JumpLead
Social selling · 2026
The LinkedIn Social Selling System
By Joe Stone, co-founder of JumpLead. 15 years of my own B2B selling.
Social selling · 2026
The LinkedIn Social Selling System
By Joe Stone, co-founder of JumpLead. 15 years of my own B2B selling.Updated October 2026Between 14 April and 30 June 2026, my LinkedIn posts returned 520,191 impressions. Just me, some whiteboard graphics and 15 years of things I got wrong. Here's the whole system: what I post, why those posts work, the real numbers on each one, and how I run it now, seven posts a week, without it eating my week.
ChaptersJump to a chapter
Chapter 01The proof
520,191 impressions, read honestly.
By the end of June 2026 I'd posted every week for fifteen weeks straight: sales craft, building JumpLead, and the parts of my life that shaped how I work. These are the numbers from 14 April to 30 June, from my LinkedIn analytics.
Impressions
520,191
14 April to 30 June 2026
What people did with the posts
- Reactions
- 3,494
- Comments
- 929
- SavesThe one I watch
- 693
- Sends
- 125
- Reposts
- 41
- Link clicks
- 96
Where it stood on 30 June
- Followers
- 6,100+
- Weeks posting without a break
- 15
520,191 is the headline and it's the least useful number on that list. Impressions only tell you people scrolled past. Saves and comments tell you people cared enough to do something. 693 saves means 693 times somebody decided a post of mine was worth keeping. That's the number I watch.
The biggest single post, a whiteboard list of seven sales quotes, did 102,579 impressions and 541 likes on its own: about a fifth of the total. Five of the seven posts below went over 10,000. I'll show you all of them further down, with why each one worked.
One thing I can't show you is a revenue number. Look at the link clicks: 96, against 520,191 impressions. This isn't a click-through channel, and I'd be making it up if I told you it closed deals on its own. What it changes is whether somebody already knows who I am when I turn up in their inbox. Worth having, but it isn't pipeline.
The rule
Watch saves and comments before impressions. Reach tells you who scrolled past. Saves tell you who's coming back.
Chapter 02The system
Two layers, doing two different jobs.
Most people post at random and stop when nothing lands. What I run has two layers, and each one is weak on its own.
Layer one is the whiteboard listicle. Five to seven points and a visual a person can screenshot. It's the reach engine: 17,000 to 102,000+ impressions a post, and it pulls saves and shares. It makes the case that I know the subject. Engagement rate sits low, roughly 0.3% to 1%, because most of that audience is cold and passing through.
Layer two is the personal post. The founder journey. Leaving a job. Sobriety. Fatherhood. A deal I lost and what it taught me. Reach is much smaller, usually 2,000 to 3,000, and engagement rate runs 2.5% to 4.5%. Several times higher than the big posts. These are the ones that turn a lurker into someone who trusts me.
| Layer | Reach | Engagement rate |
|---|---|---|
| Whiteboard listicles | 17K to 102K+ impressions | 0.3% to 1% |
| Personal, founder-led posts | 2K to 3K impressions | 2.5% to 4.5% |
Whiteboard listicles
The reach layer
- Puts you in front of 17K to 102K+ impressions
- Drives follows, saves, shares
- Shows you know the subject
Personal, founder-led posts
The trust layer
- Lower reach, much higher engagement rate
- Turns lurkers into people who trust you
- Makes the expertise feel human
Run both in the same week.
The listicles fill the room. The personal posts decide whether anyone stays.
Neither works as well without the other. A feed of only frameworks feels like a textbook. A feed of only personal stories doesn't establish authority. I do both, and that's the system.
The rule
Run both layers in the same week, every week. Either one alone does half the job.
Chapter 03The themes
Four themes, and where they overlap.
Four themes carry almost everything I post. Nothing clever about them. They're the four things I can talk about honestly for years without running dry, which is the only test that matters.
Feeds the reach layer
Sales craft, and what it cost me to learn it
Real stories from 15 years of selling. What went wrong and what I'd do differently now. These beat pure tactical advice every time.
Practical frameworks
Whiteboard lists. “7 signs you'd be great at sales”. “5 sales truths”. High saves and high shares, because people screenshot them.
Feeds the trust layer
The founder journey
Honest posts about building JumpLead from scratch. The fear that came with leaving a job to start something.
Personal growth
Sobriety and fatherhood. Stoicism applied to business. Something personal wrapped round a professional lesson gets my highest engagement.
Where they overlap
The strongest posts sit where two themes meet. Personal vulnerability plus a professional lesson beats pure tactics, and it beats pure personal story.
The rule
Pick four themes you could write about for a year without repeating yourself. Everything outside them is a distraction.
Chapter 04The evidence
Seven real posts, and why each one worked.
Numbers with no post behind them are worth nothing. Here are the posts themselves, with the real figures from that period. Open a few, then write your own version of the shape.
- 7 sales quotes that still hold up541 likes · 54 comments102,579
Reach layer. 102,579 impressions.
