Content That Converts: How Advisors Turn Attention Into Clients

Watch "Content That Converts: How Advisors Turn Attention Into Clients" on YouTube

Podcast feature on Beyond Referrals with Emily Armstrong, recorded 2026-07-18.

Patrick Di Cesare joins Emily Armstrong on Beyond Referrals to break down how growth-focused RIAs turn content into booked calls, why AI has commoditized educational posts, and the LinkedIn outreach process behind BFL Advisor Marketing's client wins.

TL;DR: The 3 Biggest Takeaways

• Posting content is not a marketing system. Pair every piece with a specific next step (lead magnet, DM, or booked call) and a multi-touch follow up.
• AI has commoditized generic education. Advisors win by leading with the specific problems their niche is losing sleep over and by sharing contrarian, first-hand points of view.
• Pick one platform where your ideal clients actually spend time, get very good at it, then combine content with proactive outreach (LinkedIn + Sales Navigator is the current highest-ROI stack).

Questions Answered in This Episode

Why is posting educational content on LinkedIn not producing clients for financial advisors?

Educational content only earns attention. Without a clear next step and a follow-up sequence, prospects rarely self-book a call. Content has to be paired with a lead magnet, DM outreach, or email nurture that keeps you in front of them for weeks.

How has AI changed content marketing for financial advisors?

AI raised the floor so almost every advisor now publishes acceptable, look-alike posts. The advisors who stand out share client-specific problems, contrarian opinions, and stories AI cannot replicate.

How important is a niche for an advisor's content strategy?

A defined niche makes every piece of content easier to write and more likely to convert. It lets you name the exact problem a prospect is dealing with, which is far more compelling than generic retirement or tax tips.

What is the best LinkedIn outreach process for financial advisors?

Message qualified prospects with a problem-first opener, then follow up roughly four times over six weeks. Most replies come on the third or fourth touch, not the first, because busy prospects need repeated reminders.

Full Transcript

Host: Welcome to Beyond Referrals, the podcast exploring how trust, growth, and client relationships in financial services are evolving in the digital and AI age. I'm your host, Emily Armstrong. Let's get into it.

Hello, and welcome back to Beyond Referrals. I'm always thrilled that you're here and hitting play on another episode.

If you're an advisor creating content to grow your business, this is going to be a note-taking episode. I learned so much from my friend Patrick Di Cesare. He's a former firefighter, which I didn't know before this conversation, who created a viral personal finance brand during COVID.

His work caught the attention of companies such as NerdWallet, QuickBooks, ADP, Intuit, and others. He eventually left firefighting and now runs BFL Advisor Marketing, so he's speaking from real experience.

This conversation felt like a master class in content marketing for advisors. Simply putting content online doesn't create clients. How do you make sure the time and energy you put into content lead to pipeline, booked calls, and new clients? We get tactical about how to set that up.

We also talk about advisors working inside walled-off ecosystems without access to an email list, YouTube channel, or podcast. How can they create content that converts?

Finally, we discuss why educational content alone is no longer enough now that AI has commoditized much of it. Compelling content comes from your perspective, authority, point of view, and contrarian opinions.

I learned a lot from Patrick in this episode, and I think you will too. Give him a follow on LinkedIn. He shares some sharp ideas about advisor marketing.

Without further ado, here is my conversation with my new friend, Patrick Di Cesare.

Host: I'm so happy to have you here. Today's guest is someone I met through overlapping circles of advisor marketing experts. When I heard what he'd built and started following what he was teaching, I knew I wanted him on Beyond Referrals.

Patrick Di Cesare is the founder of BFL Advisor Marketing and the creator of Basic Financial Literacy, one of the largest personal finance brands on social media. He has more than 600,000 followers, hundreds of millions of impressions, and a track record of driving real attention for some of the biggest names in finance, including NerdWallet, QuickBooks, ADP, and Intuit.

Those brands didn't come to Patrick for a simple logo placement. They came because he had built something rare: an audience that trusted him and a system that turned that trust into results.

