Hi there,
I reverse-engineer viral LinkedIn posts, so your content gets more attention.
In this issue, you’ll find:
Where to look when everyone’s drinking from the same feed (and sounding identical)
The 4-step translation that turns a podcast line or a pasta recipe into a scroll-stopping post
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Steal From the World Outside LinkedIn
Here’s where most people go wrong with content.
They try to find ideas ON LinkedIn.
They scroll their feed looking for inspiration. They read other people’s posts hoping something sparks. They stare at the platform waiting for genius to strike.
And they end up sounding like everyone else. Because they’re all drinking from the same well.
The best content doesn’t come from LinkedIn.
It comes from everywhere else. Your books. Your podcasts. Your conversations. Your hobbies. Your real life.
The creators who stand out aren’t more creative. They just pull from outside the platform, then bring it back in.
Today I’ll show you exactly how to do that. Where to look, and more importantly, how to turn an outside idea into a post your niche actually cares about.
Let’s go.
Why Outside Beats Inside
Think about it.
If everyone in your niche is getting ideas from the same LinkedIn feed, everyone posts the same stuff.
Same takes. Same tips. Same recycled advice bouncing around in a bubble.
That’s why so much of LinkedIn feels repetitive. It’s an echo chamber. People remixing each other’s posts over and over.
When you pull from outside, you break the loop.
You bring in fresh angles nobody else has. Ideas from other worlds. Perspectives your audience isn’t seeing from anyone else in their feed.
That’s what makes you memorable. Not being a better remixer. Being the person who connects outside ideas to their world.
The material is everywhere. You just have to start noticing it.
Where to Look
Let me give you the richest sources of outside inspiration.
Books.
Every book you read is full of ideas you can connect to your niche.
A business book, sure. But also a psychology book. A history book. A novel.
An idea about human behavior from a psychology book applies to how you write hooks. A lesson from a war history applies to strategy. A theme from a novel applies to storytelling.
Don’t just read in your field. The unexpected connections are the interesting ones.
Podcasts.
You’re already listening. Now listen with a notes app open.
A guest drops a line that makes you think. A host frames something in a new way. An idea sticks with you after the episode ends.
Capture it. That’s a post.
Conversations.
Some of your best material comes from talking to real people.
A coffee chat. A call with a client. A chat with a friend in a totally different industry.
Someone says something insightful. Or asks a question that makes you think. Or shares a struggle you recognize.
Real conversations are full of content. Pay attention to them.
Other industries.
This is a goldmine most people ignore.
Look at how other fields do things. How does the restaurant industry handle customer loyalty? How do athletes think about consistency? How do doctors make decisions under pressure?
Then connect it back to your niche.
“Here’s what marketers can learn from how chefs run a kitchen...”
Borrowing from a different world instantly makes your content fresh.
Your hobbies and life.
What you do outside work is content too.
Cooking, fitness, travel, gaming, parenting, whatever you’re into.
There’s always a lesson in there that connects to your professional world. The discipline of training. The patience of cooking. The problem-solving of a hobby.
Your life is material. Use it.
The Real Skill: Translation
Now here’s the part that actually matters.
Finding an outside idea is easy. The skill is translating it into something your niche cares about.
Because an interesting idea alone isn’t a post. “I read a cool book” isn’t content. You have to connect it to your audience’s world.
This is where most people fumble. They either post the outside idea with no connection (and confuse their audience), or they never make the leap at all.
Here’s how to do it right.
Step 1: Capture the raw idea.
You hear or read something interesting. Write it down immediately. Exactly as it hit you.
“Podcast said: the best athletes train the boring fundamentals more than anyone else.”
That’s your raw material. Don’t lose it.
Step 2: Find the underlying principle.
Strip the idea down to its core. What’s the universal truth underneath it?
The athlete example: mastery comes from repeating boring basics, not chasing fancy new things.
That principle isn’t about sports. It’s about everything.
Step 3: Bridge it to your niche.
Now ask: how does this principle show up in MY world?
If you’re a LinkedIn coach: “The best creators aren’t doing fancy hacks. They’re repeating boring fundamentals: post, engage, repeat. Just like elite athletes.”
If you’re a marketer: “Great marketing isn’t clever campaigns. It’s nailing the boring basics over and over.”
Same principle. Translated to your audience.
Step 4: Keep the origin as the hook.
The outside source often makes the best hook, because it’s unexpected.
“I learned the most important LinkedIn lesson from a podcast about pro athletes...”
That’s a scroll-stopper. It’s different. It creates curiosity. Nobody expects a LinkedIn lesson to come from sports.
The outside origin IS your edge. Lead with it.
A Full Example
Let me walk through one start to finish.
The raw input: You’re cooking dinner. You realize a good recipe is about doing simple steps in the right order, not about fancy ingredients.
The principle: Success is often about sequence and fundamentals, not complexity.
The bridge to your niche (say you help founders with LinkedIn): Growing on LinkedIn isn’t about complex strategies. It’s about doing simple things in the right order: fix your profile, then post, then engage, then sell.
The post:
“I figured out LinkedIn growth while making pasta last night.
A good recipe isn’t about fancy ingredients. It’s about doing simple steps in the right order.
LinkedIn is the same.
Here’s the right order...”
See what happened?
A boring moment cooking dinner became a fresh, memorable post. Nobody else in your niche wrote that. Because nobody else was in your kitchen.
That’s the power of stealing from outside.
Build the Habit
This becomes automatic with practice.
Once you start looking for it, you see content everywhere.
The podcast becomes material.
The book becomes material.
The conversation becomes material.
Your whole life turns into a content source.
The trick is capturing it in the moment.
Keep a running list. When an outside idea hits, write it down right away, before it slips. Notes app, Notion, or Posthero. Doesn’t matter. Later, you translate it into a post.
Most people let these moments disappear. The idea comes while they’re driving or cooking or reading, and by the time they sit down to post, it’s gone.
Catch it when it happens. Translate it later.
Do this consistently and you’ll never sound like everyone else. Because you’re not pulling from the same feed as everyone else.
You’re pulling from your whole life.
Your Homework
This week, do this:
Pay attention to one podcast, book, or conversation. Grab one idea that makes you think.
Run it through the 4 steps: capture it, find the principle, bridge it to your niche, use the origin as your hook.
Write the post. Lead with where the idea came from.
Start a running list for outside ideas. Add to it every time life hands you something.
Notice how different your post feels from the usual LinkedIn stuff.
The best content isn’t hiding on LinkedIn.
It’s out in the world. Go get it.
That’s it for this week.
If you turn an outside idea into a post this week, reply and tell me where it came from. I love hearing the unexpected sources.
See you next time.
That’s a wrap for today.
See you next week! If you want more LinkedIn tips, be sure to follow me on LinkedIn (link).
If you love this episode and want to support us, spread the word about us by sharing The LinkedIn Secrets with colleagues. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for reading!
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Your compadre,
Anton “LinkedIn growth strategies” Cherkasov