Getting banned 8+ Times Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Luke Matthews
Learn How Founders Build Their Brand, Content Strategy and Create Viral Moments.
*This is Luke's total engagement numbers from his 5-year journey (through October 2, 2024)
Introduction
Can you imagine moving to a country where you don’t speak the language (and don’t know any other humans)?
To only focus on growing your personal brand.
Luke Matthews calls that ‘Monk Mode’ and he’s been banned 10 times from LinkedIn but has grown his LinkedIn following to over 175,000 followers since his first post on August 4, 2019.
And since moving to Paraguay over a year ago—he’s thrived in building his personal brand.
He talks about it in much more detail in a recent YouTube video he published titled 1 year later (an honest review of monk mode)
Luke posts less on LinkedIn these days because he’s been censored (and banned 10 times) so he’s started activating X/Twitter and YouTube. He’s putting more effort on platforms that are not prone to auto-bans (like LinkedIn). And since Elon is letting X fly free and YouTube doesn’t have a feedback loop that can get you banned (as easily)—this is where he’s spending his time.
He spends his time these days building out his course called AI Writing Made Easy and building his newsletter business Write with AI but Don’t Lose Your Soul.
Full disclosure: I signed up for his course when he launched it back in May 2024 (and it’s awesome). No—he didn’t tell me to say that and I’m not an affiliate. Just go buy it if you want to use AI to write better words for the interwebs.
Let’s get into how he’s captured the right attention and turned it into revenue. Let’s get into how you can replicate this into your success.
How Luke Makes Money
Before we dive into how Luke captured the right attention, I think understanding how Luke makes money from his creator brand will help you understand why he’s done the things he has in his way.
Here’s my best guess at how much he’s made from his personal brand.
Here’s how Luke describes it (his 7/18/2023 post)
Ghostwriting
It’s hard to tell if Luke is still offering this service or not but his post on May 16, 2022 about it received 191 likes and 141 comments.
Here’s the hook:
Want to start building your personal brand on LinkedIn?
Too busy running your business to do so?
Now, think about this:
He started posting in 2019, and this is the first post (I could find) that is talking about services or anything for him to make money, but on July 18, 2023, he posted the above.
He used to leverage the ‘Services’ section of LinkedIn for ghostwriting services but looks like he’s no longer offering that as a service.
In all of his posts, he’s mentioned the word ‘ghostwriting’ 82 times out of the 1402 posts he’s ever hit post (on LinkedIn)—5% of his total posts.
What does this mean?
Well, I’m going to assume that he’s had ~50 clients over the last few years at $2,000 each. This is a complete and total guess but that would put him at ~$100,000 of revenue on ghostwriting since 2020. This is probably low but a good guess based on what I could find.
Now let’s talk about this course he’s launched.
Course: AI Writing made EASY
Which brings us to his AI Writing made EASY course.
My best guess is that Luke has made ~$138,950 from this.
Why do I say this?
Simple math—if you look at his website and he’s saying 350+ students at $397 that would be simple math.
How did it all start?
In September 2023, he launched "the newsletter with no name" to serve a dual purpose - further establishing his authority as a thought leader and as a marketing tool for his services.
Luke's monetization strategy took a leap in May 2024 with the launch of his "AI Writing Made Easy" course - a summation of years of experience, both from his own content journey and ghostwriting work.
Luke didn't stop there. He expanded his catalog with a shorter email course, "AI Writing Made Really Easy", for those seeking a more condensed learning experience.
One key element of Luke's offering success lies in his pre-launch strategy.
He typically spends several weeks building anticipation for new offerings, engaging his audience through LinkedIn posts that tease the benefits of his new courses or newsletters.
This engagement often includes sharing personal stories related to the content, providing sneak peeks of course material, and encouraging followers to join waitlists for exclusive access.
A classical example of that is the post he shared on May 14, 2024 (958 likes, 1224 comments) with the hook:
"I spent 1k hours writing 1000s of paid LinkedIn posts.
But thanks to AI u can learn in 6.9 minutes..."
The Platform Jumps
Because he’d been banned 8 times on LinkedIn, Luke finally made the jump to other platforms. Most creators aren’t doing this because they’ve gotten banned but the idea is the same.
