What's in your LinkedIn Year in Review? This is LinkedIn's version of Spotify Wrapped.PostbagShould a CTA be included in the headline? Caryn YuenIf the CTA is very short and part of a reasonably short overall headline, then that’s OK. Headlines that are too long won’t be read by humans, and if the intention of the text isn’t clear to the AI-powered LinkedIn search, that could do you harm.How to share achievementsFamey LockwoodLinkedIn has a new template for an individual to announce an achievement – degree, certification, award, etc. While the post is flashy and eye-catching, the question that I have and don’t understand is where does an individual show the actual document for the achievement? If the document is posted as a comment, the document isn’t always viewed in the feed. In addition, a person can say they have an achievement without actually having the evidence. (I have seen an individual post she had a certification from an organisation that I belong to so I knew the certification did not exist.) So, does LinkedIn want us to say we have an achievement without showing the evidence? There’s too much room for errors.Check out the Add profile section button on your profile, where you can add relevant items that work better than the templated LinkedIn post:Licenses & certificationsProjectsCoursesPublicationsHonors & awardsMy LinkedIn Year in ReviewJoined in 2008 (but I wasn't active until 2017)Active for 344 days (most of us got the same)Top 5% (again, most of us got the same)Peak times 10am–7pm (yawn)1 certificate634 new connections1382 connections "on the move"10K+ profile views1708 searches completedMost used Premium feature: InMail (no way)192 posts (public posts only – I've done way more private posts)9173 reactions7076 comments3796 new followers3300 comments on others' posts1025 reactions on others' posts (must be more!)18 repostsSupport was my most used reaction after likes
PostbagDoes the industry setting matter on your profile?Christopher Johnson (voice note) LinkedIn industry options help pageFake accounts with similar headlines?LB BrittinghamI'm searching for other experts supporting introverts and I keep coming across profiles with "introvert living in an industry of extroverts" or similar. Many seem like real accounts. Maybe it's some sort of LinkedIn insider knowledge/meme? Kind of like newbies to Threads don't understand the rage bait from fake accounts when they first get there. I'm wondering if the same thing happens on LinkedIn.LinkedIn release a community report twice a year and the latest one covers January to June 2025. They say they've stopped 61.2M fake accounts at registration. 22.2M have been restricted proactively before reports were needed by members, and only 385,900 accounts were restricted following member reports. If you suspect you see a fake account, you can report it via the More button on their profile.Main topic: Is Premium worth it?I joined in May 2021, paying £399.90+VAT. That's £479.88 per year or ~£1.31 per day. Here's what you get on Premium Business:Unlimited People browsing and searchingWho viewed your profile over 90 days15 InMails per monthCustom CTA buttonLinkedIn LearningOpen ProfileRotating bannerFeature content at top of profileEnhanced Services panelAI featuresGold badgePerks, currently including 3 months of free YouTube Premium and Spotify PremiumYou might get a discount to stay when trying to cancel Premium, but I'm not offered that.LinkedIn now has 100 million verified members, and Zoom will soon show your LinkedIn verification badge.Some interesting videos to check out on YouTube:Rory Sutherland Behavioural Science & Marketing Q&A ~1hAlgorithmic bias discussion ~1h 30mLynnaire Johnston and Mark Williams ~1h 10mUpLift Live 26 free ticket prize draw – ENTER NOWCome to the LaunchPad call on Thursday 8 January 2026 at 11am GMT where the winners will be announced live!
This week's main topic looks at how many active accounts there are on LinkedIn. See my LinkedIn membership tracker, particularly the updated section titled "How many active users are on LinkedIn?"Postbag– What do you think of people customising their pronouns?In short, don't do it!– There are quite a few LinkedIn experts who seem to attach an image to every single one of their posts. Do text-only posts perform less well than posts with images?Looking at my own data since the start of 2024, my text-only posts get 27% more impressions than my posts where I include an image.Other topicsLynnaire Johnston's livestream with Mark Williams (creator and former host of this show) at 8pm on Wednesday 10 December 2025: "LinkedIn, Legacy and Letting Go".UpLift Live 26 LaunchPad calls for those attending or considering attending our conference on LinkedIn best practice:Thursday 8 January 2026 at 11am UK (public)Friday 20 March 2026 at 1pm UKI'm speaking in Milan, Italy at Inspire Day, on 29/30 January 2026.Congratulations to Gus Bhandal on the launch of his The Squeeze membership!
