Creating Impactful Messaging

The Seven Steps to SUCCESS: A Leadership Blueprint Success is more than a destination; it’s a system. In leadership, success demands clarity, resilience, and action. Break down the word "SUCCESS" to create a framework to drive personal and organizational growth. 1. See Your Goal Clarity is power. Great leaders define the ‘why’ behind their goals. Each goal must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and align with your core values. A team united by purpose wins. TIP: After setting goals, ask: "What does success feel like for each?" It gets your team emotionally invested. 2. Understand the Obstacles Great leaders anticipate hurdles to avoid them. Address: • Internal bottlenecks (ex: workflows, miscommunication) • Disruptive market trends • Resource constraints by prioritizing ruthlessly • Team vulnerabilities by upskilling TIP: Involve your team in identifying obstacles. It drives ownership and innovative solutions. 3. Create a Positive Mental Picture Vision drives momentum. Leaders who visualize success radiate an inspiring energy. • Tell a compelling story • Reframe challenges as opportunities • Celebrate progress to boost morale TIP: Start meetings by revisiting your ‘WHY’ to keep focus. 4. Clear Your Mind of Self-Doubt Doubt kills action. To overcome uncertainty: • Rely on data, insights & instincts • Deconstruct past failures to extract lessons, not fears • Coach your team TIP: Use a daily affirmation (ex: "I trust my intuition and always learn from experience"). 5. Embrace the Challenge Opportunities are often disguised as problems. By embracing challenges, you: • Cultivate a growth mindset • Use mistakes as fuel for innovation • Welcome diverse input TIP: Treat every challenge as a story that's worth telling. 6. Stay on Track Momentum sustains success. The best leaders consistently review and refine. • Revisit key goals & priorities • Enable team members to self-correct • Encourage open feedback loops to fix misalignments TIP: Balance autonomy with adequate support. 7. Show the World You Can Do It Success is measured by results, not effort. Execution is king. • Share wins transparently with stakeholders • Document and communicate lessons learned • Build a legacy by mentoring others TIP: After every project, identify one win and one lesson. This framework isn't just for professional success. You can use it to supercharge growth in all areas of life. Internalize it to lead with purpose and start your journey to SUCCESS today! ♻ Repost if you found this valuable. And follow Eric Partaker for more. 📌 Want to become a world-class CEO? Don't miss our new CEO Accelerator launching soon! Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/dX9-yCRm

🐑 Business Language vs. UX Language. How to present design work, explain design decisions and get stakeholders on your side ↓ 🤔 Businesses rarely understand the impact of UX work. 🤔 UX language is overloaded with ambiguous terms/labels. 🤔 Business can’t support initiatives it doesn’t understand. ✅ Leave UX language and UX abbreviations at the door. ✅ Explain design work through the lens of business goals. 🚫 Avoid “consistency”, “empathy”, “simplicity”, “affordance”. 🚫 Avoid “design thinking”, “cognitive load”, “universal design”. 🚫 Avoid “lean UX”, “agile”, “archetypes”, “Jobs-To-Be-Done”. 🚫 Avoid “stakeholder management” and “design validation”. 🚫 Avoid abbreviations: WIP, POC, HMW, IxD, PDP, PLP, WCAG. ✅ Explain how you’ll measure success of your design work. ✅ Speak of business value, loyalty, abandonment, churn. ✅ Show risk management, compliance, governance, evidence. ✅ Refer to cost reduction, efficiency, growth, success, Design KPIs. ✅ Present inclusive design as an industry-wide way of working. As designers, we often use design terms, such as consistency, friction and empathy. Yet to many managers, these attributes don’t map to any business objectives at all, often leaving them baffled and utterly confused about the actual real-life impact of our UX work. One way out that changed everything for me is to leave UX vocabulary at the door when entering a business meeting. Instead, I try to explain design work through the lens of the business, often rehearsing and testing the script ahead of time. When presenting design work in a big meeting, I try to be very deliberate and strategic in the choice of words. I won’t be speaking about attracting “eye-balls” or getting users “hooked”. It’s just not me. But I won’t be speaking about reducing “friction” or improving “consistency” either. Instead, I tell a story. A story that visualizes how our work helps the business. How design team has translated business goals into specific design initiatives. How UX can reduce costs. Increase revenue. Grow business. Open new opportunities. New markets. Increase efficiency. Extend reach. Mitigate risk. Amplify word of mouth. And how we’ll measure all that huge impact of our work. Typically, it’s broken down into 8 sections: 🎯 Goals ← Business targets, KRs we aim to achieve. 💥 Translation ← Design initiatives, iterations, tests. 🕵️ Evidence ← Data from UX research, pain points. 🧠 Ideas ← Prioritized by an impact/effort-matrix. 🕹 Design work ← Flows, features, user journeys. 📈 Design KPIs ← How we’ll measure/report success. 🐑 Shepherding ← Risk management, governance. 🔮 Future ← What we believe are good next steps. Next time you walk in a meeting, pay attention to your words. Translate UX terms in a language that other departments understand. It might not take long until you’ll see support coming from everywhere — just because everyone can now clearly see how your work helps them do their work better. [continues in the comments]