Not wanting to put all your attention eggs in one basket and diversifying is a smart thing to do.
So, when did Luke make his leaps to the next platform and how did it go?
This is where he started on the platforms. This section will be much more detailed in future editions.
I didn't have the time to really get into it this round but will for you next week..
Stay tuned for more (and I'll come back to this for you when I'm able to populate the additional data points).
The Attention Timeline
Remember when Luke had 2 likes on his first post on LinkedIn? Well, now he’s seeing several 100s to 1000s of reactions on each post (just on LinkedIn).
It takes time to build the audience, and it may take getting banned a few times for being a bit spicy, but you’ll see in the chart below that it can build over time into something very meaningful.
Here’s a look at the full attention timeline to give you the big picture of how he started grabbing the right attention.
Here’s how the journey went down on LinkedIn
Luke Matthews' LinkedIn journey began like many others - sharing personal experiences, career updates, and occasional insights.
His early posts, like "Just moved from Canada" and "Excited to announce my new role", just got a few polite likes from friends and colleagues.
He was sharing, but not truly connecting. His posts, while authentic, failed to address specific needs or solve problems for his audience.
One missing element was a compelling hook - a reason for people to pause their scrolling and engage with his content.
As 2022 rolled around, a shift began to take place in his approach. He started paying closer attention to his audience.
He realized that his personal journey posts, while great for life updates, weren't resonating beyond his immediate network. This insight led to a pivotal moment in his content strategy.
Luke's content strategy continued to evolve. He began experimenting with different formats and hooks, always with an eye on what would resonate most with his audience.
On August 31, 2022, Luke shared a post about balancing a full-time career while traveling the UK in a campervan.
This wasn't just another personal update; it touched on a broader theme that resonated with his audience - the pursuit of professional success while living life on his own terms.
The post exploded, hitting 3,739 likes and over 800 comments. People began sharing their own stories about work-life balance.
This success was a lightbulb moment for Luke. He realized that his audience didn't just want to hear about his life; they wanted to see their own struggles and aspirations reflected in his story.
With this newfound understanding, Luke honed his approach, crafting posts that spoke directly to his audience's pain points and desires.
By autumn, Luke's posts were consistently gaining significant engagement. On September 4, 2022, he shared a post about being “alcohol-free for 7 days”, which got 1,040 reactions, 405 comments, and 14 reposts.
This marked a significant turning point in his content strategy, demonstrating the power of vulnerability and personal growth stories.
Luke's hooks became more attention-grabbing, and his CTAs more interactive.
On October 9, 2022, he shared a provocative post stating, "LinkedIn Marketing is a game. You will quit this game if you take it too seriously..."
This post, receiving 666 likes and 313 comments, displayed his knack for delivering hard truths about social media marketing in a relatable way.
Then came the post that really changed everything for Luke. He shared his most engaging post on August 14, 2023 - "I hired a Gen-Z candidate with 'zero experience'..."
This wasn't just a story; it was a conversation starter. Luke had tapped into a real issue that resonated with both managers and young professionals - the generational divide in hiring.
This post exploded, having nearly 6k reactions and over 2k comments. Finally, Luke mastered the act of finding an open nerve and pinching it.
Luke's strategy evolved to focus on understanding his audience's specific problems and offering solutions or perspectives they couldn't ignore.
By the end of 2022, Luke had solidified his position as a thought leader in social media marketing.
Luke mastered the art of balancing personal vulnerability with professional insights. His posts became a mirror for his audience's own journeys.
By the time he started to build out his "the newsletter with no name" newsletter in September 2013 and "AI Writing Made Easy" course in early 2024, he had cultivated a highly engaged audience eager to learn from him.
So, what can we learn from all this?
Well, I’m glad you asked—let’s talk about what specifically attracted the audience to him that were unique.
The Attention Attractors of Luke Matthews
Controversy and Bans
Luke has turned his LinkedIn bans into a powerful attention-grabbing tool. He's been banned 10 times, using each instance to create buzz and rally support from his audience.
