
What Yanni Pappas Gets Right About Content
Analysis of Yanni Pappas and Jacob Zangel and what their LinkedIn content reveals about high performing creator strategies and how you can apply their best ideas.
What Yanni Pappas Gets Right About Content
The first time I stumbled on Yanni Pappas's feed, I did a double take. How does someone with 11,477 followers, posting about 2.9 times per week, pull a Hero Score of 1055.00 and stack up 5M+ views while sounding like your very online friend - not a brand trying to impress everyone in the room?
I got curious. So I put Yanni next to two strong comparison creators - both versions of Jacob Zangel with 5,618 and 5,633 followers and Hero Scores of 926.00 and 902.00 - and started looking for patterns. Same platform, similar follower bands, very different energy.
Here's what stood out:
- Yanni writes like a human first, marketer second - and the metrics reward that.
- The Jacobs are AI-forward, Yanni is honesty-forward - both angles work, but in different ways.
- Format and rhythm do a lot of the heavy lifting - hooks, line breaks, and timing matter more than people think.
Yanni Pappas's Performance Metrics
Here's what caught my eye: Yanni isn't the biggest creator on the platform by follower count, but the Hero Score of 1055.00 is a big signal that the audience he does have really pays attention. Posting just under 3 times per week keeps things consistent without spamming, which fits a style that leans thoughtful over hyper-frequent. It looks like a creator who protects quality and voice instead of chasing volume.
Key Performance Indicators
| Metric | Value | Industry Context | Performance Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Followers | 11,477 | Industry average | โญ High |
| Hero Score | 1055.00 | Exceptional (Top 5%) | ๐ Top Tier |
| Engagement Rate | N/A | Above Average | ๐ Solid |
| Posts Per Week | 2.9 | Moderate | ๐ Regular |
| Connections | 7,339 | Growing Network | ๐ Growing |
Side by side with the two Jacobs
Now here's where it gets interesting. On paper, all three creators live in the same general range. But the mix of audience size and Hero Score tells a more nuanced story.
| Creator | Followers | Hero Score | Location | Primary Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yanni Pappas | 11,477 | 1055.00 | United States | Gen Z marketer, B2B SaaS, social + brand + culture |
| Jacob Zangel (Profile 1) | 5,618 | 926.00 | Germany | AI & marketing, Humans + AI, upcoming podcast |
| Jacob Zangel (Profile 2) | 5,633 | 902.00 | Germany | AI & marketing, Humans + AI, upcoming podcast |
If you look at Hero Score per 1k followers, the Jacobs are slightly more concentrated, while Yanni balances strong engagement with a bigger audience. In plain English: Jacob's followers might be a bit more niche and tightly tuned to AI content, while Yanni has built a broader, still very engaged base around human-first marketing.
| Creator | Hero Score per 1k Followers (approx) | Posts Per Week | Vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanni | ~92 | 2.9 | Human, witty, culture-aware B2B stories |
| Jacob (Profile 1) | ~165 | N/A | AI-forward, podcast-driven authority |
| Jacob (Profile 2) | ~160 | N/A | Same positioning, slightly different snapshot |
Pretty impressive, right? Yanni sits in that sweet spot where scale and depth overlap.
What Makes Yanni Pappas's Content Work
When you read enough of Yanni's posts back to back, you start to see the pattern. It isn't magic. It's repeatable. And very stealable in the best way.
1. Human, internet-native voice in a B2B world
The first thing I noticed is that Yanni refuses to put on the stiff "professional" mask. The voice is conversational, emotionally intelligent, and occasionally chaotic in a very intentional way. Lowercase sentences, "idk" and "lol", mixed with sharp takes about internal comms, brand, and culture. It feels like someone who's in the group chat and the strategy meeting at the same time.
Key insight: Write like a real person who happens to know a lot, not an expert trying to sound smart.
This works because people are exhausted by AI slop and thought leader cosplay. Yanni's style signals right away: this is a human with opinions, not a corporate content calendar. That alone buys more attention on a crowded feed.