- 7 sales myths I believed199 likes · 81 comments95,705
Reach layer. 95,705 impressions.
- Most of what works, no one taught me309 likes · 56 comments92,202
Reach layer. 92,202 impressions.
- 7 things I wish I knew277 likes · 61 comments43,028
Reach layer. 43,028 impressions.
- Struggle vs scale152 likes · 32 comments17,531
Reach layer. 17,531 impressions.
- I'm a Co-Founder183 likes · 86 commentsNot in my figures
Trust layer. Impressions not in my figures.
- 2.5 years sober today65 likes · 5 comments2,728
Trust layer. 2,728 impressions.
Layer one: the reach posts
7 sales quotes that still hold up. Decades later.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
7 sales quotes that still hold up. Decades later.
I've been reading Zig Ziglar's 'Secrets of Closing the Sale' over the last few days. Written in 1984. Still hits harder than most modern sales content.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Whiteboard listicle. Zig Ziglar quotes reframed with personal commentary.
- Why it worked
- Old quotes, my own commentary on each. People screenshot it and send it on. "Decades later" makes you want to check whether you agree.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_7-sales-quotes-that-still-hold-up-decades-activity-7477263843208007680-ztKD
7 sales myths I believed that cost me deals.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
7 sales myths I believed that cost me deals.
15 years in. I fell for every single one. Some of them for way too long.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Whiteboard listicle. Myth-busting with a personal admission.
- Why it worked
- 81 comments, more than any other whiteboard post. Saying "I believed" invites people to admit their own. Big reach, and a real conversation underneath it.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_7-sales-myths-i-believed-that-cost-me-deals-activity-7475454168716161025-Xk4w
Most of what works in sales, no one taught me.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
Most of what works in sales, no one taught me.
I've sat through MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger, and Sandler training. Read lots of sales strategy books. Done various kick-offs.
Useful, all of them. But the lessons that actually moved deals came from experience.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Whiteboard listicle. Experience over training frameworks.
- Why it worked
- It says the training didn't teach me the useful part. Most salespeople have thought that and never said it, and the hard lessons behind it are what earn you the right to teach.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_most-of-what-works-in-sales-no-one-taught-activity-7458058544538574848-LIdR
7 things I wish I knew before I started in sales.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
7 things I wish I knew before I started in sales.
15 years later, I'm still learning most of them.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Whiteboard listicle. Hindsight wisdom.
- Why it worked
- A strong engagement rate at that reach. "Wish I knew" lands with everyone, and it gets shared because people tag juniors and new starters.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_7-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-i-started-in-activity-7472920022009589761-q1gR
The difference between salespeople who struggle and salespeople who scale.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
The difference between salespeople who struggle and salespeople who scale.
15 years in. I've seen both. I've been both.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Whiteboard. Side-by-side comparison.
- Why it worked
- Around 1%, the best rate of the five. Two columns, so you can tell which one you're in.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_the-difference-between-salespeople-who-struggle-activity-7475087831330373634-U1yq
Look at what those five share. A small, specific number in the hook and a first-person admission. Nothing that reads like a brochure. Now look at the next two. Different job entirely.
Layer two: the trust posts
I'm a Co-Founder.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
I'm a Co-Founder.
Genuinely never thought I'd write those words.
15 years in sales. Every role, every manager, every deal won and lost, every difficult conversation, every mistake I made and every one I learned from. It all led here.
Creator analytics
- Format
- Personal milestone. No whiteboard, just the story.
- Why it worked
- 86 comments, the most on anything I've posted. People turned up personally: congratulations and their own stories. Nobody saves a post like this. It's the one that decides whether someone who has been reading quietly ever replies to you.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_newjob-jumplead-salesconsultancy-activity-7449732624719233024-zDza
2.5 years sober today.
Joe Stone
Co-Founder at JumpLead
Posted on LinkedIn
2.5 years sober today.
I don't keep track like I used to at the beginning but I knew this one was coming up.
Not sharing to boast. I don't have anything against drinking. I loved it for years. Until I didn't.
Creator analytics
Roughly three times the rate of the big posts.
- Format
- Personal reflection. Sobriety milestone.
- Why it worked
- It wasn't written for reach. When somebody is choosing between two consultancies and one of the founders has been honest about something like this, that's what they remember. The line "I don't think I'd be nearly 3 months into building my own business if I hadn't" ties the personal straight to the professional.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joestone22_25-years-sober-today-i-dont-keep-track-activity-7477634284116316161-gtOK
2,728 impressions against 102,579. On a dashboard the sobriety post looks like a failure. It's one of the most valuable things I've posted.
One thing on personal posts before you go and write one. Only post something you've finished processing and are happy to have public for good. If you're posting it for the reach, don't post it.
The rule
Judge a personal post on engagement rate, never on reach. Judge a listicle on saves and shares. Same feed, two scoreboards.
Chapter 05The formats
Five shapes to write into.
