Learn Everything About How Dave Gerhardt Built Exit Five from His Personal Brand

*This is Dave's total engagement numbers from his 8-year journey (through September 19, 2024) 

Introduction

Here's the thing about Dave Gerhardt... 

After listening to his book, Founder Brand, I've found a new respect for his ability to build.  

To build his personal brand from a small podcast in Boston to the massive exits he's been able to see happen because of the work put in years ago on this.  

I spent a great deal of time working through this story for you and I really hope you love what you see here.  

I'm not going to list out all his accomplishments.  If you want to see them, visit his LinkedIn profile. 

The biggest thing for you to know is that building a Founder Brand is simple, not easy. 

Learning everything I can about Dave's journey has been a great deal of fun.  

I hope you enjoy this. 

Content Style: Founder Brand Builder

So, what exactly is a Founder Brand Builder? 

Someone who takes this as the most serious thing in his life.  

Someone who's built a podcast for business owners in Boston to the Drive event everyone wanted to be at in Sept 2024 (in Vermont).  

Someone who understands the power of asking yourself the right questions.  

In Chapter 1 of his book, Founder Brand, he asks six questions to help you frame up your Founder journey. 

These are questions I'm using to keep track of my journey.  

Here you go: 

• What is the founders backstory? 
• What is the problem your business exists to solve? 
• Who is the villain your customers are facing? 
• What’s the solution that you offer? 
• What are the benefits of using your product? 
• What’s life like before and after using your product ? 

Do you have a sense of what these answers are for your brand?  

If not, as you go through this story, keep them in mind.  They will really stand out over time. 

Now, let's get into it. 

We All Start Somewhere

Having reviewed some of the top LinkedIn voices and top creators in the last few months, one consistent thing I’ve seen is that all top creators started way differently than what they are today. 

Although they have different patterns of growth, they all had very little or no recognition at the start of their journey. And many of them continued like that for several months (or years).

Dave Gerhardt started on LinkedIn in 2016, when he shared his first post on June 31 with the hook:

The story behind how Slack built a $4B business in 4 years without a sales team. Insane.

Well…

That’s actually not just the hook, but the entire post. 

And see, no one recognized the post - no reactions, no comments, no reposts.

Down the line, Dave would later have 38k+ reactions on a single post. He has almost 1.4M likes on his posts as of September 2024.

However, there was nothing on his starting post - no performance at all!

Dave shared only 3 posts in his first month. This would later be what he shared in just one day. 

In the whole of 2016, he posted 35 times, having a total of 353 reactions, 20 comments, 35 reposts.

Hey! We all start somewhere and this was just the beginning of Dave figuring out his LinkedIn journey.

November 16, 2016

Great to have Mark Roberge at Drift, a Salesloft company today talking sales (and sharing a few stories with David Cancel). (23 reactions)

Before now, Dave had gotten only 11 reactions, max, or a single post. Here’s the first time he crossed 20.

One thing could be responsible for that boost - mentions!

He mentioned another LinkedIn user and industry leader, as well as a company. 

Mentions compel people to show up. 

Just call them out - and they’ll show up.

December 7, 2016

Lucky to work for people like David Cancel + Elias Torres and have great mentors like Mike Volpe ���� (108 reactions, 17 comments)

See… mentions works

January 3, 2017

Normally I wouldn't post someone else's email like this.

But I'm sharing this because the world of sales/marketing could learn a lot from this guy Matt Levene. (477 reactions, 63 comments, 18 reposts)

You may want to check the screenshot again - there’re obvious reasons why this post performed this well, though Dave had just been posting for a few months. 

• The mention - when you mention someone, they’re likely going to like + comment on the same post. 
• Loaded with lots of ideas on writing a converting cold email (you know this is always an interesting subject to SDRs)
• Short post with short sentences - the shorter, the better.
• The screenshot - It would sound so abstract if he mentioned all those without actually showing the email he’s talking about. A picture is still worth a thousand words. 

Always share the right valuable post with the right audience. It works.

March 24, 2017

"Also, be prepared to work hard. That can help you get ahead if you don’t have the advantages that other people have, because not many people will do it… (86 reactions, 6 comments, 3 reposts)

August 21, 2017

We're hiring a content marketer at Drift. (118 reactions, 8 comments, 9 reposts)

December 28, 2017

If your VP of Sales doesn't send you new Jordans, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. (128 reactions, 8 comments)

March 18, 2018

I am obsessed with video right now because it is the one marketing channel you can't fake or automate. (463 reactions, 63 comments, 16 reposts)

Take a quick read through this short post again, you’ll find these 3 things:

• Choose a subject and pick one side (no matter how controversial it sounds).
• Short paragraphs, mostly one sentence.
• Good use of white space.

