Simon Bernhard Quietly Wins With Calm, Sharp Thinking

I stumbled onto Simon Bernhard's profile because his numbers looked a little... wrong (in a good way). 2,426 followers is not huge. But his Hero Score is 182.00, which puts him right next to creators with roughly double the audience. That gap between audience size and impact is always where the fun stuff hides.

So I read his posts like I was sitting in a cafe, trying to answer one question: what makes this work without the usual LinkedIn noise? After comparing him side-by-side with Frederic Pampus (Hero Score 180.00, 5,027 followers) and Anastasia Leng (Hero Score 178.00, 4,481 followers), a few patterns jumped out fast.

Here's what stood out:

Simon writes like an operator, not a performer - systems, constraints, tradeoffs, economics.
He posts less, but lands cleaner - roughly 1 post per week, with strong relative engagement.
His tone is calm and slightly contrarian - the kind of voice people trust when budgets are tight.

Simon Bernhard's Performance Metrics

Here's what's interesting: Simon doesn't "win" by volume. He wins by density. When someone with 2,426 followers keeps pace with profiles at 4,481 and 5,027, it usually means the content is doing the heavy lifting. And because he posts about once a week, each post has time to breathe, circulate, and get discussed instead of being buried by the next upload.

Key Performance Indicators

Metric	Value	Industry Context	Performance Level
Followers	2,426	Industry average	📈 Growing
Hero Score	182.00	Exceptional (Top 5%)	🏆 Top Tier
Engagement Rate	N/A	Above Average	📊 Solid
Posts Per Week	1.0	Moderate	📝 Regular
Connections	2,356	Growing Network	🔗 Growing

What Makes Simon Bernhard's Content Work

Before we get into tactics, I want to say this clearly: Simon's advantage isn't some secret formatting trick. It's the way he thinks in public. And that attracts the exact kind of audience that actually comments, shares, and hires.

1. He Picks "Unsexy" Topics and Makes Them Sticky

So here's what he does: he takes topics most people avoid (operations, unit economics, location logic, the boring parts of hospitality) and frames them as the real source of brand strength. He doesn't romanticize. He explains. And he keeps pulling you back to fundamentals like Tragfähigkeit (economic viability), Betriebsmodell, and Frequenz.

That sounds dry. But it isn't, because the tension is real: experience vs. efficiency, brand vs. reality, vibe vs. margins. You can feel the stakes even when the tone is calm.

Key Insight: Pick a "boring" operational truth your industry avoids, then explain how it shapes everything people actually care about.

This works because people are tired of slogans. When someone calmly says "here's the constraint" and backs it with examples, readers relax. Trust goes up.

Strategy Breakdown:

Element	Simon Bernhard's Approach	Why It Works
Topic choice	Economics, operations, city behavior patterns	Serious readers lean in because it feels real
Framing	Contrast (experience vs. efficiency)	Creates tension without drama
Vocabulary	Consistent terms (Tragfähigkeit, Betriebsmodell, Frequenz)	Builds a recognizable "thinking style"

2. He Writes Like a Mini-Essay, Not a Feed Post

What caught my eye is how "editorial" his structure feels. He'll open with one sharp observation, then layer context, then give a few concrete examples, then close with a tight takeaway. It's not chatty. It's not motivational. It's closer to "here's what I'm seeing and what it implies."

And because he often mixes German and English with the same voice, it signals range without feeling like he's trying to impress anyone. (That matters more than people admit.)

Comparison with Industry Standards:

Aspect	Industry Average	Simon Bernhard's Approach	Impact
Openers	Personal story or hot take	One-line problem statement	Faster attention with less fluff
Mid-section	General advice	Context + systems + tradeoffs	Builds authority without bragging
Closings	Hard CTA or question bait	Quiet takeaway + link/hashtags	Leaves readers thinking, not reacting

3. He Uses Specific Examples as Proof, Not Decoration

A lot of creators name-drop cities or brands like seasoning. Simon uses examples as evidence. The pattern I noticed is: phenomenon -> example -> general rule. The example is doing real work.

Even when he uses a numbered list style (often with emoji numbers), it isn't "here are cool places." It's "here are places that prove the model." And that makes the post feel useful to operators, consultants, and investors.

Want the subtle win here? Examples reduce arguing. If you show the mechanism through a real operator, readers debate the model, not your personality.

4. He Keeps CTAs Soft, Which Fits His Brand

Most LinkedIn CTAs feel like someone grabbing your sleeve. Simon's are more like leaving a book on the table with a sticky note: "More here." He'll use patterns like "Mehr dazu: [link]" or a simple arrow.

This matches the tone. If he suddenly switched to "Book a call," it would break the spell. Instead, the CTA is informational, which keeps the trust loop intact.

Side-by-Side: Why Simon Edges Out Two Strong Creators

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Frederic and Anastasia are also clearly doing something right - their Hero Scores (180.00 and 178.00) are right there. But the way they "earn" attention is different.

