot)

__

Oh and speaking of acting like a super successful person:

I’m running a FREE LIVE WEBINAR TONIGHT where I share:

🔥 How to succeed on LinkedIn in 2026
🔥 Why we're entering a new era of LinkedIn
🔥 What you need to do to adapt

Plus:

🔥 What to expect from my August cohort
🔥 How I’m tracking towards my $100,000 launch goal
🔥 My strategy behind the launch and what mess-ups I already had

⏰ 6pm BST
👉🏻 Join here: https://lnkd.in/gxDbMBCG

See you laaaater!!!

From $250k corporate to $0 entrepreneur: Month 9 reality check.

On 30th June last year, I handed in my LinkedIn badge and said goodbye to 15+ years of climbing the corporate ladder.

Here’s how that leap into complete uncertainty turned out for me:


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟭 (July):
The jump was fucking scary.
But there’s never a “perfect time”.
So I took a massive leap of faith and bet on myself.

💡 That honeymoon phase (being blissfully naive) was PRICELESS.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟮 (August):
My business strategy was a bloody mess.
I offered: LinkedIn coaching, workshops, ghostwriting, community, speaking, and brand deals.

💡 Basically doing everything and nothing all at once.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟯 (September):
First time replacing my corporate salary.
I felt UNSTOPPABLE.
Booked a $3k ski trip for January as a little (big) reward.

💡 Money coming in now means money coming in later, right??


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟰 (October):
Glued to my laptop 10h / 7 days a week and still felt behind.

💡 Comparing yourself to other people’s timelines is FUN.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟱 (November):
Burnout creeping in.
Pipeline massively slowing down pre-Christmas.
Financial panic arises.

💡 Was booking that ski trip truly a good idea?


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟲 (December):
Working non-stop in fear of not making rent. Dreading Christmas because buying presents was out of the question.
Sitting at the family dinner, forcing a smile when everyone asked how the business was going.

💡 Life is fucking miserable.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟳 (January):
Ski trip finally happening.
All those pre-Christmas “on hold” clients are now flooding my inbox while I’m on the slopes.
Relieved to be in demand again, I said yes to everything.

💡 Ended up dreading the return to London due to the looming workload.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟴 (February):
I HATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP!!
I didn’t leave corporate to rot in a dark London flat with my laptop.
So I convinced my boyfriend Alex to quit his job and work for me.
The idea is to live cheaper abroad while seeing the world.

💡 THAT’S the flexibility and freedom I dreamt about.


𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝟵 (March):
First stop: Thailand 🌴
Removed myself from 1:1 client work and shifted my focus to passive income and digital products.

💡 Saying no to clients is SCARY.
But it serves my long-term strategy, or at least I hope so.



I expected entrepreneurship to be a wild ride, but I didn’t think the emotions would swing THAT widely.

But you do learn to cope.

Especially once that first breaking point is out of the way.
You realise life goes on and that you’re always able to figure shit out.


No matter where you are in your journey:

Keep going. 🙏🏻❤️


What month are you in?

And what’s one thing you wish an experienced entrepreneur told you sooner?

Your BEST ideas don’t give a sh*t about your schedule.
Your BEST ideas don’t give a sh*t about your schedule.
Your BEST ideas don’t give a sh*t about your schedule.

No word of a lie!!

The BEST content ideas always pop up at the WORST possible time!!

→ Fondling avocados in Tesco.
→ Three miles into your hot-girl-walk.
→ While your mate’s spilling the tea over brunch.
→ While a client explains their problem and your brain goes: “Bloody hell. That’s a POST.”

A GREAT LinkedIn post NEVER comes from sitting at your desk thinking:

“Right. Time to have an original thought.”

No. 
No.
NOOO!!

They come from REAL conversations and LIVED experiences!

THAT’S the good stuff!!

And previously I used my Notes app to capture them all.

Lemme tell you, it was utter, utter, uuuttteeerr CHAOS…

💀 “Post about trust”
💀 “Good point from call”
💀 “Story about woman in Tesco”

WHAT POINT, ALICIA???
WHAT WOMAN???
WHAT HAPPENED IN TESCO???

Now I use Granola.

💚 For virtual meetings: 
It runs in the background and captures everything without a bot joining the call.

💚 For real-life conversations: 
I open the app on my phone and let Granola transcribe through my microphone.

💚 For when inspiration hits while I’m out and about:
I open a new note and talk the idea out loud before my brain replaces it with: “Ooooh, biscuits!!”

Whatever the situation….

