We rolled AuthorityMax a week ago with some LinkedIn announcements and we’re truly grateful for the positive response.
But we also had a lot of you come to us seeking answers to the elephant in the room - “what should I make my first post on?”
Well, we heard you.
So after years of helping startup founders build their personal brands on LinkedIn, we’ve consolidated 15 ideas you can get started with.
15 Founder-Led content ideas for LinkedIn Personal Branding
While these frameworks are sure to work for founders across all industries and business scale, we do recommend you give them a spin of your own too:
1. The Decision You Changed Your Mind On
This idea focuses on a belief or decision you once held strongly, but later reversed. It could be about hiring, pricing, growth strategy, tech choices, or even how you approached content itself.
It signals maturity. Strong founders aren’t defined by always being right; they’re defined by knowing when to update their thinking. This kind of post builds trust because it shows learning, not ego.
For example, “I used to believe we needed to hire aggressively to grow faster. Six months later, we realised focus, not headcount, was the bottleneck. Here’s what changed my mind.”
2. A Mistake That Cost You Time, Money, or Momentum
This isn’t a polished failure story. It’s a real mistake with real consequences, shared without drama, but with clarity.
Founders trust other founders who talk honestly about what didn’t work. These posts feel earned, not performative, and often spark thoughtful conversations in comments and DMs.
For example, “We spent three months building a feature our biggest customer asked for. It never got used. Here’s what we misunderstood and how we validate requests now.”
3. The Trade-Off You Chose (and Why)
Every meaningful decision involves a trade-off. This post breaks down two competing options and explains why you chose one over the other.
Trade-offs reveal how you think. They show judgment, not just outcomes and judgment is what builds authority.
For example, “We chose slower growth in exchange for better onboarding. It hurt short-term numbers, but reduced churn long-term. Here’s how we made that call.”
4. How You Think About a Core Problem in Your Market
Instead of pitching a solution, you explain how you frame the problem your market struggles with.
People follow perspectives, not products. When your problem framing resonates, your solution becomes easier to trust.
For example, “Most people think onboarding is a UX problem. We realised it’s actually a confidence problem and that changed how we built the product.”
5. What Most People Get Wrong About Your Industry
This is a calm, experience-led correction - not a hot take for attention. It positions you as someone who’s been close to the problem long enough to see past surface-level narratives.
For example, “Everyone says PLG means no sales. In practice, we found sales didn’t disappear, it just changed shape.”
6. A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Hard Week
This idea zooms into a challenging period - missed targets, churn spikes, hiring delays, shared thoughtfully, without oversharing.
It humanises the journey. Readers don’t expect perfection, but they do respect honesty.
For example, “This week didn’t go as planned. Two deals slipped and a key hire backed out. Here’s what we learned about where our process breaks under pressure.”
7. The Question You Ask Before Making Any Big Decision
Every founder has a mental filter they rely on when things get unclear. This post shares yours.
Decision frameworks are more valuable than advice. They show how you navigate uncertainty, not just outcomes.
For example, “Before any big decision, I ask one question: ‘Will this still make sense 12 months from now?’ It’s saved us more than once.”
8. A Lesson You Learned Too Late
This idea reflects on something you wish you understood earlier in your journey.
It compresses experience into insight. Readers feel like they’re borrowing your hindsight, which is incredibly valuable.
For example, “I learned too late that not all revenue is good revenue. Chasing the wrong customers slowed us down more than it helped.”
9. What You Stopped Doing That Made Things Better
Instead of adding tactics, you talk about subtraction - tools, processes, or habits you intentionally removed.
Most content focuses on doing more. Talking about what you stopped doing signals confidence and clarity.
For example, “We stopped tracking 12 metrics and focused on three. Decision-making got faster and better.”
10. Your POV on a Trending Topic (Filtered Through Experience)
You weigh in on a trend only if you’ve actually lived it - AI, remote work, pricing models, growth strategies. Context beats commentary. Your lived experience cuts through surface-level opinions.
For example, “AI didn’t replace our workflows. It exposed where they were broken. Here’s what actually changed for us.”
11. A Customer Conversation That Changed Your Thinking
This idea shares a moment where customer feedback challenged your assumptions. It shows you’re close to the market. That proximity builds credibility with buyers and peers alike.
For example, “A customer told us, ‘I don’t care about speed. I care about confidence.’ That single line reshaped our roadmap.”
12. How You Define ‘Good’ at Your Current Stage
What “good” looks like changes as companies grow. This post reflects on that evolution.
It signals realism. Founders at similar stages recognise themselves in your thinking.
For example, “Early on, ‘good’ meant shipping fast. Today, ‘good’ means fewer releases, but fewer rollbacks too.”
13. The Metric You Watch Obsessively (and Why)
Instead of sharing vanity metrics, you explain the one metric that actually drives decisions. It reveals operator depth. Serious readers pay attention to how you measure progress.
For example, “We don’t obsess over MRR alone. We watch the activation rate weekly because that’s where churn starts.”
14. Something You’re Actively Struggling With
Not everything needs a clean ending. This idea shares a challenge you’re still figuring out.
Honest uncertainty builds trust. It invites dialogue instead of applause.
For example, “We’re still struggling to balance speed with stability. No clear answer yet, but here’s how we’re thinking about it.”
15. The Belief That Guides Most of Your Decisions
This post articulates a principle you keep returning to when things get noisy. Beliefs anchor personal brands. Over time, people associate you with how you see the world, not just what you post.
For example, “I believe clarity beats cleverness, especially in early-stage companies. Most of our decisions trace back to that.”
Also read: Best AI LinkedIn Tools for Personal Branding
Conclusion
Founder-led content doesn’t require more creativity. It requires more intention.
When you speak from experience, patterns emerge. When patterns emerge, authority follows.
And that’s exactly why we built AuthorityMax.
Our platform learns from your previous posts and knowledgebase, putting it all together with the best practices and frameworks used to create content that builds strong personal brands - all while retaining your unique tone of voice.
Haven’t signed up yet? Get started with AuthorityMax today.