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Author paid 100+ B2B LinkedIn creators over a three-month period and claims they…

2026-08-07 · 08:53 UTC ·@romanbuildsaas ·1 min read

Brief

Author @romanbuildsaas says paying 100+ B2B LinkedIn creators over three months produced $1M+ in ARR but results varied—some 15x ROI, others zero clicks. He lists 10 red flags (inactive accounts, fake-looking reposts, AI comments, pods, refusal to share view stats) and prescribes operational rules: validate with one post, avoid upfront/mass contracts, enforce guidelines and public comment replies for lead magnets.

Why it matters

Author paid 100+ B2B LinkedIn creators over a three-month period and claims they generated $1M+ in ARR; some creators delivered ~15x ROI while others produced literally 0 clicks.

Key details

  • Author lists 10 red flags to avoid wasting spend, including: creators inactive >1 month, suspicious repost patterns (e.g., 100 likes/100 comments/25 reposts per post), mostly AI-generated comments, identical commenters (engagement pods), and refusal to share prior post view metrics.
  • Operational rules recommended: start with a single paid post before scaling, refuse large contracts for small fees (e.g., 15-page contract for a $200 post), don't prepay for multiple posts with no history, require creators to follow your guidelines, and for lead magnets insist they publicly reply to each comment rather than sending resources via DMs.
Source evidence

I paid 100+ B2B LinkedIn creators over the last 3 months.

They generated $1M+ in ARR for us.

Some delivered a 15x ROI.

Others generated literally 0 clicks.

After working with 100+ creators, here are the 10 red flags I look for to avoid wasting money:

  1. They haven’t posted in over a month.

You have no idea if they still have reach. Never pay based on old performance.

  1. Their repost numbers look suspicious.

100 likes, 100 comments, and 25 reposts on every post? There’s a good chance they’re using bots or artificial engagement.

  1. Their comments are almost entirely AI-generated.

Generic, repetitive AI comments everywhere = major red flag.

  1. The exact same people comment on every post.

They’re probably using an engagement pod. Their numbers may look great, but that doesn’t mean they have a real audience.

  1. They refuse to share views from previous posts.

Huge red flag. If you’re paying for distribution, you should know what kind of distribution they actually get.

  1. They publish a sponsored post every single day.

Their audience is already exhausted. Don’t expect them to suddenly convert for you.

  1. They want a 15-page contract for a $200 LinkedIn post.

Not worth the time.

  1. They want upfront payment for multiple posts when you’ve never worked together.

Start with one post. Validate performance. Then scale.

  1. They refuse to follow your guidelines.

They want to change the image, rewrite the entire post, or completely change the angle.

Creative input is good. Ignoring what you know converts isn’t.

  1. You’re running a lead magnet, but they only want to send the resource privately via DMs.

Red flag.

There’s a very good chance they won’t follow up properly with every comment.

Instead, ask them to reply directly to each comment with the resource.

Follower count means almost nothing.

Real reach + real engagement + execution = what actually drives ROI.