I can still jot down the odd word or thought during a conversation, but I don’t need to capture everything.

Granola uses the transcript, my rough notes and the meeting context to turn it all into clean, structured notes afterwards.

AKA:

→ Instead of: “Good point from call.”
→ I can now actually see what the bloody point WAS!!

Because we all know the truth….

My brain hasn’t become any more organised.
But my system has!! 🤓

Got a Notes app full of content ideas you no longer understand?

Try Granola FREE for one month:
👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gRS-GfJg

#granolathenotes

I don’t want to be all whiney and sh*t but you know that when you write something on LinkedIn, it’s public?!

Like people can actually see what you’re posting/commenting.

For example the person you’re publicly taking the p*ss out of?

They happen to be real people with real feelings.

It stings.

But since I can’t control other people’s actions, I’m left with managing my own emotions/thoughts and remind myself of Codie A. Sanchez words:

“I've never had someone more successful than me take time out of their day to tear me down.

They're too busy building.

You will only get criticism from people doing less than you.

And I don't take constructive criticism from people who haven't constructed.

It's a mirror.

They see you doing something big, reflects back on their own insecurities.

That's not your problem.
That's theirs.

Haters can actually be useful.

They're proof you're doing something that matters.

If no one's pushing back, you're probably not pushing hard enough.

So I say let them talk.
You don't win by arguing.

You win by outlasting.

Keep building, keep growing, and let your results do the talking.”

Amen Codie, Amen. 🙏🏻

If you’re a creator, save this. 📌

I mean it.
You’ll need it.
Them trolls will come eventually.

And when the time comes, know that Codie and I, we’ve got you.

We’re here to build, to grow and to outlast. 🔥💅🏻

Would I have been able to grow my LinkedIn this successfully if I still looked like I did in 2021?

I don’t ask this to talk about appearance.
I ask this because 'Pretty Privilege' is real.

Sadly, but undeniably, beauty is tied to moral value, status, discipline, and even intelligence.

I wish this was different.

But anyone who has lived on both sides of the beauty spectrum knows it's the truth.

I was born in 1990.
Like half of LinkedIn users, I’m a millennial.

We, and every generation before us, were raised during a time when a handful of people defined what “pretty” meant for everyone else.

Previous centuries had painters, aristocracy, royalty, and the church.
We had MTV, paparazzi, and 5 magazines deciding reality for us.

For millennial women, that ideal was thin, pale, angular, effortless, and unattainable.
(Think Kate Moss, Keira Knightley, the Olsen twins.)

And this isn’t just about how others see us.
It’s about what happens internally when we don’t fit that reality.

Up until my physical appearance changed:

→ I didn’t speak up as much.
→ I didn’t look people in the eye.
→ I didn’t hold my head up straight.

Because, subconsciously, I believed I wasn’t deserving of more.

Today, that’s changed.
I carry myself differently.

My business and personal brand are thriving.

BUT

→ Has my success been fuelled by people treating me differently?
→ Or is this because I changed how I show up?

We don't know.
We will never find out.

But what we can do, no matter where you sit on the so-called beauty spectrum:

→ Recognise the bias we were handed.
→ Acknowledge it.
→ Don’t pass it on.
→ And don’t ever let it define your worth. 🙏🏻

The next generation is our thought leader on this already.

Gen Z/Alpha grew up with Social Media, seeing many body types, many faces, many aesthetics, many definitions of “hot”.
They're leading the way for body positivity and diverse representation.

This might be the first time in history where there isn’t just *one* way to be “pretty”.

Resulting in the end of our value being tied to the way we look.

About time.

Ohhhh I bloody love you lot 🫶🏻🥹
Last week, 1,880 people watched me yap for 2+ hours about LinkedIn.

What is wrong with you all?? 😀

Many don’t know just HOW much effort goes into running a webinar like this.
Seeing you all show up, engaging, your feedback, your DMs, it makes it all so worthwhile.

THANK YOU!! ❤️

As someone who absolutely haaaated school, I never thought I’d say this:
I do love being a teacher. 😀👩🏼‍🏫

Which made me think:
👉🏻 How about I create a proper, in-depth digital course?

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: 
“InDemand”
(𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵? 😀😀 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝙄𝙣 + 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴.)

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲:
A step-by-step guide to becoming a well-known thought leader, growing your influence, and turning LinkedIn into a lead-generating machine.

𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲:

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 1 — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁

→ Why LinkedIn is the most underrated platform for lead generation

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 2 — 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗨𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻

→ How long LinkedIn actually takes to work
→ Your LinkedIn toolkit
→ Setting LinkedIn goals tied to business outcomes

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 3 — 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗢𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿

→ Personal Brand vs Company Page
→ Defining your dream client
→ Niching down without boxing yourself in

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 4 — 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵

→ Does your current profile sell you while you sleep?
→ Optimising your profile for conversion
→ Leveraging your company page

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 5 — 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲?

→ Cracking the algorithm
→ The anatomy of high-performing LinkedIn content
→ How to never run out of content ideas

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 6 — 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀

→ Hooks that stop the scroll
→ The Body: Keep Them Hooked
→ CTAs that actually convert
→ Choosing the right assets

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 7 — 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲

→ Who’s actually worth your attention
→ How to find the right people to engage with
→ The art of the connection request
→ Spring cleaning your network

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 8 — 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲

→ The commenting playbook
→ DMs that don’t feel salesy

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 9 — 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀

→ Sales Navigator tutorial
→ When and how to hire a ghostwriter or VA
→ Automation: what’s safe, what’s not

_____

👉🏻 PLEEEEASE give me your honest opinion:

🎓 Is there anything missing? Or is it all way too overwhelming?
🎓 Would you guys actually be keen on a course like this, or is this all a big waste of my time?

If I’m doing this, perfectionist-me will go above and beyond. 
So if you’ve got thoughts, I want them.

Thaaanks 😘
ขอบคุณนะคะ - khob khun ná ka (Oh, I’m loving Thailand 🇹🇭🌴)

🔊 MAKE SURE YOUR SOUND IS ON!! 🔊
Can we all pls appreciate how BLOODY COOL the intro to Module 4 of my cohort is??? 😀😀😀

I set up that module as a murder mystery and asked my cohort joiners to become detectives. 🤓🕵🏼‍♀️

Let's not kid ourselves.
LinkedIn isn't exactly known to be the sexiest topic on the planet.

So I wanted to make sure my cohort is super FUN and ENTERTAINING!!

Kinda like a Netflix show where people are deeeesperate to watch the next episode.

Okay...
"Desperate" is maybe a tad ambitious...
(It's still LinkedIn we're talking about)

But at least to make them look forward to opening the next module and wonder what silly thing I've come up with this time. 😅

My aim is that my cohort joiners aren't just remembering what they learned but to remember HOW IT MADE THEM *FEEL*.

That's also what I keep preaching when it comes to GREAT content creation.

Stand out.
Be unique.
Be memorable.
Trigger emotions.
Do things differently.
Yada yada.
You get tse gist.

Now off you pop...
And try not to commit any crimes this weekend. 
(ha, funny)

🧡

P.S. Consider this your official trailer for what's waiting inside the next cohort!! 😀

Join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/g6Fr259V

To avoid burnout at work, use the 30-30 rule:


After 30 minutes of work → Quit your job → Disappear into the mountains for 30 years.

AD | My £200k corporate job didn't prepare me for entrepreneurship AT ALL!! 😵‍💫

Tbh, when I worked at LinkedIn, I never really thought about my laptop.

The IT guys handed me one.
It had everything I needed.
PowerPoints. Spreadsheets. Zoom. Yada yada.
Loooovely. 🤌🏻

Fast forward a year...
I'm self-employed.
(Ohhh dear... a whoooole new world.)

Us founders don't just need a laptop anymore.

We need a second brain.
We need an intern to build us decks. 
We need an assistant to summarise meetings.
We need a sales coach to help us improve our video calls.

Which also means we need to think about laptops very differently.

A few years ago I cared about storage and whether the battery would survive when I’m out and about.

Now I'm asking…

Can this thing actually keep up with the way I work???

AI isn't a "nice little bonus feature".
It's a MUST for a founder’s everyday tasks!

That's why the latest HP EliteBook is looking so sweet!!
It has all those daily-needed AI capabilities already built in.

Plus, AI is moving hideously fast.
Twelve months ago, I wasn't using half the tools I use today.
Who knows what setup we'll need in two years?!

Which is one of the reasons why Raylo Business is so brilliant!!

No big upfront purchase.

You simply pay a monthly fee and have the flexibility to upgrade your device as AI, technology (and your business!!) evolve.

Aka you keep up with the speed of time AND your cash flow looks much better.

Happy days! 🤓

I made $50,000+ from Substack since I switched on “PAID” 3 months ago.

So I wanna run a FREE Masterclass showing you everything I did and give you a clear blueprint to follow.

