LinkedIn shoutout post
Use this skill when you want to publicly praise a B2B founder or company for something they do well in go-to-market, and break down why it works. Produces a ready-to-paste LinkedIn post, a first comment, and a source list for every claim. Also use for "shoutout post", "shout out [name]", "celebrate this founder", "who's doing it right", "positive breakdown post".
Tanyo GochevCo-Founder & Head of GTM, The Demand DepartmentApplies when you have a founder or company in mind who is visibly good at something your audience wants to learn. Produces one post that teaches the tactic, tags them, and asks your readers to follow them.
A shoutout does three jobs, in this order: it starts a relationship with the person tagged, it shows your audience you can tell good work from bad, and it puts the post in front of the tagged person's audience. It does not book calls. That is fine; it makes the posts that do book calls land harder.
The play
- Pick the target. All five must be true; the full screen is in references/target-and-research.md.
- B2B founder or company your audience overlaps with.
- 10K to 100K followers. Under 10K the tag reaches too few people. Far over 100K your post is noise to them.
- Visibly good at one thing in your field, not "great overall".
- Verifiable: you can point to posts, pages or public numbers.
- Not someone you have critiqued in public. Never both.
- Research before writing. Read their last 15 to 20 posts, their site, their newsletter if they have one, and any interviews. Find 3 to 5 specific things they do well, each with a piece of evidence. Use the checklist in references/target-and-research.md.
- Write the post in this shape:
- Hook: "[Name] is doing [specific thing] better than almost anyone I've seen."
- Who they are: 2 to 3 lines, max.
- The breakdown, 60 to 70% of the post: "Here's what they do right:" then 3 to 5 numbered patterns. Each one is what they do, the evidence, and why it works.
- Why it matters: 1 to 2 lines turning it into a principle the reader can apply.
- CTA: "Give [Name] a follow. This is what good looks like."
- Write the first comment. It goes one level deeper on a single pattern from the post. No link to anything you sell.
- Run the check in references/post-check.md. Any fail, rewrite before posting.
- Branch by what they are good at:
- Content: name cadence, format mix, hook pattern, and their best post with its numbers.
- Outbound or email: only what is visible from outside (the messages you received, their public talks). Never guess at their numbers.
- Funnel or site: walk the path a buyer takes and name the step that is unusually good.
- Post at most one shoutout a week. Weeks between shoutouts are what make them read as real.
Worked examples are in references/worked-examples.md. Open them before writing your first one.
What good looks like
- First thing I check that most people skip: whether the tagged person would screenshot it and share it. If they would not, it is too vague or it has a hidden "but".
- The mediocre version: "Huge respect for [Name], their content is fire." Praise with no tactic. Nobody learns anything, nobody shares it, and the tagged person gives it a like at most.
- The other mediocre version: a teardown with a compliment on top. "They do X well, but they could also..." That is a critique, and the subject feels used.
- I know the post is right when a reader who has never heard of the subject could copy one of the patterns tomorrow, and every claim has a link behind it.
- I know it landed when the subject comments or reshares within 48 hours, and their followers start connecting with you.
Rules
- MUST back every claim with a post, page or public number you can link.
- MUST make the only CTA "follow them".
- MUST keep the breakdown to 3 to 5 patterns, each with evidence.
- NEVER mention your own offer, services, clients or a call link, in the post or the first comment.
- NEVER add "but", "gap", "opportunity" or "what I'd add". That is a different post.
- NEVER claim numbers about them that they have not published.
- NEVER shout out someone you have publicly critiqued, and never the same person twice.
- NEVER post more than one shoutout a week.
references/post-check.md
Post check (run before posting)
Every line must pass. One fail means rewrite.
| # | Check | Fail looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every claim has a source link in your notes | "They get great engagement" with nothing behind it |
| 2 | 3 to 5 patterns, each with what, evidence, why | One long paragraph of praise |
| 3 | The breakdown is 60 to 70% of the post | Half the post is about who they are |
| 4 | A reader could copy one pattern tomorrow | Patterns that only work because they are famous |
| 5 | Zero "but", "gap", "opportunity", "what I'd add" | Any critique, however soft |
| 6 | No mention of your offer, services, clients or a call link | "This is what we build for clients" |
| 7 | CTA is "follow them" | CTA points back at you |
| 8 | The tag is the right person and handle | Tagging the company page when the person did the work |
| 9 | Not a repeat target, not someone you critiqued | Same name in your content log |
| 10 | Would they screenshot and share it? | You hesitate when you answer |
First comment check
- Goes one level deeper on one pattern from the post.
- Adds something new: a second example, a number, how to start doing it.