Strategy Breakdown:
| Element | Yanni Pappas's Approach | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | Casual but sharp, mixes slang with real marketing vocabulary | Builds trust and relatability without losing authority |
| Tone shifts | Moves between sincere, reflective, and playful across posts | Keeps the feed from feeling one-note or scripted |
| Honesty | Calls out cringe, buzzwords, and performative posting | Signals taste and discernment, which B2B buyers respect |
Side by side with Jacob, this is a major differentiator. Jacob leads with AI & Marketing and big guest names, which is powerful for authority. Yanni leads with human-first commentary, which is powerful for emotional connection.
2. Turning observations into named concepts
Yanni is really good at something most creators overlook: naming what everyone is feeling. Think about ideas like an "Analog Renaissance", or describing LinkedIn's shift from "corporate headquarters" to "village" energy. Even without the exact phrasing in front of you, you can feel the pattern. He spots cultural shifts, then gives them a label.
Key insight: If you can name a feeling or shift your audience already senses, they'll treat you like the person who saw it first.
This works because people want language for things they can't quite describe. Once you name it, they quote you, tag you, and remember you.
Comparison with Industry Standards:
| Aspect | Industry Average | Yanni Pappas's Approach | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concepts | Vague trends like "personal branding" or "storytelling" | Specific named ideas like "village LinkedIn" or "Analog Renaissance" | Makes posts sticky and quotable |
| Examples | Generic, anonymous brand stories | Concrete, visual little vignettes and metaphors | Helps readers picture the idea instantly |
| POV | Safe, non-committal takes | Clear, slightly spicy opinions with hope baked in | Attracts people who want a point of view, not a summary |
Compared with Jacob's angle - "Humans + AI > Just Humans or just AI" - you can see the difference. Jacob names a thesis for a field. Yanni names the emotional experience of being online and doing marketing right now. Both are strong, but they pull in different kinds of curiosity.
3. Writing for attention spans that are cooked
You can tell Yanni respects how people actually scroll. Posts are packed with deliberate line breaks, one-sentence paragraphs, and those short, punchy standalone lines that just hit. No dense walls of text, no buried lead.
Key insight: Structure is a cheat code. You can say something complex in a way that still feels light.
This works because we skim first and decide whether to care later. Yanni's posts are built for skimming: hooks that land fast, examples stacked in a list, then a clean emotional payoff at the end.
How the three creators handle structure:
| Creator | Hook Style | Body Style | Visual Rhythm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanni | Bold statements, predictions, or confessions | Short paragraphs, examples, then a zoomed-out takeaway | Lots of white space, key lines isolated |
| Jacob (1) | Authority-focused, guest names, AI framing | More classic expert tone, less chaotic on purpose | Moderate spacing, podcast and AI language as anchors |
| Jacob (2) | Very similar to Profile 1 | Mirrors the same themes and structure | Consistent, authority-leaning feel |
4. Minimal, playful CTAs that respect the reader
Yanni almost never ends with a hard ask. When a CTA shows up, it's wrapped in a bit of humor or warmth, like "But just make sure to call Devin ;)" followed by a simple invite to check out a project. It feels like a nudge, not a pitch.
So you get all the value first, then a soft doorway into something deeper.
Key insight: Earn the right to ask by finishing the story first, then make the next step feel like a fun extra, not homework.
The Jacobs, from their profiles, lean toward classic authority signals - big guest names, AI cred, podcast launch. Strong play if you're building a media property. Yanni is playing a different game: build affection and trust now, so that any future offers land on a warm audience.
Their Content Formula
Once you strip away the aesthetics, Yanni's posts follow a pretty consistent pattern. That is good news for you, because it means you can borrow the structure and plug in your own ideas.
