Playbook · Distilled from Tommy Clark + Compound
Every tip, trick, and hack.
53 tactics · 17 critical · 18 already in your stack · 35 not yet.
Hook mechanics
Stack 2-4 hook levers in first 1-3 lines
Zero levers = dead post. Best hooks layer multiple psychological triggers (negativity, specific numbers, narrative, credibility-jacking, trendjacking, open loop, power words).
Audit lever count before publishing
Count the levers in lines 1-3. Fewer than 2? Rewrite the hook. Spend most of writing time here.
Write 3 hook variations per post
Spend most writing time on the hook. Test 3 options, pick the strongest.
Use odd specific numbers over round ones
$117K/month outperforms $100K/month. Specificity signals authenticity. Monetary numbers > generic.
Rotate the credibility hook — don't lead every post with CS/Greenhill
Used as a verbal tic, it reads as resume-padding. Vary: Treis growth equity, 700+ owner conversations, SearchLoop data, specific client wins.
Post types
Origin story (Tommy's #1 highest-performing format)
Tommy's #1 performing format across 100+ clients. Run with every new account. Repost every 4-6 months with fresh framing.
Proprietary data drop
"We mapped X, here's what we found." The only value content format that survives the AI-commoditization era. Your DB drops are this.
"How I" personal narrative + take
Generic "how to" is dead — AI writes it in seconds. Pair every framework/lesson with YOUR specific lived experience.
Polarizing industry take
Pick 3-5 hills you'd die on. Lean into them. Turn polarization dial up 20% from your default.
Case study (BOFU)
Specific client outcomes drive demos. Real numbers, real names where possible.
Content philosophy
"How I" not "How to" — rule
Filter every post through this. Lived experience is the only moat against AI-commoditization.
Turn polarization dial up ~20%
Not rage bait. Just enough spine to register. Goal: alienate people who weren't going to buy from you anyway.
Bury the inflammatory detail deeper to drive comments
Readers react to the headline, then keep reading to find justification. The friction drives comments.
Real photos > stock images
Faces stop scroll. Take up more real estate. In AI era, photos certify you as a real human. Office as content set.
Imperfection signals human (optimization fatigue)
Pristine formatting + perfect grammar = AI-vibe. Voice-y writing, slight typos, casual tone signal authenticity. ("Teeth" instead of "Dental" in CTAs = this.)
Don't force selling in comments on others' posts
Substantive insight. Never tie back to SearchLoop unless it materially extends the conversation. Pitch in DMs after engagement, not in comments.
Cadence & timing
5x/week minimum for results
Tommy's threshold for results. Minimum viable = 3x/week. Below that, no momentum builds.
20/60/20 TOFU/MOFU/BOFU split
For 5 posts/week: 1 TOFU + 3 MOFU + 1 BOFU. Most founders fail by 100% BOFU (pitches) or 100% TOFU (vanity).
Post 9-11am ET, Mon-Thu mornings
Optimal window. Big announcements (DB drops, milestones) → Tue or Thu morning specifically.
The 95-5 rule — most buyers aren't in-market
Only ~5% of buyers are in-market right now. Content's job is top-of-mind for the 95%. Long game. Resist direct-response optimization.
Evergreen content beats trendjacking
Algorithm now surfaces posts 2-4 weeks old. Evergreen content has multi-week shelf life. Trendjacked news goes stale fast.
Algorithm (2026)
Comments > likes by orders of magnitude
Comment QUALITY weighed (multi-sentence > emoji). Optimize for substantive discussion.
First 60 minutes make-or-break
Early engagement velocity = pushed to broader audience. Slow start = post dies.
Dwell time matters
Longer text posts that hold attention outperform quick hits. LinkedIn rewards time-on-platform.
Native video boosted (30-90s vertical)
LinkedIn juicing video. Sweet spot 30-90s vertical talking-head or Loom-style face-in-corner.
External links suppressed — post native content instead
Algorithm punishes external links in main body. Take content from your blog and post it natively.
Multi-week shelf life — don't panic on slow starts
Posts now resurface days/weeks later. Slow first hour doesn't kill a post like it used to.