Just got off a call with a founder who's sent 1,000+ cold emails with ZERO responses... Let me ask you something... Have you ever crafted what you thought was the perfect outreach message, only to be met with complete silence? One of my clients (a SaaS founder) just shared their frustrating experience that might sound familiar... They spent weeks perfecting their message, researching prospects, and personalizing every email. The result? Radio silence. Zero responses. Zero meetings. Zero opportunities. And here's what really hurts... Their competitor, with an inferior product, was landing meetings left and right with the same prospects. After analyzing thousands of outreach campaigns, I’ve discovered that trust isn't built through volume - it's built through three specific elements that buyers actually care about. Here are the 3 trust drivers that actually get decision-makers to reply: 1) Social Proof That Matters Stop leading with generic logos. I've found buyers instantly engage when you share specific results from companies in their exact industry. They need to see themselves in your success stories. ✅ POWER MOVE:  Reference a similar company's specific metrics improvement (e.g., "We helped Company X increase their conversion rate by 47% in 60 days") 2) Thought Leadership Signals Your prospects are drowning in "experts." I've tested this extensively - buyers respond when you demonstrate deep industry knowledge through specific insights about their business challenges. ✅POWER MOVE: Share a unique observation about their market position or recent company changes that others missed. 3) Micro-Deliverables This is the game-changer most miss. I've seen response rates triple when founders offer immediate value before asking for anything in return. ✅POWER MOVE: Provide a quick competitive analysis or specific growth opportunity they can implement today, regardless of whether they reply. The data is clear: 89% of cold outreach fails because it focuses on what YOU want instead of what THEY need. These aren't just theories - I've watched these exact strategies transform response rates from 2% to 20%+ across hundreds of campaigns. Here's the real question: How many of these trust drivers are you actually incorporating in your outreach right now? #ColdOutreach #B2BSales #TrustBasedSelling #OutboundMarketing #SalesStrategy

I’ve helped 600+ founders from solopreneurs to CEOs of billion dollar companies build their brands on LinkedIn. I’ll tell you what I tell them: Building a successful brand is not about “hacking an algorithm.” Especially if you don’t yet get the fundamentals. Algorithms get tweaked all the time. So at first, you’re best off focusing on the parts that stay the same… How people think, what they trust, and whether your profile tells them your value in five seconds. Here’s how you can do it: 1/ Find your niche Pick one problem you can solve and exactly who you solve it for. 2/ Profile photo Use a clear, close-up headshot that looks credible on mobile. 3/ Banner Communicate your value simply and one clear action. 4/ Headline Winning formula = How you help + ideal customer + dream outcome + social proof. 5/ Finding content ideas Study posts that outperform and adapt the pattern to your niche. 6/ LinkedIn content funnel Use a mix of TOFU, MOFU and BOFU posts…most people only use one type. 7/ Writing for LinkedIn Use short paragraphs, simple language and one clear CTA. Avoid asking boring questions at the end. 8/ Designing for LinkedIn Stick to readable fonts, and brand colours but experiment with style every few months (like whiteboards right now) 9/ Repurposing content Reuse what already worked instead of starting from scratch. Change the format, update the info or try a new angle for the same topic. 10/ Featured section Have a lead magnet that solves a narrow, painful problem in exchange for email. Consider adding a testimonial. 11/ About section Explain how you help, make it scannable, add a link for the next step - calendar or website. 12/ Posting strategy Post consistently at the same time each day…Sunday’s are a great day to post. 13/ Engaging on LinkedIn Engage before posting. Respond after. Send 10 personalized DMs every day to your dream customers. That’s how you drive sales This is how I went from 3k to 430k followers in under 2 years. Yes, LinkedIn is always changing. Yes, there's more competition than ever. But the fundamentals haven't changed. Treat your profile like a landing page. Post content that actually solves a problem. Engage like a human, not a bot. 📌 Want to high res pdf of this? Get it here: https://lnkd.in/gKzZUq-b ♻️ Repost to help your people win on LinkedIn ➕ Follow me (Will McTighe) for more like this