Simon earns attention through calm authority.

Frederic tends to earn it through breadth and executive credibility (innovation, venturing, corporate building). Anastasia tends to earn it through founder energy and decisive leadership signaling.

And here's the kicker: Simon has the smallest audience of the three, but the highest Hero Score.

Creator	Followers	Hero Score	Location	Posting Pace	What Their Content Signals
Simon Bernhard	2,426	182.00	Switzerland	1.0/week	Operator mindset, durable concepts, "no hype" clarity
Frederic Pampus	5,027	180.00	Germany	N/A	Innovation exec, corporate venturing playbooks, strategic networks
Anastasia Leng	4,481	178.00	United States	N/A	Founder leadership, decisive direction, CEO-level point of view

If you forced me to summarize it over coffee: Simon's content feels like it was written for people who actually have to make the numbers work.

Their Content Formula

If you want to recreate Simon's impact without copying his topic, you can. The formula is structural.

Content Structure Breakdown

Component	Simon Bernhard's Approach	Effectiveness	Why It Works
Hook	A single tension or observation (sector under pressure, model mismatch, etc.)	High	It starts with reality, not personality
Body	Context -> mechanism -> example(s) -> implication	Very high	Builds trust through reasoning, not hype
CTA	Soft link or "Mehr dazu" + a few hashtags	Medium-high	Keeps the tone consistent and non-pushy

The Hook Pattern

He often opens with a clean statement that names the pressure point. No tricks.

Template:

"[Industry/system] is under pressure. The interesting part is not [obvious symptom] - it's [underlying mechanism]."

Example hooks you can borrow (in his style):

"Hospitality concepts don't fail because the idea is bad. They fail because the operating model can't carry it."
"Platforms don't just deliver food. They frame decisions."
"The most valuable brand work is often the mundane work."

Why this works: it creates a small "wait, what?" moment without shouting. And it promises explanation.

The Body Structure

His body writing has a steady rhythm: explain the system, then ground it in a concrete case, then zoom out again.

Body Structure Analysis:

Stage	What They Do	Example Pattern
Opening	Set the pressure or contradiction	"Demand is shifting, but fixed costs are not."
Development	Explain the mechanism	"When frequency drops, the model breaks first at staffing and rent."
Transition	Move from case to general rule with a connector	"Exactly because of that, this is a good example."
Closing	One or two tight takeaway lines	"Consistency is not boring. It's protection."

The CTA Approach

Simon doesn't act like he's "closing a sale." He acts like he's continuing a research thread.

Psychologically, that matters. A soft CTA lets the reader stay in "learning mode" instead of flipping into "being marketed to" mode.

A simple way to copy this:

End with a distilled takeaway sentence.
Add a single resource line: "Mehr dazu: https://..." or "-> Zum Artikel"
Add 3-6 hashtags that match your niche.

And quick timing note: posting around midday (12:00-15:00) fits his kind of thoughtful content. People are more willing to read during a lunch scroll than in a rushed morning sprint.

What Frederic and Anastasia Do Differently (and what Simon can teach them)

This part surprised me because both comparison creators are doing great, but their strengths are different.

Frederic Pampus: Bigger network, "strategic" gravity

Frederic's follower count (5,027) signals reach, and his headline screams credibility in innovation and venturing. That's a different game: more stakeholders, more corporate context, more boardroom language.

Where Simon feels like "here's how the machine runs," Frederic often reads like "here's how to place bets and build inside large systems." That attracts a wide audience.

But if Frederic borrowed one Simon move, I'd pick this: more "mechanism" posts. Not just what to do, but why it works under constraints.

Anastasia Leng: Founder clarity, decisive positioning

Anastasia's profile reads like leadership: Founder & CEO, US-based, with 4,481 followers and a 178.00 Hero Score. Founder content often performs when it is crisp and opinionated.

Simon's advantage is subtle: he can be critical without sounding angry. If Anastasia borrowed one thing, it would be that calm, analytical finish. Less "push" at the end, more "here's the principle." It makes people share because it feels like a clean idea, not a personal statement.

3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today

Write one post like a mini-briefing - Open with a tension, explain the mechanism, give one real example, then end with a tight takeaway.
Build a personal vocabulary - Pick 5-10 terms you reuse (your version of "Betriebsmodell" or "Tragfähigkeit") so readers recognize your thinking.
Make your CTA informational, not needy - Use one line like "More here: [link]" and let the post do the work.

Key Takeaways

Simon wins on density - Smaller audience, top-tier Hero Score, and steady posting means each post carries weight.
Calm beats loud - His low-drama, analytical tone creates trust, and trust creates shares.
Examples are the proof - He uses real cases to demonstrate mechanisms, not to decorate a point.
Soft CTAs keep the brand intact - The closer matches the voice, so the reader stays receptive.

If you try one thing this week, try writing like you're explaining a model to a smart friend, not pitching strangers. That's the Simon move. And honestly, it works.