And please know:

I am NOT a Substack expert!!

But that’s EXACTLY why I wanna teach this RIGHT NOW.

I’m only a few steps ahead of you.

I still remember starting Substack earlier this year thinking:

WHAT THE F*CK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO HERE???

😵‍💫 What should I post?
😵‍💫 How do I get subscribers?
😵‍💫 How do I get PAID subscribers?
😵‍💫 How the hell does Notes work?
😵‍💫 WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BUTTONS?!?!?!

I made ALL the mistakes and wasted a frankly offensive amount of time.

But eventually I figured out what moved the needle.

Today:

→ 11,600+ Substack Followers
→ 9,100+ FREE Subscribers
→ 140+ PAID Subscribers
→ $51,000+ generated
→ Official Substack Bestseller Badge
→ Ranked #3 Rising in Business (July)

And before you say:

“Yeah, but Alicia… you already had a big LinkedIn audience.”

I grew my first 3k Substack subscribers without EVER mentioning it on my LinkedIn.

I had no audience waiting for me over there.
I started at ZERO. 
Just like everyone else!!

So I’m putting together a completely FREE Masterclass breaking down exactly what I’ve learned.

And I wanna know which angle would be most useful to YOU:

1️⃣ The No-BS Beginner’s Guide to Substack
→ Why Substack is such a huge opportunity right now and how to actually get started.

2️⃣ How to Get People to PAY for Your Content on Substack
→ How to package what you already know into content people will actually PAY to read.

3️⃣ How to Build a Substack WITHOUT Creating More Content
→ How I use the content I already have on LinkedIn to grow and monetise my Substack.

👇🏻 VOTE BELOW 👇🏻

And while I’ve got you…

What do you ACTUALLY wanna know about Substack?!

Chuck your questions below.
No question is too basic/stupid/weird.
I wanna build this around what you lot actually need!!

Subscribe to my Substack to stay in the loop for when the Masterclass goes live: https://lnkd.in/gTKGnUuQ

🔥 $100k Cohort Launch Update 🔥
Who are the 55 people who've already invested in themselves??


I’m a little numbers nerd.

That’s why I run today’s 90-minute advanced Masterclass on the LinkedIn Algorithm, packed with an INSANE amount of stats, graphs, and analytics.

And that’s also why I analysed who has already purchased my cohort.

1️⃣ It helps me hit my $100k goal

The better I understand WHO'S buying, the better I can promote and build something YOU'LL LOVE.

2️⃣ YOU get to see who else is already in the room

Because nobody builds a successful business or career alone.

We all need people who hype us up and keep us going when we inevitably have a little wobble.


These are the 55 people who have already signed up for my cohort:

🔸 Age: 35 - 55
🔸 Experience: 15 - 25 years
🔸 Profession: Founder | Coach | Consultant | Senior Leadership
🔸 Niche: Marketing | Leadership | Sales | HR | AI | B2B
🔸 Location: UK | US | Europe | Canada | UAE


✅ Everyone who joined is EXCEPTIONAL at what they do.

❌ But they don’t get the recognition and opportunities they deserve.

❌ They're fed up watching people with half their knowledge land the clients, the jobs/promotions, the speaking gigs, and the financial freedom they should be getting.


When building demand via LinkedIn, their struggles are:

🔹 "My impressions are low.”
🔹 "I don't know what to post."
🔹 "I'm getting engagement but no clients."
🔹 "I don't know how to position myself."
🔹 “I want to start a side hustle without p*ssing off my boss.”


And if you're reading this thinking:

“𝗢𝗛𝗛𝗛 𝗙𝗨𝗗𝗚𝗘!!! 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲!!"

I have two actions for you to take TODAY…


1️⃣ Slide into my DMs

Tell me what's stopping you from joining.
I PROMISE YOU, I’m not gonna try to convince you.

I wanna understand what’s in the way for people like you to invest in yourself and create the life you truly deserve.

That helps me tweak the positioning of my offer and gets me closer to my $100k goal.

So please be brutally honest!!


2️⃣ JOIN TODAY’S FREE MASTERCLASS!!

You’ll learn a TON about the LinkedIn algorithm and how to get your impressions back up.

But you'll also see whether you like my teaching style and whether you believe that I can truly help you increase your visibility and demand via LinkedIn.

📆 TODAY | 23rd July
⏰ 6pm BST | 90-minute Masterclass
💸 FREE!!
📍 https://luma.com/the-bg91


Alright my legends…

11 days until doors close on the cohort.
$44k left to hit $100k.

