📘 5-3-1: LinkedIn villains, painkiller content, Daniel Bustamante

Welcome to the 13th issue of Content Playbook by Kleo.

This week you’ll get:

This newsletter is brought to you by Kleo, the #1 AI personal brand tool.

Top brands and creators do this all the time:

Conflict sparks curiosity. A story is only as good as its villain - as the saying goes.

Who or what is the villain in your content?

Here’s a template to get you started:

I've [verb] [negative quality] [subject/role] from [specific context].

I've [verb] [positive quality] [subject/role] from [specific context].

You can be a [relevant metaphor] and claim that [success/result] your entire [career/life].

You can also be a [positive quality] [subject/role] who made the best of [unfavourable circumstances].

Don't [make decisions] based on [the superficial signal everyone defaults to].

[Make decisions] based on [criterion 1], [criterion 2], and [criterion 3].

Imagine if a new hire came and bluntly told you your strategy wasn’t working.

This happened to Timothy (below). He tells us he felt dumb.

But he also shares his internal dialogue.

So we don’t just hear about his moment of defensiveness, we feel it. We experience it, like he did.

Here’s a template to get you started:

I [made a decision that signals self-awareness].

First thing [that happened challenged your existing approach].

I'd [made that choice], on purpose, because I knew [it would lead to desirable outcome].

[Give more context about the initial inciting incident].

[They/It] made me feel [vulnerable emotion].

First thought, "[raw reactive response]."

Second thought, about [short timeframe] later:

"[Correcting word/phrase]. This is the exact reason you [made that decision]."

You wanted [the thing that came with the discomfort]. Now you have to actually sit in that feeling instead of running from it.

If [decision] never makes you feel a bit [vulnerable emotion], you've [made the wrong choice].

[Key takeaway].

[Image that matches the post]

Playing the “I’m better” game is a race to the bottom.

Claiming you’re better invites comparisons. You lump yourself in with a bunch of people (or businesses) who all look and sound the same. You risk becoming a commodity - limiting your differentiation to either price or features.

But having a different approach, a different perspective, a different position in the market? That’s what helps you stand out like a bright orange buoy in a grey sea.

Different > better.

Here’s a template to get you started:

Sorry to tell you this BUT...

You're [provocative quality].

And so is the rest of the world.

There's a trend going around right now saying [cultural observation].

And at [Brand/name] we've fully leaned into it.

To bring some [quality/value] back. And the [result area] genuinely shows.

Because in a world of [status quo], the only way to actually get [desired outcome] is to [required action]. It's exactly why our [first/recent achievement] reached [specific result].

The [system] isn't trying to [feared assumption]. It's trying to [positive reframe]. 

So when you [follow the crowd], you're working against the [system]. 

[Briefly expand - if necessary].

We chose [value 1]. We chose [value 2]. We chose to [distinctive decision]. And the [briefly describe outcome].

So if your [work/output] feels [safe/generic] right now... that's probably exactly why it's not working.

[Key takeaway].

[Question for audience or call to action].

[Image that matches the post]

Naming the problem.

Tiago Forte with “Digital Hoading.”
Mel Robbins with “The Hesitation Gap.”
Mark Manson with “Confidence Dysmorphia” (below).

Most experts recognise common problems. Some do a great job describing them. But very few will give problems a unique, memorable name. One their audience traces back to them.

This shows you’re an astute observer of your field, helping you build trust and authority.

Here’s a template to get you started:

My client [dramatic before situation]. [Timeframe] later, [dramatic after situation].

[They were a person from a specific background] who [context that sets up the challenge].
[Specific injustice or wound that created the problem]. [Clarification that deepens the injustice] - but [they] still [consequence] for the [surprisingly small triggering action].

When I met [them], [they were]:

- [Impressive credential]
- [Impressive credential]
- [Impressive credential (with humour)]

On paper, [they] had no business hiring [a professional like me].

My first thought was, "[surface-level reactive question]?"

My second thought was that [their] problems were real. Experiencing [X years of Y] probably [led to negative consequence].

[One day/night], we [did something]. All we did was [deliberately simple method].

[They achieved the specific result].

Afterwards [they] turned to me and said, "[payoff question]?"

"[Loaded reply that implies the full story without stating it]."