- No link to anything you sell.
references/target-and-research.md
Target screen and research checklist
Target screen (all must pass)
| Check | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Audience overlap | Their followers are the people you want reading your posts | Their audience is consumers, students, or a field you never sell into |
| Follower band | 10K to 100K | Under 10K (tag reaches too few) or a household name (your post is invisible to them) |
| One specific strength | You can finish "they are unusually good at ___" in under 10 words | You can only say "they're great" |
| Evidence | At least 3 linkable posts, pages or public numbers | Reputation only |
| History | You have never critiqued them in public and never shouted them out | Either one |
The target does not need to be a possible client. Many of the best ones never will be. What matters is that their audience is yours.
Where to find targets
- Founders in your own feed whose posts you save.
- Active members of the communities your buyers are in.
- Guests on the podcasts your buyers listen to.
- Newsletters your buyers recommend to each other.
- People who keep showing up in the comments of the accounts your buyers follow.
Research checklist
Content:
- Last 15 to 20 posts read. Note posting cadence and format mix (text, carousel, video, poll).
- Their best post of the last 90 days by comments, not likes. Note why: the hook, the question asked, the data shown.
- Do they reply to comments? How fast? Comment replies are often the strength nobody names.
Site and funnel:
- Home page: is it clear in 5 seconds who it is for and what to do next?
- Email capture, lead magnet, booking flow. Walk it as a buyer.
Newsletter:
- Subscribe. Note frequency, subject lines, and what the CTA asks for.
- Any visible growth tactic: referral program, cross-promotion, gated content.
Outbound:
- Only what you can see: a message you received, a public talk about their process. Do not infer.
Public record:
- Podcasts, talks, interviews. Any numbers they have shared about themselves.
Output of this step: 3 to 5 lines, each "what they do + the link that proves it + why it works".
references/worked-examples.md
Worked examples
Three shoutouts I published, what each one did, and what I would change now.
1. The numbered breakdown (went to plan)
Subject: a health-tech company's newsletter landing page.
[Company] has one of the best newsletter landing pages.
Here's what makes it so great:
Headline that's calling out their ICP (healthcare IT executives). This shows who the newsletter is for, and disqualifies the people who aren't a good fit.
A visual showing what the newsletter looks like on their readers' main device (the phone). This helps people see what they are actually signing up for.
Strong social proof, showing logos and testimonials from well-known companies. This adds credibility, which always helps when your audience is full of executives.
If you want to step up your newsletter game, this is a great landing page to study.
Why it worked: one asset, three patterns, each with "what it is" and "why it works". A screenshot of the page went with the post, so every claim was checkable.
What I'd change now: the original ended with "follow me for more content like this". The CTA should point at them. "Give [Company] a follow. This is what good looks like."
2. The single pattern (edge case: one strength is enough)
Subject: a founder who runs a free email course.
[Name] is one of the few people that does this:
As part of his email course, he built a "Thank You" page with a short questionnaire.
Most founders think the work is finished when they get the sign-up. He knows it is just starting.
Asking right after sign-up works because:
- People are most receptive then, so the answers are better.
- You get data to improve your content, and to fit your offers to each segment.
It takes 1 to 2 hours to build. Most founders don't bother. He does.
Why it worked: when someone does one thing that almost nobody does, a single pattern carries the whole post. The "most people don't" contrast does the work that 3 to 5 patterns do in the longer format.
When to use it: the strength is rare and concrete. If you can only find one pattern because you did not research enough, that is not this case. Go back to the checklist.
3. The story version (edge case: the shoutout carries your own point of view)
Subject: a marketing leader who publishes long AI workflows free on his newsletter.
[Name] shows that the most effective way to sell is through education.
Most marketers gate their resources and send 20 sales emails once you opt in. He shares every new workflow in public, on his newsletter, his podcast and LinkedIn. Long, dense, complicated workflows.
Most founders are afraid to send long emails because "we don't want to bother our audience". You're only bothering your audience if your content isn't great.
I just became a paid subscriber without receiving a single sales email from him.
Why it worked: the last line is the proof. A real action you took because of their work is stronger evidence than any metric.
The risk: it leans on your opinion ("a hill I'm willing to die on"). That is fine as long as the subject is the hero of the post, not your opinion. If you could delete their name and the post still stands, it has turned into a hot take. Rewrite it.
A format that is not a shoutout
A "people I recommend" roundup (12 names, one line each) is useful and gets tags, but it is a referral list, not a shoutout. There is no breakdown, so it teaches nothing and does not show judgment. Post it separately; do not count it as your weekly shoutout.