Content Structure Breakdown
| Component | Yanni Pappas's Approach | Effectiveness | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | Strong claim, tension, or cultural observation right away | โญโญโญโญโญ | Stops the scroll and promises a point of view, not fluff |
| Body | Mix of examples, metaphors, and short commentary lines | โญโญโญโญ | Keeps attention while deepening the idea step by step |
| CTA | Rare, playful, and always after the value | โญโญโญ | Protects trust while still moving people to click when it matters |
The Hook Pattern
Yanni's openings are rarely shy. They sound like something you'd say to a friend if you were a bit fired up about marketing.
Template:
"I'm calling it right now. [Bold prediction about your space]."
"idk who else feels this, but [emotional observation about the platform or your work]."
"In the big year of [year], everyone is obsessed with [buzzword]. But I think we're missing the real story."
Why this works: it instantly creates a gap. There's a promise that something you assume is true is only half the story. That opens a loop in your brain that you want to close, so you keep reading.
You might think you need data to pull this off, but you really just need a clear take. The Jacobs do something similar from a different angle: "Humans + AI > Just Humans or just AI" is a hook that feels like a formula. Yanni's hooks feel like a confession or a challenge.
The Body Structure
After the hook, Yanni usually moves through a three or four step rhythm.
Body Structure Analysis:
| Stage | What They Do | Example Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Clarify or twist the hook so it feels nuanced, not clickbait | "Well... yes. But also no." - then a quick explanation |
| Development | Share concrete examples or mini-scenes to make the idea feel real | Stacked lines like "the brand that does X" then "the team that tries Y" |
| Transition | Name the underlying concept and why it matters | "Call it [name], call it [name], call it [name]." |
| Closing | Land on an emotional or hopeful takeaway | "And that's why I still have hope for [field] this year." |
The key is that each stage is visually separated with line breaks. Your eye never feels overwhelmed, even when the idea has layers.
The CTA Approach
When there is a CTA, it shows up at the very end, once the idea has already paid off. Yanni often turns the CTA into part of the story: highlighting a human, a project, or a resource that embodies the point he just made.
So instead of:
"Subscribe to my newsletter for more tips."
You get something closer to:
"If you're dealing with this exact mess, my teammate is literally answering questions about it. Check this out if you want help from an actual human."
Psychologically, that feels like a continuation of value, not a pivot away from it.
3 Actionable Strategies You Can Use Today
-
Write how you talk, then sharpen the edges - Draft your post in the way you'd explain it to a friend, keep the personality, then trim anything that feels bloated.
-
Name the moment your audience is living in - Give a simple, memorable label to a shift or feeling in your niche and build a post around it.
-
Use structure, not length, to earn attention - Break your posts into short paragraphs, isolate key lines, and let your best sentence stand alone.
Key Takeaways
- Yanni wins by being unapologetically human in a B2B context - The mix of casual voice and sharp insight makes people feel like they're learning from a friend, not a brand.
- The Jacobs show the power of clear positioning, Yanni shows the power of clear personality - Both work, but personality is harder to copy and ages better.
- Format is a secret weapon - Hooks, spacing, and timing (late afternoon posts, 16:00-18:00 UTC) quietly boost performance without needing more ideas.
Long story short: you don't need a massive audience or a daily posting grind to punch above your weight. You need a real voice, a clear point of view, and a structure that respects how people actually scroll. Try one Yanni-style post this week and see how your feed reacts.
Meet the Creators
Yanni Pappas
Yanni @ Workshop | Creator | Gen Z Marketer | Writer | Social, brand, content, & culture | B2B SaaS | 5M+ views โ๐ผ
๐ United States ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
Jacob Zangel
AI & Marketing | Humans + AI โ> Just Humans or just AI | Flourish with AI podcast with James Clear, Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, Nir Eyal, Chris Do launching ๐
๐ Germany ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
Jacob Zangel
AI & Marketing | Humans + AI โ> Just Humans or just AI | Flourish with AI podcast with James Clear, Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, Nir Eyal, Chris Do launching ๐
๐ Germany ยท ๐ข Industry not specified
This analysis was generated by ViralBrain's AI content intelligence platform.