The Executive Search Content Trap: Why Your LinkedIn Feed Is Killing Your Pipeline
Finn Patrick
CMO | 15+ years leading search, agency & tech firms that create human-centred solutions to solve outdated methods
Let me tell you about two search consultants who started their content journey on the same day.
James followed all the right influencers. Studied all the right formulas. Applied all the right tactics. His LinkedIn feed became a masterclass in modern content creation:
"?? ATTENTION CEOs! Want to know the SECRET to hiring better leaders? Follow for more!"
Sarah, meanwhile, simply wrote about what she saw:
"Three FTSE 100 CFOs moved to PE-backed companies this month. Here's what it tells us about the shifting dynamic between listed and private markets..."
Six months later, James had 20,000 followers and zero new retained searches. Sarah had 1,200 followers and four new FTSE 100 clients.
Let me tell you why.
The Tale of Two Feeds
Mark came to me frustrated last month. "I'm posting every day," he said. "I'm following all the advice. My engagement is through the roof. But nobody's calling about searches."
I opened his LinkedIn feed. It was perfect - by influencer standards:
Then I asked him who'd engaged with his last post. He scrolled through the likes:
"Notice anyone missing?" I asked. "Like who?" "Like anyone who might actually buy a retained search."
The silence was deafening.
The Reality Check
Let me tell you about Emma's awakening moment. She'd been following a famous LinkedIn content creator's advice for months. Her posts were getting hundreds of likes. She had the formula down pat:
"I just hired a CEO. Here's what happened: [insert emotional story] [insert life lesson] [insert call to action] Agree?"
One day, a FTSE 100 Chairman she'd been trying to reach for months commented on her post: "When did executive search become self-help content?"
She never saw him engage again.
The Expertise Divide
Tom runs a technology practice. For three months, he created content following the top LinkedIn influencers' advice:
His competitor Rachel, meanwhile, wrote one post:
"The shift from CTO to CVO (Chief Vision Officer) in B2B SaaS companies is accelerating. After placing three CVOs in the past month, here's what's driving the change..."
Tom got 500 likes and two coffee invites from other recruiters. Rachel got 50 likes and three retained searches.
The Ego Path
Let me tell you what happened when David discovered personal branding. He went from sharing genuine market insights to:
"?? THREAD: My journey to seven figures in search
Day 1: Decided to succeed
Day 2: Worked harder
Day 3: Never gave up..."
His posts went almost viral. His following grew. His influence expanded.
His retained search clients stopped calling.
The Expertise Path
Catherine never meant to create content. She just started sharing what she saw:
"Interesting pattern emerging in fintech CFO compensation. Base salaries dropping 20% but equity components up 40%. Just placed three CFOs under this new structure. The implications for listed fintechs trying to hire from PE-backed competitors are significant..."
No hashtags. No emojis. No "thoughts?" Just pure, valuable market intelligence.
She now has a waiting list of clients.
The Choice
Here's what I told Mark when he came back to me last week, frustrated with his lack of results:
"Stop taking content advice from people who've never sold a retained search. Stop following formulas created by influencers who've never placed a FTSE 100 executive. Stop trying to go viral with people who can't hire you."
领英推荐
Instead: Tell us what you're seeing in your market. Share the patterns you're spotting. Offer the insights only you have.
The Real Results
Let me tell you about Michael's experiment.
One month, he shared pure market intelligence:
Next month, he followed the influencer playbook:
First month: Three retained searches
Second month: Zero retained searches
But five speaking invitations from recruiter conferences...
He went back to sharing intelligence.
The Brutal Truth
Your market doesn't need:
[-] Another leadership guru
[-] Another success coach
[-] Another content creator
[-] Another motivational voice
Your market needs:
[+] Your actual expertise
[+] Your real insights
[+] Your genuine intelligence
[+] Your true patterns
The Simple Test
When you're about to post, ask yourself: Could this be written by someone who's never placed a senior executive? Could this be copied by someone who's never run a search? Could this be created by someone who's never commanded a retainer?
If yes, delete it.
Share something only you could know instead.
The Final Story
Let me tell you about Jenny's turnaround moment.
She'd been creating "thought leadership" content for months, following all the expert advice. Her posts were perfect. Her engagement was high. Her pipeline was empty.
Then she got angry about a competitor's market report. Wrote a passionate, detailed breakdown of everything they'd got wrong about CFO compensation trends. Shared real numbers. Named real patterns. Showed real expertise.
Three CEOs called that week.
"But it didn't follow any of the content rules," she told me.
"Exactly," I replied.
Win without working for free by sharing real expertise.
Or lose by copying people who've never sold what you sell.
The choice is yours. But remember: Every time you post like an influencer, a potential client decides you're not serious enough to trust with their executives.
Stop creating content. Start sharing intelligence.
Your market is waiting for your expertise. Not your emoji game.
P.S. If you found this article useful, please click on like to let me know so I know to create more content like this in future. If you're looking for something specific, leave a comment and I'll work into a future edition of the Exec Search Marketing Mastery newsletter.
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I represent High Impact CTOs who build & scale High Growth businesses towards Exit Events & beyond. I partner with CEOs, Founders, Angels, VC & PE Firms to hire Best in Class CTO Talent. CTO Search, CTO Recruitment
3 个月Finn this is a really intriguing and powerful article. I can see James in me ????
CMO | 15+ years leading search, agency & tech firms that create human-centred solutions to solve outdated methods
3 个月James O'Brien, Plamen Ivanoff ?, Jo Gregory, Mark Whitby - would love to hear what you think