On the days I've no idea what to write, I pick a shape and fill it. These five have done nearly all the work.
The confession opener
Start with something honest (“I got this wrong for years...”) and build to the lesson.
Best forTrust
The whiteboard list
A visual with five to seven points, each in its own colour with a small icon.
Best forSaves
The “here's what I fixed” story
Walk through a real problem you solved, anonymised if it needs to be. People learn from the specifics.
Best forSpecifics
The “most people get this wrong” post
Pick one thing you see constantly and explain the better way. Slightly polarising.
Best forComments
The numbers post
Share real results with the context around them. Data backed by story carries weight.
Best forCredibility
The whiteboard list, taken apart
- 1The headline at the top. The board's own line, not the post's opening.
- 2Five to seven points. No more.
- 3One colour per point.
- 4A small icon per point.
The rule
Rotate the shapes, not the themes. Same four subjects, five ways in. The feed never feels repetitive.
Chapter 06The week
How I run it now: seven posts a week.
The system has grown since that period. I post seven times a week now: 08:55 on weekdays, 09:30 at weekends.
- Mon08:55Whiteboard list, for reach.P.S.Repost or follow
- Tue08:55Real photo of me, or no image.P.S.The newsletter
- Wed08:55Whiteboard list, for reach.P.S.Repost or follow
- Thu08:55Real photo of me, or no image.P.S.The newsletter
- Fri08:55Real photo of me, or no image.P.S.A call or a DM
- Sat09:30Real photo of me, or no image.P.S.A question
- Sun09:30Real photo of me, or no image.P.S.The newsletter
Every post ends on a P.S.
It gives the reader one next step. The ask rotates through the week, so nobody sees the same one every day, and only one post a week asks for a call.
Both layers still run every week. The whiteboard lists do the reach on Monday and Wednesday. The other five are the trust layer: real stories, building the business, and what I'm learning.
Chapter 07The rules
Ten rules I post by.
These are the ones I'd hand a new starter on day one. Most of them cost me something to learn.
Write for one person
Have someone specific in mind and write to what they're stuck on. Write for them, not about yourself.
Be relatable over impressive
People engage with honesty. The posts where I admit what went wrong get more saves than the ones where everything went right.
Consistency beats virality
One viral post won't change how people see you. Turning up every morning for months does.
Same times, every week
Mine go out at 08:55 on weekdays and 09:30 at weekends. Pick times that suit your audience and keep to them.
Story first, lesson second
Lead with a human moment, not a framework title. “I lost a deal last week” beats “5 ways to handle objections”.
End on a P.S., and rotate it
One clear next step at the end of every post, and a different one from day to day.
Engage with other people
Posting is half of it. Comment on other people's content. Reply to comments on yours. The network gets built in the conversations, not just the posts.
Learn from what doesn't land
Most of your posts won't go viral. That's fine. Study the ones that do and work out why. For me it's usually specificity and a personal opening.
Use a visual when it adds something
Whiteboard graphics get high saves and shares because people screenshot them. Don't force one onto every post.
Don't copy, adapt
Study creators you admire, then make it yours. Your audience will spot anything lifted straight.
The rule
Nothing here works in a fortnight. Fifteen straight weeks is what changed how people react to my name.
Chapter 08Getting started
What keeps it going, and starting this week.
Staying consistent is the hardest part of all of this. Three things help.
A drafting tool
An AI drafting tool set up on my own past posts, so a draft starts in my voice. Nothing goes out until I've approved it.
LinkedIn analytics
I check what's working weekly. Saves and comments matter more to me than impressions.
Notion
Planning content themes and keeping notes on what I want to write about next.
Starting this week
Posting won't fill your pipeline on its own. What it does is make sure people know who you are when your outreach arrives.
Start with one post this week. Write about something you know. Don't overthink it. You'll get things wrong. Learn from it. Keep going.
Week one felt uncomfortable. Some weeks it still does. Post anyway.
See it on the feed
Everything in this guide is on my feed, in public. Follow along, and if something in here helps, tell me in the comments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joestone22
The full playbookThe Outbound Playbook: LinkedIn, cold email and cold callingWhere posting fits: the trust layer behind the three outreach channels we run.The close
Where outreach comes in.
Posting changes how people react when you reach out. Outbound decides who you reach. The outbound side is what we do at JumpLead: LinkedIn, cold email and cold calling, in your name, and nothing goes out without your OK. Book a call and I'll tell you honestly whether you need it.
Who wrote this
Joe Stone
Co-Founder, JumpLead
15 years in B2B sales across the full deal cycle. I started in charity fundraising on the streets of London (a year of asking people to save tigers), then customer success, then selling IT solutions on the phone, five years in recruitment advertising, five plus years in SaaS, and now JumpLead. In my last role I closed £1m+ at TopScore in 2.5 years across 20 clients. JumpLead runs outbound and fractional sales leadership for UK B2B teams, as part of their team.
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