I’ve sent 10,000+ cold emails in my career. Those emails have generated $100M+ in revenue. Here are 11 tips to help you 10x your response rates: 1. Set Your Expectations If you're new to cold emailing, expect a 5% response rate. As you improve, you can boost that to ~20%+. It's important to know that the best cold emailers still hear "No" far more than they hear "Yes." But you only need a few "Yeses" to win. 2. Email Multiple Contacts Most people send one email to one contact and give up. Emailing multiple people increases your surface area for success. You never know who you'll catch at the right moment! I personally recommending emailing 5 different people at your target org. 3. Your Subject Line Data from multiple sources shows that subject lines with the highest response rates: - Are 2-4 words long (Boomerang) - Ask a question (Yesware) - Are ambiguous (Boomerang) My favorites are: - Quick Question? - Mentioning You? - [Result] In [Y] Time? 4. Write Like A 3rd Grader Data shows that emails written at a 3rd grade level see the highest response rates. That means: ✅ Use plain, simple language ❌ Avoid complex words and jargon I love HemingwayApp's Readability score for this. 5. Be Positive! Data also shows that a positive tone can boost response rates by ~15%. Aim to have a casual, positive vibe in your writing. To get there, pretend like you're writing this email to a friend. Also try to write the way that you speak. 6. Use A 3 Second Hook Most emails start with something like: "Hope you're having a good day!" That's boring. Instead, hook your contact with a personalized, value-driven statement. Ex: "Hey Tim, I want to help [Company] 3x your CVR in 30 days, below are 3 ways to do it." 7. Over Deliver On Value People avoid click bait. Your hook might seem that way, so follow it up with even more value: - Share relevant ideas - Show how to implement them - Provide real data The goal is to get your contact to take action and see real value. 8. Use Social Proof Social proof is one of the most effective trust builders. Weave it into your email in the form of: - Mentioning a mutual contact - Linking to case studies - Including testimonials The key is to do this naturally, not like a brand marketing email. 9. Use An "Exit Clause" No one wants to feel pressured. Everyone wants control. Tap into both by ending your email with an "Exit Clause." This is a statement when you recognize their time and give them an easy "out." 10. Follow Up! 44% of cold emailers give up after the first attempt. But 60% of prospects say "No" four times before they say "Yes." If you want to win? You need to follow up! I personally recommend four follow ups every 5 business days. Use Yesware to automate these.

After managing hundreds (maybe thousands) of SEO campaigns… I've distilled content creation down to a science. Here are 6 core pillars that actually move the needle: 1. Smart Keyword Selection Search volume is a vanity metric. Focus on these factors instead: • Relevance to your business goals • Commercial intent signals • Click-through rate potential Pro tip: 60% of Google searches end without a click. Pick keywords where people actually click through to websites. 2. The Uniqueness Factor Google's drowning in AI-generated content. Your advantage? Being genuinely different. Here's how: • Conduct original research (even small studies work) • Share first-hand experience and opinions • Create fresh data sets • Build user-generated content around polarizing topics AI can't replicate human experience. Use that. 3. Perfect Intent Matching Want to rank? Match the format that's already working (while adding your unique spin). Simple process: • Search your target keyword • Study the top 3 results • Note the content format (list, guide, comparison) • Create something similar but better If Google shows informational content, don't try to rank commercial pages. Work with the algorithm, not against it. 4. Content Quality Standards Great content isn't about word count. It's about clarity and engagement: • Write like you're talking to one person • Use simple language (no jargon) • Break up text with headings and bullets • Add visuals that actually add value • Edit ruthlessly 5. Topic Authority Building One great page isn't enough. Build supporting content around your main topic: • Start with branded keywords (easiest wins) • Target competitor comparisons • Create problem-aware content • Build educational resources Each piece should link to others, creating a content hub that Google loves. 6. Technical Foundation All the great content in the world won't rank if your technical SEO is broken: • Page speed under 3 seconds • Mobile-first design • Proper URL structure • Internal linking strategy • Schema markup where relevant Stop pumping out random blog posts. Start building strategic content assets that serve your business goals. Every piece should either educate your audience or move them closer to becoming customers.