Along the way, he built courses, coaching programs, and an email list of more than 20,000 subscribers. I'm going to need some lessons on that, Patrick.

Financial advisors eventually started asking him how he had done it. Enough reached out that he couldn't ignore the demand, so he created BFL Advisor Marketing.

Today, he works with established advisory firms to build the pieces behind their growth: messaging, content, website copy, lead magnets, email sequences, and the conversion strategy that makes every touchpoint work.

This episode is all about content that converts, and we're hearing from the expert himself. Patrick, thank you so much for being here.

Patrick: Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to get into it.

Host: Me too. I want to hear how you went from running Basic Financial Literacy as a personal finance brand to building BFL Advisor Marketing.

Patrick: I started posting personal finance content at the beginning of COVID in 2020, when everybody was stuck at home and looking for something to do.

I was still a firefighter at the time, but I had always been interested in personal finance. I was the guy drawing compound interest graphs on the whiteboard at the station and teaching the other guys about index funds.

I saw people starting to post financial content online, and there weren't many doing it then. I began with written content. Instagram Reels weren't even available yet, and TikTok was still very new.

My following took off from posting basic financial education, such as how to invest in an index fund and what a Roth IRA is. I built a large audience and the 20,000-subscriber email list you mentioned, mostly by giving away budget templates, personal finance trackers, and other free resources.

After a while, I realized financial advisors were following me. They started reaching out and saying, "I see what you're doing, and I'm trying to do something similar. Can you help me?"

I helped a few of them for free at first. I wanted to see if I could make the process work for someone else, and I asked for testimonials in return. That's how BFL Advisor Marketing was born.

Host: That's an amazing story. I didn't know you had been a firefighter.

You built this audience, created trust, and found success. Now you're helping advisors do the same. Looking back, what do you attribute that trust and growth to? Was it authenticity, education, consistency, or a mix of all three?

I would say it caught fire, no pun intended.

Patrick: I'd say it was a mix of all three. I didn't set out to become an influencer. It was a creative outlet, and then it started taking off.

I began getting brand deals, coaching clients, and course sales. By 2022, the business had become large enough that, combined with injuries and the physical demands of firefighting, I thought, "I've done this for eight years. Maybe I should make this my full-time work."

Authenticity was probably the biggest factor. I wasn't speaking in technical financial language. I spoke in a way regular people could understand.

Consistency mattered too. I tried to connect with what people were experiencing because many people knew very little about personal finance. They may have read a book or listened to a podcast, but online financial content was still relatively new, and I didn't have much competition.

If you asked me to build an audience that large again, I don't know that I could. Everything is far more saturated now.

That doesn't mean advisors can't reach people online. You don't need to go viral or get a million views. You need to reach the right person, have your message resonate, and show that person how you can help.

That's what advisors should focus on. What problems are people dealing with? Maybe they're tech executives with RSUs. Maybe they're retirees who are afraid of running out of money. Create content about the problems those people actually face.

That's the basic version, although I know we'll get much deeper into it.

Host: That's fantastic. Nate Hoskin is a mutual friend of ours. You were on his podcast, I was on his podcast, and he was on mine a month or two ago.

What you're describing reminds me of what he teaches about video. It's about the person you're serving. You didn't start by saying, "I want to blow up and become a personal finance expert." You wanted to post things that genuinely helped and taught people. The traction followed.

At the time, did you have a strategy to speak to one specific person, or were you riding the wave and seeing what the brand became?

Patrick: I was mostly riding the wave. I watched what resonated and doubled down on it.

I didn't build it with an end goal in mind. Brands such as NerdWallet and ADP started reaching out about campaigns, which was amazing.

But I also realized that putting content online by itself doesn't turn people into customers.

A major mistake advisors make is assuming they can post on LinkedIn or upload a YouTube video and people will immediately reach out to work with them. That may happen occasionally, but you're relying on the prospect to do your job for you.

Content is the first step because it gets attention. The second step is staying in front of that person over time. You might capture their email address through a free resource, or you might continue messaging them on LinkedIn.

