Chief Brand

I went deep this weekend.

I came to the conclusion that only a sugar cookie can bring on:

I need to help you write the perfect post.

This is the way.

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Come and say hi at https://www.thoughtleadertoday.com/. 👋

Man, oh man. I got roasted for my post about Linkedin headlines.

I reflect before I try to do it all over again.

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Come and say hi at https://www.thoughtleadertoday.com/ 👋

For the last decade, every marketing guru, every thought leader, every consultant with a book deal has been telling us the exact same thing:

You need to be a STORYTELLER.

I'm not so sure about that...

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Come and say hi at https://www.thoughtleadertoday.com/ 👋

This week, I made a post about 'girl dads'.

People lost their minds in the comments.

What happened?

I break it all down in this episode.

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Alright. It happened.

You wrote something, you hit publish, and you walked away.

But then your phone started buzzing. And it didn’t stop. It’s become an angry hornet nest of notifications.

The dopamine is flowing. The metrics are going bananas. You keep refreshing the page, watching the numbers climb like the stock ticker for a company that just cured aging.

You did it. You went viral. And now...what exactly? This episode explains it all.

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Come and visit me at https://www.thoughtleadertoday.com/. 👋

No music, no intro, you’re listening to The Morgan Snyder Show.

Last week, I shared my CEO Content Masterclass.

Hopefully you’ve already started building your idea vault, you’re using the voice-to-text hack, you’re actually publishing your thoughts…spreading the good news about what you’re doing.

You are doing it, right? Of course you are!

It’s simply impossible not to be provoked into action by this podcast.

To start out today, I want to share a quick story…

I recently saw a CEO post something good. Actually, it was great.

Had all the right elements, and I thought they did a really good job of formatting and pacing.

I mean, I’m camping out on LinkedIn and see hundreds of things on a given day and it pulled me in.

The comments section? It was on fire.

VPs from major companies asking questions, from the looks of it, potential clients raising their hands with problems…

..seemed like a goldmine.

I looked at the replies. Where was that gosh darn CEO?

He was a ghost. Not a single reply. He just dropped a content firecracker and ran.

It’s like a chef who creates a beautiful, Michelin-star dish, places it on the table, and then runs into the walk-in freezer to hide from the customer feedback.

I felt a little sad for the CEO, then for the VP of marketing, then the social media manager, then the people going nuts in the comments.

What a miss!

Wish I could say it doesn’t happen that much but so many people post and ghost.

There’s just not enough time in the busy schedule of an executive.

The post is just the starting line.

The real race (the part where you actually win sometimes) is in conversation that follows.

So today, we’re talking about the after-party.

The Comment is the New Handshake

Commenting is the new handshake.

Proactively commenting is just as valuable than posting your own.

Spending 10 minutes a day leaving three to five thoughtful, strategic comments will generate more opportunities than spending two hours crafting one “perfect” post.

Most people think “engagement” is just scrolling through their feed, doling out likes like they’re the prom queen waving from a parade float.

A little thumbs-up here, a “Celebrate” there…this is not engagement.

A “like” is a polite nod in a crowded hallway.

A thoughtful comment is sitting down at someone’s table for a five-minute conversation.

Which one do you think actually builds a relationship?

You’re not just commenting for the sake of being “visible.”

Shift your perspective.

You’re commenting to learn.

Think of yourself as a digital anthropologist.

The comment section is a free market research report.

What are your peers struggling with? What jargon are your customers using? What are the dumb ideas getting traction?

Hey! I heard you from here.

I know that some of my post ideas are…special. So are my comments.

But! It’s still one of the best intelligence-gathering tools. And it’s free.

How to Write a Comment That Isn’t Spammy

You may have heard people say that you need to be ‘thoughtful.’

Eh, what does that mean?

Let’s start with what it doesn’t mean.

It does not mean, “Great post!” “So true!” or “Thanks for sharing!”

This is the equivalent of a caveman grunt.

You are adding zero value.

If you want to write a comment that actually starts a conversation, remember these steps. Don’t have to use each every time, but it will definitely ensure your comments are solid.

* Acknowledge. Prove you actually read the post. Quote a specific line that made you think. “I love that point you made about transparency being a recruiting tool...” This immediately separates you from the 99% of grunters.

* Value. Add your own two cents. A tiny personal anecdote, a supporting data point, or a slightly different perspective. “It reminds me of a time we lost a deal and our honesty about it actually won us two other clients.” You’ve just added a new layer.