Hashtags effectively dead
1-2 max if you must. Don't optimize for them. Won't move the needle.
Engagement routine
20 blank connection requests/day to ICP
Blank often outperforms personalized notes — counterintuitive but tested. ~10 min/day. Sales Nav saved list.
5-10 substantive comments/day on ICP + ICP-influencer posts
Comment QUALITY > volume. 2-3 sentences with specific take. NEVER AI-generated. Half on direct ICP, half on ICP-influencer accounts.
Pre-call connection request
Send connection request to anyone before a discovery call. They accept, browse your profile, show up partly pre-sold. Tommy closes $10K+/mo deals this way.
First-60-min discipline after publishing
Pin own CTA comment. Comment on 5-10 ICP posts to drive reciprocal traffic. Reply to every comment within 5 min. DM 5-10 close contacts asking for read. Then close the tab.
Reciprocal follow loop — comment on ICP-influencer commenters
Open known ICP-influencer profile, look at their commenters. Those ARE your ICP. Comment on THEIR posts — less crowded, more visible.
Don't refresh the post obsessively
Burns time, burns mood. Set 60-min timer, work the engagement plan, close tab. Engagement happens whether you watch or not.
Reposting & recycling
Repost winners every 3-4 months
Tommy's biggest leverage move. Your audience doesn't remember. New followers haven't seen it. Founders are irrationally afraid of repetition.
Same winning idea, new format
Text post that hit → turn into a video or carousel. Same insight, fresh wrapper.
Same winning format, new ideas
If long-form narrative + image works, find more narratives to fit that template.
Literal copy-paste 3-4 months later with minor tweaks
Audiences don't remember. The post still works. Tweak hook, repost.
Workflow
Content interview workflow (45 min → 10 posts)
Every 2 weeks: record 45-min interview on ICP topics. Get transcript. Feed to Claude: "Extract 10 LinkedIn posts using hook-lever framework." Tone-of-voice edit only. Compresses writing to ~2 hrs/week.
Turn office into content set
Have someone constantly shooting photos: at whiteboards, in meetings, candid moments. Build a backlog. Photos with real faces consistently lift performance.
Google Calendar method for ideation
Every Friday: scan the week's meetings. Flag any that triggered an emotional reaction. Those reactions = content. If two clients mention the same thing in a week, that's a post.
Cross-corpus pattern recognition (The Brief)
You consume 50+ hrs/week of PE/SaaS/ETA content. Nobody else has this corpus. Monthly "what I learned reading X hours" posts = proprietary data + storytelling Tommy prescribes.
Amplification
Thought leader ads at $20/day on proven winners
Let your best organic post run 2-3 weeks until plateau. Boost as thought leader ad at $20/day. Looks like organic in feed, tiny "Promoted" label.
Add PS + link BEFORE boosting (link persists)
Ads Manager doesn't allow CTA buttons on thought leader ads. Workaround: edit original post first to add PS line with link. Link survives the boost.
Content ecosystem — multi-account from same company
LinkedIn posting ceiling = ~1-2/day per account. Layer multiple accounts (founder + co-founders + employees). Each targets a subset of ICP.
What NOT to do
Never use AI-generated comments
Tommy explicit: "obvious and cringe." Destroys credibility. Defeats the entire point of commenting.
Don't post more than 1-2x/day
LinkedIn suppresses reach above this. Quality > volume.
Don't post less than 3x/week
No momentum builds below this cadence. Audience forgets you exist.
Don't post generic "5 tips" listicles without lived experience
AI commoditized this format. Pair listicles with personal narrative or proprietary data.
Don't post from company page over founder page
Company pages effectively dead. 2x+ engagement on founder accounts. People follow people.
Don't put external links in main post body
Algorithm punishes. If you must, drop in first comment.
Don't load up on hashtags
1-2 max if you must use any. More signals "trying too hard."
Don't use burned hook templates
"I was having dinner with a $100M SaaS CEO and he told me..." is cooked. Templates have shelf life — retire when peaked.