Madison Leonard ☀️ and the Fractional PMM Flywheel

Madison Leonard ☀️ and the Fractional PMM Flywheel

I fell into a rabbit hole looking at three very different LinkedIn creators and one thing made me stop scrolling: Madison Leonard ☀️ is running 13,843 followers and a 55.00 Hero Score while posting only 0.4 times per week. That combo is not normal. Most people either post a lot to stay visible, or they post rarely and their reach slowly fades. Madison somehow gets the upside of both.

So I wanted to understand what makes that work, especially next to two creators with way bigger audiences: Axelle Malek (122,274 followers) and Laurent Brouat (74,521 followers). Same 55.00 Hero Score across all three, but totally different ways of earning attention. After mapping their positioning, cadence, and the "feel" of their posts, a few patterns jumped out (and honestly, they made me rethink what "consistency" should mean).

Here's what stood out:

• Madison wins with authority density: fewer posts, but each one carries clear proof, a point of view, and a next step.
• Axelle wins with cadence and utility: daily repetition + simple AI framing keeps her top-of-mind.
• Laurent wins with editorial depth: analysis-driven content builds trust like a newsletter you actually read.

---

Madison Leonard ☀️'s Performance Metrics

Here's what's interesting: Madison's numbers tell a story of "small audience, big influence". A 55.00 Hero Score with 13,843 followers usually means the content is consistently sparking real conversations relative to the size of the audience. And because she posts about 0.4 times per week, each post has to do more work. The vibe is closer to "drop a strong memo" than "feed the algorithm".

Key Performance Indicators

---

What Makes Madison Leonard ☀️'s Content Work

Before we get tactical, I want to call out something that surprised me: all three creators have the same Hero Score (55.00). That means "engagement relative to audience" is strong across the board. But Madison achieves that with a fraction of the followers and (based on the data we have) a much lower cadence.

To make this concrete, here is a quick side-by-side snapshot.

Now, the Madison playbook. I noticed four repeatable strategies.

1. Authority density (proof + point of view in tight space)

The first thing I noticed is Madison rarely sounds like she's "creating content". She sounds like she's talking to other builders, especially PMMs, from inside the work. Her headline alone is a credibility stack: Grew ClickUp from $20M to $200M ARR, implemented product-led GTM at Vanta, and now she operates as a fractional product marketer. That kind of proof lets her write shorter, punchier posts because she doesn't need to over-explain her right to have an opinion.

And she pairs that authority with a very human voice: rhetorical questions, light humor, and blunt lines like "No, seriously." It's confident, not preachy.

Key Insight: Write the post like you're leaving a note for someone who already speaks your language, then add one clarifying line for everyone else.

This works because LinkedIn rewards "instant relevance". If a PMM sees Madison and thinks "yep, she gets it," they'll stop, react, and comment. That early engagement tells the feed "this is worth showing."

Strategy Breakdown:

2. Skimmability as a feature (not an afterthought)

Madison writes for the scroll. Lots of line breaks. One-sentence paragraphs. Lists with emoji bullets. Big emphasis lines. It's not "pretty" for the sake of it. It's functional.

You can feel the intent: hook you, give you the takeaway, then offer a deeper breakdown if you're still in.

And here's where it gets interesting: she can post less often because the posts she does publish are engineered to be re-readable and shareable. People bookmark stuff that looks like a checklist, a template, or a clean breakdown.

Comparison with Industry Standards:

3. "Scenario-first" teaching (less story, more lived pattern)

Madison doesn't usually write long personal narratives. Instead, she uses micro-scenarios that make you nod because you've been there.

Like the PMM classic: being pulled in after the feature is basically done. Or the launch checklist that exists, but no one uses. Or the painful moment when your homepage "looks nice" but says nothing.

That scenario-first style is sneaky effective because it makes readers self-diagnose. And self-diagnosis is the fastest path to comments.

Want a simple template you can steal?

Template: "I can't tell you how many times I've seen [role] get stuck with [pain]. Here's what I do instead: [3-step fix]."