Stop asking discovery questions like - What's your budget? - What's your timeline? - Who's the decision maker? - What are your decision criteria? - Are you looking at other solutions? They make prospects feel interrogated. ↳ And add zero value throughout the sales process. Start asking discovery questions like • If we solved (insert problem), what would be the impact for you & your team? • What's an ambitious but attainable timeline for go-live? • Are we okay missing that date - and what would be the consequences if we do? • Who else needs to be involved to get this on the radar of the executive team? • What are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves for you when it comes to choosing a new solution? • Have you taken a look at what else is out there? 2 key takeaways: 1. Discovery is not an interview. ↳ It's a process of guiding the buyer in their decision process. 2. Buyer experience is a differentiator. ↳The more value you add during the sales cycle, the more deals you will close. What else would you add?👇

Look, cold call pick-up rates and landing in spam are NOT the reasons why outbound isn't working for you in 2025. How do I know? We've worked with thousands of reps in the last few years: - I see all the sh*tty emails - Hardly any reps leave voicemails - People are afraid to call cell phones - Leaders are afraid to set call activity targets - Product pitching like crazy So why isn't outbound working for you? Messaging. I know. Messaging isn't a sexy topic. But poor messaging is likely why outbound doesn't work for you. Common messaging mistakes: ⛔️ Creating outbound messaging in a silo Mistake: A lone BDR leader, sales exec, or marketing exec creates all the cold call talk tracks and email sequences by themselves. Impact: Messaging sounds generic and has too much personal bias. ⛔️ Marketing or product creating outbound messaging Mistake: A PMM or marketing leader writes all the outbound messaging Impact: Since they've had little (or zero) conversations with real customers, the messaging is super generic ⛔️ Product voice: feature heavy messaging Mistake: Messaging focuses on how the solution works, specific features, etc. Impact: This might work on a webpage, but not in a cold email. Messaging feels super salesy and isn't appealing to execs. ⛔️ Not "chunking up" to business outcomes Mistake: Messaging addresses all of the pains of the user, not the decision-makers Impact: Reps get delegated down to product users and struggle to start sales conversations at the exec level ⛔️ Not leveraging customer conversations Mistake: Not using recorded customer conversations to inform messaging Impact: Messaging doesn't use the customer's language and feels generic. What to do instead: ✅ Build a messaging team Get no more than 10 of the best people together to build common messaging. This should include a few of the best AEs, marketing, customer success, sales leaders, product specialists, etc. And make sure to assign a single person to own messaging. ✅ Live workshop messaging by persona/vertical Run live workshops to work out messaging together. At a minimum, messaging should be created for each specific persona. For enterprise, messaging should be created by persona AND industry. A healthcare security leader speaks a different language than a SaaS security leader. ✅ Build a messaging matrix This is what the end product should look like: Personas → Priorities → Current Solutions → Problems/Impact → Desired Outcomes Now you have something that can easily be repurposed into talk tracks and emails. ~~~ If 2025 H1 pipeline looks thin—and outbound isn't producing results—get back to the basics and start with great messaging. Marketing should NOT own sales messaging. Sales needs to own sales messaging. And everyone needs to collaborate together for great messaging. Agree or disagree? 