For example, after his 8th ban, he posted:
LinkedIn banned me for the 8th time. I'm down 137k followers (but I'm back)
This approach generates sympathy and curiosity, driving engagement and fostering a sense of community among his followers.
Leveraging other creators (his network)
Luke frequently collaborates with and mentions other popular LinkedIn creators, particularly Lara Acosta and Jasmin Alic. This helps him tap into their audiences and further grow his community.
He often includes them in his posts. For instance, he mentioned in a post he shared on December 31, 2023:
"Hanging out with these two has made me better. Not sure I'd be on the platform without em."
By aligning himself with these influencers, Luke expands his reach and reinforces his position in the LinkedIn creator community.
LinkedIn Live Sessions
Luke has embraced LinkedIn Live as a powerful tool for engagement. He's even attempted to set records, like a 24-hour LinkedIn Live session.
These events create buzz and provide extended periods of interaction with his audience. He promotes these sessions enthusiastically, like he mentioned on October 21, 2020:
"On Saturday Jonathan Palmar & I are attempting to set a world record for the most hours on LinkedIn Live in a row at 24 hours! "
He’s channel MrBeast’s 24 Hour Explosion Giveaway! Win Giftcards video (where he gave away gift cards through a 24 hour stream)
Challenging his audience
Luke isn't afraid to be bold and challenge his audience. He often posts provocative content that sparks debate and encourages engagement. See what he said on April 6, 2023:
"I challenge you to out-comment Lara - I challenge you to out-give Jasmin - I challenge you to out-funny me"
This approach increases engagement and also positions him as a confident, authoritative figure in the LinkedIn space.
He also opened his post with the phrase “LinkedIn Tip” 30+ times.
How to copy/paste Luke’s success
Luke Matthews' journey from a LinkedIn novice to a content creation powerhouse is a proof of the power of persistence, adaptation, and strategic thinking.
His growth demonstrates the importance of understanding your audience, optimizing your writing, diversifying your platforms, and building your self-owned channels.
Focus on one social platform to start (but quickly add the second)
Luke has done a great job at this (until he got banned for the 10th time—on LinkedIn).
Focus is a hard thing to do. I get distracted by thinking I’m going to go all in on all the platforms at one time. The reality is—each platform is unique and has it’s own sets of challenges for growth.
By focusing your energy on one platform and then expanding after you’ve started to see success is the way to go.
That’s exactly what Luke did.
Granted, he may never have expanding beyond LinkedIn if it wasn’t for the bans but it’s a good lesson to all of us.
Focus on one thing, do it well and then expand (before you get banned).
We’re all living on rented space so remember that.
Which brings us to ….
Own your audience, not just your content.
Luke's transition to email newsletters and courses demonstrates the importance of building owned platform0s.
Don't rely solely on social media algorithms; create direct channels to your audience that you control.
By building your own audience and having a channel off of the social media platforms, you’ll be able to ask for help from those that are following you (and want to help you).
Offer your audience something to buy (sooner than you think)
It might seem obvious but most creators wait too long to do this.
As long as you’re capturing the right attention and are solving a problem they have—you’re going to find people that want to buy from you.
By having a unique point of view in how you solve the problem, you’ll find that even with a list of 100 people, you can find success with this.
Whether that’s coaching or consulting 1:1 or finding a group of people that want your help with what you’re helping them solve—design it and see what happens.
Luke did this with his course and now has over 350 people signed up in it.
Just remember, it’s about capturing the right attention so go out there and define the right attention for YOU and your audience.
Until next week,
Keep growing!
Learn How Founders Build Their Brand, Content Strategy and Create Viral Moments
Each week, I breakdown a founder brand, their journey and how you can weave their strategies into yours.
About the author
I'm ANDREW MCGUIRE
Creator Attention Guy
From burnt out exec (3 exits & 15 years experience) to capturing the right attention with my creator client magnets.
Living in Bend, Oregon and taking advantage of all the outdoor adventures.
If you can't find me, I'm probably lifting some weights in the gym, sweating in a sauna or freezing in a cold plunge.
Now I'm on a mission to help you understand how top creators have captured the right attention into revenue so you can weave it into your growth strategy.
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