Robbie Simpson's TA Thought Leadership That Scales

Robbie Simpson's TA Thought Leadership That Scales

I stumbled onto Robbie Simpson's profile while chasing a totally different rabbit hole: creators with modest-ish audiences who still get outsized reactions.

And the numbers made me stop.

With 22,345 followers and a 64.00 Hero Score, Robbie is basically sitting in that sweet spot where the audience is big enough to matter, but still tight enough that trust and repetition can compound. Pretty impressive, right?

So I started paying attention to what his posts feel like. Not the vanity stuff. The mechanics. The leadership voice. The way he turns talent acquisition into a set of decisions leaders can actually act on.

Here's what stood out:

• Robbie writes like an operator, not a motivational poster - calm, direct, and slightly challenging
• He relies on a repeatable structure (hook - reframe - example - principle - question) that makes complex ideas feel simple
• Compared to Alex Lindahl and Jordan Crawford, Robbie is less "tool-first" and more "leader-first" - and that difference matters

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Robbie Simpson's Performance Metrics

Here's what's interesting: Robbie's raw follower count is similar to Alex Lindahl's and smaller than Jordan Crawford's, yet his Hero Score (64.00) edges them out. That usually signals one thing - the audience isn't just passively following, they're responding in a way LinkedIn rewards. And because Robbie posts about systems, leadership, and hiring reality, he gets the double win: relevance to practitioners and credibility with decision-makers.

Key Performance Indicators

Now, because we don't have engagement-rate or topic breakdown data, I can't pretend I know the exact post themes that spike. But we do have a very clear read on the writing patterns that show up consistently in his style. And when you combine that with posting cadence and Hero Score, you can still learn a lot.

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A Quick Side-by-Side: Robbie vs. Alex vs. Jordan

Before we get into what makes Robbie tick, I wanted a simple scoreboard view. Three creators. Similar-ish Hero Scores. Different niches.

What surprised me is how close the Hero Scores are.

So the difference isn't "who figured out LinkedIn." It's more like: three different ways to earn attention with roughly the same efficiency.

And Robbie's way is very specific.

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What Makes Robbie Simpson's Content Work

Robbie's writing reads like someone who's been in too many leadership meetings to tolerate fluffy advice.

He doesn't hype.
He diagnoses.
And then he asks you a question that makes you slightly uncomfortable.

That's the engine.

1. He Turns Talent Acquisition Into Leadership Decisions

So here's what he does that a lot of recruiting creators don't: he frames TA as an operating system, not a service desk.

Instead of "here are tips for recruiters," the implicit audience is often heads of function, founders, and senior operators. You can feel it in the way he talks about incentives, KPIs, and what leaders celebrate.

He'll take a popular belief (referrals, volume, speed, "best practice") and then poke it with one hard question that forces a re-think.

Key Insight: If your post can be summarized as "leaders, your incentives are producing this behavior," you're already playing a higher-level game.

This works because leaders don't share content that makes them feel good. They share content that makes them feel seen.

Strategy Breakdown:

2. He Uses "Reality Over Perfection" as a Repeated Theme

One of Robbie's signature moves is pushing against performative perfection. The vibe is: stop pretending everything is fine, measure the right thing, and tell the truth about tradeoffs.

And it isn't preachy. It's grounded. He often uses lines that feel like leadership maxims (the kind you'd jot down after a tough review meeting).

What's interesting is how this plays against LinkedIn's default: polished wins and clean narratives. Robbie's content invites a different emotion - relief.

Comparison with Industry Standards:

3. He Writes in a Scroll-Friendly "Meeting Notes" Rhythm

This is the part that sounds small, but it's not.

Robbie uses line breaks like a weapon.

He'll open with a short question.
Then a pause.
Then a clean pivot with "Because" or "But".

It reads like someone thinking out loud, but in a structured way. And that structure helps the reader keep going even when the topic is a little heavy (metrics, conversion, efficiency, internal processes).

Want a simple mental model? His posts often feel like:

• A thing you believe
• A reason it's incomplete
• A quick story
• A principle
• A question to the reader

The best part is it doesn't require long posts every time. The clarity does the work.

4. He Ends With Questions That Actually Earn Replies

A lot of creators tack on "Thoughts?" like it's a checkbox.

Robbie's questions are tighter.
They usually do one of these:

• Ask you to test your data ("does your internal data prove this?")
• Ask you to reflect on your behavior ("when did you last update yours?")
• Ask leaders to consider a new KPI ("should we track this?")

And the psychology is simple: if you ask a question that implies the reader has a blind spot, they'll want to defend their view or share their experience.

Now, here's where it gets interesting.

Alex and Jordan also use questions, but the "why" is different.

• Alex's questions often pull you toward a workflow or tool choice (AI + Clay, modern GTM)
• Jordan's questions often pull you toward a system design choice (GTM engineering patterns for SaaS)
• Robbie's questions pull you toward an accountability choice (what are you rewarding, and what is it causing?)

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Their Content Formula

Robbie's formula is repeatable, and that's why it scales.

He isn't relying on novelty.
He's relying on pattern recognition.

Content Structure Breakdown

The Hook Pattern

He often opens like he's mid-conversation with you, coffee in hand, eyebrow raised.

Template:

"Are we sure we're measuring the right thing?"

A few hook variations that match his style:

• "Honestly? This is concerning."

• "Could you map exactly what your team spends their time on?"

• "We celebrate this metric. But should we?"

Why it works: it's not clickbait. It's a real question operators ask when something feels off.

And when to use it: when you want the reader to pause and run a mental audit of their own team.

The Body Structure

He doesn't wander.
He progresses.

You can almost see the outline:

Body Structure Analysis:

The transitions are simple on purpose: "Because", "But", "So", "To be clear".

It feels like speech.
Which makes it easy to read.

The CTA Approach

Robbie's CTAs are not "comment for the link" energy.

They're closer to a leadership prompt.

The question usually lands after he's already made the reader nod along. So by the time he asks, it feels natural to answer.

Also, his best CTAs aren't binary. They create room for nuance, which is where LinkedIn comments get long (in a good way).

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What Robbie Does Differently Than Alex and Jordan

This part was fun to think through, because all three creators are "high signal".

But they're high signal in different directions.

Content Positioning Comparison

And here's my honest take: Robbie's advantage is that leadership content has a built-in audience that wants language for hard conversations.

If you give a VP a clean way to challenge a KPI, they will save that post.

Cadence and Timing (What We Can Infer)

We do have best posting times guidance: morning, late morning, midday.

And Robbie's cadence is 1.6 posts per week, which is enough to stay present without forcing filler.

Robbie's balance is nice: he posts enough to build familiarity, but not so much that he has to manufacture urgency.

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3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today

1. Write to the person who owns the decision - Pick one leader (Head of Sales, VP People, CTO) and write like you're advising them directly.

2. Use the hook - reframe - example - principle pattern - It keeps you honest and stops you from writing vague opinions.

3. End with a question that implies a real tradeoff - Not "agree?" but "what would you measure instead?" or "what behavior is this incentive creating?"

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Key Takeaways

1. Robbie's edge is trust - His voice feels like a senior operator, which attracts senior readers.
2. Hero Score parity means strategy matters - Alex and Jordan are nearly tied with Robbie on efficiency, but their niches pull different audiences.
3. Structure beats novelty - Robbie's repeatable post architecture is a big reason his ideas land consistently.

If you're building your own creator rhythm, steal the structure, keep your own voice, and ship one thoughtful post this week.

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Meet the Creators

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