Informed: the podcast for LinkedIn® users
John Espirian
"Informed" is for you if you'd like to understand more about how LinkedIn works so that you can be an effective user of the platform.
It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.
But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners.
The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA.
John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.
It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.
But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners.
The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA.
John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 4, 2026 • 19min
485. Direct messages and algorithmic immunity
PostbagShould I delete posts on LinkedIn?Richard G Abrahams: Should I write a newsletter?Mark Lee: Can I target my posts to certain locations?Clip from my UpLift Live 26 talk on "direct messages and algorithmic immunity".I put in around 12 hours of editing time to get the replays ready, and we have about 17.5 hours of content in total now available over the past 3 years of the conference.Get your replay ticketSocial Insider report on document post engagement ratesLook out for messages saying "Email not reachable" and "Update your email to ensure you don't lose access to your account" – they're legitimate messages but seem to be associated only with LinkedIn accounts that have Gmail email addresses. Hopefully, this is a temporary issue only.Ryan Roslansky's book: Open To Work released
Mar 30, 2026 • 13min
484. UpLift Live 26 conference
Reflections from a live conference about LinkedIn skills and in-person networking. Short takes on using direct messages, relatability, and cooperative strategies. Sessions covered AI, behavioural tips and unexpected copywriting approaches. Attendees praise practical ideas, accessible speakers and ways to build private communities and stronger professional connections.
9 snips
Mar 21, 2026 • 17min
483. Is LinkedIn a social media platform?
A brief debate over whether LinkedIn counts as social media, citing key platform features. Practical advice on using @mentions in comments and avoiding the vertical pipe in headlines. Cost-saving swaps for scheduling and email tools are discussed. New voice dictation tools for AI workflows are explored.
Mar 14, 2026 • 17min
482. User interface glitches
This week's show "acknowledges" the challenge LinkedIn seems to have in presenting a stable user interface to its users.PostbagVoice note from Kaye King about improving our feedsVoice note from Christian Harris on LinkedIn groupsVoice note from Kate Nankivell about line spacing in the About statement———LinkedIn is showing a weird mix of languages on the user interface. Why?Throwback to 5 years ago when I posted a video of how to say hello and thank you in many different languagesDeliberately using typos to make text look real? (Please never do this.)LinkedIn is the most cited domain for professional queries, according to research by Profound
Mar 7, 2026 • 14min
481. How to get LinkedIn content seen?
Tips for getting external content seen by uploading it as LinkedIn documents. A critique of comment-to-DM engagement bait and how voice notes can feel authentic when paired with text. How to reduce notification overload from serial likers. News about reduced company page invite limits and removing post date/time stamps.
Feb 28, 2026 • 18min
480. LinkedIn voice notes
Among other topics, this week's show is about LinkedIn voice notes. I love them!PostbagMark Lee voice note on spam commentsNiraj Kapur has sent a voice note about AI, based on the content of last week's episode.I'll be sending more voice notes from now on – see my guide on LinkedIn voice notesMy average post length based on 5 years of dataI want to do more guest podcasts! See my past appearances on other podcastsLinkedIn's weekly sharing tracker now gone. There are more than 10 such updates coming in the next LinkedIn Roundup for Espresso+ members.LinkedIn Local in Birmingham: join us on 6 March.There's now a "living" LinkedIn newsletter that links to all my episodes of this podcast and that I will update each week.
Feb 21, 2026 • 19min
479. Is AI going to take all our jobs?
Is AI coming for all our jobs? That's the main topic this week, with lots of resources for you to check out so you can work out on which side of the fence to fall.PostbagAnon: How can I make my Featured items look the same size?Other topics in this week's show:Something Big Is Happening AI article by Matt ShumerFrank Prendergast has shared a voice note about this. Check out Frank's podcast with Justin Collery: The AI ArgumentSee this annotated version and podcast as a rebuttal to Matt's article, produced by Ed Zitron.About that Matt Shumer post – another rebuttal, by Gary Marcus.Watch a clip of Mustafa Suleyman, CEO at Microsoft AI, speaking to the Financial Times about what AI will do to white-collar jobs.LinkedIn Local programme to shut down at the end of 2026.LinkedIn action on automated commentsLinkedIn Future of Work fund open till 15 March 2026 – apply hereWhat's your oldest post on LinkedIn?Bonus content I found after recording: check out episode 11 of The Last Invention, which includes interviews with Ed Zitron and Gary Marcus.
Feb 11, 2026 • 15min
478. UpLift Live interview with Phill Agnew
This week's show comes out early to remind you of this weekend's price rise for the UpLift Live 26. We have an interview with our final speaker, the host of the Nudge podcast, Phill Agnew.PostbagAshley Leeds: Premium banner image buttonsCaryn Yuen: Some experts say that sharing glimpses of your personal life can help build your brand and make it easier for your audience to connect with you. How important do you think this is? How often should one be doing this? How do you decide what’s worth sharing, and what’s not?———Phill Agnew interview: our final speaker at UpLift Live 26 on 26 March 2026. Get your ticket at uplift-live.com and see all speaker interviews at uplift-live.com/speakersMore in this episode:Conference planning videoBanner image size blogAbout those post-it notes
Feb 7, 2026 • 19min
477. The post-Milan Postbag
Being away for a week in Milan did wonders for people asking me questions for the show!PostbagRichard G Abrahams: As a fiction author, given that time learning and using social media is time not spent writing and editing fiction, and given that LinkedIn is a business platform, is there really any value for me to go through the learning curve to promote my novels? Will I really get return for the effort?Ashley Leeds: How are LinkedIn group recommendation emails generated? How is your Espresso+ podcast on Apple?Kate Clark: What's your view on LinkedIn events?Caryn Yuen: Some experts recommend posting daily to build your personal brand, and some even suggest posting multiple times a day. What posting frequency would you recommend on LinkedIn, and why?Also in the show:Updates on my speaking gig in Milan, with slides for Espressians.Banner image safe zone tipSaves and sends – how to access what you've savedLink click analyticsMS earnings call FY26Q2Open Profile Premium messagingTop Voices UKUpLift Live price rise to £299 on 14 February. Get your tickets for our third annual conference in Birmingham on 26 March soon!
Jan 24, 2026 • 15min
476. Audio pronunciations + mystery speaker reveal
This week we look at audio pronunciation on your profile.Postbag Sara Gallagher: How can I realistically tell what advice is applicable to me, and what "works" because of the skewed sample but won’t in the broader LinkedIn universe? Does it just come down to trial and error?Is your security certificate valid?Recording an audio pronunciationMystery speaker for UpLift Live 26 – who is it?Illiya Vjestica is running a bonus UpLift Live 26 webinar on Thursday 5 February at 4pm, on the topic of presentation best practice. This one's free for all ticket-holders to the 2026 conference.