* Question. This is the secret weapon. End with an open-ended question that invites them to continue the rally. “How do you see that playing out in an industry like finance?”

Acknowledge, Value, Question. Ok. Cool.

Now, for the advanced move: Productive Disagreement.

Agreeing with everyone makes you invisible. A respectful, well-argued counterpoint makes you a peer. It looks like this: “That’s a fascinating take. I see it a bit differently. While I agree that [Point A] is crucial, my experience has shown that [Counterpoint B] can often be the bigger lever. Have you found that to be the case?” Obviously don’t be a jerk. You’re starting a high-level debate. That’s how you get noticed.

Or you can take a page out of my playbook and be a goofball. Funny comments can work even better to get you attention.

For example, a website designer / agency owner posted this a few days ago:

“I’m looking for an exceptional copywriter to write website copy for my clients.…What I want is someone with experience who doesn’t just type out whatever the client says. It’s gotta be someone who actually uses their brain, does research, nails TOV, and helps with positioning so the copy makes people take action (obvs).Not the brochure-style typa drivel that reads nice and does nothing.”

He attached a picture of himself laying down, pulling down his shirt so you could see his shirt.

Intro the Morg. I went ahead and commented:

Haven’t landed him as a client, but he did connect, a few people tagged me in the post and said they loved me. We’ll see what happens.

Navigating the Commenter Zoo

Before we get to the DM, you need to know who you’re dealing with. The comment section is a zoo. You’ll meet a few common species.

* First, The Sycophant. Their comments are always, “100% agree, John! Another game-changing post from a true visionary!” It’s nice, but it’s empty calories. Thank them, be gracious, and move on.

* Next, The Pedant. This is the “Well, actually...” guy. “Actually, according to a 1987 study you failed to cite...” Never wrestle with a pedant. You can’t win. A simple, “Thanks for the perspective!” is your only move.

* Then, The Hijacker. This person uses your post as a stage for their own 12-paragraph manifesto about their startup. Don’t reward them with a detailed reply. A quick “Thanks for sharing” is all they get.

* Finally, The New Friend. Wading through all the nonsense, there will be people you actually want to engage with. They leave a thoughtful comment, and you have a fun sidebar in the thread. This is what you’re looking for.

The Non-Sleazy DM Slide

You’ve had a great back-and-forth in the comments. How do you take it private without being weird? A bad DM slide is the business equivalent of a guy at a party interrupting your fun conversation to ask if you want to see a bad picture of their dog.

The goal of the DM is not to sell. It’s to collaborate. Here’s your script.

Start by referencing the context. “Hey [Name], I’m really enjoying our back-and-forth in the comments on [Topic].”

Next, state the reason for the DM. “Your point about [Specific Detail] is actually something I’ve been wrestling with for a project I’m working on.”

Finally, ask for a low-effort opinion. “If you have a spare moment, I’d love to get your unvarnished take. No sales pitch, I promise. Just genuinely curious about your perspective as an expert in this.”

You’ve made them the expert. You’ve made it low-pressure.

If they don’t reply, let it go. Don’t be the person who follows up 9 times. “Just wanted to make sure this was on your radar!” It’s gross.

The best follow-up is to just show up in their comments again next week with another great comment.

Stay on their public radar, not in their inbox.

Engage Your Audience

This all leads to the final, simplest rule of all.

Your comment section is a party you are hosting in your own house.

If a guest comes up to you and says something interesting, you don’t just stare at them blankly and walk away. You answer them!

Engage with every single person who took the time to write something.

This is what sparks the algorithm, and more importantly, it shows you actually care.

You’ve done the hard work of creating the content. Now, do the smart work of building the community.

To wrap up, I can’t stress enough that there is money in the comments.

Sometimes it’s hard to find. There’s gold in the responses and reactions.

Your LinkedIn feed and profile can become your relationship engine.

Dedicate a small amount of time for ‘maintenance.’ 10 minutes. Get out. It’s worth it!

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Before you go, I’ve got two things.

First: I’m happy to show anyone who reads my newsletter or listens to my podcast exactly how I set up founders, CEOs and other leaders for content success.

Find me on LinkedIn and grab some time with me. I will interview you for a few minutes and if nothing else, you’ll walk away with some LinkedIn posts for free.

Second: My book, Keep It Light, is available read on Amazon Unlimited. It’s a year’s worth of content starters. If you like it, please give it 5 stars, along with this podcast. It really helps.

My friends: Keep writing, keep pushing, and I’ll see you next time.