The reason this hits is it respects the reader's time. You don't need ten paragraphs. You need the pattern, the fix, and the reason.

4. Promotion that doesn't feel gross (because it's framed as service)

Madison does promote things: events, programs, templates, mentors, resources. But it tends to land because she frames it as "I found something that would have saved me hours" or "This is the gold standard".

And she usually adds a differentiator like "INTERACTIVE" or "no death by powerpoint". That line matters. It's a promise about experience, not just content.

Also, the CTAs are direct without being pushy. "DM me". "I'll put the link in the comments". "Run... don't walk." Simple.

---

Their Content Formula

Madison's posts have a repeatable shape. Not rigid, but recognizable. And if you're trying to build your own system, this is the part worth copying.

Content Structure Breakdown

The Hook Pattern

Madison tends to open with either:

• a question that names a real PMM problem, or
• a punchy opinion line (sometimes "Spicy take")

Template:

"Ever wonder what really goes into [thing everyone claims to do]?"

Or:

"Spicy take: [contrarian opinion]. Let me explain..."

Why this works: it creates an information gap without sounding clickbaity. And it signals "this is for people who do the work".

Two example openings in her style (not direct quotes, just the pattern):

• "Ever wonder what really goes into a GTM strategy that doesn't fall apart at launch time?"
• "Spicy take: most launch checklists are just vibes. Here's what I'd use instead."

The Body Structure

She doesn't slowly warm up. She gets to the point, then she organizes it so you can scan.

Body Structure Analysis:

The CTA Approach

Madison's CTAs fall into three buckets:

1. Conversation CTA: "Did I miss anything?" or "Curious how others handle this." (comment fuel)
2. Help CTA: "DM me - I've got a template." (relationship builder)
3. Event CTA: "Link in comments - hope to see you there." (conversion)

The psychology is straightforward: you don't feel sold to. You feel invited.

One more detail that matters: best posting times in the dataset are late afternoon to late evening (17:00-22:00). If Madison is posting less, timing matters more. Posting when her niche is off meetings and scrolling is a smart way to stretch each post.

---

Side-by-Side: Why Madison Stands Out (even vs bigger creators)

Axelle and Laurent are great comparisons because they're "big audience" creators with clear editorial missions.

• Axelle: "Daily post to fight your FOMO on AI." That is a clean promise. You follow because you want a daily filter.
• Laurent: recruiting market analysis with newsletters, guides, events. You follow because you want interpretation and signal.

Madison is different. Her promise isn't "daily" or "newsletter". It's "I will save you from fluffy marketing by telling you what works in real GTM." That attracts fewer people, but the right people.

Here is the most useful comparison table if you're building your own creator strategy.

And honestly? Madison's approach is the one I'd bet on for converting attention into actual career upside. Fractional work, consulting, advisory, speaking, mentoring, templates, courses - all of that thrives on "high trust, high signal".

---

3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today

1. Write one post per week like it's a mini-product - Hook hard, deliver 3-6 bullets, end with a simple CTA. Skimmability is the feature.

2. Build "authority density" into your profile and your first 3 lines - Put outcomes in the headline, then write posts like a peer talking to peers.

3. Use a scenario hook that makes the reader diagnose themselves - "If you're seeing X, here's what to do" gets comments because people recognize themselves.

---

Key Takeaways

1. Madison proves cadence is not the only path - With 0.4 posts/week she still performs at a 55.00 Hero Score by making each post highly usable.
2. Positioning beats volume - A tight audience (PMMs, GTM builders) can outperform broad reach when the content is specific and actionable.
3. Axelle and Laurent validate the other two big growth paths - daily utility (Axelle) and editorial depth (Laurent) both work when the promise is clear.
4. The real win is trust - Madison's style turns content into DMs, referrals, and opportunities because it feels like real work, not content theater.

If you try one thing from this, try the Madison move: write one post that would genuinely save a peer 2 hours this week. Then see who shows up in the comments.

---

Meet the Creators

---

This analysis was generated by ViralBrain's AI content intelligence platform.