The post that changed everything…
Hello Friend!
A few months ago I posted seven words on LinkedIn.
The best time to build something that matters is when you finally know what matters.
That was it. Along with this image.
No framework. No credentials. No call to action. Just a problem named out loud that a lot of people had been living with quietly.
The post went on to reach 267,000 people. 5,300 likes. 214 reposts. And resulted in over 100 people downloading a 16-page guide on the exact process I used to build my own business.
I didn’t go viral because I promoted myself. I went viral because people felt seen.
No solution. No advice. No “here are five steps.”
Not because I said something brilliant. That’s for sure. But because they finally felt understood.
That’s the thing most of us get backwards. We think trust is built by having the right answers. By demonstrating expertise. By showing people what we know.
But trust actually starts one step earlier. It starts when someone feels genuinely understood.
In my new book Unignorable, I call this having an original take on a problem. It’s not about inventing something new. It’s about naming something familiar in a way that makes people feel it… maybe for the first time.
It has three parts. You frame the problem in a way that creates urgency. Not just that something is broken, but why it matters right now. You make it visceral through language, metaphors, or analogies that people can actually feel. And you say the thing nobody else is willing to say. When all three land together, people don’t just understand your point. They can’t stop thinking about it.
The “30 under 30” post didn’t teach anyone anything. It just said the thing nobody was saying. And that created more trust in a single post than a dozen credential-heavy bios ever could.
Try this:
Think about the people you most want to reach. Future employers. Future clients. Future collaborators. What’s the frustration they’re carrying that nobody’s naming out loud? Not the solution you offer. The problem they feel.
If you’re building a career: What’s broken in your industry that everyone knows but nobody says? Name it clearly and you become the person worth paying attention to.
If you’re building a business: What’s the invisible cost your future clients are paying right now before they ever find you? Name that, and trust starts before the first conversation.
Write one sentence that names it. Not your answer. Their problem.
That’s your original take. And it’s more powerful than anything on your resume.
What’s the problem in your world that nobody’s saying out loud? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.
Your coach,
Chris
P.S. My partner, Patricia Wooster, and I are hosting a 2-hour live LinkedIn Bootcamp on June 4, designed for people who know they could be getting more from LinkedIn, but don’t know how.
In two hours, you’ll walk away with a system for showing up consistently and confidently in a way that builds real trust with the people you want to reach. We’ll cover writing posts that get attention, hooks that stop the scroll, strategic commenting, and how to use AI to create content faster without losing your voice. You’ll also get a done-for-you post generator and a profile checklist, so yours is working before you post a single thing.
Live, interactive, and practical. The replay is yours to keep if you can’t make every minute.
