3 LinkedIn Posts That Went Adtech Viral — and Why

I often advocate for executives to avail themselves of first-party communications channels and communicate directly with their customers. All of our customers are consumers like us. They consume information differently now than they did twenty years ago, and social media is a huge part of that process. So, we have to be where our customers are to influence them.

In B2B and in adtech specifically, LinkedIn is the primary vehicle for that direct communication (X, email, and audio are others). So, I think it’s worthwhile to analyze three LinkedIn posts that worked big time — and explain why so you can replicate the results.

Critiquing Nike’s performance marketing failures

Viant co-founder and COO Chris Vanderhook explains how Nike marketed itself into a downturn by leaning into performance marketing attribution, which isn’t the same as “contribution,” or measuring the channels that really drive sales. In other words, by trying to measure everything and leaning into only ‘measurable’ tactics, Nike overexposed itself to channels such as Google Search that can easily claim credit for sales but may claim credit for more sales than they drive. In so doing, Nike also underrated the brand building activities (e.g. athlete sponsorships and TV ads) that built its business. 

Three reasons this went adtech viral:

1. It comments on a specific company (Nike). People love examples.

2. It’s timely. Nike’s failures were in the news when Chris posted this. So, he easily grabbed attention that was waiting to be allocated to smart posts on the topic.

3. The post is part of a broader anti-walled garden narrative. Chris argues that Google is the paradigmatic example of doing performance marketing to no incremental return. In so doing, he’s tapping into broad anti-Google sentiment and also positioning Viant as a champion of the open web against Google. This narrative is bigger than Viant and clearly resonates with the many folks in advertising who resist Google’s dominance.

Arguing for CTV as a performance alternative to Google and Meta

tvScientific CEO and co-founder Jason Fairchild argues that CTV will be the performance channel to rival search and social, transitioning dollars from the stranglehold of the walled gardens to premium publishers. A few reasons I think this post performed so well:

1. It has a very clear thesis, hook (first line to grab people’s attention), and numbered list of points.

2. It is, in a commendably Hollywoodian fashion, arguing for something (CTV publishers and advertisers) against something that people broadly dislike or would like to see knocked down a peg (Meta and Google).

3. It’s an original contribution on the direction of the TV ecosystem backed by a wealth of evidence and credible executive/founder experience.

4. It’s about CTV, the hottest channel in advertising and something the ecosystem is keen to get behind. I’m sure plenty of other CTV company folks engaged with the post.

Suggesting a more innovative direction for Netflix

Transmit co-founder and CPO Scott Young suggests that, instead of running traditional 30-second ad breaks, Netflix should innovate with CTV-native, in-game ad formats. Why this post likely performed well:

1. It is, again, about a specific company (Netflix) that many people find interesting.

2. It’s timely. The post coincided with the very high-profile Netflix Christmas NFL games.

3. Compelling hook and clear thesis: “Netflix probably assesses the Tyson fight and Christmas NFL games in terms of new subscribers. That’s only part of the story.” Tell me more, please.

4. It’s an original contribution informed by subject matter expertise.

How to Write a Social Post That Goes Adtech Viral

To synthesize, while there’s no formula, here are some steps you can take to write social posts that perform on LinkedIn for an adtech audience:

1. Craft a clear hook and thesis. In the very first line, people should know what you’re arguing and why they should keep reading.

2. Write about specific, prominent companies instead of dealing in theory and generalities.

3. Comment on topics that are in the news to capture existing attention.

4. Tap into public sentiment by punching up at market leaders who many folks in the industry would like to see knocked down a peg. This is especially effective if you’re advocating for a certain constituency and against the walled gardens or the big, bad market leader.

5. Provide the depth of knowledge that no one else can replicate. If you know more about a specific aspect of CTV than anyone else, talk about that — while finding a way to make it timely or interesting to a broader group of people (see points 2, 3, and 4).