That's the strange thing about [Named Concept] - you can have [objective quality], [objective quality], [objective quality] - and still [the false belief they carry].

My client was living a [diminished version of life] because [they were] carrying [a false story] about [themselves] for over [timeframe].

[Question for audience or call to action].

[Relatable text image to act as a ‘billboard’ for your post]

In business, there are 2 main pipelines:

Your content can (and should) attract both.

Here’s a template to get you started:

I don't care [about the conventional metric everyone defaults to].

[Scenario 1]? [Short neutral acceptance].
[Scenario 2]? [Short neutral acceptance].
[Scenario 3]? [Slightly warmer acceptance].
[Scenario 4]? [Active encouragement].

I don't [hire/work with/choose] [people/things] to [control the conventional metric].

I [hire/work with/choose] [people/things] to [deliver the real outcome].

And if [the result] is there, I couldn't care less [about the conventional metric].

P.S. It's called [the underlying principle or value].

[Image that matches the post]

“Sell painkillers, not vitamins” is classic business advice. 

Because people are lazy. They want a quick fix. Most people would rather order a takeaway than prepare a healthy meal.

But as a creator, you want a mix of vitamin and painkiller content. Here’s what that looks like:

Vitamin content - requires an investment of time, energy, and/or money for a future payoff.

e.g. “How I collect case studies that build pipeline.”

Painkiller content - hits on specific frustrations that plague your reader NOW.

e.g. “3 months of consistent posting. But still no inbound. Here’s what’s broken:”

Both styles of content are useful. So experiment with both. But first, list out:

Then speak to either/or in your hooks.

The best content doesn’t just get a flurry of engagement, it gets people to act too. 

And the straightest-line path to compelling action with words involves The 3 Whys:

The best content hits on all 3.

Real audience trust is not built from likes, comments, and shares. It’s built from people succeeding with the advice you share.

Stop comparing yourself with others. 

Instead:

So when it inevitably does get hard, remind yourself:

“This is what hard is supposed to feel like. 
This is when most people quit.”

Your competition is an illusion. 

It’s You vs You. Always.

6 years ago, Daniel Bustamante had just moved to the US. He was broke.

Until one cold DM changed his life forever.

It got him a job as the first team member for the now wildly successful Ship 30 for 30 writing programme. And recently, he left as CMO of a $20M+ portfolio of writing businesses.

In that time, Daniel has:

“It’s 100x easier to “get lucky” if you are sharing your ideas & connecting with other like-minded people online.”

In the 9th episode of Creator Spotlight, our host Lara Acosta sits down with Daniel to explore how LinkedIn and email work in tandem, how to actually drive revenue from lead magnets, and more.

Here are 5 highlights worth bookmarking:

(Btw - We only scratch the surface below. Catch the full 58-min episode on YouTube)

Daniel's mental model is simple: LinkedIn generates attention. Email captures and monetizes it. One channel doesn’t replace the other. They work in tandem.

Daniel suggests having:

- 1 x “pillar” lead magnet - which is comprehensive and polished. It will directly align with your paid offer, acting like a bridge. Designed to leave prospects thinking “How do I work with this person?”

- And various “one-off” lead magnets - which are lightweight, quick to create, and not necessarily offer-aligned (e.g. checklists, cheat sheets, and AI prompts). Designed to drive growth.

Every month, Daniel opens his LinkedIn analytics and identifies above-average posts. He’s not looking for mega-virality (some of his best posts only get 100+ likes). A 1.5x outlier is enough. He then asks himself: Which of these could I expand to become a more valuable asset? 

This is where his best ideas for lead magnets, emails, and newsletters come from.

Once a week, Daniel sends a simple email featuring his 3 best-performing LinkedIn posts from that week. This creates a flywheel:

→ Newsletter subscribers click though

→ Their engagement resurfaces the posts on LinkedIn

→ New people engage with the posts and sign up for his newsletter

While most creators send 5-7 emails for a launch, Daniel sends 28. The biggest email marketing lesson he’s learned (after 5 years and millions in revenue): 

“Send more emails. There’s a direct correlation between the number of emails you send and the amount of revenue you generate.”

Thank you, Daniel!

And thanks for reading. Until next week!

Did you miss it? I posted about A Content Truth (Realised by Top Creators) on LinkedIn earlier this week +4 other insightful posts.

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