June 8, 2018

I am launching a new video series called Coffee with a CMO. (468 reactions, 136 comments, 2 reposts)

Right here, you can tell that his copywriting skills have improved. 

Again, the mention magic worked - Dave mentioned 7 top industry leaders.

And see the closing/CTA:

"But I’d love your help. Comment with which CMO you’d like to see. #marketing #video"

The majority of the comments were about top sales execs that they’d love to hear from. 

August 5, 2018

I found three shortcuts over the last few years: (464 reactions, 39 comments, 15 reposts)

Pay attention to the hook.

It gives you an idea of the worth of what you’ll learn. It's like saying, “you’re going to learn in 60 seconds what I learned in 6 years”.

You’re going to want to read the post - value.

Always. Give. Value. For. Free.

December 3, 2018

I used to be obsessed with finding “my thing.” (588 reactions, 76 comments, 10 reposts)

Testing Phase

Dave started posting on LinkedIn (as a creator) in 2019. 

I believe Dave really worked on his copywriting skills, and also on finding his unique voice and style.

Then, he fully dived headlong into revealing his unique super-creator mode.

He started posting almost every day and even sometimes posted multiple times a day.

In 2019, Dave shared 439 posts on LinkedIn as against 139 posts in 2018.

His total stats in 2019 is 213,559 reactions, 28,673 comments, 4,622 reposts as against 13,855 reactions, 2,637 comments, 315 reposts in 2018. 

That’s over 10x his performance the previous year.

You want to be heard, speak louder.

Dave easily got 10x his performance the previous year simply by posting 3x more times. 

Posting consistently compounds.

January 30, 2019

The book is here

A HUGE thanks to the Drift, a Salesloft company community - customers, advisors, investors, friends for helping to make this happen. (534 reactions, 68 reactions, 22 reposts)

April 7, 2019

10 things that made me a better marketer: (821 reactions, 86 comments, 52 reposts)

In May 2019, Dave decided to start posting on LinkedIn every single day.

June 13, 2019

This will be the longest I’ve not worked since I was in 8th grade. (2,354 reactions, 286 comments, 1 repost)

This post is really pivotal in Dave’s journey. 

It’s his first time hitting 2k reactions. 

This spike is more remarkable because his previous high was only 800+ likes.

Yes, his copywriting and spacing are great. 

Also, his use of emojis is awesome. You can imagine each one as you read along the post.

More importantly, this is a personal post. It has nothing to do with his role or his company. 

It’s about him having another baby. 

Always remember: LinkedIn is still a social media platform and should be used as such.

Personal stories can get good performance as well as professional posts.

Later in the same month, Dave had another spike:

June 30, 2019

LinkedIn is changing their algorithm. (1,553 reactions, 112 comments, 53 reposts)

October 13, 2019

If I had to pick one Marketing skill that has had the highest ROI for me… (3,407 reactions, 251 comments, 139 reposts)

Finding Brian's Creator Style

October 20, 2019

Here’s my typical weekday: (8,606 reactions, 584 comments, 73 reposts)

Again, this is not a typical SDR post - it’s personal, very personal.

And the same post gave more than 2x his previous all-time high. 

You've got something to share, even when you think people don’t care ‘cos it may not be their business:

They care. Just post it. 

Sometimes, that’s the viral post. 

November 7, 2019

I backed out of a speaking gig because it was at 4:15 PM. (10,185 reactions, 409 comments, 197 reposts)

Just last month, Dave hit his 3k and 8k reactions records. 

This time, he crossed the 10k line. 

I believe his closing summarizes the morale behind this post and is probably the reason for this terrific performance. 

Check it out:

"I’m not sharing this because I want your praise. I’m sharing this because I want people to know it’s possible. You can be great at work and at home. I’ll keep beating that drum."

That’s not a typical closing. 

You don’t always need a typical CTA to get high reactions, comments, and reposts.

Sometimes, just kill CTA.

Look though the comment section of this post, you’ll find different perspectives and opinions. 

And that’s the beauty of any social media post (highly controversial or not).