Without that follow-up, you're asking somebody to stop what they're doing, find your calendar link, and book a call immediately after seeing one piece of content. Most people won't do that.

Money is personal, and asking for financial help can feel intimidating. I once saw a statistic saying 47% of people would rather go to the dentist and have their teeth scraped with sharp metal instruments than talk to a financial advisor about money.

That blew my mind because I hate going to the dentist.

Host: You still have to go.

Patrick: You do. But nearly half of people would rather do that than discuss their finances with an advisor. That statistic stayed with me.

Host: It does make sense. Taking that first action is difficult for a prospect. A lot has to happen between first hearing about you, through a referral or online, and actually getting on your calendar.

I'm strange because I enjoy going to the dentist. As a mom with two small kids, I get to lie down without being disturbed.

Let's get tactical. There's a gap between someone first hearing about you and converting into a call. That exposure may come online or through a referral, but the goal is usually the same: a call on your calendar.

Walk us through that process. What does the advisor need to do, and what systems help make that conversion happen?

Patrick: It depends on the platform. One problem I see is what I call platform mismatch.

An advisor might post on Facebook while trying to reach tech or biopharmaceutical executives. Another might post on LinkedIn while trying to reach retirees. Many retirees aren't active on LinkedIn because they're no longer working.

First, figure out who you're trying to reach and where those people spend their time. You don't need to be on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and every other platform. Pick the platform that fits your clients and get good at it.

Then create content about the problems you solve. Are you helping retirees who are afraid of running out of money or concerned about IRMAA and RMDs? Are you helping tech executives with RSUs and too much of their net worth concentrated in one company's stock?

Talk about those problems.

Once you have someone's attention, give them a next step. That could be booking a call, joining your email list, or downloading a free resource. If you post and simply hope people reach out, you may be waiting a long time.

I hear advisors say, "I've been posting on LinkedIn or YouTube for a year. I've gotten one lead, and my calendar is still empty."

Host: Exactly.

Patrick: You could say, "If this resonated with you, I have a free retirement guide," or, "I have a free tax guide for executives with RSUs. Go to the link in my profile to download it."

The person gives you a name and email address, and you can make the phone number optional. They receive a helpful guide that gives them a deeper look at your expertise.

The bigger benefit for the advisor is that you now have contact information. You can follow up by email over time. You can discuss the problems you solve, what keeps your prospects awake at night, and the objections they may have about working with you.

That process moves someone who isn't ready to talk today toward a future call. You're building trust, demonstrating expertise, and showing that you understand people in their situation.

Host: I think that's how it has to work now. Consumers are well informed. They opt into what matters to them and ignore what doesn't.

I want to describe the environment where many of my clients work and see how your advice applies. I work with advisors inside large, legacy companies with walled-off systems. They often can't start an email list or use a traditional marketing funnel. They also lack clear attribution showing that someone booked a call after downloading a guide or joining a list.

It's frustrating because they can't set up the standard funnel you described.

They can still build a presence on approved platforms, create content, build trust, identify leads, warm those leads, and get meetings. The process is more manual. It still requires direct outreach and often depends heavily on referrals.

How would you advise someone working under those restrictions?

Patrick: It's unfortunate that some legacy companies are so inflexible. It does a disservice to the advisors who work there.

Still, there are ways to make it work. Advisors can post content on approved platforms. LinkedIn works particularly well for niche-focused advisors, and I know many people in your audience serve a defined niche.

Here's an example from one of our clients. We create content for him, and the posts get engagement, which is helpful. But many advisors fail to pair content with proactive outreach.

People in these restricted environments can still find prospects on LinkedIn by job title or profession and contact them over time.

An advisor who works with tech executives might say: "I help tech executives make decisions around RSUs. You may have a large share of your net worth concentrated in one company and feel uneasy about it. Is that something you're dealing with or looking for help with?"

That message is compliant. It doesn't promise results or returns.

