Build authority on LinkedIn by creating five types of content that work together. A practical framework to replace the outdated TOFU/MOFU/BOFU funnel and establish yourself as the go-to expert in your industry.
The traditional TOFU/MOFU/BOFU funnel tells you to start broad, attract everyone, then gradually narrow down to your actual customers. This approach wastes time and energy, especially if you have a specific niche or B2B business.
The SCOPE framework flips this on its head. Instead of casting a wide net with generic content that gets no engagement, you lead with your expertise from day one. You build a qualified audience of people who are actually interested in what you do. When you post about your offer, they engage because it speaks directly to them.
SCOPE stands for five content types that work together:
Over the next five phases, you’ll audit your current content, define your content pillars using SCOPE, build a weekly calendar, set up distribution and engagement tactics, and create a system to measure what’s working.
We’ll use Acme Inc, a 12-person accounting firm, as our running example throughout. Everything here scales down to solopreneurs and up to enterprise teams.
Before you can build something better, you need to understand what you’re working with. This phase is about seeing your LinkedIn presence clearly: what you’ve posted, what resonated, and what gaps exist.
Export or manually list the last 50 posts from your LinkedIn profile. For each post, capture:
| POST DATE | CONTENT TYPE | IMPRESSIONS | ENGAGEMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20 | Personal reflection | 200 | 12 likes, 2 comments |
| Feb 15 | Tax tip (education) | 850 | 45 likes, 18 comments |
| Feb 10 | Event announcement | 120 | 8 likes, 1 comment |
Set up a Google Sheet with columns for:
Look at your 50 posts and count how many fall into each SCOPE category:
Acme Inc audited their last 50 posts. Results: 5 stories, 2 case studies, 8 opinions, 12 processes, 18 education posts, 5 other. The education posts (tax tips, deadline reminders) got 3x more impressions than everything else. Their case studies got zero engagement. Their stories barely broke 200 impressions. This told them their audience wanted to learn, but they weren’t positioning themselves as thought leaders yet.
Once you’ve categorised, look at the data:
Key insight: Your most engaged content shows you what your audience cares about. But it doesn’t mean you should only post that type. SCOPE isn’t about chasing vanity metrics—it’s about building a balanced content diet that establishes authority.
Now that you understand your current content baseline, Phase 2 is about choosing your content pillars. You’ll decide which SCOPE categories to focus on, what topics within each category matter to your audience, and how to stay consistent without sounding repetitive.
SCOPE is the framework, but your content pillars are the specific topics you’ll focus on. This is where you make decisions about what to become known for.
Not all five SCOPE categories are right for everyone. Your job is to decide which ones align with your business and audience. Look at your audit results and the table below:
| SCOPE TYPE | BEST FOR | IDEAL FREQUENCY | ACME INC EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stories | Building personal connection and trust | 1–2 per month | “How I helped a client save £50k in taxes” |
| Case Studies | Showing real results and ROI | 1 per month | “From chaos to clarity: how we restructured payroll for a 20-person tech firm” |
| Opinions | Establishing authority and differentiation | 1–2 per month | “Your accountant shouldn’t just file taxes. They should be your strategic partner.” |
| Process | Teaching your methodology | 1–2 per month | “5 steps to prepare for your year-end tax review” |
| Education | Providing immediate, actionable value | 2–3 per month | “Did you know? Self-employed folks can deduct home office costs if...” |
Based on your audit and your business goals, choose how many posts per week you want to publish. Then allocate them across SCOPE types. A balanced week might look like:
This gives you three posts per week across different content types, but you can adjust to your schedule.
For each SCOPE type you choose, identify 2–3 specific pillars (topics) you’ll cover repeatedly without being repetitive.
Topic: Lessons from early mistakes
Why: Builds relatability and shows you’ve walked the walk
Topic: Before/after financial results
Why: Proves your methodology delivers ROI
Topic: Industry trends and your take
Why: Shows strategic thinking
Education: Tax-saving strategies for SMEs, year-end planning tips. Process: How to prepare for a financial review, how we structure your bookkeeping. Opinions: Why traditional accounting is outdated, how tech founders think about tax. Stories: Client transformation stories (anonymised), lessons from building Acme. Case Studies: SME financial wins, cost savings achieved.
In your spreadsheet, create a new sheet listing each pillar and 5–10 potential post ideas under it. This becomes your content ideas bank. When you sit down to write, you’re not staring at a blank page—you’re choosing from a pre-built menu.
With your pillars defined, Phase 3 takes you into execution mode. You’ll build a weekly content calendar that maps your pillars to real posting days, ensuring you stay consistent and balanced across all SCOPE types.