But forget my numbers for a second.

This is about YOU transitioning from:

HIGHLY CAPABLE → HIGHLY RECOGNISED!!!

See you at 6pm!!

🔥🔥🔥

Imagine you’re face-to-face with a VC legend who’s invested in over 100+ startups...

What would you ask them?

Next week, I'll be sitting on Graham Norton's couch (make it LinkedIn).

I'm joined by serial entrepreneur and VC Expert Raja Skogland, who’s been named as one of the 'Top 100 Most Influential Women in European VC'.

Normally, conversations like these happen behind closed doors.
Except this time, you get a front-row seat *AND* can ask your questions live.


🎙️ Host: Callum Laing | Investor, Entrepreneur and M&A practitioner

🎙️ VC Expert: Raja Skogland | 3x Top 100 Most Influential Women in European VC

🎙️ Visibility Expert: Alicia Teltz (yours truly) | Former Global Client Executive, LinkedIn


There will be no script.
Just an honest conversation fuelled by your questions.

Questions such as:

❓ What’s the biggest reason great ideas still fail?
❓ What’s the key reason VC’s say no to a startup?
❓ What’s the wrong way founders try to build credibility online?
❓ What’s a subtle red flag founders don’t realise they’re showing?
❓ How much does a founder’s public presence matter to investors?

📍 Tuesday, 3rd February at 12pm GMT | LinkedIn Live
👉🏻 Register here so you don't miss it: https://lnkd.in/gJEi4Unb

What’s the one question you’d love to get an answer to but are too scared to ask?

Put it in the comments.
I’ll do it for you.

See you on the couch.

🛋️ 🛋️ 🛋️

I almost cancelled this podcast recording.
Which would’ve been THE DUMBEST decision ever!!

It was 48 hours before my flight to Thailand.
I was staying at my boyfriend's parents' house in Norfolk with all of our belongings crammed into their spare room.

I had a to-do list longer than my arm: vaccinations, hotels, packing, getting my nails done (priorities 💅🏻).

Travelling to London for a podcast meant losing a whole day AND spending over £100 on train tickets.

Naaahhh.

But rather than outright cancelling, something in my gut told me to have an honest chat with Angeliki Galanopoulou about it all first.

We reshuffled timings, I moved half my life admin to London for the day, and it turned into one of THE BEST podcast recordings I’ve ever done.

Ohhh I'm so f***ing glad I didn’t cancel.

The trailer just dropped and it confirms that this episode is 🔥🔥🔥!!
We're talking:

1️⃣ The "golden handcuffs" corporate trap and why corporate is actually the BEST place to start your entrepreneurship journey.

2️⃣ Why every corporate employee should be active on LinkedIn (and a looong list of content ideas if you're stuck).

3️⃣ How to post without feeling like a cringe influencer, plus practical tips on HOW to actually write a post.

4️⃣ The "Cringe Mountain" framework for overcoming the fear of judgment online.

5️⃣ Imposter syndrome and why you don't need to be an expert to spark valuable conversations.

_____

The full episode is live on Spotify and YouTube:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/Vfx3h
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g6dX6yjz

Go watch it. 
If only for the production quality alone 😮‍🔥

___

Moral of the story:

The things you’re this close 🤏🏻 to cancelling are often the ones that change EVERYTHING.

Have you ever almost skipped something that turned out to be exactly what you needed? 👀

Wanna know what people with ADHD are terrifyingly good at?


Getting hired.


I saw a video by Hannah Viney on TikTok and had to bring her message to LinkedIn.

↓

Put us in an interview, and we turn into performance artists.

You say 'fast learner' → Already smiling.
You say 'resilient' → Head nod engaged.
You say 'high-pressure environment' → That’s literally our nervous system.

We mask.
We mirror.
We read the room like it’s a crime scene and we’re the lead detective.

Job secured.
Inbox refreshed.
Dopamine injected.

You’re buzzing because (once again) you’ve reinvented yourself.

But this time?
It’s different.

This job will fix everything.
This job is your new personality.

You buy a notebook.
You plan outfits.
You meal prep.

Your mum tells people you’ve finally settled.
Your friends think you’ve actually found your thing.

Bless them.

Because six months later...

The masking slips.
The novelty’s gone.
You’ve mentally completed the job in its entirety.

Now you’re bored.

Restless.
Low-key resentful.

You’re staring at your screen, wondering if you need to quit the industry, the city, or capitalism by EOD Friday.

