ktg-plugin-marketplace/plugins/linkedin-thought-leadership/skills/linkedin-strategy/SKILL.md

---
name: linkedin-strategy
description: |
  LinkedIn growth strategy, authority building, competitive analysis, monetization planning,
  and opportunity generation. Covers strategic planning from foundation building (0-1K followers)
  through authority establishment (10K+), including monetization and business development.

  This skill should be used when the user wants a growth plan, needs to build authority, wants competitive intelligence,
  is thinking about monetization, or wants to understand what to focus on at their level.

  Triggers on: "LinkedIn strategy", "growth plan", "how to grow on LinkedIn", "build authority",
  "competitive analysis", "what are others doing", "monetize LinkedIn", "make money from LinkedIn",
  "consulting pipeline", "lead generation", "what should I focus on", "LinkedIn roadmap",
  "signature content", "greatest hits", "linkedin authority", "pricing strategy".
---

## Strategy Domain

This skill covers long-term LinkedIn strategy, authority building, competitive intelligence, monetization, and opportunity generation.

---

## Commands

| Command | Purpose | When to Use |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `/linkedin:strategy` | Growth strategy based on follower level | Strategic planning |
| `/linkedin:authority` | Systematic authority building | Building signature content |
| `/linkedin:competitive` | Competitive analysis of niche | Understanding the landscape |
| `/linkedin:monetize` | Monetization strategy and funnels | Revenue planning |

## Agents

| Agent | Model | Responsibility |
|-------|-------|----------------|
| `strategy-advisor` | Sonnet | Growth recommendations based on phase |
| `trend-spotter` | Sonnet | Trending topics + opportunity scores |

---

## Growth Strategy: The 90-Day Foundation + Roadmap

### Phase Overview

**Month 1-3:** Foundation Building (500-2,000 followers)
**Month 4-6:** Acceleration (2,000-5,000 followers)
**Month 7-9:** Compounding (5,000-15,000 followers)
**Month 10-12:** Authority (15,000-30,000+ followers)

For detailed roadmaps, see `references/growth-roadmaps.md`.

### Low-Frequency Posting (2-3x/week)

For busy professionals who can't post daily. Each post must:
1. Contain genuine insight
2. Be well-crafted
3. Demonstrate expertise
4. Invite engagement
5. Connect to expertise areas

For complete strategy, see `references/low-frequency-posting-strategy.md`.

---

## Authority Building

### The Authority Flywheel

1. **Create signature content** -- Posts that define your perspective
2. **Track what resonates** -- Identify your "greatest hits"
3. **Double down** -- Create derivative content from winners
4. **Build repost schedule** -- Systematically resurface top content
5. **Monitor influence** -- Track citation, shares, references

### Signature Content Identification

A post is "signature content" when:
- It gets 3x+ your average engagement
- People reference it weeks/months later
- It defines a unique framework or perspective
- It generates inbound opportunities

---

## Competitive Analysis

### What to Analyze

1. **Posting frequency** -- How often do top performers post?
2. **Content types** -- What formats dominate your niche?
3. **Hook patterns** -- What opening styles work?
4. **Engagement strategies** -- How do they drive comments?
5. **Gaps and opportunities** -- What isn't being covered?

### Differentiation Strategy

The goal is not to copy competitors but to find your unique positioning:
- What perspective do you have that others don't?
- What experience gives you unique credibility?
- What contrarian takes can you defend?
- What gaps exist in the conversation?

---

## Opportunity Generation

LinkedIn isn't just about followers -- it's about generating opportunities.

### The Opportunity Hierarchy

| Follower Level | Opportunities |
|----------------|---------------|
| 1K-3K | Podcast guests, guest blogs, free speaking |
| 3K-6K | Paid speaking, consulting inquiries |
| 6K-10K | Conference speaking, regular consulting |
| 10K+ | Keynotes, premium rates, partnerships |

For complete opportunity framework, see `references/opportunity-generation.md`.

---

## Monetization Strategy

### Readiness Assessment

**Minimum thresholds for monetization:**
- 1,000+ followers
- 3+ months consistent posting
- Clear expertise area
- Engagement rate above 3%

### Revenue Streams by Phase

| Phase | Revenue Model |
|-------|--------------|
| Foundation (1-3K) | Free consulting calls, small projects |
| Growth (3-6K) | Paid speaking, consulting retainers |
| Authority (6-10K) | Premium consulting, courses |
| Established (10K+) | Keynotes, advisory boards, products |

For detailed monetization strategies, see `references/linkedin-monetization-strategies.md`.

---

## Newsletter Strategy (5,000+ Followers)

Launch newsletter only after:
- 5,000+ followers
- 3+ months consistent posting
- Clear topical authority
- Reliable content generation system

For complete newsletter strategy, see `references/newsletter-strategy-guide.md`.

### Articles Strategy

Articles are evergreen SEO assets. Posts are engagement drivers. Use both strategically.