A calendar keeps you consistent. Instead of wondering what to post each day, you follow a plan. This phase is short: set up your calendar and create your first 4 weeks of content.
Use a Google Sheet or simple spreadsheet with columns for date, content type (SCOPE category), pillar, post idea, draft status, and publish date. Example:
| DATE | SCOPE TYPE | PILLAR | POST IDEA | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Mar 3 | Education | Tax saving strategies | Corporation tax deadlines for SMEs | Draft |
| Wed, Mar 5 | Process | Financial review steps | How to prepare for a quarterly review | Brainstorm |
| Fri, Mar 7 | Story | Early lessons | The mistake that taught me about cash flow | Ideate |
Decide how many times per week you can realistically post. Common rhythms:
Pick what you can sustain. Consistency beats frequency.
Using your pillar inventory from Phase 2, populate your calendar with specific post ideas for the next four weeks. Assign each idea to a SCOPE type and pillar. This doesn’t require you to write the posts yet—just the working title and pillar.
LinkedIn favours consistency and engagement. Post at times when your audience is most active. For most B2B audiences, that’s Tuesday through Thursday, 8am–10am or 5pm–7pm in their timezone.
Pro tip: Write your posts in advance (batch writing saves time), but schedule them to publish throughout the week. This keeps your activity consistent without burning you out on Monday.
Now you have a calendar and a plan to write. Phase 4 is about making sure people actually see your posts. Distribution and engagement are where most creators stumble—you’ll fix that here.
Posting great content is half the battle. The other half is making sure it gets seen and sparks conversation. This phase is about intentional distribution and engagement habits.
LinkedIn content has a short shelf life. The first 3 days matter most. If your post gets engagement early, the algorithm shows it to more people. If it sits silent, it dies.
Acme posts “5 Tax Deductions You’re Missing” on Tuesday at 9am. Within an hour, they share it to their network and add a comment: “The third one surprises most people.” By 10am, they’ve liked and commented on 3 posts from other accountants and business coaches. Over the next 2 days, they reply to every comment with follow-up questions and resources. By day 3, the post has 200+ impressions and 30+ comments.
Don’t scroll randomly. Make a list of 20–30 people and accounts in your niche whose work you genuinely respect. Every time you post, spend 15 minutes engaging with their recent content. This builds relationships and increases your visibility.
Create a list of 5–10 accounts that post regularly in your niche. Follow them. Engage with their content first, before or after you post.
Identify 10–15 popular posts in your niche each week. Leave thoughtful comments. This puts your name in front of their audience.
Remember: Engagement isn’t manipulation. Only like and comment on things you genuinely find valuable. Authentic engagement builds real relationships. Fake engagement gets you ignored.
You’re now posting consistently and engaging meaningfully. Phase 5 is about stepping back, looking at the data, and iterating. What’s working? What should you do more of? That’s where you build momentum.
Most creators post and hope. You’re going to measure, learn, and improve. Every 4 weeks, review your data and adjust your strategy.
At the end of each month, pull these numbers from LinkedIn analytics:
| METRIC | WHAT IT TELLS YOU | TARGET (MONTH 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Profile views | How many people visited your profile | 50+ per month |
| Follower growth | How many new followers you gained | 10–20 per month |
| Average impressions per post | How far your content reaches | 100–300 per post |
| Engagement rate (likes + comments / impressions) | How interested people are | 2–5% |
| Click-through rate to your website/offer | How many people took action | 5–10 per month |
Each month, ask yourself three questions:
After each month, update your calendar and pillars:
You’re testing what works. Don’t expect viral posts. Focus on consistency and learning.
Shift your time toward the SCOPE types and pillars that worked. Keep the rest but reduce frequency.
You now know what resonates. Refine your pillars, write deeper content, and build on early wins.
Acme reviewed their first month. Education posts (tax tips) averaged 400 impressions; stories averaged 180. Opinions got 150 impressions but sparked the most comments. Case studies got almost zero engagement. Their “Tax Deadlines” pillar drove 5 profile visits. Their “Lessons Learned” story converted someone into a discovery call. Plan for Month 2: Keep education at 2x per week, shift from case studies to more opinions, and keep one story per week. New goal: 25 followers by month end.
You now have a complete system to build authority on LinkedIn. Not through vanity metrics or viral hacks, but through consistency, relevance, and real value. SCOPE gives you a framework. Your pillars give you direction. Your calendar gives you discipline. And your metrics tell you when to iterate.
Most important: Start small. Pick one SCOPE type, one pillar, and commit to posting once per week. Build the habit before you scale. Authority is built over months, not days. Stay at it.
For a deeper dive into content strategy, audience building, and personal branding, explore the full-length playbooks in this series. This beginner playbook is your foundation. Build on it.