How to get leads from LinkedIn: the six-step content and ads system

The system in one paragraph

This is the LinkedIn content and ad system I use to get consistent inbound leads, SQLs without cold pitching, and profile views that actually convert. No agency fluff, no bro-hacks. Six steps, run every week.

Step 1: your profile is a landing page

Fix your profile before anything else. Most people treat it like a CV. If you want leads, treat it like a conversion page:

• A headline that says clearly what you do and who you help.
• A banner that reinforces your offer.
• A featured section with a case study, a lead magnet or a "book a call" link.
• If you can, LinkedIn Premium: the custom link under your name gets clicked more than you think.

This is where all your effort ends up. If your content gets views but your profile does not convert, you are leaking pipeline.

Step 2: post three to five times a week

Posting consistently fuels everything else. Each week I post three kinds of content:

• Educational. Teach something useful; break down how something works. For example: "Here's the three-part retargeting setup we use."
• Social proof. Share wins, but make them practical. For example: "How we drove [result] for a B2B SaaS company with this three-step strategy."
• Features and benefits. What makes your offer different. For example: "No setup fee. Just SQLs."

I still mix in the odd personal story, but about 80% of what I post shows how I work, not just who I am. The same three buckets drive our paid content too (the three content buckets).

Step 3: use the right formats

• Carousels and document posts. Very shareable, and the algorithm likes them.
• 16:9 video. Lower reach, but excellent for building trust.
• Text-only posts. Still work, and sometimes get the best reach of all.
• Text and image. A good middle ground with more visual space.

The format matters less than what you are saying. Mix formats to stay fresh. When you boost posts later, note that who posts matters more than how: in the Kiin Labs thought leader ads study, the author explained 67% of the difference in engagement between accounts, and no hook pattern or post length survived holding the author constant (Thought Leader Ads Benchmarks 2026).

Step 4: grow your network without pitch-slapping

Once you post regularly, build the audience that sees it. My non-spammy routine, using HeyReach:

• View about 40 relevant profiles a day.
• Auto-follow and send a blank connection request.
• Around 15 people connect each day (that is my experience; yours depends on your niche and profile).
• A day later, send something useful with no pitch: "Hey, here are some LinkedIn Ads tips and templates I made. Nice to meet you."

Over time these people see your content, engage with it and start DMing you.

Step 5: boost your best posts with thought leader ads

Posting is great, but not enough of the right people see it. That is what thought leader ads fix:

• Boost your best organic posts.
• Target your exact ICP by job title, industry and company size, or an account list.
• Start with a steady monthly budget, in my experience $500 to $1,000, so the same people see you again and again.

It is the one ad format that feels like organic content and builds trust. Combined with your posting rhythm, you become hard to miss for your ICP. Size the budget to the audience rather than picking a number: the maths for reach and frequency are in penetration rate and minimum budget.

Judge these ads on engagement, not clicks. The median engagement rate for thought leader ads is 4.46% and good is 6.44% across 212 accounts; 91% of the "clicks" LinkedIn reports on them are likes, comments and "see more", not visits.

Step 6: warm outbound based on post engagement

Now the real leverage. Use a tool like Trigify to track who has liked or commented on your posts (how we use Trigify). Filter them by ICP in Clay, by job title and company size, then send a short, honest message:

"Hey, saw you liked my post about LinkedIn Ads targeting. Is that something you're exploring at the moment?"

It is intent-based, it is warm, and it works. It turns impressions into pipeline without ever feeling like cold email. One limit to know: LinkedIn does not tell you which individuals clicked your ads, only who engaged publicly with posts and which companies engaged (can you see who clicked your LinkedIn ads?). The full motion is in what is warm outbound.

The full system, end to end

1. Fix your profile and treat it like a landing page.
2. Post three to five times a week, mostly value.
3. Build your network with no-pitch connection requests.
4. Boost your best posts to exact buyers with thought leader ads.
5. Track engagement, filter for ICP and start real conversations.

It is not complex. It is just consistent. Run it every week and it builds serious momentum. If you would rather have the posts written and run for your founder or team, that is our founder content service.

Campaign figures marked as mine are from Phil Ilic's own LinkedIn Ads account or audits, one advertiser, not benchmarks. Every other figure links to its source in Kiin Labs, built on $65M+ of LinkedIn Ads spend across 1,000+ advertiser accounts (medians across accounts, LinkedIn Audience Network excluded unless it is the subject, USD, 8 Sep 2025 to 7 Sep 2026). Cells with fewer than 10 advertisers are never published.

Originally published in the B2B Hero newsletter on 17 June 2025 as “How to get a ton of leads from LinkedIn (Playbook Video Inside)”. Edited for the web, with Kiin Labs figures added where we now have the data. Subscribe to B2B Hero.