**When to use articles:** Deep analysis (2,000+ words), original research, step-by-step tutorials.

For detailed articles guidance, see `references/articles-strategy-guide.md`.

---

## Milestone Tracking: The 10K Journey

The plugin tracks progress toward a follower target (default 10,000) with monthly snapshots.

### Phase Transitions

| Phase | Range | Focus | Typical Growth |
|-------|-------|-------|----------------|
| Foundation | 0-1K | Consistency, profile-content alignment | 50-100/month |
| Validation | 1K-3K | Topical consistency, first-hour engagement | 100-200/month |
| Acceleration | 3K-6K | Format diversification, collaborations | 200-400/month |
| Authority | 6K-10K | Thought leadership, cross-platform | 300-500/month |
| Scale | 10K+ | Monetization, delegation, leverage | 500+/month |

### Growth Rate Benchmarks

| Status | Criteria | Meaning |
|--------|----------|---------|
| **Ahead** | Actual > 120% of needed rate | Growing faster than required |
| **On Track** | Actual 80-120% of needed rate | Healthy trajectory |
| **Behind** | Actual 50-80% of needed rate | Needs adjustment |
| **Significantly Behind** | Actual < 50% of needed rate | Major strategy shift needed |

### Strategy Adjustments by Schedule Status

Trajectory-based adjustments across 6 dimensions. See `references/trajectory-strategy-adjustments.md` for full diagnosis checklists, quick wins, and monthly review template.

**Significantly Behind (< 50% of needed rate):**
- **Posting frequency:** Increase by 2x (e.g., 2/wk to 4/wk) -- volume is the #1 lever
- **Engagement intensity:** 5x5x5 at full intensity + 10 extra comments/day on larger creators
- **Format mix:** Add 2 carousels/week + 1 document post/month (saves compound growth)
- **Collaboration pace:** 2 collaborations/month minimum (fastest way to break a plateau)
- **Content emphasis:** 80% save-worthy content (frameworks, templates, checklists)
- **Goal management:** Evaluate extending target date by 3-6 months or accepting higher effort

**Behind (50-80% of needed rate):**
- **Posting frequency:** Add 1 post/week above current cadence
- **Engagement intensity:** 5x5x5 daily without exception, focus on niche-relevant creators
- **Format mix:** Add 1 carousel/week minimum (single highest-ROI format change)
- **Collaboration pace:** Target 1 collaboration/month (tag, co-post, or comment thread)
- **Content emphasis:** Increase save-worthy ratio to 60%
- **Goal management:** Review in 60 days; extend by 2 months if rate doesn't improve

**On Track (80-120% of needed rate):**
- **Posting frequency:** Maintain; only increase if quality holds
- **Engagement intensity:** Shift 20% of engagement time to deeper relationship building
- **Format mix:** Experiment with one new format per month
- **Collaboration pace:** Maintain; aim for quality partnerships
- **Content emphasis:** Develop 1-2 signature pieces (frameworks, series)
- **Goal management:** Keep targets; consider raising if 3+ months ahead

**Ahead (> 120% of needed rate):**
- **Posting frequency:** Maintain if sustainable; OK to reduce by 1/week for quality
- **Engagement intensity:** Shift toward strategic relationship building with larger creators
- **Format mix:** Invest in higher-production formats (video, long-form articles)
- **Collaboration pace:** Be selective; prioritize collabs that unlock new audiences
- **Content emphasis:** Develop signature frameworks, original research, contrarian takes
- **Goal management:** Raise target to 15K, pull deadline forward, or add monetization goal

### State File Fields

```yaml
follower_count: 0           # Current follower count
follower_target: 10000      # Target (default 10K)
target_date: "2026-12-31"   # Deadline for target
monthly_growth: []           # Array of {month, count, delta}
projected_10k_date: ""       # Projected date at current rate
growth_rate_needed: 0        # Followers/month needed
```

---

## Common Patterns

**User: "What should I post about?"**
1. Identify expertise areas
2. Use Content Matrix to generate 24+ ideas
3. Apply 70/20/10 rule for mix
4. Set up batch creation workflow

**User: "How do I grow from X to Y followers?"**
1. Assess current phase
2. Apply phase-specific strategy
3. Set realistic timeline
4. Focus on consistency over virality

---

## Reference Files

| File | When to Read |
|------|--------------|
| `references/growth-roadmaps.md` | Monthly planning |
| `references/low-frequency-posting-strategy.md` | 2-3x/week strategy |
| `references/linkedin-growth-playbook-2025-2026.md` | Strategy deep-dive |
| `references/linkedin-monetization-strategies.md` | Revenue planning |
| `references/newsletter-strategy-guide.md` | 5,000+ followers |
| `references/articles-strategy-guide.md` | Long-form strategy |
| `references/opportunity-generation.md` | Business development |
| `references/trajectory-strategy-adjustments.md` | Trajectory-based strategy adjustments |