You don’t even know everyone’s name yet and you’ve already drafted a resignation letter.

You open LinkedIn.
Close LinkedIn.
Open LinkedIn again.

You apply for a role you’re wildly underqualified for.

Not because you want it.
But because you need to *feel* something.

People call it commitment issues.

It’s not.
It’s an ADHD brain that needs stimulation.

Novelty.
Purpose.
Challenge.

So if you ever see an ADHD person quit out of nowhere...
Just know, we've mentally left three weeks before HR even saw the email.

Hope that clarifies things.

While everyone's impressions are down, my growth is up.
That's why 1,100+ people have signed up for my webinar (TODAY!!).

Over the last few weeks, I have completed all 5 stages of grief over the new LinkedIn algorithm.

😤 Stage 1 – DENIAL
“It's just a glitch."

😡 Stage 2 – ANGER
"WHY IS LINKEDIN DOING THIS?!?!”

🙏🏻 Stage 3 – BARGAINING
"Surely they will change it back... right?!”

😢 Stage 4 – DEPRESSION
“My reach is dead. It’s over. I’ll have to get a real job.”

✅ Stage 5 – ACCEPTANCE
“Ohh now I understand why. Alrighti then. Let's figure this sh*t out!!"


I worked in B2B Sales for 15+ years.

External circumstances happen (economy down, covid, or in our case algorithm changes).

It's SOOO easy to point fingers and throw in the towel.

No, no.

You & I: We’re high-performers.

We don't waste time wishing things were different.

🤓 We keep innovating. 
🤓 We keep learning. 
🤓 We keep figuring out what works in whatever sh*tty new reality we’re in.

There is ALWAYS a solution if you decide to persevere!

And when it comes to the new LinkedIn algorithm:

→ I have gone through the 5 stages of grief for you.
→ I have found a solution to succeed in this new world. 
→ I have gained feedback from other users confirming it works.

In my webinar today, I will share with you:

1️⃣ Why LinkedIn was forced to change the algorithm.
→ Understanding the cause helps you accept it.

2️⃣ Why it was the right move for them (even if it pains us).
→ Understanding their reasoning helps you be compassionate instead of angry.

3️⃣ How to succeed in the new LinkedIn reality
→ An easy-to-follow blueprint to help you gain back hope and feel empowered.

Let me help you skip straight to the Acceptance-Stage.

📆 TODAY | 4pm UK time
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gdG6vcgq

Who's ready to persevere??!!! 💃🏼🔥

☠️ DON'T post the content you planned for today.
Post THIS instead. ↓

Look, I want you to put out high-value, deeply researched content that is rooted in your lived experience and embedded in a beautiful story.

But sometimes, we have a writing block or are simply short on time.

This content format is ridiculously simple, brilliantly smart, sooo quick to do.
Plus, if you do it well, it will do the numbers for you. 🤓

Here’s the framework that works for ANYONE, in any NICHE, any INDUSTRY, right here on LinkedIn.


👉🏻 “These are my 3x favourite/biggest [THING].” 👈🏻


Examples:

🔥 “As somebody who's been coaching executives for 10 years, these are my 3x favourite questions that actually give clients clarity.”

🔥 “As a serial entrepreneur, these are the 3x favourite/biggest mistakes I see first-time founders make.”

🔥 “As a founder of an award-winning SEO agency, these are my 3x favourite tools to create visibility for my clients.”

🔥 “As a top-performing AE, these are my 3x favourite ways to follow up without being annoying.”

🔥 “As a freelancer of 10+ years, these are my 3x favourite ways clients accidentally tell me they’ll be a nightmare to work with.”

🔥 “As a recruiter for the world's leading staffing company, these are my 3x favourite/biggest CV red flags everyone ignores.”

🔥 “As a LinkedIn Creator with 36k+ Followers, these are my 3x favourite content ideas for beginner creators.” (😉)

That's it.

You can swap the role.
You can swap the topic.
You can swap the experience.

⚠️ But you CANNOT break the format.

Because:

→ You build credibility as someone worth listening to.
→ It's experience-led, not opinion-led.
→ It's generous, not preachy.

→ It's impossible to copy you (it's tied to your personal experience).
→ Your insights are unique and cannot be googled or ChatGPT'd.
→ Low cognitive load by removing decision fatigue. 3x things feel doable.

→ This format makes your post save-worthy.
→ And when people save your post, the LinkedIn algorithm gods will be on your side.

You're welcome, my friends. 😘

Tag me in your posts so I can see them in action. 🤩