Host: Right. Nobody is saying, "I guarantee you a 10% return." Compliance can be frustrating, but I'll save that soapbox for later. Keep going. This is good.

Patrick: When you mention something that's already on a prospect's mind, it gets their attention.

Imagine an Apple executive thinking, "Half of my net worth is in this one stock, and the price is high. What happens if it drops 20%?"

Advisors know there are ways to reduce that risk, but the executive may not. When your message names the problem, the person thinks, "This advisor understands what I'm dealing with. Maybe they can help."

For our clients, we usually contact prospects over about six weeks. Very few reply to the first message.

These people are busy. They may work 60-hour weeks and have kids. They see your message or content and think, "I should talk to this person," but then they get distracted.

When your third or fourth message arrives, they remember: "I meant to respond to that advisor." That's often when they say, "Thanks for reaching out. Let's set something up."

Host: That's how I coach advisors too. The content still supports the conversion.

The alternative is direct outreach to someone who then looks at your profile and finds nothing compelling or relevant. They're not going to give you their time.

I use a hybrid approach. We set up the marketing systems, but the advisor still handles some direct outreach and follow-up.

How important is a niche when you're creating content, identifying leads, and trying to book calls? Can an advisor speak to several different audiences, or is it better to go narrow?

Patrick: It's much better to go narrow. A defined niche makes everything easier.

Look at LinkedIn, YouTube, or almost any platform where advisors publish written or video content. Most of it sounds the same. A big reason is that advisors are using AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude to write their posts.

The writing often follows the same structure and uses the same phrases: "It's not this, it's that," or, "The truth is..."

I'm not saying AI is bad. It can help you generate ideas, but much of the finished content sounds identical.

A niche makes it easier to separate yourself from other advisors. AI can write a post about a Roth IRA. It can write almost any basic financial education content. It can't replicate your perspective, your client conversations, or the stories behind how you've helped people.

Advisors can't promise results, but they can lead with a real problem. For example: "A biopharmaceutical executive I work with received a $90,000 tax bill this year. Here's how we helped them address it."

A person who hears that hook may think, "That sounds like my situation. I should listen to this advisor."

That works better than, "Here are the seven biggest retirement mistakes." Anyone can enter that prompt into an AI tool. It doesn't show your perspective.

When a new client starts working with us, we have them complete a detailed questionnaire. We compare their answers with redacted transcripts from client and prospect calls.

What advisors say makes them different and what their clients value are often two different things.

I'd tell every advisor listening to review meeting notes and call transcripts. Identify the specific problems you're helping clients solve, and use the client's language instead of your own.

Many advisors have the curse of knowledge. They speak in technical terms without realizing it. A client may say, "They helped me pay less in taxes," or, "I sleep better at night after working with them."

I reviewed a client interview where the customer said something I never would have expected. He said, "I hate my boss. I want to leave at some point. After working with my advisor, my financial picture became clear. If things get too rough, I know I can walk away and be okay."

That sense of freedom was the biggest benefit he associated with the advisor.

Those are the thoughts going through clients' minds. Pay attention to what they actually say and use it in your content. Client conversations are probably your best source material.

Host: I love that. Are you familiar with Dan Allison?

Patrick: I think we've gone back and forth in LinkedIn comments a few times.

Host: He knows Nate and several other people in our circle. He's taught me a lot about this industry.

One thing I learned from him is a structured process for asking clients for feedback. I implemented his method from beginning to end when I was a marketing director at an advisory firm.

Those client feedback meetings were simple but incredibly valuable. You ask clients the right questions, listen to their answers, and use that information to shape your content, marketing, service priorities, and improvements.

The feedback usually fell into two categories. Clients valued the relationship and peace of mind, or they valued the advisor's expertise and the practical help they received, such as strategy and consolidation.

To sum it up, create content for one specific person. Use language that person understands and talk about the problems keeping them awake at night. That's what stops the scroll and creates curiosity.

Content creates curiosity and attention. You can then keep building the relationship.