• Pick your subject.
• Write your post.
• Pick your side.
• Hit POST.

Just be original and authentic.

Be YOU.

February 10, 2020

Here at my 5 copywriting rules. Written on my phone on the car ride to Vermont over the weekend: (2,783 reactions, 228 reactions, 242 reposts)

May 2, 2020

Top 5 marketing skills you should work on: (7,873 reactions, 532 comments, 357 reposts)

Although there are principles for writing good copies, there are no hard and fast rules to the content. 

Your unique twist is always your selling point.

July 30, 2020

Had to get this message out there once and for all. (9,581 reactions, 575 comments, 414 reposts)

See that hook:

It’s also the entire post - one short line. 

The rest is a picture. 

Still on the 'unique twist' point.

It’s never about the word count. 

Here’s what matters:

• The value/subject matter
• The context & content
• The presentation

Check out some other one-liner viral posts that Dave shared:

January 3, 2021

Life is too short to work with a CEO who doesn’t get marketing. (4,107 reactions, 258 comments, 44 reposts)

January 15, 2021

You get promoted for the job you've already done. (1,263 reactions, 76 comments, 6 reposts)

January 28, 2021

Good morning to everyone except the CEOs who don’t get marketing (1,897 reactions, 201 comments, 15 reposts)

February 8, 2021

Confession: I'm not that smart but I'm good at looking stuff up online. (2,526 reactions, 191 comments, 25 reposts)

February 12, 2021

I mean. I love marketing but it definitely helps when the product is really good too. (2,605 reactions, 145 comments, 23 reposts)

All these posts are just one short line and this is a unique stunt that Dave pulled. 

And it worked!

Ditch the hard rules. Make your own rules. Fly with it.

August 31, 2021

Word of mouth will always be the # 1 marketing channel. (2,016 reactions, 222 comments, 64 reposts)

November 11, 2021

Data is only as good as how you interpret it and how you present it. (7,875 reactions, 252 comments, 863 reposts)

November 15, 2021

Great example of Slack using the opportunity to get people to love them vs saying nothing. (10,708 reactions, 186 comments, 343 reposts)

This is another one-liner with an image that speaks for itself.

January 11, 2022

CEO: “You don’t need marketing when you have a great product.” (6,613 reactions, 401 comments, 219 reposts)

January 21, 2022

Copywriting is not only a marketing skill. It's a life skill. (4,428 reactions, 185 comments, 264 reposts)

February 8, 2022

I love great copy. Well actually this is great design more than great copy. (38,970 reactions, 588 comments, 2074 reposts)

This is Dave’s all-time high performance as of September 2024. And this is also a one-line text with a picture in it. 

When you find the style that works for you:

Embrace it. Stick to it. Build on it. 

Less can be more!

August 3, 2022

I quit my job as a marketing exec last year. (4,310 reactions, 294 comments, 20 reposts)

September 21, 2022

Your company is not your friends. (17,190 reactions, 764 comments, 949 reposts)

This is another long-form copy since after Dave’s era of one-liner. 

Long-form post: 

• No image.
• No videos.
• No infographics. 

But the post has:

• A story.
• Good storytelling.
• Excellent structure. 
• Last but not least, value.

October 17, 2022

I want to re-tweet this daily. (26,503 reactions, 497 comments, 1,009 reposts)

August 3, 2023

And FYI you have half the budget you used to have. (2567 reactions, 173 comments, 55 reposts)

February 2, 2024

Behind every successful entrepreneur is a spouse with healthcare coverage from their employer. (1605 reactions, 220 comments, 14 reposts)

July 8, 2024

Measurement kills marketing. (2715 reactions, 365 comments, 147 reposts)

Conclusion

There's a whole lot that you probably can pick from Dave's LinkedIn journey. But here's the top 3 takeaways:

• Consistency compounds - you want to be heard, speak louder!
• There are no hard and fast rules. Find what works for you.
• LinkedIn is a social network.

Dave, like many other creators have experienced both highs and lows on LinkedIn. His first post literally was not recognized by anyone. 

Still, he's recorded almost 40k likes on a single post. 

Although he isn't the only creator who has shared about 3k posts on LI, he's clearly one of the few to have crossed 1.39M likes on LinkedIn posts alone. 

Let's check out in details 3 of the things that helped Dave and how they can also help you win.

This has been a wonderful week and I've learned a great deal from Dave's journey. 

I hope you have too!

See you next week.