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
Oct 31, 2015 • 31min
87. Double Dutch
A big change of scenery this week as I take the podcast out 'on the road' to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. LinkedIn has always been very popular in The Netherlands and as a result some of the most respected LinkedIn experts in the world are found there so this week I jumped on a flight to go and have a chat with two of my favourite LinkedIn trainers Perry Van Beek and Petra Fisher.NewsSydney university keeps suits for students LinkedIn profile photosLinkedIn 3rd quarter results;Total revenue of $780m broken down as follows;Talent solutions 59% (34% growth)Learning (Lynda) 6%Marketing 18% (28% growth)Premium 17% (21% growth)Revenue is predicted to be $3 billion for the year.Unique visitors have dropped to 25% of total members (27% in Q3 2014, 30% in 2013)55% of unique visitors are via mobileLinkedIn announce their largest commercial deal ever - with EY for Sales Navigator licences (a sign of the future).Question:I am wondering if it is possible to see previously sent invites or messages any more? I'm asking because I usually tailor an invite to a person and want to refer back to it when I send a thank you note and a longer explanation on why I want to connect with them. I can find the pending ones but not the accepted ones. Before you could go into Sent and see everything invites/messages even if they were accepted.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Oct 24, 2015 • 35min
86. Group Messaging will return.
NewsMore details emerge about LinkedIn new ProFinder trialHave you played the LinkedIn name game?New thought leaders are invited to publish for the upcoming new appThe LinkedIn plugin that works out how old you are!Group messages will returnIs this the most authentic profile ever on LinkedIn?CommentaryGroup messaging is still possible - workaround hackHow to post GIFs on LinkedInQuestion Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Oct 17, 2015 • 39min
85. Someone forgot to put search in groups!
A critical look at LinkedIn groups.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Oct 10, 2015 • 38min
84. Outrage at new groups features
NewsLinkedIn agree to payout $13m to disgruntled users who feel their email contacts have been spammed.LinkedIn and Microsoft announce deeper integration with Cortana.Bond announce deeper integration with LinkedIn for their recruiting database product AdaptCommentaryNew LinkedIn messages function update, originally covered in episode 82.Muting conversation only stops the email notification.Email alerts for messages seem to be random and inconsistent.'Forward profile' feature is broken but there is ahack solution, just delete the https:// in the url of the profile you want to forward.LinkedIn, you arseholes! articleQuick reply option in received InMailMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Oct 3, 2015 • 35min
83. LinkedIn Sales Navigator Review
In this special episode I take a break from the normal format to concentrate fully on a comprehensive review of LinkedIn's Sales Navigator product.I believe that this product is critical to the future of LinkedIn who are still trying to break away from an unhealthy reliance on their flagship Recruiter product so I thought it was about time I upgraded and gave Sales Navigator a thorough appraisal.What is Sales Navigator?The first thing to understand about Sales Navigator (SN) is that it is not a conventional premium account. It's DNA comes from the Recruiter product and so it sits separately from LinkedIn.com.To access SN you click on a link from within your normal LinkedIn account which opens a separate tab with a different user interface. Premium accounts are basically normal accounts with added features, SN is very different and is designed for people who are focussed on using LinkedIn as a social selling tool.It is principally a lead generation and social listening tool, it's not a CRM (contact/customer relationship management) tool....not yet anyway!TerminologyOne of the first things you notice about SN is that LinkedIn have chosen to rename things, despite the fact that they are (mostly) the same as the traditional features on LinkedIn.com. For instance;Leads - translation = PeopleAccount - translation = CompanyLead builder - translation = Advanced search (with all filters)Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Sep 26, 2015 • 37min
82. The New LinkedIn Messaging App Reviewed.
A review of LinkedIn's messaging app.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Sep 19, 2015 • 30min
Episode 81. We won!