We exchanged emails about advisor differentiation. You can visit LinkedIn profiles and advisor websites and see the same messaging everywhere. Many of them even look alike.

How do you help advisors differentiate themselves when they're competing with firms offering similar services?

Patrick: One question I ask is, "What opinions do you have about the industry that other advisors might disagree with?"

A contrarian opinion is difficult to copy because it comes from your point of view.

For example, one of our clients serves employees at a biopharmaceutical company. His view is that paying some taxes now may be better than deferring them until later. That runs against advice those employees may have heard elsewhere.

Contrarian opinions and specific client problems help you separate yourself. Again, call transcripts and meeting notes are strong source material.

Most advisors post generic tips and basic educational content. That's another common mistake. They focus on education instead of the problems they solve.

I recently posted that AI has completely commoditized educational content. The post received around 50,000 impressions on LinkedIn. It was also a contrarian take. Some advisors agreed, and others told me I was wrong.

A polarizing opinion may attract negative comments. Many people are afraid to say something that goes against the grain because someone might criticize them.

My response is that disagreement can help set you apart. Also, when someone attacks you online, it often says more about what's happening in that person's life than it says about you.

Host: Let's talk about AI. It has created opportunities for content, but it has also created a major challenge. How has AI changed the way advisors attract clients, build trust, and create content?

Patrick: AI has many practical applications in practice management. There are AI note-takers, CRM tools, and countless products on the Kitces advisor tech map.

Some tools have strong use cases. Others claim they can identify visitors to your website, even when those visitors don't complete a form. I'm still not convinced by some of those prospecting tools.

Then there are products that promise to create all your content with one button and contact prospects forever with another. That sounds great in a sales pitch, but when you read comments from people who have used some of these tools, the experience often sounds far less impressive.

Before investing in any prospecting or practice-management tool, research it. Talk to people who have used it. Advisor and CFP forums can give you a clearer picture than the sales page.

With content, AI has raised the floor. There used to be a lot of awful content. AI has made almost everything acceptable. Any advisor can now create a decent post. The problem is that when everybody can produce something acceptable, everybody starts to sound the same.

I use AI to develop ideas, but I add my own perspective before publishing. That human input still matters.

Host: When you remove yourself completely from the process, the process starts to break down. An advisor may say, "I want to create content, but I want nothing to do with it. I'll hire someone and hand it off." That removes the advisor's brain, expertise, and personality. In this business, the relationship is part of what you're selling.

Patrick: I agree, especially when it comes to messaging.

We do manage content for clients, but our process keeps the advisor involved. They complete a detailed questionnaire, and we may ask them to record a video so we can understand their voice and perspective.

Outsourcing can make sense for someone who is too busy to handle everything. But if you're still growing and don't have enough clients to fill your day, you should probably do much of this work yourself.

Alex Hormozi recommends spending 100 minutes a day marketing your business when you aren't earning what you want to earn. That time could go toward content, following up with people, or contacting new prospects. Do it consistently, and the results begin to compound.

Host: Lightning round. What's one piece of marketing advice you don't subscribe to?

Patrick: "Post educational content and people will reach out." AI has commoditized basic educational content. Add your perspective and talk about problems instead of relying only on education.

Host: What's one tool you can't live without?

Patrick: LinkedIn and Sales Navigator. Sales Navigator shows you who has viewed your profile. A profile view can signal interest. I often send a message like, "Hey, I saw that you viewed my profile after my post about XYZ. Did something about it resonate with you, or did you simply find it interesting?" That message starts conversations and sometimes leads to calls.

Host: Patrick, this has been great. You gave us a full master class on content marketing and how advisors can use it to build their businesses. Where can people find you?

Patrick: LinkedIn is the best place for advisor-focused content. You can also visit BFLAdvisorMarketing.com.

Host: I'll link everything in the show notes. Patrick, this was a pleasure. Thank you again for coming on Beyond Referrals.

Patrick: Thanks so much. I appreciate you having me.

Read the full page at https://www.bfladvisormarketing.com/podcasts/beyond-referrals-content-that-converts.