I was a business reporter before moving to PR. 10 things I’d tell anyone in media relations. (Save this before your next pitch call) I remember being on the other side of PR pitch emails. Deleting some in seconds. Saving others to use later when writing stories. I made this for anyone just starting out. To help you create more value for your clients. 01 Find the story Remember, if there's a story, it will sell. No amount of follow-up calls help if you don't have a story. 02 Know the journalist Meet journalists when you don't have an immediate need. Get to know their workstyle, best ways to reach out, kind of news that interests them. Build trust. 03 Personalise follow-ups After sending a press release, ensure your follow-up communications are tailored to add value. You won't say the same thing to a business publication and a B2B magazine. 04 Create unique pitches Avoid sending the same pitch to numerous reporters with "exclusive" in the subject line. Invest time in crafting unique and relevant pitches. Know the publication’s audience. 05 Allocate time to update your media list Keep your media list up to date. Clients expect you to be well-versed in the media landscape, and outdated contacts can hinder your efforts. 06 Manage client expectations Do not chase a journalist just because your client insists. If a story can't fit a certain publication, be polite but firm in your pushback. But be super cautious because if the work can be done, it will be done. If you don't do it, someone else will. 07 Read more, find trends Read newspapers daily to stay informed about industry trends where your client can fit in. 08 Invest in training, self-learning PR agencies and schools should train professionals on how newsrooms work before they make their first media call. Understanding the news cycle is important. PR professionals should also invest in self-learning, especially in content and the use of AI. 09 Use social media to stay up-to-date Check LinkedIn and other social media platforms to verify if the journalist is still with the same publication and covers the relevant industry before making contact. Avoid making calls that resemble those vague credit card sales pitches. 10 Be patient Be patient when contacting journalists or PR colleagues. Wait before reaching out to others if they don't answer, and refrain from immediately complaining about unavailability to the corporate communications team. Bonus tip: Think of Gmail as a search engine. Your subject line should help you show up when a journalist searches the topic even weeks after you sent the mail. Those are the 10 really basic things I keep coming back to.  Hope you find them useful. ✨ PS: By the way, where do you get your news these days?

You’re not losing leads because of LinkedIn’s algorithm. You’re losing them because your ideal clients don’t see you as the expert they need. Most B2B founders make the mistake of thinking: ❌ “Posting daily will bring inbound leads.” ❌ “Going viral will grow my business.” ❌ “More content = More sales.” 🚨 That’s not how LinkedIn works. 🚨 I built my B2B brand WITHOUT ads, WITHOUT cold DMs, and WITHOUT chasing engagement. Clients came to me because I focused on the right things. Here’s how you can do the same. 1️⃣ Nail Your Positioning Before Posting Anything Before you create content, ask yourself: 💡 Who exactly are you speaking to? (If you target everyone, you attract no one.) 💡 What urgent problem do they have? (No problem = No attention.) 💡 How does your offer solve it better than others? (Positioning = Trust + Demand.) 2️⃣ Stop Educating. Start Addressing Business Pain Points. Most B2B founders create generic content like: 🚫 “5 Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile.” But what actually works? ✅ “Why Your LinkedIn Profile is Costing You 50+ Leads Every Month (And How to Fix It).” 3️⃣ Build a 3-Layer Content Strategy for Maximum Impact 🚀 B2B growth isn’t about engagement—it’s about trust & demand. Here’s the framework: 🔹 Thought Leadership → Industry insights, predictions & bold opinions. 🔹 Solution-Based Posts → Frameworks, case studies & client transformations. 🔹 Conversion Content → Storytelling, pain-point narratives & strategic soft sells. 4️⃣ Turn Your Profile into a High-Conversion Landing Page Your LinkedIn profile isn’t just a bio—it’s a sales page. 🔸 Headline → Clearly state the problem you solve. 🔸 About Section → Tell a compelling story (not a boring resume). 🔸 Featured Section → Showcase case studies & authority-building content. 5️⃣ The 80/20 Engagement Strategy to Boost Visibility Most people post and pray for engagement. Instead, be proactive: 📌 80% Engagement → Comment on high-traction posts in your industry. 📌 20% Posting → Focus on high-impact, lead-generating content. 💡 Your comments should be mini-posts, not just “Great insights!” 6️⃣ The DMs That Convert Without Being Spammy Use The Insight-First DM Approach: 1: Engage with their content before DMing. 2: Send a short, value-driven message (no pitch). 3: Open with an insight, not a sales script. Example: “Hey [Name], saw your post on [Topic]. You’re spot on about [Key Point]. Have you considered [Unique Insight]? Happy to chat if you ever want to brainstorm!” 🔥 This starts real business conversations—not ignored messages. LinkedIn isn’t about just posting—it’s about positioning, strategy, and smart engagement. When you get these right, inbound leads become a natural result. Follow Shraddha for more insights. P.S. That’s me in ghibli version professionally.