LinkedIn wins a UK podcasting award.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 29, 2015 • 37min
80. Its finally coming
New LinkedIn Acquisition. Fliptop, the lead scoring business announces LinkedIn takeoverLinkedIn launch a new app called LookupForeign spies use LinkedIn to recruit civil servantsEx Tesla engineer joins Apple - How LinkedIn profiles are making corporate secrets harder to keep!Slideshape changes it's name to 'LinkedIn Slideshare' and announces an interesting new feature called clipping. It would be great if they brought this technology to LinkedIn.LinkedIn share price hit by worldwide stock market crash but hasn't recovered as well as others.Users are reporting a change to their LinkedIn inbox. The invitations and archive folders have gone now but you can still see your invitations, they are just in a different section.CommentaryIn this interview with Forbes magazine Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO) reveals that they are currently testing a new messaging feature for LinkedIn. This is great news and not before its time. What do you think it will be like? Will it be on the desktop app or mobile or both?I can't wait to see what it will be like and think it could be a game changer for LinkedIn. New features are always rolled out gradually so if you get it before me then please let me know and send me some screenshots to mark@mrlinkedin.co.ukI need to warn you about a product called 'Advanced Social Messenger'. Do not use this product on LinkedIn or you might be the next recipient of a message like this!Finally this will be the last episode for a couple of weeks. I'm going for a much needed break in the sun when I intend to do very little except relax, eat and drink!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 22, 2015 • 39min
79. A System to Powerboost your LinkedIn Success
A change from the normal format this week as I interview the team behind Autopilot for LinkedIn. A system that allows you to view multiple profiles automatically.On the call are Scott Offord and Philip CardwellI have been using Autopilot for about 10 weeks now and i have been really impressed with the resultsIt is really important to note that using Autopilot is NOT just about getting profile views, this is merely an indication of potential. In order to make your profile views count you need the following;A strong profile picture that grabs the viewers eyeA clear and focused headline - this may change depending on who you are viewing.A targeted advanced search of your prospects that has been saved.Follow up with prospects who view you back with an introduction, not a sales pitch.Connect once contact has been made.Because Autopilot views more profiles than possible on a free account you will need to upgrade your LinkedIn account to a Business Plus premium account (you may have the option of a free months trial).Like most systems, Autopilot can be misused but if you focus on the above points I am convinced you will see great results.Using Autopilot can benefit your business but it is also a very powerful tool for jobseekers, check out this case study that Scott mentions in the interview.I appreciate that this episode could be be interpreted as an 'advertorial' for Autopilot for LinkedIn but nothing could be further from the truth, I approached Scott and Philip because I wanted you to know more about this. That is why I am posting a general link to Autopilot as well as my affiliate link which will pay me a small commission (at no extra cost to you)You can take a free 15 day trial of autopilot and then decide if you wish to continue using the product, for me it was a 'no brainer'!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Aug 15, 2015 • 33min
78. What is a connection to you?
NewsGroup Managers can now send unlimited messages to their members in the 'participants' section.LinkedIn release information from their economic graph regarding job migration.LinkedIn joins up with that famous 'great leader'(?) Alex Ferguson to find great British business leaders (and help promote Ferguson's book!).Blabbing with Blam.im. Krishna De has created some excellent instructional videos on blabbing here.You can now buy .grip domains but LinkedIn.gripe is not available.SSI update, I think that to improve my 'Engage with Insights' score the following four areas are importantStatus updates and published postsComments and likes of both the aboveDiscussion activity in groupsInMail response ratesCommentaryWhat is a connection and does this change over time? The following post from a senior executive at Facebook got me thinking.Is trimming your connections a good idea? I can see how it would help with engagement and that is a very important aspect of using LinkedIn but it would also reduce your opportunity for introductions. What do you think? Ping me your thoughts at mark@linkedinformed.com.Here a classic example of the lowering of standards on LinkedIn. Should company profiles like this be permitted on a B2B professional network? (explicit warning)QuestionI have two profiles on LinkedIn, the one I don't use only has three connections. How can I close this account?ANS = see below, you go to your settings under the 'Account' tabMy question for you;How many 'Interesting' quotes did I get away with?Thanks for voting for the show.If you haven't yet you can do so by clicking on the image belowMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
