i stumbled into this about a year ago. interned at a YC startup, offered to run the founder's LinkedIn. After months of trial and error, it clicked. Now i write for eight founders, mostly YC and seed-stage. monthly revenue is over $20k.
The key insight: founders know LinkedIn is where the buyers are, but they're too busy to figure it out. That gap is the whole business.
Timeline: started with one client at $2k while working full-time. by month six i had too many clients to keep the day job, so i quit. now eight clients, each paying $2-3.5k.
what does it cost to run? about $500/month - mostly Claude and scheduling tools. The expensive part is in your head: understanding a fintech founder's ICP and writing hooks that make Series B CTOs stop scrolling.
Finding clients is straightforward. Look for recently funded seed startups on Harmonic or YC's site. specifically ones with open growth or content roles - they're already sold on LinkedIn. Offer a two-week trial. that's how I landed my first few.
On hooks: spend 80% of your energy there. nobody clicks 'see more' if the first line is boring. Use social proof, create a curiosity gap, make it specific to their industry. broad 'LinkedIn guru' posts get likes but don't drive inbound.
on design: keep it simple. Most of my posts are text-heavy with an image or screenshot. No need for fancy design if you can't do it. copy is king. that said, i use Screen Studio for product demos - that's one design element worth investing in.
two types of posts in rotation: reach posts (wins, behind the scenes) and bottom-funnel posts (industry takes, product content). you need both to build authority and drive leads.
If you're thinking about starting this, pick a vertical you understand. the process is the same regardless of niche.
