Ethical Remixing: How to Rewrite Competitor Posts to Steal Their Audience (Legally)

Pablo Picasso famously said, "Good artists copy, great artists steal."

In the world of LinkedIn content creation, this quote is often misunderstood. "Stealing" doesn't mean copy-pasting someone else's work. That is plagiarism, and it will get you banned.

"Stealing" in the creative sense means taking the core idea—the proven concept—and making it your own.

Your competitors have already done the hard work for you. They have tested topics, headlines, and hooks. They have found what resonates with your target audience. Why start from scratch when you can stand on the shoulders of giants?

In this guide, we will teach you the art of Ethical Remixing: How to take a competitor's viral post and rewrite it so it is better, more valuable, and uniquely yours.

Why Competitor Posts are Gold Mines

Imagine you are a chef. If you see a burger joint with a line around the block, you don't need to invent a new food called a "Zurger." You just need to make a better burger.

Viral posts are market validation.

• If a post about "SaaS Pricing Models" got 5,000 likes, the market has voted: We care about SaaS Pricing Models.
• If a post about "Burnout" got 10,000 likes, the market has voted: We relate to Burnout.

Your goal is not to copy the post. Your goal is to serve the same demand with a better product.

The 3-Step Remix Framework

Here is the exact process to turn a competitor's win into your own.

Step 1: Extract the "Core Insight"

Read the viral post and strip away the fluff. What is the one thing this post is actually saying?

• Competitor's Post: A long story about how they woke up at 5 AM, drank green juice, and closed a deal.
• Core Insight: "Discipline leads to sales success."

Once you have the core insight, you can throw away their story and their words. You now have a topic.

Step 2: Change the Format (The "Medium Shift")

The easiest way to make content feel new is to change the format.

• If they wrote a text-only post: You create a Carousel (PDF) with visuals.
• If they made a video: You write a step-by-step "How-To" listicle.
• If they wrote a long essay: You condense it into a punchy, one-line "hot take."

By changing the medium, you reach a different segment of the audience. Some people hate reading; they love swiping. You are serving them.

Step 3: Upgrade the Value (The "Value Add")

This is the most critical step. You must make your version objectively better than the original.

How to Upgrade:

1. Add Specificity: If they gave generic advice ("Be consistent"), you give a specific schedule ("Post Mon/Wed/Fri at 8 AM").
2. Add Data: If they shared an opinion, you back it up with a statistic or a case study.
3. Add a Personal Story: Wrap the core insight in your experience. No one can steal your story.
4. Add a Contrarian Twist: If they said "Hustle harder," you say "Hustle smarter, not harder."

Real Life Example: The "Before" and "After"

Let's see this in action.

The Original (Competitor's Post):

"Cold calling is dead. I sent 100 emails and got 0 replies. Then I started posting on LinkedIn and got 5 leads. Social selling is the future!"

Core Insight: Outbound is hard; Inbound is easier.

The Remix (Your Improved Version):

"Everyone says 'Cold calling is dead.'

I disagree. Cold calling isn't dead; bad cold calling is dead.

Last month, we ran a split test: A) 100 generic cold calls. Result: 0 meetings. B) 100 'Warm Calls' (calling people who liked our LinkedIn posts). Result: 12 meetings.

The lesson? Don't stop calling. Just stop calling strangers.

Here is the exact script we used for the 'Warm Call'..."

Why the Remix Wins:

1. Contrarian Hook: It challenges the original premise ("Cold calling is dead").
2. Data: It uses a split test (A/B) instead of a vague anecdote.
3. Actionable: It promises a script.
4. Ethical: It uses the same topic but a completely different angle and value proposition.

The "Value Add" Checklist

Before you hit publish, run your remix through this checklist:

• Did I change the headline/hook completely?
• Is the formatting (bullet points, spacing) different?
• Did I add at least one new example or data point?
• Is my tone of voice (humorous, serious, authoritative) distinct from theirs?

If you answered "No" to any of these, you are too close to the original. Keep editing.

Tools to Speed This Up

You can use AI to help with the heavy lifting (but not the final polish).

The Prompt: "I want to write a LinkedIn post about [Core Insight]. Here is a popular post on the topic: [Paste Post]. Please rewrite this from the perspective of a [Your Role] who believes in [Your Unique Angle]. Do not copy the original text. Focus on actionable advice."

Pro Tip: Use tools like Comment Rocket to identify which posts are trending in your niche. You can see the top-performing content from your competitors in one dashboard, making the "discovery" phase instant.

Legal & Ethical Boundaries

Let's be clear about where the line is.

🔴 Unethical (Plagiarism):

• Copying their text word-for-word.
• Copying their personal story ("I grew up in Ohio..." when you grew up in London).
• Copying their specific graphics or images.

🟢 Ethical (Remixing):

• Using the same topic.
• Using the same list structure (e.g., "5 Ways to...").
• Quoting them (with credit!) and adding your own commentary.

The Golden Rule: If the original author saw your post, would they be mad, or would they say, "Nice take"? Aim for the latter.

Conclusion

Content creation is not about inventing new colors. It is about painting a new picture with the colors that already exist.

Your unique voice, your experience, and your perspective are the differentiators. Use the market data your competitors provide, but build your own house on that foundation.

Action Item: Go to the profile of a top creator in your industry. Find their most popular post from 6 months ago. Apply the 3-Step Remix Framework and schedule it for tomorrow. Watch what happens.