The Weekly Review
See what others can't
In this edition, I’m sharing what currently has my focus. This can include product launches, insights from another creator, or interesting videos and books I’ve read. These are the methods and tools I’m using to grow my brand and coach others on their businesses.
"The edge isn't what you know. It's what others don't." — Bobby Axelrod, Billions
Bobby Axelrod didn’t win because he worked harder than everyone else.
He won because he saw things others couldn’t. He had information, knew how to read it, and acted on it before anyone else in the room caught up.
When I was starting out I barely had any data, mostly because I was new and wasnt consistent. Posting and hoping. Guessing what worked. Starting from zero every single week.
That’s not a content problem. That’s an information problem.
The getting a few winners started to really change the game for me and the data informed even more opportunities.
Which is exactly why I’ve been spending time inside Stanley’s new analytics feature.
What Has My Attention — Stanley Just Changed the Game
I’ve had early access to something I’ve been waiting for.
Stanley rolled out a new analytics feature and it’s the clearest picture I’ve seen of what’s actually working on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn’s native analytics give you impressions and reactions and almost nothing else useful. You can’t see what’s actually driving follower growth. Its challenging to connect the content to growth points, albeit Linkedin is trying to drive more insights its slower to move here.
Stanley fixes that.
Here’s what I’m looking at right now across the last 90 days:
142,200 followers. Up 7,468 in 90 days. 92% engagement rate. 596,000 total engagements in the past year.
Stanley is the first tool I’ve used that actually helps me see it in a more unique way.
What the data revealed that surprised me: contrarian hooks challenging productivity myths consistently outperformed everything else. Not motivational content. Not tactical frameworks. The posts that pushed back on something which started more conversations are what drove both reach and follower growth simultaneously.
I wouldn’t have seen that pattern clearly without this dashboard.
The other thing worth noting — my top performing post in the period was “Your job won’t teach you what you actually need.” 6,722 engagements. While my Linkedin dashboard shows this, I cant directly correlate this to my growth patterns.
Axelrod was right. Information is the commodity. Most people just don’t have access to the right information about their own content.
Stanley is fixing that. And it’s early, this feature is still rolling out. If you’re not already using it you should get access.
What’s On My Mind
You can work hard or you can work informed.
The best creators I know do both. But when they have to choose where to spend an extra hour — they spend it understanding what’s already working, not just producing more.
Data isn’t the opposite of creativity. It’s the thing that tells your creativity where to aim.
I’m a few weeks out from having something ready to share on the course. If you’re a senior professional sitting on a decade or more of expertise and you’re not sure how your LinkedIn profile is actually landing — I do a free profile roast. You send me your URL, I send back a Loom. No pitch, just a real audit.
https://ryanyockey.com/roast-my-post/
Enjoy your week.
— Ryan