Postbagvia Beth Kirk: Loving the informed podcast! I have a question around the proactive use of DMs to build relationships on LinkedIn. Do you have any top tips for people with established audiences please?— Look for opportunities to start conversations: birthdays, job changes— Look through your network to find key referral partners and potential clients, then scour their profiles and content for anything that could start a conversation— Don’t jump in out of the blue with a sales message. That will look like a campaign. Be more human!— If there’s any sign that the other party might be open to it, use a voice note or even a video note to further humanise. I get great response rates.via Espresso+: Does anyone get high levels of impressions with comments as a company page?via Espresso+: How to be found through ChatGPT?via Espresso+: Does an emoji in the Name field lead to spending one day in LinkedIn jail?Engagement podsPods are unholy alliances of LinkedIn users who are trying to artificially boost their posts’ visibility in the LinkedIn feed. LinkedIn are trying to crack down, with a new video about this by Gyanda Sachdeva, a VP of Product Management at LinkedIn.Thanks to an update from Tony Restell, UpLift Live26 speaker, who got this direct from LinkedIn:Any profiles or companies you come across that are selling fake engagement services, please report directly via email to trademark@linkedin.com
Thanks to Mark Williams for his kind farewell newsletter.PostbagProfile verification: to verify or not? (see more)Post timing: when is best to post?Recommendations: should they be up to date?Other topicsEveryone is talking about algorithmic bias against women. I’m going to investigate.A couple of text-plus-image posts:Changing the skin tone in emojis“Quiet Piggy”Starting a post with a short bit of quoted text often seems to get me good engagement, as per the second example.Why put a date and time stamp on posts? I wish LinkedIn would do something about this.About the showThis feels a bit meta but here are some things related to the development and marketing of the podcast:There’s a new page at espirian.co.uk/informedThere’s a new banner image as part of my rotating Premium bannerI’ve invited 250 people (the monthly limit) to follow the company pageThere were ~1000 downloads for episodes 466 & 467 – thanks!
The first episode of the new-look show took me 6 hours to record, edit and produce last week.PostbagHow do you manage lots of ongoing DMs?How much should we care about algorithms?Downgrading desktop featuresWhy not refresh your About statement with some icebreakers? Pick 3–5 conversation starters and drop them into your profile so that people doing their research can say something interesting to you.Free LinkedIn members can now send only 3 free personalised invitations per month – there are 5 quick tips in the show for how to get around this very annoying limitation.
This is the new-look Informed podcast, all about LinkedIn best practice, hosted for the first time by John Espirian. There’s a quick backstory of the handover from the show’s creator, Mark Williams, to John, and then on to listener questions in the Postbag.Postbag questionsCan you deactivate a company page without closing your personal profile?Can you talk about visibility being down on LinkedIn?Should we invest time in making newsletters, livestreams and videos on LinkedIn?How are comment impressions gauged and are they a useful metric?Is post boosting a good idea?Generative AI data training: how to turn it off if you don’t want to give your data to LinkedIn for free.Microsoft’s 2026 Q1 results are out, with some nuggets about LinkedIn growth.LinksGrowth stalling post 1Growth stalling post 2LinkedIn membership growth trackerRyan Roslansky on LinkedIn’s resultsBook a consultation with JohnEspresso+ community
My final ever episode. I have made the decision to retire, which means no more LinkedIn™️ training or LinkedIn™️ at all so the podcast needs to be handed on to someone else.Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
This week’s topic was inspired by a post I didn’t even read!I only caught a glimpse of it in my feed, but the headline or hook must have stuck in my brain and started to evolve into an idea for a podcast episode. It’s not the first time that’s happened—and it definitely won’t be the last.Chances are, it’s happened to you too, even if you didn’t realise it.That inspiration came from just one impression out of almost 20,000!Impressions to irrelevant people don’t matter so long as there are enough relevant ones.It can be argued that nobody is completely irrelevant anyway… you just don’t know! Content topic is critical to attract attention of the right audience So are impressions really a vanity metric?To hear all my thoughts on this subject plus the following topics, click on the podcast link below.Also covered:A profile feature makes a welcome return Video posting advice from LinkedIn™️...and it's actually quite good! New video trends feature Is spam getting worse? Premium free trial rules tightened Post of the week An announcement about the podcast Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
We often come across people on LinkedIn™️ who look interesting and produce content we find valuable...so we follow or connect and over time we feel as though we get to know them better.But do we REALLY know them?Interesting People interviews are designed to reveal more about the background, personal lives and characteristics of some of our favourite people on LinkedIn™️.Lea Turner is known for her openness and authenticity so it was a challenge to get her to reveal something we hadn't heard before...but she is most definitely very interesting!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