I decided to dedicate an episode to walking you through a quick and easy process to create and publish your content.

In a few minutes, you’ll have a really easy workflow and you can keep coming back to it when you get stuck.

By the end of this episode, you will have a clear, repeatable system to get your best ideas out into the world.

Let's roll!

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Come say hi at thoughtleadertoday.com. 👋

**Stepping away from the regular, let-me-help-you-with-content kind of episode. Please step away from the internet this weekend and hug your family.**

No music, no intro, you’re listening to The Morgan Snyder Show.

I’ve tried to record this episode a couple times this week.

I get to this screen. I stare at it. I write a few sentences. I delete them.

I close my laptop.

I don’t have the words. They’re not coming.

Now it’s Friday, and my chances of people listening to this are pretty small, but I’m putting it out anyway.

I’m just going for it. Maybe this will help sort out my feelings.

I wasn’t at Charlie Kirk’s assasination. But my neighbor’s kid was.

He watched him get shot from 10 feet away, and crawled around on the ground hoping that he and his friend were going to make it out alive.

I can’t even imagine how he’s dealing with that right now.

Of all the places, it had to be Utah.

On campus, in broad daylight, as he tried to have conversations about big ideas.

Doesn’t feel real.

My friend texted me today, he works about a mile from UVU campus, and his daughter was there during the shooting.

“I’m numb and overwhelmed. Saw the police and motorcade go by. I had tons of friends there.”

I was reading in a couple of different places that after Kirk was shot, the protesters were cheering his death and taunting his supporters about it.

It's a level of evil that's hard to imagine.

Then you zoom out to the rest of the nation, and senseless violence is happening to normal people riding on busses or sitting in classrooms, or praying in church.

I can hardly read a handful of articles on my news app. It’s so depressing.

In the last 48 hours, while all of this was going on, the only thing I could really do is distract myself by writing posts for my clients.

I wrote a lot of posts.

I shut myself in my room and typed away for hours, avoiding the dread sitting in my chest, a cloud over my head making it difficult to concentrate.

And then when I went to bed, I had this wave of anxiousness come over me about the future, about my kids, about all the pain that we’re collectively feeling about the state of the country and its people.

What are we going to do about it? What am I going to do about it?

There are two voices in my head.

One comes from a dark, damp cave, somewhere deep in my mind that I don’t often explore. It whispers, “Better get used to it. This is the new normal. You’re going to watch more and more of it happen.”

Don’t like that voice very much.

Then the other one comes from a recording studio with cool posters of early 2000’s bands. It assures me, “You’re going to be the leader that people will look to. You have to stand tall and walk the walk.”

That voice has high standards for me.

My dad was in town yesterday and stopped by. He and my mom took a trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland and had gifts for the kids.

There were kilts, Liverpool jerseys, and a family crest refrigerator magnet.

It was from the Morgan family.

Yes, Morgan is my first name, but funny enough, I have Morgan family ancestors.

The name comes from the early Celtic 'sea-bright', and also exists in Old British, Cornish and Welsh.

The Motto: "Manu forti" is Latin for "With a strong hand".

The Crest: The symbol is a dagger, representing strength and readiness.

While my daughters danced around, and the boys took pictures with their new soccer kits, I held the magnet.

I suddenly got emotional.

Hey, it happens to me. I’m an artist. I feel things.

I don’t have to face obstacles like my ancestors did, nor do I have to grapple with dangerous situations.

But I still need to be brave. I still need to be steady.

I need to provide a home of safety and security for the 7 other Snyders who live with me.

I need to be a man of character, someone who can be relied on to do the right thing.

I need to make sure that the world I’m leaving behind is better because I was here.

That’s my calling.

Manu forti.

Today, I’m interviewing Kevin Baker—the man who broke LinkedIn with his post about Costco coworking.

Kevin explains his creative process and how he comes up with ideas for viral content on LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening and see you next week!

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say hi at thoughtleadertoday.com 📱

Last week, I talked about the head of CEO content position at PayPal: their quarter-million-dollar budget for their CEO’s brand.

It was if I could hear your thoughts in the Substack ether. Many of you were thinking something like, “Well, that's nice for them. But we could never do something like that.”

You’re absolutely right. You can’t. You aren’t PayPal.

But I can assure you that it’s not a strategy reserved for the Fortune 500.

Today, I want to talk about a real person, a CEO who is an absolute master of this.

Her name is Wes Kao.

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Come and say hi at thoughtleadertoday.com. 👋