Want an easy LinkedIn growth hack?
Borrow credibility.
Instead of spending months trying to prove you’re an expert worth trusting, the fastest way to grow is to borrow someone else's credibility.
This is exactly how Ryan Holiday built an 8-figure career writing about Stoicism.
He didn’t share his thoughts on Stoicism—he shared what Marcus Aurelius said about it, then added his take. If you trust Marcus Aurelius, and Ryan is the one pointing you to him, then by default Ryan must be worth trusting too. This is the halo effect.
By borrowing the credibility of history’s greatest thinkers, Ryan turned himself into an authority on Stoicism too.
And you can do the same on LinkedIn by curating the experts in your niche.
The reason curated content is so effective is because the reader is “paying” you (with their attention) to take the time to do the homework, sift through all the possible material, and emerge with only the best stuff.
Let's dive in.
10 Things You Can Easily Curate To Bootstrap Your Authority On LinkedIn
The easiest way to do this it to start with a list of universal things anyone and everyone would love for you to curate for them.
Your goal is to always be thinking: “What can I do to save my target reader a ton of time? What can I organize for them? What can I get my hands dirty exploring, so they don’t have to? How can I make my target reader’s life as easy as possible?”
Here are 10 to help you get started:
Lessons worth learning
Mistakes worth avoiding
Tips worth following
Frameworks worth using/knowing about
Stories worth hearing
People worth following on social media
Books worth reading
YouTube videos worth watching
TED Talks worth listening to
Podcasts worth listening to
All you have to do is pick a topic and then break down the most potent ideas, frameworks, tips, and tricks from a credible source. OR find where you have gaps in your knowledge and then distill the best of what you learn.
For example:
5 crucial writing lessons I learned from David Ogilvy
13 B2B SaaS founders Elon Musk follows on LinkedIn
Gary Halbert’s copywriting wisdom for beginner writers
5 writing rules Ken Segall leveraged that kept Apple from bankruptcy
And so on.
You can’t lose.
By using curation, you can leverage other people's expertise, experience, credibility, and social standing—and tap into wider and wider audiences (without ever abandoning your niche or feeling like a fake).
See? Easy!
How To Leverage AI To Make Curation 10x Faster (5 Steps)
Instead of spending hours researching and hunting for the best insights, you can use the below 5 prompt sequence to instantly find curated content from the most trusted sources in your niche.
Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Make a list of 10 “credible witnesses” in your industry
This is the easiest credibility hack in the world.
If you’re new, don’t try to act like you invented the wheel.
Just ask AI who did:
Who are the 10 top most trusted names in [your industry]?Example:
When you mention these names in your content, you instantly borrow their reputation. It's like name-dropping at a networking event—people immediately assume you know what you're talking about because you're connected to the right people.
Step 2: Find the resources (books, podcasts, YouTube channels, frameworks) your audience would want, but don’t have time to dig for.
Here’s your prompt:
What are the 10 top recommended [resources] for [target audience]?Example:
Step 3: Get specific (combine 1 expert + 1 resource + 1 topic)
For example: "What are the top 5 lessons from David Ogilvy’s book “Ogilvy On Advertising?"
Another example:
Here’s the prompt:
What are the top [Number][lessons/tips/frameworks/stories] from [expert/book/resource] about [topic]?
Cite your sources.
Step 4: Add your context and/or personal perspective
Keep in mind, you are curating and sharing the advice of well-known experts, BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t provide your own insights.
Explain how YOU have applied a new copywriting tactic
Reflect on how YOU changed after practicing a daily writing habit
Illustrate how YOU learned to be a better roommate
Anyone can Google or ChatGPT a list of resources. What makes yours worth reading is the context you bring—why you picked it, how it applies, and what to pay attention to.
For example:
Without your perspective: “Here’s a podcast on delegation. Worth a listen.”
With your perspective: “Every founder I know struggles with delegation. They think nobody else can do their work better than them. And according to Patrick Bet-David if you want to make millions in your business you can’t do it alone. Here are 11 delegation tips wise entrepreneurs follow to build a big business: ”
This extra layer keeps the relationship tied to you, not just the source material.
Step 5: Turn your notes into a LinkedIn post
So far, you’ve:
Found a credible source.
Picked out the most valuable takeaways.
Added your own perspective.
Now you just need to stitch those pieces into a post and hit publish.
The easiest way to do that is to let AI draft a first version for you.
Here’s a prompt you can copy/paste:
You are an expert at writing viral LinkedIn borrowed credibility posts.
I want you to write a 300-500 word LinkedIn post that follows best practices for engagement and readability.
Optimize for preview cutoff:
- Strong first line (9 words or less)
- Curiosity gap
- Clear value promise
Post framework:
The {superlative} {credible thing}:
{Credible Source}.
{Personal connection to benefit}.
Here are {number of "things"} you can use to {desired outcome}.
[Num][Thing]:
{Explain what you’re talking about.}
{Explain the benefits / why it’s relevant.}
{Explain how the audience can apply it.}
---
[One-sentence takeaway that ties it all together].
{Easy to answer engagement question}.
Let me know in the comments.
Rules:
1. Write in a conversational, direct tone (as if speaking to a peer).
2. Make each “thing” clear, concrete, and useful (no fluff).
3. Tie every point back to why it matters for the reader.
4. End with a concise takeaway + engagement question that’s easy to answer.
Understand?
If so, I will provide the content I have curated.How to use it:
Run the prompt in your favorite LLM (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.).
Paste in the curated notes or resource you’ve gathered in Steps 1-3.
The AI will turn your input into a LinkedIn draft.
Boom!
All you have to do is edit.
That’s it!
Borrowed credibility lets you start publishing before you feel like “an expert.” AI makes the process faster by helping you find the best sources, distill them, and package them into clear posts.
Do this a few times, and two things happen:
You build trust by being the person who always brings useful insights to the table.
You grow your own expertise by learning from the best and applying it in public.
That’s how you hack your growth on LinkedIn: by curating, contributing, and hitting publish.
Chat soon,
—Dickie & Cole
Co-Founders of Ship 30 For 30
Co-Founders of Premium Ghostwriting Academy
Co-Founders of Typeshare
Co-Founders of Write With AI
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