The only dedicated LinkedIn™️ conference in the UK enters its second year this week. I won't be able to attend but they have a stellar line up of speakers so I asked John Espirian to come on the podcast to give us a glimpse of what in person and virtual attendees can expect.Plus:The challenge of keeping up with AI! AI video is getting better but it's not fooling me yet Exposing automated AI comment cheats (idiots) Two new features A new video newsletter from LinkedIn™️ What happened to the mobile video feed? This post made me laugh Post of the week Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
So, the world's largest online business networking platform has decided to invest in offline networking? LinkedIn's new experience centre, in London is a bit more than just about networking but it's an interesting new development.That plus:Can you simulate the engagement of a LinkedIn™️ post? New profile feature Embedding posts Do screenshots boost a posts reach? Are Russian comment bots infiltrating LinkedIn™️? The LinkedIn™️ DM privacy case has been dropped...but was it baseless?Post of the weekMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
In this episode of the Informed podcast I argue that thoughtful and considered commenting is the single most effective action that anyone can take on LinkedIn™️ - that's a bold statement but one I really believe to be true.That plus:Boobgate! New Newsletter analytics Feed sorting removed New feed sort tab being tested How to spot AI comments How LinkedIn™️ influence user behaviour Post of the week Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
In this episode I cover the positives and negatives of the new(ish) mobile video feed.Plus a brilliant post of the week (and it's not a video).Video summaryhttps://youtu.be/_Cpjy-U0UXMMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
What would you spend your time doing if you only had one hour on LinkedIn™️ per week?Is it possible to have impact in that time?A recent interaction led me to think about this topic. One hour a week is woefully inadequate but it's an interesting challenge...what would be the best things to do in those precious 60 minutes a week?That plus:Two new featuresYour plummeting SSI means nothing! How much?! Is LinkedIn™️ Recruiter overpriced? Premium Duo pricing announced Top Voice requirements are tightened Post of the week Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
In this weeks episode I discuss my predictions for LinkedIn™️ this year.I've always said that there are 3 LinkedIns:The company The platform The community (us) My prediction is that the biggest changes this year will come from user behaviour and those changes provide opportunities for all of us.Topics covered:Introduction07.00 New features24.30 My predictions for 202553.15 Is the trend towards video damaging the reach of other great content?60.00 UpLift Live conference in MarchMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
We often come across people on LinkedIn™️ who look interesting and produce content we find valuable...so we follow or connect and over time we feel as though we get to know them better.But do we REALLY know them?Interesting People interviews are designed to reveal more about the background, personal lives and characteristics of some of our favourite people on LinkedIn™️.This episode features the wonderful Louise Brogan, A much travelled LinkedIn™️ trainer with an IT background, a passionate feminist and advocate for small businesses.We talked about the following topicsGrowing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Going to a school situated along the 'murder mile'! Why she left Belfast to study in Scotland How her travels have taken her around the world three times! Her early career in IT support including working for a massive corporate and why she eventually joined the NHS. Starting her own business and being risk averse The impact of losing her Dad when she had a 4 week old baby The advice she received which guided her towards social media training The pivot from broad social media to specialist LinkedIn™️ training & the benefits that has brought How she became a successful 'YouTuber' (over 2 million views) and why it attracts customers How she once turned criticism into a successful LinkedIn™️ post Being a feminist Her passion for small businesses Meeting the King! 👑 Being an empath in business Whats on her happy list A book recommendationLouise is a talker...something we both have in common so I'm impressed that we managed to keep this recording to just over an hour!Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
How the new feed is quietly stifling engagement.Also covered in this week's episode:Audio events are being scrapped How the 'see more' can be a curse New - enhanced profile cover slideshowsMore job losses at LinkedIn Elon's cringe comment Post of the weekMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
Has your network grown out of control?Do you think it might be time to disconnect from a few?Does it make sense to do it and will it help you?What is the best way to go about it?In this episode I try to answer all those questions plus:Not all subscribers are the same Positivity and LinkedIn™️ The Recruitment Network support automation LinkedIn shares tips for posting short videos LinkedIn's new 'Build your voice' hub Post of the week I also briefly talk about this brilliant post from Richard van der BlomMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.
This may be an unpopular opinion: using LinkedIn™️ as a 'funnel' to push followers/connections onto your site is not a great strategy!Also covered in this episode:New 'Open to volunteering' 55 million users are now verified LinkedIn launches “Know-How That Sticks” campaignLazy iOS mobile version historiesThe dangers of outsourcing messaging from your account Post of the weekMentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.